Information that is published or distributed in a digital form, including text, data, sound recordings, photographs and images, motion pictures, and software.
Digital Content
Obama, the ‘internet president,’ makes his return
When former President Barack Obama takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention, he’ll address a party that has done a major about-face on its relationship with technology since he left office. Hailed as the first “internet president” for his campaign’s embrace of then-nascent social media and blogs, Obama’s rise was inextricable from that of the digital landscape we now take for granted.
The race to save our online lives from a digital dark age
In June 2024, more than 20 years of music journalism disappeared when the MTV News archives were taken offline. This, and other online data wipeouts (like the accidental deletion of MySpace in 2016) have archivists alarm bells ringing.
Judge Blocks Launch of Sports Streaming Service
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett blocked Discovery, Fox, and Disney's new sports streaming service, Venu, from launching, a major blow to the effort. Judge Garnett that the new offering would “substantially lessen competition and restrain trade.” Fubo, a sports-centric streaming service, sued the three companies earlier this year after they announced the joint venture.
ISP to Supreme Court: We shouldn’t have to disconnect users accused of piracy
A large Internet service provider (ISP) wants the Supreme Court to rule that ISPs shouldn't have to disconnect broadband users who have been accused of piracy.
A key part of California’s online safety law for kids is still on hold after appeals court ruling
A federal appeals court in California upheld part of a district court ruling that blocked a landmark online safety bill for children from taking effect.
Breaking up Google is hard to do
A federal judge is actively considering breaking up Google after a landmark ruling last week that the tech giant has illegally abused its search monopoly. A court
What AI is (and isn't) doing to campaigns
For a while, it looked like AI was going to blow up campaign politics in 2024. Powerful new tools, new persuasion techniques, less policing of social-media platforms, all were leading up to a landscape transformed, maybe dangerously so.
How to stop the government from deleting itself
A group of archivists—a coalition from government, academia and nonprofits—has begun capturing the Biden administration’s digital footprint. The monthslong undertaking is called the End of Term Archive, and it has occurred every four years since the George W. Bush administration. Archivists first amass a sprawling list of public government URLs. They then catalog all of those websites (and the websites within those websites) and a snapshot of their content. In the end, it’s as much as 300 terabytes worth of material.
US Considers a Rare Antitrust Move: Breaking Up Google
A bid to break up Alphabet Inc.’s Google is one of the options being considered by the Justice Department after a landmark court ruling found that the company monopolized the online search market. The move would be Washington’s first push to dismantle a company for illegal monopolization since unsuccessful efforts to break up
Meta shutters tool used to fight disinformation, despite outcry
Meta has been bombarded by academics, researchers, politicians and regulators about a tool called CrowdTangle, which most people probably haven’t heard of. It’s been used to investigate the spread of violence, political disinformation and false narratives on Facebook and Instagram. On August 14, less than three months before the U.S.