This Aug. 11, 2019, file photo an iPhone displays the apps for Facebook and Messenger in New Orleans. (AP Photo / Jenny Kane, File)

When U.S. law enforcement officials need to cast a wide net for information, they’re increasingly turning to the vast digital ponds of personal data created by Big Tech companies via the devices and online services that have hooked billions of people around the world.

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A year after the launch of a program aiming to provide 100,000 Chicago Public Schools students with free high-speed internet for four years, city officials have announced plans to extend the program further.

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Dating apps now allow users to share vaccination status. The outlook for new relationships as Illinois prepares to reopen.

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As data breaches in recent years have exposed weaknesses in the storage and transfer of personal data, lawmakers in the United States and Europe have expressed concern over the tracking of users online. 

Medical director of Doctor on Demand Dr. Vibin Roy types notes as he listens to a patient during an online primary care visit from his home, Friday, April 23, 2021, in Keller, Texas. (AP Photo / LM Otero)

Make telemedicine your first choice for most doctor visits. That’s the message some U.S. employers and insurers are sending with a new wave of care options.

CMPI fellow Zachary Allen participates in a coaching session with CSO Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti on March 31, 2021. (Credit: Todd Rosenberg)

This is not a review. It is primarily a note of appreciation to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director, who has not been able to conduct his beloved orchestra for a year but has helped guide the superb CSOtv series. This week, he also pursued one of his greatest passions via Zoom.

Data engineer Lorena Mesa recommends Chi Hack Night, PyLadies, and Python Software Foundation for data and tech lovers. (WTTW News)

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (March 8) had a theme of “Choose to Challenge,” and data engineer Lorena Mesa wants to challenge your career aspirations. Here, she gives us the last word on Latino representation in tech.

In this Jan. 11, 2021 file photo, a Suder Montessori Magnet Elementary School teacher speaks to students during a virtual class outside of the school in solidarity with pre-K educators forced back into the building in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez / Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)

In Chicago, philanthropy paid for nearly half the $50 million, four-year Chicago Connected program, which pays for kids’ home internet if they qualify for reduced-price lunches. Chicago Public Schools, the country’s third-largest district, is on the hook for $25 million.

In this Monday, May 4, 2009, file photo, a bottle of Coors Light sits on the bar as a patron sips a beer at a tavern in Blue Island, Ill. (AP Photo / M. Spencer Green, File)

Molson Coors Beverage Co. said Thursday it has been hit by a cyberattack that disrupted its brewing operations and shipments. In a regulatory filing, the Chicago-based company said it has hired forensic information technology experts and legal counsel to help it investigate the incident.

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In the art world and beyond, NFTs – or non-fungible tokens – are all the rage right now. But what are they? Law professor Donna Redel explains.

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We expect love to have an emotional impact on us, but a new report released by the Federal Trade Commission revealed it’s also hurting wallets. A record $304 million was reported lost to romance scams in 2020.

(WTTW News via CNN)

One week ago, Illinois entered Phase 1B of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, which includes people ages 65 and older. But signing up to get the vaccine can be complicated — especially for older adults.

A GameStop store on 14th Street at Union Square, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in the Manhattan borough of New York. (AP Photo / John Minchillo)

It’s a fable for our times: Small-time investors band together to take down greedy Wall Street hedge funds using the stock of a troubled video-game store. But the revolt of online stock-traders suggests much more. 

In this Thursday, June 18, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump looks at his phone during a roundtable with governors on the reopening of America’s small businesses, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon, File)

President Donald Trump has been kicked off of most mainstream social media platforms following his supporters’ siege on the U.S. Capitol. But it remains to be seen how fast or where — if anywhere — on the internet he will be able to reach his followers. 

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Since Chicago Public Schools were closed to in-person learning in March, the move to remote learning has been difficult for many families. But for the CPS families who speak Spanish at home, there is an additional barrier. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker talks Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 during his daily coronavirus press briefing. (WTTW News)
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COVID-19 in Illinois: 7,123 New Cases, 146 Additional Deaths

The coronavirus pandemic has made internet access more essential than ever as people work and learn from home. But not everyone has a device to connect to the web — or internet access itself.