Cat Zakrzewski

Cat Zakrzewski is a technology policy reporter and authors The Technology 202 newsletter. She previously reported for Wall Street Journal Pro Venture Capital. Her work has also been published in TechCrunch, the Boston Globe, USA TODAY and the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Latest from Cat Zakrzewski

Pill + Lets You Share Sound Quality You Expect From Beats Headphones With Friends

In time for your Cyber Monday shopping, Beats has released its first portable speaker since Apple acquired the company — the Pill + wireless bluetooth speaker. Right down to the packaging, Appl

Privacy Advocates Celebrate The End Of The NSA’s Phone Record Collection Program

The NSA shut down its bulk phone record collection program yesterday, more than two years since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden exposed the program to journalists and prompted a global debate abo

Federal Officials Are Warming Up To Self-Driving Cars

As self-driving cars rapidly develop, federal officials are beginning to rethink their stance on the technology. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced yesterday that an update would be comin

The Encryption Debate Isn’t Taking A Thanksgiving Break

Lawmakers and Congressional staffers may be trickling out of their Hill offices and to the airports, the encryption debate is not taking a holiday this week. Following media reports that the terroris

Encrypted Messaging App SOMA Launches Group Voice And Video Calling

Secure messaging app SOMA announced the launch of group voice and video calling for up to four people. Users can now use the app to video chat with up to four friends from phones running both iOS a

Immigration Bill Could Challenge Tech’s Ongoing Fight For Skilled Worker Visas

Even as immigration advocates push for increases to the H-1B visa quotas, calls for reform to the existing system are growing louder — from legislators and immigration advocacy groups alike. Sen

Our National Encryption Debate, In Quotes

The long-burning debate concerning encryption, its impact on both consumer privacy and the government’s ability to protect its citizens is back with a vengeance. The dialogue appeared to be dwind

Facebook Activates Safety Check In Nigeria Bombings

Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday night that Facebook had activated its Safety Check feature in Nigeria after a market bombing killed dozens. Zuckerberg's announcement came after the platform faced c

McCain Wants Legislation Mandating Government Access To Encryption

Senator John McCain on Tuesday told reporters that he would hold a series of hearings and eventually pursue legislation that would require companies provide the government with access to encryption.

Live Video Streaming Service Firetalk Partners With TMZ, Announces Guest Feature

Firetalk, a live streaming video platform, on Wednesday announced it would partner with entertainment news site TMZ as well as online performers. The service also announced the launch of a new feature

Parrot Unveils Bebop Drone 2 With Twice The Battery Life

Parrot on Tuesday unveiled its Bebop Drone 2, a smaller version of its popular consumer model that has a 25-minute battery life -- twice that of its predecessor. The Bebop 2 will hit stores and the sk

Hacking Collective Anonymous Declares Total War On ISIS Following Paris Terror Attacks

The hacking group Anonymous on Sunday declared “total war” against the Islamic State, the terror organization that claimed responsibility for the attacks on Friday that killed 132 Parisian

Paris Attacks Highlight Tech’s Elevated Role In Disaster Relief

As terror attacks put France into a national state of emergency on Friday, AirBnB, Facebook, Google, Skype, Twitter and Uber launched into disaster response mode. AirBnB contacted all hosts in Pari

Facebook Says It Will Enable Safety Check During More Human Disasters, Following Criticism

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg committed to turning on Safety Check in more human disasters going forward, responding to criticism that the company turned on its safety feature for Paris but not for Be

Pressure In Congress Grows For GPS Tracking Reform After Supreme Court Passes On Cell Phone Case

Senators and House representatives this week are calling on Congress to act on bills that would limit location tracking and phone surveillance after the Supreme Court decided not to hear a cell phone

Facebook Sees 23% Spike In Law Enforcement Requests For Data In The United States

Facebook revealed it received 23 percent more requests from law enforcement between January and June 2015 than in the second half of 2014. From January to June 2015, Facebook received a total of 17

Apple’s Encryption Fight Turns To The UK

After a major victory in the United States, Apple is facing an another threat to its encryption efforts on a different front: the United Kingdom. Though the Cupertino-based tech giant typically shi

Udacity Raises $105 Million Series D, Bringing Valuation To $1 Billion

Udacity, the coding education service, has sprouted a magical horn. The company announced on Wednesday it had raised a $105 million Series D round. With a total valuation of $1 billion, the com

Three Men Indicted In U.S. Over Last Year’s Massive J.P. Morgan Hack

Three men were charged in a 23-count indictment in connection with the 2014 hacking of J.P. Morgan Chase and multiple other financial institutions. Gery Shalon and Ziv Orenstein were first arrested in

Federal Judge Doubles Down On Expiring Phone Record Collection Program

A federal judge called President Obama to immediately end the bulk collection of Americans' phone metadata, just weeks before the program is scheduled to end. The decision from Judge Richard Leon o
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