IT & Technology News
Reporting on information technology, cybersecurity, and tech policy. The Daily Signal includes analysis, commentary, and opinion on technology’s impact.
-
Whistleblower Group Says Big Tech Blocking Ads for Documentary Alleging Biden Corruption
A conservative advocacy group asserts big tech firms still haven’t run any of their ads for a documentary on alleged corruption by the Biden family, a week after it raised concerns about potential censorship to leaders in Congress. Empower Oversight’s documentary, “Shielded by Power: The Whistleblowers vs. The Big Guy,” covers how, in 2020, social…Fred Lucas -
Blue States Scrambling to Keep Gender Counseling Censorship Alive After SCOTUS Ruling
THE DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Democrat-led states are searching for ways to keep censoring counselor conversations about gender after a near-unanimous Supreme Court came down against viewpoint discrimination. In an 8-1 ruling on Tuesday, the Supreme Court held Colorado’s so-called conversion therapy ban regulated Christian counselor Kaley Chiles’ speech based on viewpoint. Twenty-three states, along with the District of Columbia, have…Katelynn Richardson -
Justices Struggle Over Venue in Case Involving Big Tech, Saudi Arabia
Supreme Court justices grew fiery at times, and occasionally comical, during Monday’s arguments in the case of a former Twitter employee who was a paid informant of the Saudi Arabian government. Justices considered a narrow legal question about venue—whether a defendant can be prosecuted in a place where the alleged conduct didn’t occur. In the…Fred Lucas -
Jury Finds Meta and Google Liable in Social Media Addiction Trial
REUTERS—A Los Angeles jury found Alphabet’s Google and Meta liable for $3 million in damages on Wednesday in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit that will influence thousands of similar cases against the tech companies. Punitive damages for the companies will be decided next. The Los Angeles case involves a 20-year-old woman who said she…Reuters -
Big Tech in the Crosshairs of New Coalition With Lots to Spend
A new pro-family technology coalition plans to spend at least eight figures this year to protect children from dangers presented by artificial intelligence. On Friday, the White House released its National Framework on AI, which called for measures to protect children, but didn’t go far enough for many child safety advocates. For the first time,…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
Mamdani’s Wife Cheered Palestinian Terrorists on Social Media
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, reportedly glorified terrorism in a series of social media posts when she was in her late teens and early 20s. According to The Washington Free Beacon, the first lady of New York City celebrated the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, designated by the State…Jarrett Stepman -
Free Speech Clash: Tech Coalition Challenges Trump Anti-Censorship Visa Policy
A tech group that has received funding from left-leaning nonprofits is suing the Trump administration over the threatened deportation or revocation of visas for noncitizens the State Department identified as trying to censor Americans. While the administration says the policy targets foreigners seeking to censor Americans, the plaintiff, the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, alleges…Fred Lucas -
Blackburn Takes Aim at Big Tech for Harming Teens’ Mental Health
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., took the Senate floor last week to call out Big Tech, targeting Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and accusing social media companies of harming young users. Her remarks come as a case unfolds in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where 20-year-old Kaley G.M. is suing Meta and Google’s YouTube. She accuses the companies of designing addictive and harmful…Reagan Campbell -
The Rise of Political ‘Aesthetic’ Activism on TikTok
It doesn’t look like a political rally. There are no podiums, no party banners, no policy papers in sight—just trending sounds, pastel filters, and 30-second clips filmed in dorm rooms and bedrooms across America. But on TikTok, politics isn’t debated so much as curated, stylized, and performed. And as millions of young users scroll through algorithm-fed activism, a deeper…Katherine Matt -
Why Trump’s Tech Defense in the EU Is an ‘America First’ Policy
A fundamental principle of international law is comity—the mutual respect sovereign nations afford one another in enforcing their laws. For the United States, comity is not an abstraction. It is the predicate for stable trade relationships and predictable cross-border enforcement. When that principle erodes, diplomacy becomes nearly impossible. Comity is central to the U.S. dispute…Joel Thayer -
The Next Front in the Censorship War Against Christians
Whether through pressure exerted on social media platforms or through armed raids carried out against pro-life Americans, former President Joe Biden and his administration oversaw an alarming increase in the suppression and censorship of religious—chiefly Christian—expressions and actions in the public square. At the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention on Thursday, Christian…S.A. McCarthy -
EXCLUSIVE: Drug Czar and Social Media Platforms Join Forces to Combat Illicit Drugs
The White House is hosting a roundtable Wednesday with representatives of social media companies working to end the sale of illicit drugs on platforms like Meta, X, YouTube, and TikTok. Sara Carter, director of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, will lead the discussion on ways to keep children and youth safe from drug traffickers who may target…Virginia Allen -
Bad Bunny vs. Turning Point USA Super Bowl Halftime Shows Still Sparking Viral Reactions, Highlighting Cultural Divide
Four days later, the Super Bowl halftime debate appears to be outlasting memories of the game itself. Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show”—staged in response to the NFL’s selection of Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime act—triggered viral reactions, celebrity criticism, and extreme online responses—exposing deep cultural divides. The Final Numbers Bad Bunny’s performance drew over 128 million viewers, according to audience measurement firm Nielsen. That’s 5.3 million…Reagan Campbell -
USAID Strikes Back, as Judge Says Elon Musk Must Testify in Lawsuit
Lawyers for former employees of the shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development will depose Elon Musk, the former aide to President Donald Trump who led efforts to shut down the agency and cut other wasteful spending. The Trump administration closed the agency after auditors with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency found multiple examples of waste. …Fred Lucas -
How TikTok’s Algorithm Poisoned the Minds of Young, Liberal Women
Ninety-one percent. That’s the share of young liberal women who oppose deportations of illegal immigrants. In a country where 61% of voters support deportation efforts, one demographic has positioned itself further from the American mainstream than any other group in modern polling. This hasn’t shown itself in just one issue. It’s a pattern. And understanding…Brent Buchanan -
Why Children Under 13 Should Be Banned From Social Media
The debate over children and social media is often framed as a question of parental control or technological inevitability. It should not be. At its core, this is a moral question about what kind of society we are shaping, what we choose to protect, and what we are willing to sacrifice in the name of…Armstrong Williams -
They Threatened ICE Online—Then X and Google Got Involved
Social media companies helped federal law enforcement identify two men this week who allegedly made online threats to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that the social media company X helped identify a 21-year-old Justin Mesael Novoa, who allegedly posted online, “Can’t wait to shoot these … p—- ice…Fred Lucas -
From Rock to Tech, Talent Flees Taxes
California Democrats should listen to The Rolling Stones. The band famously fled England in the 1970s, heading into tax exile in the south of France. Mick Jagger and his mates weren’t alone—a generation of rock royalty abandoned the U.K. because of its steep taxes: David Bowie opted for Switzerland; Rod Stewart went to California. “We…Daniel McCarthy -
MAGA Baby Boom? Vance Baby News Takes Internet by Storm
For the first time in more than 150 years, the second family is growing. On Tuesday afternoon, Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance announced that she is pregnant with her fourth child, a boy, due at the end of July. The Vances referred to this pregnancy as “this exciting and hectic time”…Rebecca Downs -
Elon Musk Weighs in on Minnesota ICE Operation
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk appeared to support a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that made international news. “It is pure evil for people to stop the arrest of child predators,” Musk wrote on X, responding to reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested a U.S. citizen who wouldn’t cooperate with agents during an…Virginia Allen