A new survey finds that heavier social media use correlates with greater likelihood of believing unverified rumors, according to researchers cited in the report. The study frames this pattern as a threat to democratic discourse, since decisions and public debate increasingly rest on claims that have not been fact-checked.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-02
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist has released a new work examining how governments and tech-driven bureaucracies are increasingly automating public administration, raising questions about accountability. The book, titled around the concept of an 'artificial state,' traces how digital systems have reshaped the mechanics of governance over recent decades.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-20
Pentagram partner Paula Scher, with associate partner Bruno Bergallo and project manager Olivia Ray, created a hand-drawn logo for Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, an upcoming revue featuring 10-minute plays and monologues by 36 women playwrights addressing the current state of democracy. The design deliberately compresses the title's text into a tight frame, a visual metaphor for how women are pushed to the margins of democratic life.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-16
Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit, has filed a lawsuit against four federal agencies demanding disclosure of the confidential process the Trump administration uses to vet frontier AI models before release. The group says virtually no details have been shared publicly or with Congress about which companies participate, how they are chosen, or what legal authority underpins the reviews, and alleges OpenAI has struck a private deal limiting access to its top models to government-approved partners. The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling release of unclassified records by September 30 and an injunction against further withholding.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-02
A CDT-commissioned poll of 2,000 British adults, conducted by Public First, found 93% believe they have a right to private online conversations and 89% think no one should read their messages without a court order. Two-thirds said they wouldn't trust the current or any future UK government with the power to access encrypted chats, a view shared across supporters of all major parties.
theregister.com
· 2026-08-30