Why Ghana's Clam Farmers Are Digging GPS
They have been working the same stretches of river for decades — but have no proof of ownership. Now technology comes to the rescue.
Technology
Newark Police Camera System Relies On Residents, Stirring Privacy Concerns
To bolster safety, the high-crime New Jersey city is installing hundreds of cameras. But the new technology is raising civil liberties issues, as the footage is available to anyone with a cellphone.
Digital Ambulance Chasers? Law Firms Send Ads To Patients' Phones Inside ERs
Personal injury law firms are using location-based mobile ads to target people as they enter emergency rooms. The trend is raising concerns among patients and health privacy experts.
Amazon Echo Recorded And Sent Couple's Conversation — All Without Their Knowledge
In what it called an "unlikely" string of events, Amazon says Alexa heard background conversation and misconstrued it as very specific directives.
Zeynep Tufekci: How Is Our Attention Packaged And Sold As A Commodity?
Why is it so easy to burn through an hour on YouTube or Facebook? Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci explains how advertisting algorithms have turned our attention into a valuable commodity.
Manoush Zomorodi: Has Constant Stimulation Replaced Boredom?
With a never-ending stream of stimulation, we rarely experience boredom. But tech podcast host Manoush Zomorodi says we actually need to feel bored in order to jump-start our creativity.
Amishi Jha: How Can We Pay Better Attention To Our Attention?
What exactly is attention, and how can we reclaim it? Neuroscientist Amishi Jha says there's a powerful link between mindfulness, meditation and attention.
Tristan Harris: What Is The Cost Of Infinite Distractions?
Designer Tristan Harris says attention is at the core of human experience. He argues that our addiction to technology has the power to threaten our very capacity to think, reason and problem solve.
Jaron Lanier: How Can We Repair The Mistakes Of The Digital Era?
Jaron Lanier says tech giants are battling for our attention to manipulate our behavior. But how did we get here? Lanier offers insights from the Internet's early days and a possible path forward.
Oregon Couple Unplugs Alexa After Private Conversation Is Recorded
The couple tells KIRO-TV that they had a private conversation. Their Amazon Echo recorded it, and then sent the audio to someone on their contact list. Amazon says this is extremely rare.