Gig workers are uncertain, scared, and barely scraping by

The platform work model is reshaping entire economies, sectors, lifestyles, and livelihoods. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Six things you need to become a certified tech bro in India

Presenting Rest of World’s starter kit for fitting in Bengaluru. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Streamers are beating traditional sports broadcasters at their own game

Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos went from video game commentary to dinner with Messi and Shakira. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

One coder became Indonesia's misinformation guru

In a “dystopian nightmare” internet, Ismail Fahmi holds a strange monopoly on debunking false facts. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

What Spotify and Apple can learn from Chinese podcasting apps

Western platforms are still way behind in giving creators (and fans) the tools to succeed. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Why Amazon built a new warehouse on the U.S.-Mexico border

The fulfillment center in Tijuana is a symbol of how the pandemic has changed the way the world shops. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Rest of World’s (international) streaming guide

Our fall viewing guide has everything from Filipino anime to a supernatural drama from Senegal | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Revolutionary type: Meet the designer decolonizing Chinese fonts

Julius Hui, who has done custom work for companies like Tencent, wants to radically rethink Chinese fonts. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Why an Abu Dhabi-based streaming app is the future of the global music industry

Anghami is a case study in how the music business is being gradually transformed from outside its core centers of New York, Los Angeles and London. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

“Disinformation influencers” for hire, only $15 a day

New research from the Mozilla Foundation chronicles a Kenyan social media campaign designed to undermine the country’s judiciary. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

South Korea’s military recruits, a smartphone is their most dangerous weapon

The photo of the army meal barely resembled one: a heap of white rice, dried seaweed, and some indeterminate processed meat. A spoon and wrapper filled out the tray’s remaining compartments. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Hard sells and ‘toxic’ targets: How Indian edtech giant Byju’s fuels its rise

Former salespeople say the company pushes its products on parents who can’t afford them. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Men making a killing in Lebanon’s underground cryptocurrency market

Meet the men making a killing in Lebanon’s underground cryptocurrency market. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

The China tech bubble is bursting. That’s not a bad thing for investors

Beijing isn’t looking to break up its tech giants, and there’s more to the sector than Alibaba and Tencent. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Afghans are forced to choose between staying safe and staying online

Under Taliban rule, citizens worry that digital connections to Western organizations could be used against them. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Workers making a living playing the blockchain game Axie Infinity

The Philippine province of Nueva Ecija is known for its vast expanse of rice fields, framed by uninterrupted sky. Here, 31-year-old RK Secretario spent more than two years selling rice feed to poultry… | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Nigeria's regulators are coming for its boom tech startups

Since mid-2020, a flurry of regulatory activity has put the Nigerian tech ecosystem on the defensive, forcing many startups to grow silently with minimal media attention and spooking investors both at… | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Stablecoins find a use case in Africa’s most volatile markets

Pegged to the dollar, cryptocurrencies like stablecoins can offer respite from inflation in countries like Nigeria and Zimbabwe — but come at a risk | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

A Kabul-based crisis alert app struggles to protect its own employees

Sara Wahedi’s startup is meant to provide real-time alerts on everyday crises to Afghans. Now, she’s rushing to protect her staff. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Gojek and Tokopedia’s $18B merger: the stage for regional fintech showdown

GoTo will look like a super app — but act like a financial service juggernaut. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Google, Facebook and Walmart stole Paytm’s fintech crown in India

The fintech giant pioneered digital wallets in India, but has since lost out to well-funded competition from abroad. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Substack’s global expansion is risky business

From India to Brazil, Substack is awarding grants and lending journalists editorial resources. How far will that support really go? | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Why China’s crypto cowboys are fleeing to Texas

Tracking the Bitcoin bros seeking cheap power, lax regulation and Austin’s best brisket. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

The race to build Africa’s 5G networks is entangled in US push to cut Huawei

Steve Papa isn’t a well-known name outside niche telecomms circles. An Ivy League-educated tech entrepreneur, he has had an eclectic career, developing software, working in philanthropy… | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

