Laptopgate

English

Etymology

From laptop +‎ -gate.

Proper noun

Laptopgate

1. (US politics) The Hunter Biden laptop controversy.
   • 2021 January 19, Oleg Burunov, “'Natural Instinct': Biden's Brother Reveals How Joe Took Hunter Off 'Guilt Train' Amid 'Laptopgate'”, in Sputnik News‎^[1]:
   • 2022 December 6, Alex Shephard, “Why the Right Can’t Quit Hunter Biden”, in The New Republic‎^[2]:

     Elon Musk and Matt Taibbi’s flashy revival of Laptopgate hasn’t illuminated much beyond the right’s desperation to salvage something from their October Surprise.

   • 2022 December 7, Mary Harrington, “Musk is becoming a true Caesar”, in UnHerd‎^[3]:

     And Laptopgate is most significant in what it reveals about the contest now on for a suitable post-liberal political regime: a battle that pits the “human” against something more like a “swarm”.

   • 2023 February 14, “Pots and kettles”, in The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette‎^[4]:

     The House Oversight and Accountability Committee, now controlled by Republicans who've felt singled out by Big Tech, the IRS or the FBI--in many cases justifiably so--has launched hearings into Laptopgate, for starters.

2. Any other controversy involving a laptop.
   1. A 2008 controversy where Notre Dame had a laptop in the coaching box during a game against Michigan State.
      • 2008 September 21, “Laptopgate? Irish say they weren't cheating”, in Deseret News‎^[5]:
   2. A 2010 controversy where a school in Pennsylvania remotely activated webcams on school-issued laptops to spy on students.
      • 2010 February 24, Jacqui Cheng, ““Spying” school agrees to preserve evidence in Laptopgate”, in Ars Technica‎^[6]: