Mathew Katz
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Author/Co-Author of 102 articles
Mathew is a news editor at Digital Trends, specializing in covering all kinds of tech news — from video games to policy. He makes sure Digital Trends keeps you up-to-date with the latest developments on how tech affects your life and how government and businesses impact how you use technology.
Mathew was previously was an editor at TIME Magazine, where he coordinated coverage for breaking news, including the 2016 election, the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting and the 2017 Charlottesville rally. He helped expand breaking news coverage across Time Inc. brands, working with a team of reporters to write stories for TIME, Fortune, and Money magazines.
As an editor at DNAinfo, Mathew covered local news in New York City, from restaurant openings to explosions. While still a reporter, Mathew won multiple awards for his coverage of LGBT and HIV+ health issues, including a major scandal at New York City's AIDS Walk. In the same year, he managed to interview two of his childhood heroes: LeVar Burton and Patrick Stewart.
Mathew has appeared on ABC, NBC, Fox News, NPR, the BBC, and the CBC to discuss stories that he's broken.
A proud Canadian, Matt was born in Toronto and now lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and dog.
The best classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+
With the launch of Disney+, every single episode of The Simpsons’ 30-year run is finally available to stream in one easily-accessible place. Hereis a list of the best classic Simpsons episodes to watch on the streaming service, according to former writer and showrunner Bill Oakley.
Watch SpaceX’s levitating Starhopper rocket stick the landing in latest test
SpaceX’s Starhopper rocket managed to successfully “hop” on Tuesday afternoon, with the Starship prototype hovering about 150 meters (492 feet) above ground for several seconds before touching down on a nearby landing pad.
New Capital One data breach affects 100 million people. Here’s the very latest
A massive data breach of Capital One exposed the personal information of approximately 100 million people after former Amazon Web Services employee Paige Thompson stole credit card application data, including about 80,000 bank account numbers and 140,000 Social Security numbers.
The FTC’s $5 billion privacy fine on Facebook could’ve been much, much bigger
The United States government almost fined Facebook tens of billions of dollars for privacy violations -- and nearly held CEO Mark Zuckerberg accountable -- instead of the eventual $5 billion settlement between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the social media giant.
6 questions we have about Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain interface technology
Elon Musk's Neuralink sounds like an exciting leap forward for human-computer relations, but brain implants raise the specter of Black Mirror-esque privacy invasions and horror. We’ve got a few questions about how this would work – and if it’s even a good idea.
Facebook says it won’t launch Libra until regulators are happy
Facebook says it won’t roll out its Libra cryptocurrency until it’s fully addressed regulatory concerns – though it added that regulation of the currency itself would largely happen in Switzerland, not the U.S. Lawmakers will likely have lots of questions about how it will be regulated in the U.S.
Virgin Orbit took a major step toward launching satellites from a Boeing 747
Virgin Orbit launched a rocket from a specially-modified Boeing 747 on Wednesday, clearing the way for the company to launch a similar rocket into space later this year. A spinoff of Virgin Galactic, it plans to launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit from a plane instead of from the ground.
India loses communication with Chandrayaan-2 moon lander
India's space agency lost contact with its Chandrayaan-2 moon lander Friday as it attempted to do what it was made for: land on the moon. It's not clear if the lander crashed or if there was simply some kind of communication error. Its mission is to explore the moon's south pole and search for signs of water.
Watch India’s historic Chandrayaan-2 mission land a spacecraft on the moon
India is hoping to become the fourth nation make it to the moon when it attempts to land its Chandrayaan-2 robotic spacecraft on Friday afternoon -- and you can watch the historic event live. If successful, the mission will operate on the moon's surface for about a year.
Astronomers have found the most massive neutron star ever detected
Astronomers at West Virginia University have found the most massive neutron star ever recorded, located about 4,600 light-years from Earth. The neutron star, which has been dubbed J0740+6620, is exceptionally dense -- it's about 2.17 times the mass of the sun packed into a sphere that's only 15 miles across.
First images of mysterious interstellar comet Borisov show familiar features
Astronomers have gotten their first glimpse at an interstellar comet -- and it might be more similar to comets from our solar system than we had originally thought. The first images suggest C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) has a similar composition to comets found in our solar system.
Got $400 million to burn? The world’s largest airplane is up for sale
Stratolaunch, the world's largest airplane, is up for sale. All it'll cost you is $400 million dollars. The brainchild of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the plane was supposed to make space travel more accessible and affordable. Could Elon Musk be interested in buying it?
Facebook no longer lets you save your friends’ birthdays to your own calendar
Facebook quietly removed a feature that allowed users to export and sync their friends’ birthdays to an external calendar like iCal or Google Calendar. While you can still export upcoming events -- parties, get-togethers, and the like, the ability to save birthdays was gone as of Sunday, July 7.
