Web culture
Analysis
Is Google Search better than the rest? And is that fair?
As the US takes the tech giant to court in a massive antitrust trial, allegations that Google makes itself worse to earn more in ad money continue.
- by Tim Biggs
Latest
Text first, never leave a voice mail: The new phone etiquette
The unwritten rules of chatting on the phone differ wildly between generations. Here’s some guidance to help you navigate phone calls in 2023.
- by Heather Kelly
Google accused of paying $16b a year to stay as the king of search
The case about “the future of the internet” is underway, with Google arguing the US was wrong to say the search and advertising giant broke the law to hold onto its massive market share.
- by Paul Wiseman and Michael Liedtke
US v Google: The fight that threatens a $2.7 trillion giant
It is a landmark case years in the making and cuts to the heart of a long-simmering question: Did today’s tech giants become dominant by breaking the law?
- by David McCabe and Cecilia Kang
Opinion
Opinion
They love tech. They have money. So why does Big Tech ignore old people?
The tech giants claiming to invent the future are stuck in the past, their views of older customers hopelessly misaligned with facts, business logic and demographic trends.
- by Farhad Manjoo
Daniel wishes the rest of the world could witness what he sees in Australia’s high schools
Daniel Principe has spoken to thousands of teenage boys about what life is like for them. At a state school, he experienced the most profound moment of his life.
- by Anthony Segaert
Never mind the progress, what about the profit?
Books by Richard King and Guillaume Pitron examine the many downsides of technological advances.
- by Kurt Johnson
Opinion
Sex & relationships
Protecting kids from porn is simple. Why are we making it look difficult?
If technology is facilitating the distribution of explicit content, we can also employ it to limit children’s access to such material.
- by Chloe Shorten
Explainer
Russia
The secret service agents had a message: take down the app or go to jail. How is the internet splintering?
Cracking down on the net was like nailing jelly to a wall, Bill Clinton said in 2000. But governments have found myriad ways to filter, block or slow it. And now some nations want nets of their own. Why?
- by Sherryn Groch and Nick Bonyhady
Analysis
Analysis
As Book Depository closes down, which is the best online bookseller?
The closure has prompted an outpouring of disappointment across the world. But in Australia, lovers of physical books may not be worse off.
- by Tim Biggs