Report from Reuters In Brief – The European Commission has issued preliminary findings that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram breach the EU’s Digital Services Act by using design features that encourage excessive engagement. The findings follow a two-year investigation...
South Korea’s Fake News Law Raises Free Speech Concerns
Report from EuroNews In Brief – South Korea has begun enforcing a “fake news” law aimed at curbing online misinformation. It imposes tougher penalties for users who deliberately spread false information and requires major digital platforms to strengthen content...
UK Ofcom Proposes Rules Directing Largest Platforms to Fight Scam Ads
Report from the Guardian In Brief – Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has released a set of Online Safety Act (OSA) regulatory proposals headlined by rules directing the largest platforms to combat scam advertisers. The requirements will apply to large social...
French Competition Authority Orders Meta to Agree to Pay Media Companies
Report from Reuters In Brief – France’s competition authority has ordered Meta Platforms to submit a media payments proposal and resume negotiations with French media groups over more than a year of unpaid fees for the use of news content on its platforms. The...
Google and Epic Drop Alternative Settlement so Court’s Plan Will Proceed
Report from The Verge In Brief – The federal court-ordered overhaul of Google’s Android app store practices is set to move forward after Google and Epic Games withdrew their joint request to modify the remedies imposed in Epic’s antitrust lawsuit. The companies...
EU General Court Rejects Apple’s Argument that DMA Does Not Apply
Report from Courthouse News Service In Brief – The EU General Court dismissed Apple’s challenge to its designation as a “gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The ruling leaves intact the European Commission’s 2023 decision that Apple is a gatekeeper, and...
President Trump Still Opposes European Digital Taxes and Threatens Tariffs
Report from Politico In Brief – President Donald Trump used a social media post to threaten to impose a 100% tariff on any country that adopts a digital services tax (DST) targeting U.S. technology companies, warning in a social media post that the new tariff would...
Final Big 6 Ads Firm Settles with FTC on Ideological Content Moderation
Report from MediaPost In Brief – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that Havas Media Group has agreed to a proposed order that it will not participate in unlawful collusion related to digital advertising “brand safety” standards that the regulator says...
Yelp Wins Legal Ruling in Antitrust Battle with Google
Report from Courthouse News Service In Brief – Federal Magistrate Judge Susan Van Keulen has ruled that Yelp, a leading internet company critic of Google’s search practices, can rely on District Judge Amit Mehta’s 2024 decision in the Justice Department’s landmark...
Illinois Governor Signs Robust AI “Safety” Law
Report from CBS News In Brief – Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) has signed the AI Safety Measures Act into law pushing the state to the forefront of AI regulation. The law imposes “safety” requirements on companies developing so-called frontier AI models, including...
5th Circuit Delivers a Split Decision on Texas Social Media Teen Law
Report from Bloomberg In Brief – A three-judge panel of the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to block key sections of the Texas SCOPE Act that aims to protect teens from harmful online content such as promoting substance abuse and eating disorders, but...
OpenAI Sued for ChatGPT Giving Dangerous Medical Advice
Report from the New York Times In Brief – A Florida pastor has sued OpenAI in California Superior Court alleging ChatGPT provided dangerous medical advice, delaying care before he was hospitalized with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. The complaint alleges that...
Teen Plaintiff Drops Meta Complaint Cancelling 2nd “Bellwether” Trial
Report from the Wall Street Journal In Brief – A Florida teenager suing social-media companies over claims that their platforms contributed to his mental health problems has dropped his lawsuit against Meta, leading to the cancellation of the second “bellwether” trial...
European Commission Issues AliExpress a Big Digital Services Act Fine
Report from Politico In Brief – The European Commission has announced a fine of €550 million for Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress for failing to curb the sale of illegal and harmful products, the largest penalty yet imposed under the EU’s Digital Services...
EU High Court Rules YouTube Liable for Content Created by Vetted Affiliates
Report from Reuters In Brief – Europe’s highest court has ruled that Google can be held liable for YouTube videos uploaded by content creators with whom it has commercial partnerships, limiting the scope of legal protections for online platforms and potentially...
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