Laws

The FAA Bill Could Make TSA Body Scan Distribution Illegal

Senators Chuck Schumer and Ben Nelson are introducing an amendment to the FAA bill that would make it illegal to pass around TSA body scanner images like so many blurry nude baseball cards. If it passes, the Security Screening Confidential Data Privacy Act would ensure that violators could serve up to a year in jail…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 8

Your Next New Car Will Probably Have a Back-Up Camera

By 2014 all new cars sold in the U.S. will have a factory installed back-up camera. These rear-view cameras, already standard on many luxury cars, could help prevent 300 death and 18,000 injuries. It’s the law! The law takes effect in 2012, when 10% of manufacturer’s vehicles must be compliant. In 2013, the percentage bumps…

Tech News Jack Loftus Dec 5

How Steve Jobs Got Sick, Got Better, And Decided To Save Some Lives

Yesterday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that will make California the first state in the nation to create a live donor registry for kidney transplants. The bill also requires California drivers to decide whether they want to be organ donors when they renew their drivers’ licenses. According to one notable supporter,…

Tech News Adam Harris Oct 6

Why Commercials Are Louder Than Television Shows

Congress might have passed a bill to make TV commercials quieter, but one anonymous online television engineer explains why it will take more than a law to save our ears. I can’t tell you the names of the television shows our engineer helps get off the air and streamed over your internet, but I can…

Television Joel Johnson Sep 30

Our Worst Nightmares About the Government Tracking Us Just Came True

It’s okay for the government to plant a GPS tracker on the car parked in your driveway, tracking everywhere you go. It doesn’t violate your rights, at all—according to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers California, Arizona, Oregon and a bunch of the western…

Tech News Matt Buchanan Aug 26

The Tech Companies That Helped Fight Proposition 8

Earlier today, a California judge overturned Prop 8, a referendum banning same sex marriage, deeming it unconstitutional. Great news! Here’s a quick rundown of the tech companies that contributed to bringing about this historic ruling. http://gawker.com/5604649/california-proposition-8-ruled-unconstitutional-overturned Back in October of 2008, with voting on the hotly contested Prop 8 imminent, Apple contributed $100,000 to fighting…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Aug 4

This Is the Future of War

Watch the Navy shooting down an airplane over the Pacific ocean using the new LaWS (Laser Weapon System) guided by Raytheon’s Phalanx Close-In Weapon sensors. Welcome to the future, where we all die in the hands of angry laser-firing bots. The LaWS is a six-laser cannon guided by the Phalanx Block 1B—the white structure that…

Tech News Jesus Diaz Jul 19

The Navy Wants to Kill Drones With This Ginormous Laser Gun

The Navy has successfully tested its shiniest new toy: the Laser Weapons System (LaWS), which recently “tracked, engaged, and destroyed” a drone in mid-flight. It’s not our first laser gun, but it’s certainly our best. https://gizmodo.com/photo-of-boeings-matrix-laser-destroying-an-air-drone-5407603 The system is similar to the Navy’s Phalanx close-in weapons system, which mounts a radar-guided 20mm Gatling gun on…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jun 1

Supreme Court Hearing Its First Case About Genetically Modified Crops

The U.S. Supreme Court has been hearing arguments on whether a genetically engineered pesticide-resistant alfalfa violates the National Environmental Policy Act. The case pits organic farmers against Monsanto, whose genetically altered alfalfa could spread its genes to neighboring crops, via cross-pollination and prevent them from being able to label them as “organic.” This is the…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 23

Up To 30 Million Mexicans Could Have Their Cellphones Cut Off This Weekend

If you live in Mexico, you may just be shit out of luck this weekend if you want to actually get any use out of your cellphone. Unless you’ve registered your number due to the new law, that is. Over 30 million cellphone numbers remain unregistered, and unless they send their personal contact details as…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Apr 9

UK Bill Would Outlaw Open Public Wifi Hotspots

If passed, something called the Digital Economy Bill over in the U.K. could do the unthinkable in this, the digital age: Ban open wifi spots. The ban comes as part of a bill that seeks to limit copyright infringement, or something. In summary, schools, small businesses and even libraries would have to effectively become their…

Tech News Jack Loftus Feb 28

Handheld Cellphone Bans Don’t Reduce Car Crashes After All

According to a study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, hand-held phone bans have no effect on the frequency of car crashes. Wait, what? Now, this seems different from specifically texting while driving, which is demonstrably dangerous. But in the four states the IIHS studied, the implementation of a ban on hand-held phones behind…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jan 29

Nokia Wins First Strike Against Apple With Official ITC Investigation

In the adorable he said/she said that is the Nokia-Apple patent spat, the ITC has begun its official investigation of Apple. So what? The ITC has the power to ban the sale of Apple products in the US, that’s what. https://gizmodo.com/nokia-moves-to-ban-apple-imports-apple-moves-to-ban-no-5449916 Nokia first sued Apple last October over 10 patent infringements in the iPhone, but…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jan 26

