Technology

News Brief: U.S.-Iran Tensions, Ala. Abortion Bill, Facebook Changes

5:09am May 15, 2019

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to escalate. Alabama's Senate passes a controversial abortion bill. And, Facebook announces it is tightening rules around its livestreaming feature.

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Education

Is Your Family Fighting Over Screens? We Want To Help

2:01pm May 14, 2019

by Anya Kamenetz

NPR is doing a series of stories about young people and screen time, and we'd like to hear from you.

South Florida voters wait in line to cast their ballots late in the day at a busy polling center in Miami on Nov. 6, 2018.

Florida Governor Says Russian Hackers Breached 2 Counties In 2016

1:49pm May 14, 2019

by Miles Parks

The attack had not been publicly known until last month's release of the Mueller report. The governor said no vote tallies were affected and that no data had been manipulated.

A technician works in a lab at GeseDNA Technology in Beijing. To counter China, the U.S. plans to impose new export restrictions on "emerging and foundational technology" that researchers say could affect the way they share genetic materials with internat

Stopping Key Tech Exports To China Could Backfire, Researchers And Firms Say

12:27pm May 14, 2019

by Emily Feng

Some tech firms and researchers say plans to impose export restrictions on "emerging and foundational technology" would make it hard to thwart cyber threats and to cooperate globally in science.

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In this Oct. 31 photo, a man has his face painted to represent efforts to defeat facial recognition. It was during a protest at Amazon headquarters over the company's facial recognition system.

National

San Francisco Considers Ban On Government's Use Of Facial Recognition Technology

12:03pm May 14, 2019

by Shannon Van Sant

The city is home to some of the world's largest technology companies, but it may ban the use of facial recognition software by police and city agencies.

A broken Lime electric scooter lays on a sidewalk in Washington, D.C.

Will Scootermania End With A Crash?

6:30am May 14, 2019

by Greg Rosalsky

Big Scooter is worth billions of dollars. Is this a sign we're in another tech bubble?

Liz O'Sullivan says she struggled for months as she learned more about the military project her in which her employer, Clarifai, was participating.

When Technology Can Be Used To Build Weapons, Some Workers Take A Stand

6:36pm May 13, 2019

by Jasmine Garsd

Tech workers have increasingly been asking ethical questions about their industry's involvement with the military. One such worker took her company's CEO to task.

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Supreme Court Rules Against Apple, As Kavanaugh Sides With Liberal Justices

2:53pm May 13, 2019

The Supreme Court says iPhone users' antitrust lawsuit against Apple can continue. The decision divided President Trump's two appointees, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.

World News

'Code For Venezuela' Aims To Find Solutions For The Embattled Country

5:52pm May 12, 2019

NPR's Michel Martin talks with Jose Montes de Oca, co-organizer of Code for Venezuela, an organization of tech workers who organize "hackathons" to help solve some of the country's problems.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said Thursday that the commission has rejected China Mobile USA's application to provide phone services between the United States and other countries because of national security risks.

FCC Blocks Chinese Company's Bid For International Phone Services In The U.S.

6:48pm May 09, 2019

by Sasha Ingber

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said it would "seriously jeopardize" national security, law enforcement and economic interests. The agency is also looking into authorizations granted to other Chinese firms.