Twitch’s Crypto Casino Ban Ignores the Bigger Play
During a heavily watched Twitch stream on September 18, UK-based creator Sliker delivered a tearful admission to his audience. “It’s time for the truth,” he said...
Bogus Fears of Censorship Could Spell the End of Content Moderation
Hi, everyone. Glad to hear from Joe Biden that the pandemic is over. But who’s going to tell the coronavirus? The Plain View The linguist George...
‘Date Me’ Google Docs and the Hyper-Optimized Quest for Love
Olsson didn’t really promote her Date Me doc, but Chana Messinger, a teacher and blogger, tweeted it out in March 2021, saying, “I love this genre...
Behind Google Worker Protests of an Israeli Government Cloud Deal
Ariel Koren, a Google employee who became a face of worker protests against the company’s contract with the Israeli government, announced her resignation yesterday. The Jewish...
Twitter, Meta, and Blowing the Whistle on Big Tech
Hi, folks. We won’t have Fauci to kick around much longer. But we’ll always have Covid. The Plain View In late 1969, Daniel Ellsberg made a...
Turns Out, You Own Nothing
So, I think consumers rightly and reasonably have become more cynical and more skeptical of a lot of these sorts of offerings. And I think that’s...
Instagram Proves When You’ve Lost the Kardashians, You’re Screwed
Hello, friends. My name is Kate Knibbs, and I’m a senior writer at WIRED covering culture and media. I’ll be your substitute Plaintext guide this week,...
Google vs. Descendants of a Railroad Tycoon and Civil War General
An equine-assisted psychotherapist, a renowned organic farmer, and a Rockefeller are among 34 people named in a bizarre real estate case that could delay Google’s long-awaited...
The Supreme Court Accidentally Spurred a Data Privacy Push
Hi, folks. The winner of the week is Reed Hastings, who lost a million subscribers but saw Netflix’s stock skyrocket because he didn’t lose more. What...
Before Starbucks Baristas Had Unions, They Had Coworker Petitions
Her petition, titled “Let us have visible tattoos!!!,” racked up more than 25,000 signatures—including nearly 14,000 from Starbucks baristas—in more than 40 countries. In October of...