Americans have treated their freezers a bit like security blankets over the past year, stuffing them full of staples and indulgences, a consumer behavior pattern that has had ripple effects beyond the walls of their kitchens.

No other industry has been under such pressure in so many countries at once as tech is now. “It is unprecedented to see this kind of parallel struggle globally,” said an antitrust expert.

The past year has crushed independent restaurants across the country and brought a reality to their doors: Many were unprepared for a digital world. The moment opened a well of opportunity for companies like that are determined to help restaurants survive.

A coalition of Black faith leaders in Georgia, representing more than 1,000 churches in the state, is calling for a boycott of Home Depot, arguing that it abdicated its responsibility as a good corporate citizen by not opposing the state’s new voting law.

With airlines retiring older planes faster than normal, the remaining aircraft are able to collect and transmit large amounts of data.

In On Tech, @ShiraOvide writes about a health tech nonprofit that turns the approach to vaccination credentials on its head. "Less and dumber technology is usually the best," Shira writes.

“Your freezer at home is meant to protect those goods for a couple of weeks. Our freezers are designed and insulated to hold those same products for months and months.”

Never before have so many countries moved simultaneously to limit the power of tech companies. Some governments are concerned about competition, misinformation and privacy. Others want to silence protest movements and tighten political control.

Restaurants realized that to manage takeout orders and other lines of business, simply having an Instagram account wouldn't cut it.

The police in Harris County, Texas, and safety officials with the N.T.S.B. are investigating a fatal crash involving a Tesla vehicle north of Houston, officials said.