Drew Harwell

Washington, D.C.

Technology reporter

Education: University of Florida

Drew Harwell is a reporter for The Washington Post covering technology. He was a member of an international reporting team that won a George Polk Award in 2021. He joined The Post in 2014.
Latest from Drew Harwell

TikTok faces skeptical judges in court fight over looming national ban

Even as both the Harris and Trump presidential campaigns have leaned heavily into TikTok to reach younger voters, the weeks are ticking down before the wildly popular app is banned in the United States under a new law that has drawn bipartisan backing.

September 16, 2024
TikTok's headquarters in Culver City, Calif.

The ‘feral 25-year-olds’ making Kamala Harris go viral on TikTok

Harris’s all-Gen-Z “digital persuasion” team is tapping the trends and rhythms of internet culture to create a playful online presence that’s unique in presidential politics.

September 13, 2024

Trump Media stock plunge has cost Trump $4 billion in potential wealth

The Truth Social parent company’s losing streak has erased billions of dollars from former president Donald Trump’s paper wealth.

September 7, 2024
Former president Donald Trump speaks to reporters in January in Washington.

Far-right influencers turn against Trump campaign

Hard-right provocateurs take aim at how the former president’s aides are positioning him for the November vote - though not at the Republican candidate himself.

August 18, 2024
Nick Fuentes, right center, a white supremacist and antisemite pictured in 2020, is encouraging his followers to join his attack on Trump campaign leaders for not positioning more to the right.

Trump returns to X with technical glitches, softball questions from Musk

The revival of Trump’s account on X offers him a bigger audience and also provides a boost for Elon Musk’s platform.

August 12, 2024

Trump wanted TikTok banned. Now it’s a key piece of his online campaign.

A small group of aides is racing to position the former president as the biggest entertainer on the popular video app.

August 9, 2024

TikTok, Big Tech and where your data is going

The Justice Department sued TikTok, alleging the app allows kids to make accounts and then amasses data on them. But TikTok is just one of many apps and websites that constantly observe, identify and track users.

August 7, 2024

A booming industry of AI age scanners, aimed at children’s faces

“Age assurance” checks -- increasingly popular among lawmakers trying to wall kids off from the open internet -- rely on a style of surveillance that ranges “from ‘somewhat privacy violating’ to ‘authoritarian nightmare.’”

August 7, 2024

Justice Department sues TikTok, alleging it broke child privacy law

Federal officials say TikTok made it too easy for children to create accounts and then collected data on those who did.

August 2, 2024
TikTok's North American headquarters in Culver City, Calif., in March.

TikTok’s Chinese owner built search tool for users’ views on abortion, gun control, DOJ claims

The department said TikTok’s China-based owner had access to a search tool that would have allowed employees to collect data on users’ views on divisive issues.

July 27, 2024
The TikTok app is displayed on an iPhone screen on April 24, 2024 in Miami, Florida.