TopTechTrends

The Download: spying on the spies, and promising climate tech

January 15, 2026
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Meet the man hunting the spies in your smartphone In April 2025, Ronald Deibert left all electronic devices at home in Toronto and boarded a plane. When he landed in Illinois, he bought…

After Italy, WhatsApp excludes Brazil from rival chatbot ban

January 15, 2026
WhatsApp is allowing AI providers to continue offering their chatbots to users in Brazil, days after the country’s competition agency ordered the company to suspend its new policy that bars third-party, general-purpose chatbots from the app.

Three climate technologies breaking through in 2026

January 15, 2026
Happy New Year! I know it’s a bit late to say, but it never quite feels like the year has started until the new edition of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies list comes out.  For 25 years, MIT Technology Review has put together this package, which highlights the technologies that we think are going to matter…