Nokia Moves To Ban Apple Imports, Apple Moves To Ban Nokia Imports

First Nokia sued Apple. Then Apple sued Nokia. Last week, Nokia went to the International Trade Commission and requested a ban on the import of infringing Apple products. Today, Apple asked ITC to ban the import of infringing Nokia products. This game of patent-infringement ping pong dates back to October, when Nokia first sued Apple…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Jan 16

Guy Demands to Be Arrested for Ripping His Own DVDs

In Denmark it’s legal to make backup copies of your DVDs, but illegal to break the DRM that prevents copying them. This annoyed a guy so much that he decided to turn himself in for ripping his own DVD collection At first thought, Henrik Anderson seems crazy for doing something like this, but he’s actually…

Tech News Rosa Golijan Dec 2

Utah Now Punishes Texting While Driving With Up to 15 Years in Prison

The Senate may be trying to pass a federal ban on texting while driving, but Utah recently passed a much stronger bill: It views the act is inherently reckless and punishes it as harshly as drunk driving. Passed after a texting driver killed two scientists, the law would put texting while driving in the same…

Tech News Dan Nosowitz Aug 29

Consumer Electronics Association Fights NYC Over Stricter Electronics Recycling

CEA, the organization that represents every gadget-maker (and throws CES every year) is involved in a squabble with the NYC Department of Sanitation over new, stricter laws governing proper disposal of electronics. Do they have a leg to stand on? Due to certain materials used in consumer electronics (especially in batteries and displays), gadgets are…

Tech News Dan Nosowitz Aug 4

Texting and Talking While Driving Now to Become a National Matter

The Federal Department of Transportation wants to hold a summit to evaluate the perils of texting and talking while driving. While many states have already made their own laws, this is the first time the issue has gone national. https://gizmodo.com/question-of-the-day-do-you-text-while-driving-5308695 The NY Times Bits blog says that Transportation Secretary David La Hood will announce plans…

Tech News Adrian Covert Aug 3

Biden Tells MPAA Obama’s Intellectual Property Czar Will Be ‘Right’

At a lobbying dinner hosted by the MPAA, Vice President Joe Biden chastised piracy as “pure theft” and assured the MPAA that President Obama’s administration will find the right person for the intellectual property czar. Showing favor towards the MPAA, President Obama also appointed Jon Leibowitz—former vice president of congressional affairs of the MPAA—as the…

Tech News Andi Wang Apr 28

France Slaps Down Proposed Anti-Piracy Bill

A plan to allow record companies to monitor internet traffic in France for piracy and shut down repeat offenders has been killed. Sweet. Under the plan, the music and movie industries would have been empowered to analyze the downloads of individual Internet users to root out instances of piracy, and to report violations to a…

Tech News Adam Frucci Apr 9

The FAA Bill Could Make TSA Body Scan Distribution Illegal

Your Next New Car Will Probably Have a Back-Up Camera

How Steve Jobs Got Sick, Got Better, And Decided To Save Some Lives

Why Commercials Are Louder Than Television Shows

Our Worst Nightmares About the Government Tracking Us Just Came True

The Tech Companies That Helped Fight Proposition 8

This Is the Future of War

The Navy Wants to Kill Drones With This Ginormous Laser Gun

Supreme Court Hearing Its First Case About Genetically Modified Crops

Up To 30 Million Mexicans Could Have Their Cellphones Cut Off This Weekend

UK Bill Would Outlaw Open Public Wifi Hotspots

Handheld Cellphone Bans Don’t Reduce Car Crashes After All

Nokia Wins First Strike Against Apple With Official ITC Investigation

Nokia Moves To Ban Apple Imports, Apple Moves To Ban Nokia Imports

Guy Demands to Be Arrested for Ripping His Own DVDs

Utah Now Punishes Texting While Driving With Up to 15 Years in Prison

Consumer Electronics Association Fights NYC Over Stricter Electronics Recycling

Texting and Talking While Driving Now to Become a National Matter

Biden Tells MPAA Obama’s Intellectual Property Czar Will Be ‘Right’

France Slaps Down Proposed Anti-Piracy Bill

Musk Changes OpenAI Lawsuit So that If He Wins the $134 Billion, OpenAI’s Nonprofit Gets It

Pro-Iran Hackers Target Critical U.S. Energy and Water Infrastructure

‘She-Hulk’ Was Apparently One of Marvel’s Most Successful Shows

The World’s First Eye-Tracking Smart Glasses Are Intriguing and Unpolished

Noah Hawley Is Remaking ‘Terrified,’ Which Shouldn’t Happen

Unprecedented Observation Reveals 2 Supermassive Black Holes Locked in a Tight Death Spiral

This Apple MacBook Pro Is Now Under $500 After 78% Off, Grade-A Refurb Deal (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Touch Bar)

Anthropic Launches ‘Project Glasswing’ to Stealthily Spot Cybersecurity Issues for Rivals

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

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