Topic: legal challenges
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TikTok Deal: What We Still Don't Know
President Trump's executive order on TikTok leaves critical details about the ownership structure and legality unresolved, casting doubt on the deal's viability. Legal experts argue the administration acted lawlessly by extending deadlines without authority, creating uncertainty and putting tech ...
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Cindy Cohn Leaves EFF, Continues Digital Rights Fight
Cindy Cohn is stepping down as executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation after 25 years, during which she led key battles for digital rights, privacy, and encryption. She played a pivotal role in landmark cases like Bernstein v. Department of Justice and emphasized encryption's imp...
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Tesla Proposes $1 Trillion Deal to Deploy Musk's Robot Army
Tesla's board has proposed a new compensation package for CEO Elon Musk, potentially worth up to $1 trillion if he achieves ambitious technological and financial milestones, which could make him the world's first trillionaire. The proposal requires Musk to oversee the deployment of one million ro...
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NY May Require TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram to Verify Users' Ages
New York's SAFE For Kids Act proposes that social media platforms verify user ages and restrict minors' access to algorithm-driven feeds and late-night notifications to protect youth mental health. The legislation requires platforms to use secure age verification methods, such as facial estimatio...
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Anthropic's $1.5B Copyright Deal Shortchanges Writers
A $1.5 billion settlement will pay at least $3,000 each to half a million writers, resolving a class action lawsuit against Anthropic for using copyrighted books without permission. The settlement penalizes Anthropic for sourcing books through piracy rather than purchase, but does not address the...
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Trump Mobile: The Future of Your Next Smartphone?
Recent trademark filings suggest Donald Trump may enter the telecom industry with a Trump-branded smartphone and mobile network, covering services, devices, and retail stores. Legal experts note the detailed filings and sworn declarations indicate serious intent, though trademark disputes with T-...
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Trump Approves $14B TikTok Deal, Cedes 80% to US Investors
President Trump approved a $14 billion deal transferring 80% ownership of TikTok's U.S. operations to American investors, addressing national security concerns and ensuring the app's future in the country. The agreement reduces Chinese parent company ByteDance's stake to 19.9% and includes safegu...
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Trump Proposes $100,000 Annual Fee for H-1B Visas
A new proposal would impose a $100,000 annual fee on all new H-1B visa applications, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign talent and causing concern in the tech sector. Major tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft, which employ thousands of H-1B workers, are advising affected employees to retur...
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FTC Probes OpenAI, Meta Over AI Safety for Kids
The FTC is investigating seven major tech firms to assess how their AI companion tools impact the safety and well-being of children and teenagers. Concerns include inadequate risk assessments, insufficient safeguards, and incidents where AI chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful behavior amon...
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Getty Scales Back AI Copyright Case, UK Lawsuit Still On
Getty Images has withdrawn its core copyright infringement claims against Stability AI in the UK, though secondary claims and trademark disputes remain active in the lawsuit. Legal experts suggest the withdrawal was due to jurisdictional challenges and evidentiary gaps, as Getty struggled to prov...
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National Academies Defies Congress, Releases Critical Climate Report
The National Academies of Science released a report affirming that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, countering recent EPA efforts to revisit this determination. The report concludes that scientific evidence has only strengthened since the 2009 endangerment finding, with advanc...
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AI Overviews: A Survival Guide for Publishers
Google's AI Overviews have caused significant declines in publisher referral traffic, with some click-through rates dropping by up to 89%, fundamentally altering the reliance on traditional search for business. Independent studies confirm a shift in user behavior towards consuming answers directl...
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Generative AI's Hollywood Takeover
Generative AI is transforming Hollywood by democratizing filmmaking through tools that replace traditional creative skills, though it faces ethical concerns about copyright and job displacement. Despite technical limitations in producing polished content, major studios are partnering with tech fi...
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Anthropic Users: Opt Out or Share Data for AI Training
Anthropic now requires all users to decide by September 28 whether to consent to their data being used for AI model training, a shift from its previous policy of deleting consumer chat data within 30 days. Users who do not opt out will have their interactions retained for up to five years to impr...
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AI Companionship Faces a Regulatory Crackdown
Regulatory scrutiny of AI companionship is intensifying in the U.S., with lawmakers focusing on safety and ethical concerns, especially for vulnerable users like minors. California has passed a pioneering bill requiring AI developers to notify minors of AI interactions, handle crisis conversation...
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OpenAI's 'Stargate' Expands with 5 New US AI Data Centers
OpenAI is expanding its AI infrastructure with five new U.S. data centers as part of Project Stargate, highlighting the massive computational and energy needs of advanced AI systems. The project, backed by partnerships and significant funding, is ahead of schedule and aims to supply 7 gigawatts o...
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