Why Big Tech is threatened by a global push for data sovereignty

Countries are forcing tech giants to store citizen data locally, challenging the standard business model of harvesting data abroad while keeping profits at home. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Dangerous mines: A death at the bottom of the EV supply chain

In Zimbabwe, the EV rush has brought a surge of Chinese investment into lithium mines. But many locals feel left out — and some have turned to stealing. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Meta’s grand WhatsApp fintech experiment in India has fizzled

Despite having 500 million users in India, WhatsApp couldn’t crack the country’s $3 trillion fintech market. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

What we’re reading: Rest of World’s summer book list

Spanning subjects from Apple to Nvidia to OpenAI, here are six compelling books on technology, tech leaders, and the promise and perils of artificial intelligence. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Brazil wants to be a sustainable data center hub. Environmentalists are skeptical

The country recently announced its national data center policy, despite worries that new investments will wreak havoc on the land. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Taiwan is creating an offshore wind industry to fuel its semiconductor factories

The island’s offshore wind ambitions are creating a new class of cable engineers. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

The hidden labor that makes AI work

Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender examine the hype behind artificial intelligence in their new book, The AI Con. Below is an excerpt on the invisible labor behind some AI tools. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Chinese students are using AI to beat AI detectors

As Chinese universities crack down on AI use, some students report false positives — and a booming industry of work-around tools is emerging. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Out of space: Picturing the big, crowded business of satellite internet

Space-based internet is remaking Earth’s orbit — and fueling a gold rush. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Brazil rules that social media platforms are responsible for users’ posts

A new regulation from the Supreme Court holds Meta, X, and other online platforms accountable for content and user safety, setting Brazil on a collision course with the Trump administration. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

India’s EV king stumbles as rivals ignite a new kind of price war

Tata Motors sees its EV market share plunge. A fierce battle for affordable, feature-packed cars is heating up, defining India’s unique path in the global EV race. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Who is most at risk from the billions of leaked Facebook and Google passwords?

CyberNews researchers flag breach as “blueprint for mass exploitation.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Who is most at risk from the billions of leaked Facebook and Google passwords?

CyberNews researchers flag breach as “blueprint for mass exploitation.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

The people who clean up your TikTok feed are starting to fight back

Content moderators say they’re exposed to graphic violence, psychological trauma, and union-busting tactics, and now a larger movement is brewing. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

Can the Gulf buy its way to AI supremacy?

Middle East nations have committed $2 trillion to artificial intelligence, computer chips, and defense, chasing tech supremacy that money alone may not guarantee. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

TikTok Shop battles Shein and Temu in Latin America’s e-commerce race

The platform recently launched in Mexico and Brazil, where its fast fashion Chinese rivals already have a stronghold. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 months ago

The $10 billion delivery empire built on Shein and TikTok orders

A Chinese courier company is out-delivering Amazon — and everyone else — across Southeast Asia. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

BYD sends thousands of EVs to Brazil ahead of final tariff hike

Brazilians are rushing to buy Chinese EVs before a 35% import tax comes into effect. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

India wants its own EV market, but needs China to get there

Despite tensions with China, India is avoiding U.S.-style restrictions, hoping for a bridge to domestic innovation. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Humanoid robots, astronauts, and huge lines: Photos from China’s pavilion at the World Expo

Chinese firms iFlytek and Hytera highlighted AI translation and public safety tech — sidestepping disputes over surveillance and trade secrets. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Samsung is desperate to compete on chips. Workers say it comes at a cost.

Scarred by long hours, low pay, and a hostile work culture, many chip workers are leaving for competitors, including American companies. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

The app going against Uber by putting people over algorithms

The founder of inDrive, the world's second most-downloaded ride-hailing app, is going beyond rides, and dreams of delivering education and healthcare through a super-app. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

The global stakes of the U.S.-China AI rivalry

A focus on “who’s winning the AI race” can overlook key concerns around safety, governance, and equity, experts tell Rest of World. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

AI is making health care safer in the remote Amazon

At overburdened clinics, pharmacists use AI to catch dangerous errors. It’s frontier tech meets frontier medicine — with global implications. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Transsion wheels into Africa’s EV market with same playbook that conquered mobile phones

The Chinese company behind 50% of Africa’s smartphone sales now wants to dominate its roads. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Silicon Valley led the quest for driverless cars. But Chinese robotaxis are catching up fast

Apollo Go challenges pioneer Waymo’s head start and leads country rivals in overseas push. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

New apps help immigrants navigate Trump’s deportation crackdown

With tightening immigration policies and rising fears of deportation, new apps provide migrants with resources to stay prepared and connected. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Who is Byju Raveendran, founder of Indian edtech app Byju’s?

