Report from Roll Call In Brief – Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), a leading Republican critic of Big Tech companies, has released a nearly 300-page draft of federal AI regulation. Titled the “TRUMP AMERICA AI Act”, it preempts state AI laws in place of federal...
US Supreme Court Soundly Rejects Broad ISP Liability for User Piracy
Report from the New York Times In Brief – The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Cox Communications cannot be held liable for copyright infringement committed by its users, even if the company knows some customers engage in piracy and yet it does not cut them...
Tech Trade Group Challenges Chicago’s Social Media Tax
Report from the Chicago Sun-Times In Brief – NetChoice, a digital company trade group, is suing to block the City of Chicago’s new social media tax, arguing it violates the First Amendment and the federal Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act (PITFA). The new tax extends...
Big Trial Losses for Social Media Giants in New Mexico and Los Angeles
Reports from CNBC and the Wall Street Journal In Brief – A New Mexico state court jury has found Meta liable for $375 million in civil damages in a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General of New Mexico for misleading users about the safety of its platforms and...
4chan Fined by UK Ofcom for Failing to Protect Children From Pornography
Report from Sky News In Brief – Ofcom, the UK online safety regulator, has fined 4chan £450,000 for failing to prevent children from accessing pornography. The regulator also ordered the platform to introduce effective age checks by April 2 or face additional fines of...
Trump WH Unveils National AI Policy Framework to Limit State Power
Report from CNBC In Brief – The Trump Administration has unveiled a legislative framework to establish a national AI policy to set consistent national safety and security standards and preempt state-level AI regulation. The six-part proposal outlines measures spanning...
EU Businesses Warn Brussels of Risks of Digital Sovereignty Mandates
Report from the Financial Times In Brief – Influential European businesses are warning that an overzealous push for “tech sovereignty” by European policymakers trying to reduce dependence on major US tech companies could harm the profitability and competitiveness of...
Federal Court of Appeals Issues Mixed Ruling on California Design Code
Report from MediaPost In Brief – A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a mixed ruling in the long-running litigation battle over the California Age-Appropriate Design Code, keeping some parts of the law blocked while allowing...
Amazon Wins Preliminary Injunction Over Perplexity’s Shopping Assistant
Report from Courthouse News In Brief – US District Judge Maxine Chesney has granted Amazon a preliminary injunction blocking the use of an AI-powered shopping assistant created by Perplexity AI on Amazon’s website. Chesney determined that Amazon is likely to succeed...
Utah Taxes Advertising Revenue of Big, Addictive Social Media Companies
Report from Utah News Dispatch In Brief – Utah’s legislature has passed SB287, a bill imposing a 4.7% tax on the targeted advertising revenues of the largest social media companies. The bill targets digital platforms that generate at least $1 million in targeted...
Federal Trade Commission Proposes Policy on Personalized Pricing
Report from the Washington Post In Brief – The Federal Trade Commission has proposed exposing companies to federal charges if they secretly use personal data to vary prices based on what individual consumers are believed to be willing to pay. FTC Chairman Andrew...
Apple Will Change App Data Use Prompts to Settle German Probe
Report from Euractiv In Brief – Apple has settled an antitrust investigation by Germany’s competition authority by agreeing to redesign privacy prompts that third-party app developers show mobile users when seeking consent to use their data for targeted advertising....
Roblox Agrees to Implement Additional Child Safety Practices in Australia
Report from Engadget In Brief – Roblox has agreed to the demands of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to undertake a series of court-enforceable changes to strengthen protections for young users against grooming and sexual abuse. The gaming platform, which has faced...
TikTok Settles US Government COPPA Lawsuit with $400 Million Payment
Report from MediaPost In Brief – TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to settle Justice Department allegations that it violated the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal information from users under 13. The settlement...
Court Overturns Ban on Perplexity Shopping Agent Accessing Amazon
Report from MediaPost In Brief – A federal district court injunction barring Perplexity's AI shopping agent, Comet, from accessing Amazon has been overturned by an appeals panel of the US Ninth District that found it was unlikely that the AI company would be found to...
Platform Economy Insights produces a short email four times a week that reviews two top stories with concise analysis. It is the best way to keep on top of the news you should know. Sign up for this free email here.
