Lots of companies are working on self-driving car technology, and whoever gets there first will be positioned to make billions. But as the recent fatal accident in Arizona involving an Uber autonomous vehicle made clear, the technology is still faulty. One of the things that needs to get a lot better is how cars take in and respond to the world around them. Part of that is learning how to navigate back roads, where every bump and pothole hasn’t been intricately mapped. MIT’s Daniela Rus has research out today to help solve the problem — she talks about it with Marketplace’s Amy Scott. 

You may have noticed a trend in your inbox lately. A lot of “we’re changing our terms of service” emails. It’s no coincidence. Lots of companies are rewriting these agreements ahead of the General Data Protection Regulation rollout in Europe. That’s the new set of stricter privacy rules that goes into effect in Europe at the end of the month. Marketplace’s Amy Scott spoke with Jessica Lee, partner at the law firm Loeb & Loeb, about what the GDPR means and how it will affect the U.S.   

Should universities worry about spying? That’s what some people in the White House may think. The Trump administration is reportedly thinking about measures to prevent Chinese citizens from conducting sensitive research at American universities. The worry is that these researchers might take home secrets. Marketplace’s Amy Scott spoke with Daniel Golden, author of “Spy Schools,” about the front lines of academic espionage. 

Self-driving cars will probably save a lot of lives in the future. But right now, the tech is new, and most of it requires human intervention. Experts refer to several levels, 1 through 5, of automation in cars. A 5th level car would have no steering wheel or gas pedal. Several cars on the market now fit into the middle category; requiring human intervention with some autonomous features. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Missy Cummings, director of the Humans and Autonomy Lab at Duke University, about the risks of having humans only partly in control.    

T-Mobile and Sprint have agreed to merge. Now they’ll have to convince the government to let the deal move forward, which may not be easy. The companies have tried to work out a deal twice in the past and failed, partly over disagreements in terms, but also due to fears that the Obama administration would reject the merger. Their pitch to regulators this time? It’s all about 5G and the promise of fast mobile connectivity. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Mike Sievert, T-Mobile’s president and chief operating officer, about the details behind the deal.  

Seven months ago, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Since then, people on the island have had deal with lots of uncertainty, including spotty electricity and an island-wide blackout earlier this month. Cell phone and internet access are often unreliable as well. The FCC has proposed $750 million in funding to rebuild communication systems, but in the meantime patchwork solutions have sprung up. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Marketplace Weekend host Lizzie O’Leary, who just returned from Puerto Rico. She says connectivity on the island is still a mixed bag. For more coverage of Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria, check out the Marketplace Weekend podcast.

Last week 34 tech companies signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, saying they won’t help any government, including the U.S., carry out cyber-attacks. That came amid warnings from the U.S. and the U.K. about the Russian government’s global attempts to hack routers and other network equipment. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Bruce Schneier, a cybersecurity expert at Harvard, about how tech companies will play a role in combating international cyber threats.

Will online business be forced to collect state sales taxes? That question will go before the Supreme Court sometime in June. Traditionally, businesses only need to collect sales taxes in states where they have a physical presence. But South Dakota recently passed a law to change that. Two companies, Wayfair and Overstock, sued the state. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Josh Silverman, the CEO of Etsy, about how the court battle could affect smaller online retailers.   

Political campaigns want your data. At least that’s what the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal taught us. But data isn’t just a factor in presidential politics. Local campaigns collect lots of data as well, and that data needs to be secured. Marketpalce Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams about what kinds of information smaller campaigns have.