From Dubai, the embattled math tutor plots a comeback. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Middle East tech giants are building super-apps to dominate digital life

From Dubai to Riyadh, apps are consolidating ride-hailing, payments, and delivery into single platforms. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Workers describe abusive treatment in Taiwan’s semiconductor factories

A record number of people are leaving the Philippines to work in Taiwanese factories, where they face long shifts, low pay, and unequal treatment. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

VC money is fueling a global boom in worker surveillance tech

A funding surge has given rise to technologies to track, analyze and manage workers — often in countries with little regulation. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

China is gaining ground in the global race to develop AI agents

A new wave of startups promise to automate everyday tasks — from app development to travel planning — better than chatbots. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

In a world first, Brazilians will soon be able to sell their digital data

Brazil is piloting dWallet, that lets citizens earn money from their data, but experts warn it could deepen inequality. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

In Dubai’s AI job market, your passport matters

Western job seekers see lucrative offers in the booming AI hub, while others deal with rejections and lower pay. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Taiwan’s chip plants run on migrant workers. Job brokers run their lives

In Taiwan’s AI-fueled chip boom, brokers control everything from paychecks to dorm beds, leaving workers feeling trapped and exploited. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

Style Guide

This style guide documents the core visual identity and design principles for Rest of World. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

The math tutor and the missing $533 million

From Dubai, the enigmatic founder of Byju’s recounts how he made his empire — and vows to rebuild it. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

The real cost of AI is being paid in deserts far from Silicon Valley

In Empire of AI, journalist Karen Hao writes about the rise of OpenAI and the impacts of AI around the world. Below is an extract from the book on the effects on Chile's mineral reserves and water resources. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

India’s richest man can’t crack e-commerce, even with Shein

Early data shows the partnership is off to a slow start, as Reliance’s retail machine struggles to cement its place in a market dominated by Amazon and Walmart. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

India’s richest man can’t crack e-commerce, even with Shein

Early data shows the partnership is off to a slow start, as Reliance’s retail machine struggles to cement its place in a market dominated by Amazon and Walmart. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

DJI drones are everywhere. The U.S. may still ban them

No U.S. agency has been assigned to review DJI’s security risks, which could trigger an automatic ban by year’s end. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 months ago

The small robot company with big global ambitions

From Colombian roots to global routes, Robot.com’s U.S. expansion signals Latin America’s rising potential in the competitive world of robotics. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 months ago

How phony job ads on Facebook and Telegram lure tech workers to scam compounds

Young Indonesians looking for jobs abroad are trafficked to fortified scam centers, where they are forced to weaponize AI chatbots and deepfakes. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 months ago

The world’s top EV battery maker pulled off 2025’s biggest IPO. Here’s what to know

China’s CATL supplies about one in three electric cars, with Tesla, Ford, Volkswagen, and others among its clients. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 months ago

Why AI advancement doesn’t have to come at the expense of marginalized workers

In her new book, Empire of AI, Karen Hao insists that AI companies don’t have to choose between exploiting workers and chasing growth. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 months ago

Homegrown digital road maps turn into lifelines for West Bank’s Palestinians

Community-built tech solutions are helping Palestinians navigate blockades and risks in the Israel-occupied territory. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 months ago

How Trump turned the Gulf’s oil kingdoms into silicon superpowers in his four-day trip

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE have pledged trillions of dollars in return for access to cutting-edge chips for AI development. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 months ago

Chinese startups once downplayed their origin. Now some celebrate it. 

Following DeepSeek's rise, more Chinese companies are highlighting their roots as they expand overseas. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 months ago