FCC targets net neutrality

Nov 21, 2017
The next target of the Trump administration’s regulatory rollback appears to be net neutrality. The Obama-era rule that says all internet traffic has to be treated equally. The Federal Communications Commission is expected to release a new net neutrality rule this week reversing that decision. Here’s how net neutrality works. Think of the web as […]

How consumers hold businesses accountable

Nov 3, 2017
Boycotts and protests can have a big effect when it comes to regulating businesses.
American Airlines joins the ranks of companies faced with consumer boycotts.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Can technology make the census more accurate?

Oct 31, 2017
The census influences how hundreds of billions of dollars are spent. Will reaching out online improve the response rate?
Forms for Census 2010 are displayed during an event April 1, 2010 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Why is the internet so sick?

Oct 30, 2017
The head of the Mozilla Foundation warns that the internet is "sick" and needs treatment.
Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images

Walmart deal would put Lord & Taylor merch on the discounter's website

Oct 20, 2017
Pressure from Amazon has Walmart.com looking for new kinds of customers. According to the Wall Street Journal, the giant discount store is close to landing a deal with Lord & Taylor, one of the oldest luxury department stores in the country.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Looking for tech innovators in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez

Oct 20, 2017
One-third of Ciudad Juarez residents live in poverty. A city tech incubator is working to generate higher paid employment.
Santiago Martinez, (left) and Manuel Rangel, (right) show off the virtual reality equipment they're using to develop their start up: VR Tech  . 
Simon Thompson/ for Marketplace

Analysts predict double-digit growth for PayPal

Oct 19, 2017
PayPal reports its quarterly earnings today. Analysts expect double-digit revenue growth. Last quarter, revenues at the payment processor were more than $3 billion, with 6.5 million new customer accounts. In tech company years, PayPal is kind of old — it’s been around since the late ’90s and pioneered peer-to-peer payments online. But the company keeps managing to […]

For public good, not for profit.

How much are 50,000 Amazon HQ2 jobs worth?

Oct 17, 2017
Call it “enticing” or “incentivizing.” Call it “begging” or “groveling.” What’s clear is the bidding war between cities and states to host Amazon’s second national headquarters is racing to its deadline Thursday. The offers of tax incentives, subsidies, favorable zoning, job training and all the rest are piling in. A few billion here, a few […]

What LinkedIn tells us about the economy

Oct 9, 2017
It may have some insights that the government doesn't.
Carl Court/Getty Images

Can any person (or robot) put an end to fake news?

Oct 6, 2017
It's probably going to take more than algorithms.
GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images