Marketplace Tech

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear a case that will determine who collects sales tax for online purchases. Right now, many online merchants — such as Overstock and Newegg —don't collect sales tax — which means lots of customers just don’t pay it. Next on Marketplace Tech, a look at the history of why online retailers haven’t collected sales tax — unless they have a physical presence in a state … and how likely that is to change.

This week Marketplace Tech has been focused on the data economy, and how the practice of trading our personal information for services evolved. The revelation that Facebook data was harvested by a political data analytics firm kicked off this conversation, but it’s important to note that politics has been involved with social media for a long time. And politicians have been experts at gathering data about us for even longer. Marketplace host Molly Wood spoke with Sunshine Hillygus, professor of political science and public policy at Duke University, about the entangled history of the web and politics.

Congress may have grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week, but generally, lawmakers have given social media and tech a regulatory pass. Now there's at least talk about the possibility of laws that would govern our private data. So, all this week on Marketplace Tech, we're focusing on the data economy. Today a look at the laws (or lack thereof) that have been put in place around data and technology. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Nuala O'Connor, who leads the nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology.

Facebook won’t stop selling ads anytime soon. But the ad business has changed in the last few decades, and data is at the heart of its new strategy. All this week on Marketplace Tech, we’re focusing on the data economy and how we got here. Host Molly Wood speaks with Safiya Noble, a professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, about the evolution of advertising technology and how much it now relies on personal information, such as what Disney princess each of us is.

Mark Zuckerberg will testify in front of Congress today. He’s expected to address the way Facebook protects information about its users. But the current Facebook scandal is really a story about data, and a data economy that’s out of control. Over the course of this week, Marketplace Tech will look at different aspects of the data economy to understand how we got here. Today’s focus: privacy. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Mark Surman, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, about how sharing personal information in exchange for free services came to be.

What do you think of when you hear the term "wearable technology?” Smart watches, fitness trackers and Bluetooth headsets? All good examples, but the term is expanding. Now it could mean a denim jacket from Levi's and Google that allows wearers to pair the clothing with a smartphone. That may sound harmless, but wearable tech can also be a risk to your security and privacy. Marketplace’s Jon Gordon spoke with Amanda Parkes, a fashion technologist with the Future Tech Lab, about some of the new technology that might be making its way into your closet and why you may want to handle it with care.

Apple might be getting in the chip business. Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Apple plans to replace Intel processors in Mac computers with microchips of its own. The move would stem from Apple’s strategy of making all of its devices — like Macs, iPhones and iPads — work more like each other and more seamlessly. Marketplace Tech host Jon Gordon spoke with Dwight Silverman, the tech editor at the Houston Chronicle, about what’s behind the move.

There is a lot of junk in space. And there looks to be more coming as private companies send more satellites into low-Earth orbit. Last week, SpaceX got conditional approval from the Federal Communications Commission to launch more than 4,000 satellites. Marketplace Tech host Jon Gordon speaks with Marcia Smith, editor at SpacePolicyOnline.com, about what happens when all those satellites — new and old — eventually stop working.

Your internet service provider is watching you. At least, it’s watching where you go on the web and selling that data to third parties. There were regulations dealing with the issue for a few months, but the Trump administration did away with them. If you want to obscure your web activity, you can use something called a virtual private network, but they’re expensive and a little shady. Now the internet company Cloudflare says it’ll keep your information away from your ISP. Marketplace Tech host Jon Gordon spoke with Travis LeBlanc, a former Federal Communications Commission regulator, about how Cloudflare’s service works.

A ransomware attack in Atlanta affected city services including the court system, first responders and utilities. Attackers demanded a ransom of $50,000, which the city refused to pay. It made us wonder: Just how vulnerable are American cities to ransomware? Marketplace’s Jon Gordon talks about it with Chester Wisniewski, a principal research scientist at security firm Sophos in Canada.