Publisher Ziff Davis Files Copyright Lawsuit Against OpenAI

Ziff Davis, the digital publisher behind tech sites like Mashable, PCMag and Lifehacker, sued OpenAI, joining a wave of media companies accusing the artificial intelligence giant of stealing its content. In a 62-page complaint filed in federal court in Delaware, where OpenAI is incorporated, Ziff Davis says the tech company has “intentionally and relentlessly reproduced exact copies and created derivatives of Ziff Davis works,” infringing on the publisher’s copyrights and diluting its trademarks.

EU Fines Apple $570M, Meta $230M for Violating Digital Markets Act

European Union regulators said that Apple and Meta were the first companies to be penalized for violating a new law intended to increase competition in the digital economy, ratcheting up tensions with the Trump administration. Apple was fined 500 million euros ($570 million) and Meta was fined €200 million ($230 million) for breaking the Digital Markets Act, which was adopted in 2022.

Oversight Board Criticizes Meta for Limits on Fact-Checking

Meta Platforms’ Oversight Board sharply rebuked the Facebook and Instagram owner over a policy overhaul in January that cut fact-checking and eased curbs on discussions of contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity. The board, which operates independently but is funded by Meta, urged the world's biggest social media company to assess “potential adverse effects” of the changes, put in place just before U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term.

Florida Sues Snap for Allegedly Creating Addictive Features for Kids

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against Snap, the operator of Snapchat, alleging the company hosts features that are addictive for young users. The suit claims Snapchat’s features for infinite scrolling, auto-play videos, push notifications and interactive metrics violate a state law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last year.

Americans Reported Record Loss of $16.6 Billion to Cybercriminals

Cybercriminals and online scammers stole a record $16.6 billion last year, the FBI said. The figure, from the FBI’s annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report, is a sharp rise from the $12.5 billion reported in 2023, reflecting the increased prevalence of online scams, particularly ones including cryptocurrency and those targeting older Americans.

Justice Department Asks Judge to Force Google to Sell Chrome Browser

The Justice Department argued before a federal judge in Washington that Google should be forced to divest its Chrome web browser — and make other major changes to its business — to break up what a court last year found was Google’s monopoly on internet search. In August, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found that Google illegally abused its market power to crush competition in internet search, calling the company a “monopolist” that has “acted as one to maintain its monopoly.”

New Jersey Sues Discord for Misleading Parents About Safety

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed a lawsuit against Discord, alleging the popular messaging app misled parents about its safety features. The complaint follows a multiyear investigation, which claims Discord violated New Jersey consumer protection laws while exposing child users to sexual and violent content, the New Jersey attorney general’s office wrote in a release.

Russian Hackers Increasing Attacks in Europe, Dutch Official Says

Russia is increasing its hybrid attacks aimed at undermining society in the Netherlands and its European allies, and Russian hackers have already targeted the Dutch public service, Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD said. "We see the Russian threat against Europe is increasing, including after a possible end to the war against Ukraine," MIVD director Peter Reesink said in the agency's annual report.

Google Operates Illegal Monopoly Over Advertising, Judge Rules

Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in some online advertising technology, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, adding to legal troubles that could reshape the $1.86 trillion company and alter its power over the internet. Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a 115-page ruling that Google had broken the law to build its dominance over the largely invisible system of technology that places advertisements on pages across the web.

Judge Blocks Ohio Law Requiring Age Verification for Social Media Use

A federal judge struck down Ohio’s law limiting teen social media use, marking another court win for the tech industry group NetChoice fighting similar restrictions nationwide. Judge Algenon L. Marbley granted a permanent injunction against the Social Media Parental Notification Act in a decision for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Officials Taking Steps to Limit DeepSeek's Role in United States

Two months after DeepSeek, China’s artificial intelligence star, rattled Washington and shook Wall Street, U.S. officials are taking steps to crack down on the Chinese start-up and its support from America’s leading chip maker, Nvidia. The Trump administration moved to restrict Nvidia’s sale of A.I. chips to China. It also is weighing penalties that would block DeepSeek from buying U.S. technology and debating barring Americans’ access to its services, said three people with knowledge of the actions who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Australian Communications Minister Exempts YouTube from Youth Ban

Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland gave a personal guarantee to the global head of YouTube that the platform would be exempt from the country’s social-media ban for under-16s, even before an official consultation process on the special carveout, according to documents obtained under freedom-of-information laws. YouTube’s exclusion from the looming Australian restrictions has angered rivals including Meta Platforms Inc. and Snapchat-operator Snap Inc.

Class-Action Suit in Britain Accuses Google of Abusing Search

Alphabet's Google is being sued in Britain for potential damages of up to 5 billion pounds ($6.6 billion) in a class action alleging the company abused its dominant market position in the online search industry. The class action, filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, argues that Google's actions enabled it to charge higher prices for the advertisements that appear in search inquiries than it otherwise could in a competitive market.

China Accuses U.S. of Launching 'Advanced' Cyberattacks

China accused the United States National Security Agency (NSA) of launching "advanced" cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February, targeting essential industries. Police in the northeastern city of Harbin said three alleged NSA agents to a wanted list and also accused the University of California and Virginia Tech of being involved in the attacks after carrying out investigations, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.

Zuckerberg Testifies in Antitrust Trial Over Instagram, WhatsApp Deals

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, took the witness stand to defend his social media empire in a landmark antitrust trial that could dismantle a company that has transformed how the world connects online. In a packed courthouse in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, lawyers for the Federal Trade Commission presented Mr. Zuckerberg with a binder full of dated emails and internal communications about his acquisition strategy, pushing him to defend his words.

U.S. Defense Digital Service Shutting Down Amid Pressure from DOGE

Under pressure from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, nearly all the staff of the Defense Digital Service — the Pentagon’s fast-track tech development arm — are resigning over the coming month, according to the director and three other current members of the office granted anonymity to discuss their job status freely, as well as internal emails. The Defense Digital Service was created in 2015 to help the Pentagon adopt fast tech fixes during national security crises and push Silicon Valley-style innovation inside the Pentagon.

Hackers Monitored Bank Regulators' Email Accounts for Year

Hackers intercepted about 103 bank regulators’ emails for more than a year, gaining access to highly sensitive financial information, according to two people familiar with the matter and a draft letter to Congress seen by Bloomberg News. The attackers were able to monitor employee emails at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency after breaking into an administrator’s account, said the people, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

U.S. to Start Screening Social Media of Immigrants, Visa Applicants

The U.S. government said it will begin screening the social media of immigrants and visa applicants for what it called antisemitic activity, leading to swift condemnations from rights advocates, including some Jewish ones, who raised free speech and surveillance concerns. President Donald Trump's administration has attempted to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests over U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' deadly October 2023 attack.

OpenAI Countersues Musk, Citing 'Bad-Faith Tactics'

OpenAI countersued Elon Musk, arguing in its lawsuit that he "could not tolerate seeing" the company's success and that he sought to build a direct competitor "not for humanity" but for himself. OpenAI said in a filing that Musk "made it his project to take down OpenAI" and that he "could not tolerate seeing such success for an enterprise he had abandoned and declared doomed."

The GigaLaw Firm helps companies of all sizes protect their brands online, using domain name dispute policies – such as the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) – and other legal tools available to copyright and trademark owners on the Internet.