Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Sets Rules for Digital Wallets

Silicon Valley tech giants and others who together process more than 13 billion financial transactions annually through digital wallets and payment apps will be subject to government supervision, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said. The new rule will bring a burgeoning consumer service under the same scrutiny faced by banks while helping protect the privacy of vast amounts of consumer data and preventing fraud and the illegal closure of their accounts, the agency said.

Justice Department Asks Court to Force Chrome Sale, Put Limits on Android

The Justice Department and a group of states asked a federal court to force Google to sell Chrome, its popular web browser, a move that could fundamentally alter the $2 trillion company’s business and reshape competition on the internet. The request follows a landmark ruling in August by Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that found Google had illegally maintained a monopoly in online search.

Threatening Text Messages Sent to Black, Latino, LGBTQ+ Communities

More than a week after racist text messages threatening Black people with enslavement were sent by anonymous numbers to recipients across the country, similar threats have been sent to people in Latino and LGBTQ+ communities, according to the FBI. It was not immediately clear how many messages were sent by the anonymous users, but thousands more messages — and the numbers sending them — were blocked by wireless carriers once they were made aware of the situation, according to Nick Ludlum, senior vice president of CTIA, a trade group for the U.S. wireless communications industry.

Sabotage Suspected as Two Fiber Optic Cables Severed in Baltic Sea

Germany’s defense minister called the severing of two fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea an act of sabotage aimed at European countries that are supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. The damage disrupted some data transfers but did not endanger the internet connection or security of any of the countries, authorities said.

Indian News Agency ANI Sues OpenAI for Using Content Without Permission

Indian news agency ANI has sued OpenAI in a New Delhi court, accusing the ChatGPT creator of using its published content without permission to help train the artificial intelligence chatbot, something that OpenAI says it has stopped doing. ANI is the latest news organisation globally to take OpenAI to court following lawsuits in the U.S. by newspapers including the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Library of Congress Says Hackers Accessed Communications with Congress

The Library of Congress said hackers broke into its communications systems and were able to read its email correspondence with congressional offices for most of this year. In a private notification sent to some congressional offices, obtained by NBC News, the Library of Congress said that hackers “accessed email communications between congressional offices and some Library staff, including the Congressional Research Service.”

Justice Department Wants Judge to Force Google to Sell Chrome Browser

Alphabet Inc.’s Chrome browser could go for as much as $20 billion if a judge agrees to a Justice Department proposal to sell the business, in what would be a historic crackdown on one of the world’s biggest tech companies. The department will ask the judge, who ruled in August that Google illegally monopolized the search market, to require measures related to artificial intelligence and its Android smartphone operating system, according to people familiar with the plans.

Hackers Breach T-Mobile in Chinese Cyber-Espionage Operation

T-Mobile’s network was among the systems hacked in a damaging Chinese cyber-espionage operation that successfully gained entry into multiple U.S. and international telecommunications companies, according to people familiar with the matter. Hackers linked to a Chinese intelligence agency were able to breach T-Mobile as part of monthslong campaign to spy on the cellphone communications of high-value intelligence targets. I

ADL Identifies 'Extremist or Hateful Content' from Users on Steam Store

A sizable portion of gamers on Valve’s Steam store are posting an “unprecedented” amount of hateful, racist and anti-Semetic content on the gaming site’s cyber social gathering place Steam Community, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League. The organization found 1.83 million unique pieces of “extremist or hateful content” from 1.5 million unique users in 73,824 groups.

FTC Commissioner Wants Probe of How AI Gets Data from Young Users

U.S. Federal Trade Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said the agency should look into how artificial-intelligence products use the data they gather from younger users, amid privacy and safety concerns. Holyoak, one of two Republicans on the commission who could end up as its acting chair after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, said the agency should review what authority it has to gather information about AI privacy practices regarding children.

Google to Stop Showing Political Ads to Users in European Union

Google has announced it will stop showing political ads to users in the European Union next year due to uncertainties around the bloc’s new transparency regulations. In a new blog post, Google says the upcoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) rules that aim to prevent election interference and help voters make informed choices will introduce significant “operational challenges and legal uncertainties.”

Putin Vows to Investigate Slow Speeds, Disruptions on YouTube

President Vladimir Putin is looking into slow speeds and disruptions on YouTube in Russia after the country's top cinema official raised the matter with him, the Kremlin said. Critics believe YouTube is being deliberately disrupted by the authorities to prevent Russians from viewing a mass of content there that is critical of Putin and his government.

X Sues to Block California Law Against AI-Generated Deceptive Election Content

Elon Musk’s social media platform X sued to block a California law aimed at curbing AI-generated deceptive election content on social media, claiming the measure is an unconstitutional affront to free speech. The law, which requires large online platforms to remove content deemed “materially deceptive,” will lead to widespread censorship of political speech, according to the complaint filed late Thursday in Sacramento federal court.

European Commission Fines Meta $840 Million Over Classified-Ads Service

The European Commission fined Meta $840 million over allegations that it unlawfully used its signature social media platform to power its classified-ads service, Facebook Marketplace. The executive body of the 27-nation European Union found that Meta broke E.U. antitrust laws by closely linking Facebook with its classified-ads business, giving it a “distribution advantage which competitors cannot match.”

Apple Deletes Radio Free Europe App from Russian App Store

Apple has deleted one of U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Russian-language news apps from the Russian App Store at the request of state communications regulator Roskomnadzor, the news outlet said. Apple and Roskomnadzor did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters reporters in Russia could still access the app on mobile devices.

FTC Preparing to Open Probe of Microsoft's Cloud Software Business

The Federal Trade Commission is planning to launch an investigation into Microsoft’s cloud software business over alleged anticompetitive practices, as the Democratic-led agency tries to cement a legacy of aggressive regulation during President Joe Biden’s final weeks in office. President-elect Donald Trump’s antitrust policies are still unclear, but there are indications he will pressure Big Tech companies on some fronts.

Musk Makes New Claims in Amended Lawsuit Against OpenAI, Microsoft

Elon Musk escalated his legal feud with OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming the companies colluded to eliminate competition in an attempt to dominate the development of artificial intelligence. In an amended lawsuit filed in a San Francisco court, Musk made fresh antitrust claims against OpenAI, the ChatGPT creator he helped found, and added Microsoft and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman as defendants.

Judge Requires Meta to Face Trial in FTC's Antitrust Lawsuit

Facebook owner Meta Platforms must face trial in a U.S. Federal Trade Commission lawsuit seeking its break up over claims that it bought Instagram and WhatsApp to crush emerging competition in social media, a judge in Washington ruled. Judge James Boasberg largely denied Meta's motion to end the case filed against Facebook in 2020, during the Trump administration, alleging that the company acted illegally to maintain its social network monopoly.

Republican Attorneys General Sue SEC Over Cryptocurrency Enforcement

Eighteen Republican attorneys general sued the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Chair Gary Gensler for allegedly overstepping the agency’s authority in its enforcement actions against the cryptocurrency industry. The states, led by Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, argue that the SEC has sought to “unilaterally wrest regulatory authority away from the States” on crypto enforcement.

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