Colin Lecher
The Verge
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Past articles by Colin:
Tax filing websites have been sending users’ financial information to Facebook
The Markup found that tax preparation services including TaxAct, TaxSlayer, and H&R Block have sent users’ personal financial information to Facebook through the Meta Pixel. → Read More
Applied for Student Aid Online? Facebook Saw You –
The FAFSA form included code that sent personal information back to Facebook → Read More
A Network of Fake Test Answer Sites Is Trying to Incriminate Students –
But some experts say such “honeypots” are educational entrapment → Read More
NYC’s School Algorithms Cement Segregation. This Data Shows How –
New numbers show how many students are locked out by the system → Read More
Nevada Lawmakers Introduce Privacy Legislation After Markup Investigation into Vaccine Websites –
Law would expand consumer privacy laws to sites running public awareness campaigns → Read More
Trump’s False Posts Were Treated with Kid Gloves by Facebook –
Data from Citizen Browser shows how rare it is for a post to be called “false”—especially if you’re the president → Read More
States Are Suspending Public Records Access Due to COVID-19 –
There is little precedent for such action, even in an emergency → Read More
States Are Suspending Public Records Access Due to COVID-19 –
There is little precedent for such action, even in an emergency → Read More
New Jersey’s former attorney general on Ring cameras and facial recognition
In this week’s Vergecast, former New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram stopped by the studio to talk with Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and senior reporter Colin Lecher. → Read More
Waymo workers complain about cuts to benefits and needles in self-driving cars
When workers at Waymo’s Chandler, Arizona facility were told they would become vendors, many were thrilled. But that transition wasn’t all good news, according to six Waymo workers who spoke to The Verge on condition of anonymity. → Read More
Iran’s favorite ride-sharing app was secretly available on the App Store
In 2017, after a round of US sanctions were placed against the country, Apple removed several Iranian apps from its App Store to stay in compliance. But one made an unexpected return. → Read More
How Amazon escapes liability for the riskiest products on its site
Amazon’s Marketplace is a massive business connecting third-party sellers with buyers, but when a product malfunctions, Amazon isn’t held liable for the damage. → Read More
France will delay controversial tech tax
French president Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter that he’d had a “great discussion” with President Donald Trump about the digital tax. The US has meanwhile agreed to postpone retaliatory tariffs. → Read More
Senator asks Jeff Bezos for more information on Saudi-linked hack
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has sent a letter to Jeff Bezos asking for details on a reported hack. "To help Congress better understand what happened — and to help protect Americans against similar attacks — I encourage you to provide my office with information regarding your case," the letter to Bezos reads. → Read More
Facebook accused of shutting out mobile competitors in lawsuit
Facebook, the suit alleges, “moved aggressively to shut out entirely direct competitors,” like WeChat, by revoking access to its platform. → Read More
Armslist: inside the crime-friendly Craigslist of guns
Armslist is one of the easiest ways to buy a gun online. But an investigation from The Verge in collaboration with The Trace reveals hundreds of users who may be skirting the law through high-volume sales. → Read More
Platforms don’t know how to handle Iran sanctions
Facebook-owned Instagram has been removing a slew of posts that mention Qassem Soleimani. As Coda Story noted, the company seems to be deleting posts from media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been labeled a foreign terrorist organization by the US and faces sanctions. → Read More
Kuwait news agency says its Twitter was hacked to spread misinformation about US withdrawal
In one of the earliest high-profile acts of misinformation about the military during heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, news agency KUNA announced on Twitter that it had been hacked. → Read More
Facebook executive: we got Trump elected, and we shouldn’t stop him in 2020
In a leaked memo obtained by The New York Times and publicly posted, a Facebook executive says the company’s platform was responsible for electing Donald Trump president in 2016, but warned employees against using the company’s power to stop his reelection in 2020. → Read More
Google lets alleged spying app ToTok back into Play Store
Google has reinstated the popular chat app ToTok after the service was banned from the Play Store for reportedly functioning as an espionage tool for the United Arab Emirates. → Read More