Congress already wants to block rollout of Facebook’s cryptocurrency
It only took a few hours after Facebook announced the details of its Libra cryptocurrency on Tuesday morning for lawmakers in Congress to tell the social media giant to pump the breaks. Rep. Maxine Waters asked Facebook to stop development until Congress could weigh in.
The U.S. Senate really doesn’t like Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency plans
Facebook Libra had its first big regulatory test on Tuesday when Calibra head David Marcus appeared before the Senate Banking Committee. It didn’t go well. Senators of both parties had major concerns about Facebook's proposed cryptocurrency. It’s looking increasingly likely that Libra might be delayed.
In SEC filing, Facebook admits Libra cryptocurrency may not happen after all
Facebook’s drive to create its own worldwide cryptocurrency might have hit a brick wall. In a new SEC filing, the company said that Libra’s planned 2020 launch might be delayed – or it might not ever happen at all – now that government regulators have expressed concerns.
Facebook is going to add its name to Instagram and WhatsApp
Facebook plans to add its name to both Instagram and WhatsApp as politicians call for the social media giant to be broken apart and the FTC investigates Facebook’s acquisition of both companies. The company plans to rename the apps Instagram from Facebook and WhatsApp from Facebook.
A new phishing scam targets Amazon users just in time for Prime Day
Security researchers at McAfee say that hackers have released a do-it-yourself kit that allows people to easily put together phishing scams targeting Amazon users -- just in time for Prime Day. The scam let almost anyone create a realistic-looking Amazon sign-in page to steal your login credentials.
Netflix launches the first Space Force trailer
The newest branch of the military gets the sitcom treatment in the first trailer for Space Force, the Netflix series starring Steve Carell that debuts May 29.
How to watch the South Carolina Democratic presidential debate if you missed it
The final Democratic debate before Super Tuesday took place in South Carolina on Tuesday, days before that state's primary. Here's how to watch if you missed it live.
How to watch the New Hampshire Democratic debate if you missed it live
The eighth Democratic debate of the 2020 primary took place on Friday, February 7, and was hosted by ABC, WMUR-TV, and Apple News. Here's how to watch the debate online if you missed it live.
Twitter was broken for about an hour, leaving people unable to tweet
Twitter went offline for thousands of users Friday afternoon, leaving users unable to tweet for about an hour
How to watch January’s seventh Democratic debate if you missed it live
The seventh Democratic debate of the 2020 primary took place on Tuesday, January 14, and was hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register. Here's everything you need to know about the debate, including how to watch it if you missed it live and how the candidates fared against each other.
CES 2020 schedule: The best events, talks, panels, and keynotes
CES 2020 is happening right now, but taking a look at the official event schedule can be overwhelming. With multiple events at nearly every hour that will number into the hundreds, here are the most important events, talks, panels, and keynotes at Consumer Electronics Show 2020.
How to watch December’s sixth Democratic debate if you missed it live
The sixth Democratic debate of the 2020 primary took place on Thursday and was hosted by PBS NewsHour and Politico. Here's how to watch the debate if you missed it live, the winners and losers of the debate, and what you need to know about the seventh debate in January.
Nominate your top tech of the year for Digital Trends’ Readers’ Choice Award
Digital Trends prides itself on the way it tests products, from phones to video games. We've already put together our top product picks for the year, but there's one thing that's missing: our readers. This year, we want you to nominate your favorite tech of 2019 for our Readers' Choice Award.
How to watch the fifth Democratic debate if you missed it live
The fifth Democratic debate, hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post, took place on Wednesday, November 20. The candidates clashed over impeachment, health care, and foreign policy, though there were few breakout moments. Here's how to watch the debate if you missed it.
Marvel’s Kevin Feige is working on a new Star Wars movie for Disney
Kevin Feige, the superstar producer behind the Marvel cinematic universe, will bring his talents to an upcoming Star Wars movie. With the Skywalker Saga coming to a close, Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, will work with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy to develop a "wave" of Star Wars projects.
How to watch the fourth Democratic primary debate if you missed it live
The fourth Democratic debate on Tuesday, October 15 was biggest one yet, with 12 candidates who took the debate stage at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. Here's how to watch it online if you missed it when it was live.
How to watch tonight’s third 2020 Democratic primary debate online
The third 2020 Democratic primary debate will air on ABC and Univision on Thursday night. Here’s what you need to know about the debate, the candidates participating, and how to watch tonight's debate live without cable.
Here’s how to claim $100 or more from Yahoo’s massive data breach settlement
Yahoo is close to reaching a $117.5 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over a series of data breaches that affected users between 2012 and 2016 -- and you're likely eligible for your $100 cut or free credit-monitoring services if you had an account during that time.