Tech policy
Laws, regulation, export controls and government action that shape the technology industry.
- WikiASMLASML is the Dutch company that makes lithography machines for chipmaking and is the only supplier of EUV systems. Its business, results and outlook.Updated
- WikiBioMADEBioMADE is the US Manufacturing USA institute for bioindustrial manufacturing, building shared pilot and demonstration fermentation plants.Updated
- WikiCAISI / CAISSI: the US government's AI testing centre at NISTThe US centre at NIST that tests frontier AI models, from AI Safety Institute to CAISI (2025) and CAISSI (2026).Updated
- WikiCFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) and cryptoThe CFTC regulates US derivatives markets. Its current crypto powers, its 2026 crypto rulemaking, and the spot-market role the CLARITY Act would give it.Updated
- WikiCLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, H.R. 3633)The CLARITY Act is the US crypto market-structure bill that would split oversight between the SEC and CFTC. What it does and where it stands in October 2026.Updated
- WikiCrypto-agilityCrypto-agility is the ability to replace cryptographic algorithms without rebuilding systems. Why the post-quantum transition made it a priority.Updated
- WikiDARPA AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC)DARPA's two-year competition for AI systems that find and patch software vulnerabilities, won by Team Atlanta in August 2025. Results and significance.Updated
- WikiDNA synthesis order screeningSynthesis providers screen DNA orders and verify customers. How the US framework works, the free Common Mechanism tool, and where it falls short.Updated
- WikiExtreme ultraviolet lithographyExtreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography prints the finest features on advanced chips using 13.5 nm light. How it works, who makes it and what is new.Updated
- WikiFederal ReserveThe US central bank: how it is structured, its dual mandate and 2% target, who leads it in 2026, and why it raised rates in September 2026.Updated
- WikiFederal Open Market Committee (FOMC)The FOMC is the Fed committee that sets US interest rates. Who votes in 2026, how often it meets, and what its statements and dot plot mean.Updated
- WikiFrontier safety frameworks (responsible scaling policies)Frontier safety frameworks are AI companies' if-then rules for dangerous capabilities. How they work, who has one, and 2026 changes.Updated
- WikiGENIUS Act (US stablecoin law, Public Law 119-27)The GENIUS Act is the 2025 US law regulating payment stablecoins: reserves, the interest ban, state options and how it links to the CLARITY Act.Updated
- WikiLoot boxesWhat loot boxes are, how ratings bodies label them, what research says about gambling links and where they are restricted as of October 2026.Updated
- WikiNIST Post-Quantum Cryptography projectNIST's open, multi-year competition that produced the ML-KEM, ML-DSA and SLH-DSA standards, plus HQC, FN-DSA and the work still in progress.Updated
- WikiOPEC+OPEC+ links OPEC's members with Russia and other producers under the Declaration of Cooperation. Who is in it and what it decided in 2026.Updated
- WikiSEC (US Securities and Exchange Commission) and cryptoThe SEC regulates US securities markets. Its role in crypto, its 2026 token taxonomy and Regulation Crypto Assets, and what the CLARITY Act would change.Updated
- WikiSpot crypto ETFs (bitcoin and ether)Spot crypto ETFs hold bitcoin or ether directly and trade on stock exchanges. How US approval happened, the biggest funds, flows and staking in 2026.Updated
- WikiTesla ArcadeTesla Arcade is Tesla's built-in in-car games feature, playable in Park since 2019. Its history, Passenger Play, Steam and the NHTSA probe.Updated
- WikiUK AI Security Institute (AISI)The UK AI Security Institute tests frontier AI models for national-security risks. Its history, tools and key findings.Updated
- ● DevelopingAI safety tracker: alignment, interpretability and evals in 2026Live tracker of AI safety milestones: interpretability results, evaluations, safety frameworks, incidents and institutes.Updated 29 confirmed
- ● DevelopingCLARITY Act tracker: crypto market-structure bill newsEvery dated step of the CLARITY Act crypto market-structure bill, from House passage in 2025 to the failed 49-50 Senate vote and what comes next.Updated 20 confirmed
- ● DevelopingPost-quantum cryptography and security trackerA dated, sourced timeline of post-quantum cryptography and AI security milestones: NIST standards, deployment, government deadlines, 2024-2026.Updated 23 confirmed
- ● DevelopingFed interest rate decisions 2026: every FOMC meeting trackedA dated record of each 2026 FOMC rate decision from Fed statements: holds, dissents, the September hike to 3.75-4.00%, and what comes next.Updated 14 confirmed
- ● DevelopingIn-car gaming tracker: automaker announcements and safety actionsDated timeline of in-car gaming: Tesla Arcade and Steam, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen AirConsole, GeForce NOW in cars, and NHTSA's Passenger Play probe.Updated 10 confirmed
- ● DevelopingOil prices 2026 tracker: dated moves and their causesA dated, sourced timeline of 2026 oil price moves, from the Strait of Hormuz closure to the October 2026 stock releases, using EIA, IEA and OPEC data.Updated 24 confirmed
- ● DevelopingSynthetic biology tracker: milestones and policyA running timeline of synthetic biology and biomanufacturing milestones, from genome writing and circuit design to pilot plants and synthesis screening policy.Updated 20 confirmed
- ● DevelopingUS export controls on advanced AI chipsHow US rules on exporting advanced AI chips to China have changed since October 2022, who they affect, and what is still unresolved.Updated 16 confirmed