What working from home looks like around the world

From a florist in Tehran to a chef in Bangkok, meet nine workers who turned their homes into makeshift offices during the pandemic. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Medical crowdfunding has become essential in India, but it’s leaving many behind

While Ketto and Milaap have helped thousands, minorities find themselves ineligible, or targets of abuse. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Rappi's poor service opens the door for competition, but users aren't leaving yet

Growth is great, but angry customers, anxious investors, and new competition could undo the Colombian unicorn’s success. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Social media became a deadly trap for a minority group in Pakistan

If you’re one of four million Ahmadis in Pakistan, posting on Facebook can mean exposing yourself to danger. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Training self-driving cars for $1 an hour

To master the roads, autonomous vehicles need lots of data. Workers everywhere from Kenya to Venezuela are providing it. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Alibaba and Tencent are moving toward interoperability, a calculated gamble

China’s biggest tech rivals are moving to make their platforms interoperable. It’s a calculated gamble that might just pay off. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Tech Companies Should Plan for Hong Kong's Precarious Future

Authorities haven’t cracked down on Google and Facebook — yet. This is the moment they should protect their users. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Covid-19 didn’t kill Singapore’s UNESCO-listed food stalls. Delivery apps might

These days, the weekday lunch rush at Singapore’s Chinatown Complex food centre is more of a trickle. Pre-pandemic, it was packed with tourists and office workers from the nearby business district. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

A baby-faced CEO turned a Farmville clone into a Ponzi scheme

On November 21, 2019, 25-year-old Recep Ataş stepped onto a shooting range in the Istanbul suburb of Başakşehir. He fired several rounds at the target, before suddenly aiming the weapon directly… | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Why Cuba couldn’t control the internet

Cuba’s original dissident blogger, Yoani Sánchez, says there’s no going back after the island’s digital awakening. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

The six cities building the future of the global tech industry

Silicon Valley may be the world’s prominent tech hub. These global cities show why its grip on superiority is gradually slipping away. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Police in Latin America are turning activists’ phones against them

Experts say that seized devices have become a trove of information for authorities cracking down on social movements and opposition leaders. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Did Cuba shut down the internet to quell protests?

Traffic data alone is not enough to differentiate between censorship and technical failures, say analysts. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Rethinking Silicon Valley investment candidates

The most successful global tech bets aren’t flashy unicorns; they’re efficient and practical startups. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

We need to regulate mind-reading tech before it exists

Chile’s new “mental privacy” laws would lead the way in protecting neuro-rights. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

From K-Pop stan to keyboard warrior: the activists battling Myanmar’s junta

A group of young Burmese are braving blackouts and crackdowns to make sure the world stays focused on what’s happening in their country. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Tech contractors are organizing and facing violent threats in the Philippines

“It’s like a death sentence.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Nigeria can solve its tech talent gap

Nigeria is becoming a fintech powerhouse, but a lack of employees is holding startups back. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Hi, I’m Disaster Bot

PetaBencana, a mapping platform, turns social media chatter into life-saving information during natural disasters. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

State in a Phone: Inside Ukraine's Effort to Replace Bureaucracy with an App

After winning power with an unorthodox social media campaign, President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to transform the state’s relationship with citizens through technology. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

I am Palestinian. Here’s how Israel silences us on social media

“The blackout Palestinians are facing is not about suppressing our voices as individuals. It is about erasing us in toto.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

I am Palestinian. Here’s how Israel silences us on social media

“The blackout Palestinians are facing is not about suppressing our voices as individuals. It is about erasing us in toto.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Zimbabwean teacher created a top tutoring academy on WhatsApp

Maxwell Chimedza says he doesn’t know how to use a computer, but his 32GB cellphone was all he needed to coach his students in Zimbabwe. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Google automatically installed a Covid-19 tracker on phones in Costa Rica

On June 11, Costa Ricans awoke to a mysterious new app icon, reading “Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica,” appearing on their Android phones without their permission. The reaction among right-wing and… | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago