Technology & democracy
- Opinion
- Billionaires
I’ve spent time with tech oligarchs – you have no idea just how weird they are
Like the rocket ships Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are shovelling money into, the tech being prioritised by Silicon Valley’s billionaires isn’t designed to save us. It’s meant to save them.
- Cory Alpert
Latest
Welcome to the era of the ‘affordable’ cruise missile
Long-range cruise missiles were once expensive and in the hands of the few. Now they are being reinvented at a fraction of the cost, disrupting defence in the process.
- Chris Zappone
- Opinion
- Inside China
Jack is back: Why China has brought its billionaires out of the shadows
After four years of a brutal crackdown that has cost them billions, Jack Ma and the rest of China’s best and brightest have been welcomed back into the fold by Xi Jinping. The message is clear.
- Stephen Bartholomeusz
- Exclusive
- NBN
‘No way’: Labor says NBN will beat Elon Musk’s Starlink on broadband
Elon Musk’s Starlink network is winning Australian customers, but Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says NBN will remain cheaper and get faster.
- David Crowe
Apple settles eavesdropping class action for $153 million
A US class action had alleged the tech giant was using virtual assistant Siri’s microphone to record conversations without users’ knowledge.
- Michael Liedtke
- Opinion
- Competition
Big Tech didn’t like Biden. Trump won’t be any better for Google & Co
The Biden administration has used antitrust legislation to target the technology giants, even seeking to break up Google. Trump’s nominees to key posts overseeing the tech sector won’t be much friendlier.
- Stephen Bartholomeusz
- Analysis
- US Votes 2024
The alarm over Elon Musk and national security has yet to sink in
The prospect of Musk doing the bidding of Vladimir Putin – or any authoritarian leader – would be malign influence at a whole other level.
- Chris Zappone
On Telegram, a violent preview of what may unfold during and after the US election
Far-right groups like the Proud Boys are revving people up to fight should Trump lose, with some promising “to get you trained and ready for election day”.
- Paul Mozur, Adam Satariano, Aaron Krolik and Steven Lee Myers
He coined the term ‘tipping point’ – then COVID superspreaders made him reconsider
As the pace of technological change accelerates, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell predicts ever more frequent disruption.
- Greg Callaghan
Russians faked video accusing Kamala Harris of hit-and-run: experts
In an emotional account from a wheelchair, a victim says she “cannot remain silent any more”. But everything about the video is made up by a troll army called Storm-1516.
- Ali Swenson
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/technology---democracy-1lyc