The year in authoritarian tech trends A round-up of Coda’s top authoritarian tech stories that were stranger than fiction, from actual killer robots to the post-Roe abortion surveillance dragnet roundup Erica Hellerstein
In South Korea, women are fighting to end digital sex crimes Amid South Korea's culture of surveillance, students, lawyers and bathroom inspectors are working to eradicate spy cameras feature Kenneth R. Rosen
Democrats want to prevent attacks on dissidents living in the US A new congressional bill would penalize foreign regimes for targeting dissidents in the U.S., but partisanship and geopolitics risk getting in the way Frankie Vetch
Killer robots have arrived to Ukrainian battlefields A new generation of autonomous machines is appearing in Ukraine. They augur a new military era, offering capabilities that far outstrip current weapons feature Ilya Gridneff
Stakes are momentous for the next battles for control of the global internet Voting prevented control of the United Nations’ internet standard-setting body falling into Russian hands last month. But it’s far from the last battle to be fought for the future of the internet feature Chris Stokel-Walker
Stakes turn deadly as Iran’s government threatens the phone apps aiding protesters Can technology used to oppress Iranians also be used to liberate them? feature Rayan El Amine
In Beirut, taxi app Bolt spreads despair in an already devastated economy From Durban to London, Bolt drivers have gone on strike to demand better conditions. But in Lebanon, the app operates with impunity, thriving amid chaos feature Emma Scolding
A mobile app is costing India’s poorest workers their wages The government has made it mandatory to register laborers on a welfare program via smartphone but weak networks and no accountability is causing frustration and anger feature Arbab Ali
Jailed for Jokes Why are Indian police making arrests based on the bruised feelings of thin-skinned politicians and obscure complaints about “hurt sentiments”? feature Arbab Ali and Sabah Gurmat
The hidden marketing machine behind Brazil’s food delivery giant How iFood used social media to undermine workers’ labor organizing efforts feature Clarissa Levy and Bárbara D'Osualdo
Online harassment is on the rise — and Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover isn’t helping How are women and LGBTQ people confronting online abuse? Tips from the field explainer Mariam Kiparoidze
Escape from Shanghai: my harrowing flight from the world's strictest lockdown Hidden in the back of a car under a pile of boxes, how one man escaped Shanghai's Covid surveillance system after three weeks of hunger and fear first person Anonymous and Isobel Cockerell
Fleeing Russian bombs while battling Facebook. A Meta problem Ukrainian journalists did not need Facebook says it’s fighting disinformation and blocking Russian propaganda. But independent newsrooms in eastern Ukraine say they’re being restricted under the same rules. feature Natalia Antelava
Outside the US, Elon Musk’s vision of a rules-free Twitter is expected to unlock violence and civil strife Musk’s free speech absolutism could stoke conflict in countries like India and Ethiopia feature Ellery Roberts Biddle
Watch your back — and your coffee mug. Innocent-seeming objects are tracking us everywhere From Bluetooth headphones to smart coffee mugs to GPS trackers inside fake pill bottles, here are some unexpected ways we’re being monitored roundup Mariam Kiparoidze
