Technology

Privacy Advocates Sound Alarm On Cybersecurity Provision In Spending Bill

6:44pm December 17, 2015

by Brian Naylor

One of the provisions attached to the $1.1 trillion spending bill allows companies to share their customers' data with other companies and the government. Backers of the measure say it will help fight cyber attacks. But privacy advocates argue it will give the government easy access to Americans' personal information and does little to stop cyber crimes.

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From a frilly shark to social issues and a tragedy: Nine of the most popular stories from NPR's the Two-Way blog are represented here in a combination of images.

Most-Read In 2015: The Two-Way Stories That Found The Largest Audiences

2:02pm December 17, 2015

by Bill Chappell

You might have seen these stories before. They range from the serious — even the wonky — to the (arguably) absurd.

Sarah Johnson makes a call during a preseason football game. Our story about Johnson becoming the NFL's first full-time female game official was one of the Two-Way's most-shared posts of 2015.

National

Most-Shared In 2015: Stories That Grabbed The Two-Way's Readers

1:59pm December 17, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The metric of sheer page views only goes so far. We wanted to see which posts resonated enough with people that a high rate of readers shared them with friends and followers.

Dr. Thomas Furness (left) in one of the labs stretched throughout a nondescript house in Seattle that's home to his RATLab.

Grandfather Of VR: The Virtual Can Show The Beauty Of The Real

12:40pm December 17, 2015

by Jamala Henderson

Tom Furness has been working for decades on what is now known as virtual reality and thinks it has the potential to solve the world's biggest problems. But with new power comes new responsibility.

Supporters cheer during a meeting Monday when the Seattle City Council voted to approve a measure that would allow ride sharing drivers for Uber and other ride services to unionize.

National

Fact Checking Uber On Labor Laws

4:57pm December 16, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

A law passed by Seattle, which allows Uber and other contract drivers to organize, raises many legal questions. But despite claims by Uber, it has real teeth.

President Obama speaks at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection at Stanford University on Feb. 13.

Cybersecurity Legislation Finds A Place In U.S. Budget Bill

3:21pm December 16, 2015

by Alina Selyukh

Congress has been trying to tackle cybersecurity for years. After several attempts to craft information-sharing legislation, the latest one has found its way into the must-pass federal spending bill.

Be My Eyes pairs blind people with sighted volunteers who help them identify objects using a smartphone app and camera.

Help A Blind Person Identify Everyday Things, Via Smartphone App

9:05pm December 15, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

A new app called Be My Eyes pairs blind people with sighted volunteers who help them with daily tasks that require vision, at home and outside. It's part of a new "micro-volunteering" trend online.

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China's Cyberspace Administration minister Lu Wei (second from right) and other officials attend the opening ceremony of the Light of the Internet Expo on Tuesday as part of the Second World Internet Conference, which starts Wednesday. Lu has said that co

World News

China's Internet Forum May Provide A Peek At Its Cyber-Ambitions

8:42pm December 15, 2015

by Anthony Kuhn

China is hosting an international summit touting its vision of an orderly, government-controllable Internet. But China's prospects for exporting its censorship-heavy model overseas don't look bright.

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After recent terrorist attacks, social media companies are under pressure to do more to stop messaging from terrorist groups.

National

What Can — Or Should — Internet Companies Do To Fight Terrorism?

7:32pm December 15, 2015

Politicians are pressing social media and tech firms to do more to rein in the online presence of terrorist groups. But there are challenges, including defining what constitutes terrorist content.

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National

For Sex Industry, Bitcoin Steps In Where Credit Cards Fear To Tread

5:14pm December 15, 2015

by Sasha Aslanian

Trying to crack down on sex trafficking, authorities have been going after online ads for adult services. Some in this industry have found a workaround to stay under the radar: cyber currency.