Report from MediaPost In Brief – Google has outlined plans to give publishers more authority over how their content appears in AI-driven search features in response to the consultation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regarding application of the...
Dutch Court Bans Grok from Creating Nude and Partially Nude Images
Report from Reuters In Brief – A Dutch court has ordered AI company xAI to stop its chatbot Grok from generating or distributing non-consensual sexualized images, including depictions of adults or children partially or wholly stripped naked. The preliminary...
Federal Judge Rejects Publisher Antitrust Lawsuit Targeting Google Search
Report from Reuters In Brief – Google has won the dismissal of a proposed class action lawsuit from two news publishers that claimed it monopolized the online news market and exploited its dominance in internet search to extract publisher content without payment. In...
Snapchat Facing an EU Probe for Failing to Protect Minors
Report from Politico In Brief – The European Commission has announced an investigation into concerns that Snapchat is failing to adequately protect children under its authority as the lead enforcer of the Digital Services Act (DSA) for the largest online platforms....
Pressure Grows in EU Parliament for an EU-Wide Digital Services Tax
Report from DigWatch In Brief – The chair of the European Parliament’s subcommittee on tax matters is calling for an EU-wide digital services tax (DST) despite strong opposition from the US. Pasquale Tridico argues that an EU DST would make Europe’s tax system fairer...
Trump Administration “Settles” Social Media Case They Always Agreed With
Report from Reuters In Brief – The Trump Administration has reached a legal settlement that restricts three federal agencies from pressuring social media companies to remove or limit content, ending a legal battle that initially pitted conservative commentators...
Still More AI Copyright Suits — Encyclopedia Britannica Sues OpenAI
Report from TechCrunch In Brief – Encyclopedia Britannica, which owns Merriam-Webster and retains the copyright on over 100,000 online articles, has sued OpenAI for widespread copyright infringement. The publisher claims that OpenAI unlawfully scraped and used its...
Judge Says Utah’s Lawsuit Alleging Snapchat Harms Kids Can Proceed
Report from Courthouse News In Brief – A federal judge has dismissed an attempt by Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, to block the State of Utah from engaging in civil litigation in state court to enforce consumer protection laws against the social media...
Ecuador Considers Social Media Age Limit to Counter Gang Recruiting
Report from DigWatch In Brief – The Ecuador National Assembly is considering legislation to ban teens under age 15 from social media. The measure broadly covers digital platforms that enable public interaction, messaging, and content sharing, encompassing most major...
Italian Court Scraps 2024 Fine Levied Against OpenAI for GDPR Violations
Report from Reuters In Brief – A Rome court has cancelled the 15 million euro fine imposed on OpenAI by Italy's data protection authority for violations of the GDPR in the development and operation of ChatGPT. The fine was issued in December 2024 over the alleged...
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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