Computers and the Internet

• How Activists in Iran Are Using Starlink to Stay Online - Activists spent years preparing for a communications blackout in Iran, smuggling in Starlink satellite internet systems and making digital shutdowns harder for the authorities to enforce.
• Starlink Users in Iran Get Free Internet Access, Nonprofits Say - Under a near-total communications blackout, users of Elon Musk’s satellite service have gotten online without paying, organizations that work on tech issues said.
• The ‘Attention Economy’ Is a Lie - It started in a laboratory. No one could have predicted where it would end.
• Iran Is Cut Off From Internet as Protests Calling for Regime Change Intensify - As protests swelled around the country, Iran’s internet was shut down, and the heads of its judiciary and its security services warned of a harsh response amid calls for “freedom, freedom.”
• Nvidia Details New A.I. Chips and Autonomous Car Project With Mercedes - At the CES conference, Jensen Huang, the company’s chief executive, said the more efficient and powerful chip would begin shipping later this year.
• Hochul Will Back New Safeguards to Protect Children Online - In her State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul will propose that the default setting for online platforms should ban viewing or messaging minors.
• Opinionated Lists for an Overwhelming Year - As the year drew to a close, we reached out to Opinion columnists and contributors for personal lists.
• A Wealth Tax Floated in California Has Billionaires Thinking of Leaving - It’s uncertain whether the proposal will reach the statewide ballot in November, but some billionaires like Peter Thiel and Larry Page may be unwilling to take the risk.
• As A.I. Companies Borrow Billions, Debt Investors Grow Wary - Artificial intelligence companies looking to raise funds are being made to pay lofty interest rates, as debt investors become cautious.
• Chasing an Economic Boom, White House Dismisses Risks of A.I. - The administration has downplayed concerns — from mass job losses, to a potential financial bubble — as President Trump cheers soaring stock prices and faster growth.