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...
Japan Moving to Regulate Social Media and AI in Election Campaigns
Report from Nippon.com In Brief – Japan's House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, has approved two bills by a majority vote that are intended to address the misuse of social media during election campaigns. The bills, which must next be considered by...
New Jersey Joins Blue States Regulating Grocery Store Pricing Practices
Report from the Shelby Report In Brief – The New Jersey legislature has approved the Fair Price Protection Act and sent it to Governor Mikie Sherrill (D), who has indicated she will sign the measure into law. Once enacted, New Jersey will become the third state to...
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...
German Media Regulator Says AI-Search Hybrids are Subject to Media Laws
Report from Reuters In Brief – Germany’s media regulator has declared that AI-generated search summaries and chatbot responses produced by services such as Google’s AI Overviews and Perplexity AI fall under Germany’s media laws. The Commission for Licensing and...
EU Commission Accepts X’s Plan to Address DSA Transparency Concerns
Report from MediaPost In Brief – The European Commission has announced the approval of X’s plan to address several Digital Services Act (DSA) compliance shortcomings identified by the regulator. The decision follows the €120 million fine imposed on the social media...
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.
