Daily Report: Improving the Understanding of Tech in 2016

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The last year has revealed a big problem in tech: A lack of understanding of it.

That was amply demonstrated in 2015, writes Farhad Manjoo. Presidential candidates and law enforcement authorities showed they misunderstood the basics of how technologies like the Internet and encryption work. Regulators seemed surprised by the use of hidden code in the Volkswagen scandal. Municipal officials often failed to grasp the spread and endurance of disruptive young companies like Uber and Airbnb.

So in 2016, writes Mr. Manjoo, there needs to be more appreciation for the dominant role tech plays in shaping our lives, and a way to talk more smartly about it. Keeping on top of tech, and better understanding its implications, will let “governments and other institutions respond with greater nimbleness to tech changes,” Mr. Manjoo writes.

Here’s to hoping.