Report from the Toronto Star In Brief – The Canadian Journalism Collective, an organization that is distributing some of the funds contributed by Google to pay Canadian news media outlets in exchange for Google being exempted from the media payments scheme created by...
Conservative Activist Sues Meta Over Defamatory AI Hallucinations
Report from the Wall Street Journal In Brief – Robby Starbuck, a conservative activist notable for successfully pressuring companies to change their DEI practices, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Meta alleging that its AI tool smeared him by falsely asserting...
Oregon Legislature Advances a Forced State Media Funding Bill
Report from the Nelson Star In Brief – Legislation that aims to force the largest digital platform companies, especially Google and Meta, to pay Oregon media companies when the content they create appears in search results or on the companies’ social media platforms,...
Apple Appeals “Extraordinary” Judicial Order That Bans App Fees and Rules
Report from the BBC In Brief – Apple has petitioned the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to block a court order from District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers requiring it to permit all app developers to direct users to external websites for in-app purchases without...
Federal Court Rejects FTC Bid to Overturn Microsoft’s Activision Acquisition
Report from Reuters In Brief – A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to overturn District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley’s 2023 decision to turn down the regulator’s motion to block Microsoft’s $69...
House Republicans Trying to Preempt State AI Regulations in Big Budget Bill
Report from the Washington Post In Brief – The legislative recommendations proposed by the Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee for the big budget reconciliation bill that is designed to carry out the major tax and spending policies of President Trump...
US-UK Framework Trade Deal Does Not Include Digital Taxes (Yet)
Report from Politico In Brief – The framework for a new trade deal between the United States and United Kingdom, which was hailed by both President Trump and Prime Minister Starmer as the first agreement that will forestall much of the tariff increase announced by...
Library of Congress and Copyright Office Firings Attributed to AI Legal Fight
Report from the Washington Post In Brief – President Donald Trump continued his campaign of firing executive branch officials often considered immune to being removed without cause when the White House changes partisan hands, removing the Librarian of Congress, the...
Mississippi Social Media Law Again Being Challenged in Federal Court
Report from MediaPost In Brief – NetChoice, a digital company trade group that has had significant success challenging state laws regulating social media, has again asked a federal judge to block a Mississippi law requiring that digital services verify users’ ages and...
The Kids Online Safety Act is Back, This Time with Apple’s Backing
Report from the Washington Post In Brief – The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), legislation pressing social media platforms to shield teens from objectionable content, including promotion of self-harm, substance abuse, and sexual exploitation, has again been introduced...
Florida AG Sues Netflix Following the Social Media Litigation Playbook
Report from NBC News In Brief – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) has filed a 66-page lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming giant of misleading Florida consumers about its data-collection practices and exposing children and families to so-called...
SpaceXAI Fails to Block Minnesota Law Banning “Nudification” Apps
Report from Politico In Brief – Federal Judge Donovan Frank rejected SpaceXAI’s effort to block Minnesota’s law banning the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images while the company challenges the measure. Frank said the company, then xAI, waited too long to...
Australia Digital Duty of Care Law to Require Algorithm Choice
Report from ABC News Australia In Brief – The Australian Government has released draft legislation to add a Digital Duty of Care to the Online Safety Act of 2021. A key provision is the “My Feed, My Way” initiative requiring social media platforms to give all users a...
Google Updates Gmail Spam Filters for Political Fundraising
Report from Campaigns & Elections In Brief – Google has put in place a Gmail policy that will make it somewhat easier for political campaigns and committees to reach personal Gmail inboxes by allowing eligible political entities to become “verified senders,” bypassing...
European Commission Proposes Age-Based Social Media and Chatbot Rules
Report from the Financial Times In Brief – European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced plans for an EU KIDS Act to create age-based rules limiting minors’ access to social media, AI chatbots and companions, online game and video-sharing platforms,...
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