While most of us were going about our day on Saturday November 17, the Iranian government shut down internet connectivity in their country. By the evening, government leaders had instituted a near total ban on access to the internet in hopes to quell the protests in the country over rising fuel costs implemented by Tehran over U.S. sanctions. The shutdown halted all communication in and outside the country, and this isn’t the first time this has happened in Iran. With the power of the internet at the fingertips of everyday people, authoritarian regimes across the world have sought to clamp down on public access to the internet, to what their people can access and share, all in hopes of retaining power and control.
Interesting technology stories
The Dark Psychology of Social Networks – The Atlantic
But what would happen to American democracy if, one day in the early 21st century, a technology appeared that—over the course of a decade—changed several fundamental parameters of social and political life? Might we witness the political equivalent of buildings collapsing, birds falling from the sky, and the Earth moving closer to the sun?
Americans Distrustful of Private Sector, Government Data Collection – Morning Brew
It’s a weird time in our digital development. People recognize their data is being tracked while they’re online, but most don’t understand the tradeoffs. More than six in 10 U.S. adults say it isn’t possible to go through normal daily life without companies and the government tracking them, per a Pew survey released Friday.
Parents’ Major Hang-Up: Kids on Smartphones – The Wall Street Journal
In a crusade against the dark side of technology, thousands of parents in the New York area have pledged mutual support in just saying no to smartphones for their children until at least eighth grade.
What jobs are affected by AI? Better-paid, better-educated workers face the most exposure – Brookings
Artificial intelligence (AI) has generated increasing interest in “future of work” discussions in recent years as the technology has achieved superhuman performance in a range of valuable tasks, ranging from manufacturing to radiology to legal contracts.