The Download: the dangers of DOGE, and how to blow up an asteroid
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
DOGE’s tech takeover threatens the safety and stability of our critical data
—Steven Renderos is the executive director of Media Justice
Tech buzzwords are clanging through the halls of Washington, DC. The Trump administration has promised to “leverage blockchain technology” to reorganize the US Agency for International Development, and Elon Musk’s DOGE has already unleashed an internal chatbot to automate agency tasks—with bigger plans on the horizon to take over for laid-off employees.
The executive order that created DOGE in the first place claims the agency intends to “modernize Federal technology and software.” But jamming hyped-up tech into government workflows isn’t a formula for efficiency. Successful, safe civic tech requires a human-centered approach that understands and respects the needs of citizens.
Unfortunately, this administration laid off all the federal workers with the know-how for that. And if this administration doesn’t change its approach soon, American citizens are going to suffer far more than they probably realize. Read the full story.
Meet the researchers testing the “Armageddon” approach to asteroid defense
One day, in the near or far future, an asteroid about the length of a football stadium will find itself on a collision course with Earth. If we are lucky, it will land in the middle of the vast ocean, creating a good-size but innocuous tsunami, or in an uninhabited patch of desert. But if it has a city in its crosshairs, one of the worst natural disasters in modern times will unfold. Homes dozens of miles away will fold like cardboard. Millions of people could die.
Fortunately for all 8 billion of us, planetary defense—the science of preventing asteroid impacts—is a highly active field of research. We already know that at least one method works: ramming the rock with an uncrewed spacecraft to push it away from Earth.
But there are circumstances in which giving an asteroid a physical shove might not be enough to protect the planet. If that’s the case, we could need another method, one that is notoriously difficult to test in real life: a nuclear explosion. Read the full story.
—Robin George Andrews
This story is from the next edition of our print magazine, which is all about creativity. Subscribe now to read it and get a copy of the magazine when it lands!
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Consumer tech products may be subject to steep tariffs after all
The Trump administration says that while smartphones and other gadgets are exempt from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs, they will be included in forthcoming semiconductor tariffs. (FT $)
+ Trump has promised to investigate the semiconductor sector. (The Guardian)
+ The White House’s tariff chaos is showing no signs of slowing. (Reuters)
2 Meta is preparing for its day in court
The landmark monopoly trial follows an investigation that took close to six years. (NYT $)
+ The trial’s ruling could force Mark Zuckerberg to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp. (Politico)
+ But the US government is facing an uphill battle. (Wired $)
3 Lauren Sánchez is heading into space
The pilot, who is also Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, will travel to the edge of outer space today. (CNN)
+ The all-female mission is expected to take around 11 minutes. (BBC)
4 Chinese sellers aren’t worried about the USA’s tariffs
Even though they’re anticipating that the US won’t buy everyday goods any more. (WSJ $)
+ The tariffs are hitting ordinary Americans pretty hard. (The Guardian)
+ Meanwhile, Apple has increased its iPhone production in India by almost 60%. (Bloomberg $)
5 Here’s what could happen to your 23andMe DNA data
Now the company has gone bankrupt, a sale could be imminent. (Insider $)
+ How to… delete your 23andMe data. (MIT Technology Review)
6 The hacking groups you need to know about
From crypto thieves to sabotage specialists. (Wired $)
+ Cyberattacks by AI agents are coming. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Netflix is testing out a new AI search function
Powered by OpenAI’s technology. (Bloomberg $)
+ It’s currently available for select users in Australia and New Zealand. (Engadget)
8 San Francisco residents are turning Waymos into community bulletin boards
They’re leaving handwritten notes seeking new hires and dates inside the robotaxis. (WP $)
+ How Wayve’s driverless cars will meet one of their biggest challenges yet. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Who is hacking California’s crosswalks?
Crossings are playing AI recordings mocking Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. (The Verge)
10 Instagram is the hottest place to shop for kids’ clothes 👕
Enterprising moms are on the hunt for bargains. (The Verge)
+ The best part of Facebook these days is Facebook Marketplace. (The Atlantic $)
Quote of the day
“The mass confusion created by this constant news flow out of the White House is dizzying for the industry and investors and creating massive uncertainty and chaos for companies trying to plan their supply chain, inventory, and demand.”’
—Dan Ives, a senior analyst for Wedbush, sums up the latest twists and turns in the Trump administration’s tariff plans, the Washington Post reports.
The big story
Africa fights rising hunger by looking to foods of the past
After falling steadily for decades, the prevalence of global hunger is now on the rise—nowhere more so than in sub-Saharan Africa.
Conflicts, economic fallout from the covid-19 pandemic, and extreme weather events linked to climate change have pushed the share of the population considered undernourished from 18% in 2015 to 23% in 2023.
Africa’s indigenous crops are often more nutritious and better suited to the hot and dry conditions that are becoming more prevalent, yet many have been neglected by science, which means they tend to be more vulnerable to diseases and pests and yield well below their theoretical potential.
Now the question is whether researchers, governments, and farmers can work together in a way that gets these crops onto plates and provides Africans from all walks of life with the energy and nutrition that they need to thrive, whatever climate change throws their way. Read the full story.
—Jonathan W. Rosen
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)+ The Minecraft movie sounds like absolute chaos (in a good way)
+ Huge congratulations are in order for Rory McIlroy, the first European to win golf’s Grand Slam.
+ Mark my words, nothing good can come from a British version of SNL.
+ Enjoy these gorgeous otter pups taking their very first swim with their patient mom 🦦
