Jon Brodkin /

Senior IT Reporter

Jon has been a reporter for Ars Technica since 2011 and covers a wide array of telecom and tech policy topics. Jon graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and has been a full-time journalist for over 20 years. Before Ars, he spent six years as a newspaper reporter and five years writing about technology for IDG's Network World. To send Jon encrypted email, his public key is here; he can also be reached securely on Keybase.

Recent stories by Jon Brodkin

Ex-Twitter exec sues Musk, says he was fired for objecting to budget cuts

Fired exec suing Musk says he warned that budget cuts would harm FTC compliance.

Jon Brodkin – Dec 6, 2023 10:33 pm UTC

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Cable lobby to FCC: Please don’t look too closely at the prices we charge

ISPs are scared about the FCC's plan to measure broadband affordability.

Jon Brodkin – Dec 6, 2023 6:58 pm UTC

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Tesla whistleblower calls cars with Autopilot “experiments in public roads”

Whistleblower speaks out after Tesla sued him over document leaks.

Jon Brodkin – Dec 5, 2023 6:30 pm UTC

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25M homes will lose broadband discounts if Congress keeps stalling, FCC warns

Funding calls get increasingly urgent as program would run out of money in April.

Jon Brodkin – Dec 1, 2023 9:34 pm UTC

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X advertisers stay away as CEO defends Musk’s “go f*** yourself” interview

"Elon's interview was candid and profound," Yaccarino writes in memo to staff.

Jon Brodkin – Dec 1, 2023 4:33 pm UTC

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Meta sues FTC, hoping to block ban on monetizing kids’ Facebook data

Accused of violating kids' privacy, Facebook owner challenges FTC authority.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 30, 2023 6:50 pm UTC

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Elon Musk on X antisemitism controversy: “Don’t advertise. Go f*** yourself”

Musk says X advertiser backlash is "going to kill the company."

Jon Brodkin – Nov 30, 2023 12:53 am UTC

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Google to pay Canada’s “link tax,” drops threat of removing news from search

Google previously threatened to remove Canadian news links from search and News.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 29, 2023 9:47 pm UTC

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Web browser suspended because it can browse the web is back on Google Play

Downloader app was suspended twice despite clear problems in DMCA notices.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 29, 2023 7:31 pm UTC

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Amazon packages reportedly overwhelm small post offices, delaying other mail

USPS "agreement with Amazon is interfering with timely deliveries," senator says.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 28, 2023 8:33 pm UTC

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Google Play keeps banning the same web browser due to vague DMCA notices

Downloader app suspended by DMCA notice that didn't list any copyrighted works.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 27, 2023 11:10 pm UTC

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Meta routinely ignored reports of kids under 13 on Instagram, states allege

Newly unredacted suit cites internal documents, including report to Zuckerberg.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 27, 2023 6:35 pm UTC

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Sam Altman wins power struggle, returns to OpenAI with new board

Altman has agreement to return, while most of the board that fired him is out.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 22, 2023 3:18 pm UTC

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Reports: Sam Altman in talks for OpenAI return; board members could be ousted

"Altman would return only if the board members who fired him left," report says.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 21, 2023 8:51 pm UTC

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Report: After Altman firing, OpenAI tried to merge with rival—and was rejected

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei quickly declined job offer and merger, reports say.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 21, 2023 6:03 pm UTC

140
Judge rejects Elon Musk’s attempt to kill Twitter/FTC privacy settlement

Court cannot grant X Corp.'s flawed legal motion, magistrate judge rules.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 20, 2023 9:08 pm UTC

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After robotaxi dragged pedestrian 20 feet, Cruise founder and CEO resigns

GM-owned Cruise "failed to disclose" full video and key crash details, DMV said.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 20, 2023 6:07 pm UTC

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Prison phone company leaked 600K users’ data and didn’t notify them, FTC says

FTC: Global Tel*Link waited 9 months to notify users and only told some of them.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 16, 2023 7:26 pm UTC

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Cable lobby and Ted Cruz are disappointed as FCC bans digital discrimination

FCC will investigate ISP practices that discriminate by income level or race.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 15, 2023 7:33 pm UTC

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Starlink’s overzealous fraud detection locked users out of their accounts

"We had an account issue that led us to falsely flag your account as fraud."

Jon Brodkin – Nov 15, 2023 5:09 pm UTC

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Google sues people who “weaponized” DMCA to remove rivals’ search results

Google says DMCA fraudsters filed copyright takedown notices for 600,000+ URLs.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 14, 2023 6:50 pm UTC

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US studying 2,786 megahertz of spectrum to fuel “next-generation” services

White House highlights five spectrum bands, hopes to avoid interference fights.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 13, 2023 10:42 pm UTC

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Tesla threatened to sue buyers who resell Cybertruck without written permission

Deleted clause threatened $50,000+ suits when buyers resell in one year or less.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 13, 2023 8:04 pm UTC

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Apple discriminated against US citizens in hiring, DOJ says

Apple deterred US citizens from positions open to foreign workers, DOJ found.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 10, 2023 7:43 pm UTC

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Starlink bug frustrates users: “They don’t have tech support? Just a FAQ? WTF?”

Users locked out of accounts can't submit tickets, and there's no phone number.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 10, 2023 5:00 pm UTC

325
Five big carmakers beat lawsuits alleging infotainment systems invade privacy

Cars downloading text messages from phones doesn't violate state privacy law.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 9, 2023 8:11 pm UTC

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Internet providers say the FCC should not investigate broadband prices

ISPs say anti-discrimination rule should cover only deployment, not prices.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 8, 2023 8:57 pm UTC

122
After big drop in ISP competition, Canada mandates fiber-network sharing

Bell claims it will cut fiber spending by $1 billion in protest of CRTC ruling.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 7, 2023 6:27 pm UTC

181
Google ends deal to build 15,000 Bay Area homes due to “market conditions”

15,000-home plan in limbo as Google ends contract with builder after four years.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 6, 2023 7:50 pm UTC

91
Elon Musk tries to avoid testifying in Twitter-stock probe, asks court for help

Musk urges court to block subpoena, claims SEC is politically motivated.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 3, 2023 5:22 pm UTC

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Guilty: Sam Bankman-Fried convicted on all counts after monthlong trial

Bankman-Fried convicted on seven charges, faces maximum sentence of 110 years.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 2, 2023 11:57 pm UTC

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Uber, Lyft pay $328 million for “cheating drivers” out of earnings, NY says

Wrong deductions "withheld hard-earned pay from drivers," NY AG says.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 2, 2023 4:54 pm UTC

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US says Sam Bankman-Fried lied to jury, isn’t as “clueless” as he claims

With trial nearly over, defense says SBF is not a "villain" or "monster."

Jon Brodkin – Nov 1, 2023 9:28 pm UTC

154
Once valued at $47 billion, coworking-space provider WeWork nears bankruptcy

WeWork bankruptcy filing may happen next week as market cap falls to $60 million.

Jon Brodkin – Nov 1, 2023 5:16 pm UTC

146
SEC sues SolarWinds and CISO, says they ignored flaws that led to major hack

SolarWinds misled public about security while hackers accessed network, SEC says.

Jon Brodkin – Oct 31, 2023 7:43 pm UTC

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Facing 110 years in prison, Sam Bankman-Fried “can’t recall” what he did at FTX

SBF reportedly said he couldn't remember over 100 times in cross-examination.

Jon Brodkin – Oct 31, 2023 4:14 pm UTC

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