- AnalysisDoes AI help cyber attackers or defenders more?AI now finds and exploits software flaws. Evidence from DARPA's AIxCC, Google's Big Sleep, Anthropic's Mythos and a reported AI-run espionage campaign.Updated
- AnalysisCan battery supply chains diversify away from China?China makes most of the world's batteries and refines most battery minerals. The evidence on whether US and EU tariffs, tax rules and plants can change that.Updated
- AnalysisWhy biomanufacturing still fails at scale-upEngineered strains work in flasks and stall at industrial scale. The evidence on capacity, public plants and platform business models as of October 2026.Updated
- AnalysisCan carbon removal scale credibly? The 2026 debateCarbon removal must grow from 2 million to billions of tonnes. The evidence on growth, measurement, permanence and demand, and three competing views.Updated
- AnalysisThe CLARITY Act debate: industry, banks, consumer groups, regulatorsWhy the CLARITY Act stalled: the competing views of crypto firms, banks, consumer advocates, senators and regulators, set out side by side as of October 2026.Updated
- AnalysisIs console emulation legal? Emulators, BIOS files and piracyWhat US law says about emulators, BIOS files and circumvention, from Sony v. Connectix to the Yuzu settlement, and what it means for PS5 emulation.Updated
- AnalysisWhat's driving crypto in 2026? Flows, leverage, rates and policyWhy bitcoin and ether slumped then rebounded in 2026: the evidence on ETF flows, leverage, Fed policy and Washington, with competing views as of October 2026.Updated
- AnalysisThe DNA synthesis screening policy debateShould synthesis screening be a funding condition, a statutory rule or an industry norm? The evidence and the competing positions as of October 2026.Updated
- AnalysisHow far will the Fed raise rates? The 2026 rate-path debateAfter the September 2026 hike, Fed officials disagree on how many more increases are needed and how fast. The evidence and views, attributed.Updated
- AnalysisWho can get gene-editing cures? The access and cost debateGene-editing therapies like Casgevy can cost millions and need specialist centres. The evidence on access, payment models and global reach in 2026.Updated
- AnalysisWho gets GLP-1 drugs? The 2026 price and coverage debateGLP-1 prices, Medicare's Bridge, negotiated prices, compounding and generics: the evidence on access in 2026 and the competing views on what comes next.Updated
- AnalysisLoot box regulation in 2026: ban, label or leave it to industry?How Brazil, the EU, the UK, the US and PEGI regulate loot boxes and other game mechanics as of October 2026, and the case for and against tighter rules.Updated
- AnalysisMoon race or science? The fight over NASA's prioritiesThe White House twice proposed cutting NASA science by nearly half while protecting Artemis. Congress pushed back. What is at stake as of October 2026.Updated
- AnalysisOil supply and demand outlook 2026: EIA vs IEA vs OPECEIA, the IEA and OPEC disagree sharply on 2026 oil demand after the Hormuz shock. Their forecasts side by side, with what each assumes, as of October 2026.Updated
- AnalysisHow fast must we move to post-quantum cryptography?Q-Day timing, 2029 corporate targets versus 2030-2035 government deadlines, and whether to rush new algorithms: the post-quantum migration debate.Updated
- AnalysisSolar geoengineering research: the debate in 2026Should scientists study reflecting sunlight to cool the planet? What solar geoengineering is, its risks, current research programmes and competing views.Updated
- AnalysisThe US mRNA vaccine policy debate, 2025-2026How US mRNA vaccine policy changed in 2025-2026: FDA label limits, BARDA cuts, ACIP reconstitution and the court case, with each side's arguments.Updated
- ExplainerAI safety and alignment in 2026: a crash courseA sourced crash course on AI safety: alignment, interpretability, evaluations, oversight, safety institutes and the 2026 frontier.Updated
- ExplainerWhat the CLARITY Act does: SEC vs CFTC and digital commoditiesA plain guide to the CLARITY Act: how it splits crypto oversight between the SEC and CFTC, what a digital commodity is, and where the bill stands in 2026.Updated
- ExplainerCLARITY Act vs GENIUS Act: how the two crypto laws fit togetherThe GENIUS Act regulates stablecoins and is law; the CLARITY Act would regulate crypto markets and is stalled. How they connect, including the yield fight.Updated
- ExplainerPost-quantum cryptography and security in 2026: a crash courseA sourced crash course on post-quantum cryptography: the quantum threat, NIST's new standards, deployment, migration deadlines and AI in security.Updated
- ExplainerHarvest now, decrypt later: why the quantum threat is already hereHow attackers can store encrypted data today to decrypt with a future quantum computer, which data is at risk, and why it drives migration deadlines.Updated
- ExplainerWhat a Fed rate hike or cut does to markets, mortgages and loansHow Federal Reserve rate hikes and cuts reach stocks, bonds, mortgages and credit lines, explained simply and in depth, with 2026 figures.Updated
- ExplainerIn-car gaming explained: platforms, rear seats and safety rulesHow games run in cars in 2026: Tesla Arcade, AirConsole, Android Automotive, GeForce NOW and rear screens, plus the US safety rules on driver distraction.Updated
- ExplainerOil prices in 2026: a crash courseWhere oil prices stand as of October 2026, why they surged after the Strait of Hormuz closure, and how Brent, WTI, OPEC+ and pump prices fit together.Updated
- ExplainerPS5 emulation in 2026: a crash courseWhere PS5 emulators such as SharpEmu, KytyPS5 and AnyPS5 stand in October 2026, how they differ from shadPS4, what runs, and the legal limits.Updated