Politics
IOWA 2024
Even After a Landslide Victory, Trump Supporters Claim Iowa Caucus Was Rigged
This is likely only the beginning of a campaign season obsessed with claims of election malfeasance.
David Gilbert
Rewriting History
How Charlie Kirk Plans to Discredit Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Act
William Turton
Women in the US Are Now Stockpiling Abortion Pills
Some women in the US are ordering abortion pills before they’re even pregnant. But early access to medication isn’t available to those who would benefit the most.
Kate Knibbs
Congress Sure Made a Lot of Noise About Kids’ Privacy in 2023—and Not Much Else
Members of the US Congress touted improvements to children’s privacy protections as an urgent priority. So why didn’t they do anything about it?
Matt Laslo
Congress Clashes Over the Future of America’s Global Spy Program
Competing bills moving through the House of Representatives both reauthorize Section 702 surveillance—but they pave very different paths forward for Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.
Dell Cameron
US Lawmakers Want to Use a Powerful Spy Tool on Immigrants and Their Families
Legislation set to be introduced in Congress this week would extend Section 702 surveillance of people applying for green cards, asylum, and some visas—subjecting loved ones to similar intrusions.
Dell Cameron
The Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2023
From Sam Altman and Elon Musk to ransomware gangs and state-backed hackers, these are the individuals and groups that spent this year disrupting the world we know it.
WIRED Staff
Microsoft’s AI Chatbot Replies to Election Questions With Conspiracies, Fake Scandals, and Lies
Research shared exclusively with WIRED shows that Copilot, Microsoft’s AI chatbot, often responds to questions about elections with lies and conspiracy theories.
David Gilbert
White Supremacists Are Celebrating Vivek Ramaswamy’s ‘Great Replacement’ Rant
Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy boosted multiple far-right conspiracy theories during the GOP debate on Wednesday night, in a dangerous mainstreaming of once-fringe claims.
David Gilbert
Fake Taylor Swift Quotes Are Being Used to Spread Anti-Ukraine Propaganda
A disinformation campaign led by a group linked to Russia's GRU is using images of celebrities like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and Oprah to lambast Ukraine.
David Gilbert
Worried About Deepfakes? Don’t Forget “Cheapfakes”
Generative AI is only one way of creating deceptive and manipulated media—and experts are concerned that not enough attention is paid to “cheapfakes” and other forms of digital manipulation.
Vittoria Elliott
The Hundred-Year Battle for India’s Radio Airwaves
The Indian government has a monopoly on radio news, allowing it to dictate what hundreds of millions of people hear. With an election approaching, that gives prime minister Narendra Modi a huge advantage.
Adil Rashid
Hard Drives, YouTube, and Murder: India’s Dark History of Digital Hate
India's next election will be partly decided online. But even before the internet reached the country's rural regions, divisive videos were distributed using hard drives and laptops.
Parth M.N.
YouTube and Reels Could Decide India’s Elections
Major political parties in India are courting social media influencers to reach rural voters, paying for reach and dodging tough questions.
Yashraj Sharma
A US-Sanctioned Oligarch Ran Pro-Kremlin Ads on Facebook—Again
Meta earned over $200,000 from an ad campaign, seen by millions, that pushed pro-Kremlin talking points and undermined local elections in Moldova, according to new research.
David Gilbert
Rumble Is Part of an ‘Active and Ongoing’ SEC Investigation
The SEC confirmed to WIRED that the financial regulator has launched an investigation involving Rumble, a “free speech” video platform. The nature of the probe remains unknown.
William Turton
Arizona's Secretary of State Is Already Sick of Election Conspiracy Theories
“At the end of the day, if you're threatening violence or committing acts of violence to achieve a political end, that's terrorism,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told WIRED.
William Turton
Moms for Liberty Is Tearing Itself Apart
One of the Republican Party’s most successful grassroots organizations is being torn apart by scandal, including accusations of sexual assault.
David Gilbert
Latest
Content Moderation
Oversight Board Criticizes Meta’s Automated Moderation in Israel-Hamas War
Vittoria Elliott
Content Oversight
Israel–Hamas Conflict Sparks Meta Oversight Board’s First Emergency Case
Vittoria Elliott
Fine Print
A Controversial US Surveillance Program May Get Slipped Into a ‘Must-Pass’ Defense Bill
Dell Cameron
Extreme Candidates
The QAnon Shaman Isn’t Even the Most Extreme Candidate in His Race for Congress
David Gilbert
Bad Company
The GOP Presidential Debate Is Livestreaming on Rumble, Home to White Nationalist Nick Fuentes
David Gilbert