Court Issues Temporary Restraining Order for Microsoft's Activision Bid

A federal court has issued a temporary restraining order that will prevent Microsoft from closing its $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard — at least for now. The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint on Monday seeking to get the restraining order and a preliminary injunction, and the court has agreed to the restraining order while it considers that injunction.

Bill Would Not Allow Section 230 Protections for Content Created by AI

Sens. Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal want to clarify that the Internet's bedrock liability law does not apply to generative AI, per a new bill that was shared exclusively with Axios. Legal experts and lawmakers have questioned whether AI-created works would qualify for legal immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the law that largely shields platforms from lawsuits over third-party content.

Europe Accuses Google of Violating Antitrust Laws in Ad Business

Google was charged with violating European Union antitrust laws by using its dominance in online advertising to undercut rivals, the latest in a string of cases around the world that strike at the core of the internet giant’s business model. The case was brought by the European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation European Union, and marks the fourth time Google has been charged with violating European antitrust laws in recent years.

Google to Delay Launch of AI Chatbot in EU Amid Privacy Concerns

Google will have to postpone starting its artificial intelligence chatbot Bard in the European Union after its main data regulator in the bloc raised privacy concerns. The Irish Data Protection Commission said Tuesday that the tech giant had so far provided insufficient information about how its generative AI tool protects Europeans' privacy to justify an EU launch.

Lawmaker Plans Vote on Framework Cryptocurrency Regulation

A key House Republican lawmaker said that he intends to hold a committee vote on a comprehensive bill to establish a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency products in the coming weeks. Representative Patrick McHenry, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said he expects to put a bill forward for the panel to consider after lawmakers return to work on July 11.

FTC Seeks Restraining Order to Block Microsoft's Activision Deal

The Federal Trade Commission sought a restraining order to block Microsoft from closing its $69 billion purchase of the gaming company Activision Blizzard, the latest regulatory hurdle for the largest deal in the tech company’s history. The agency filed the request in Northern California District Court. The move brought the federal government and Microsoft’s months-long battle over the deal to federal court; the FTC last year filed a lawsuit challenging the deal through its own internal administrative process.

Instagram Aids Networks of Underage-Sex Content, Researchers Say

Instagram, the popular social-media site owned by Meta Platforms, helps connect and promote a vast network of accounts openly devoted to the commission and purchase of underage-sex content, according to investigations by The Wall Street Journal and researchers at Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Pedophiles have long used the internet, but unlike the forums and file-transfer services that cater to people who have interest in illicit content, Instagram doesn’t merely host these activities.

U.S. Cybersecurity Official Says Chinese Hackers Targeting Infrastructure

A top U.S. cyber official warned that Chinese hackers are likely to disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure, including pipelines and railways, if a conflict were to occur between the two nations, Reuters reported. Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said the Chinese government is heavily investing in ways to sabotage U.S. infrastructure.

Pro-Russian Hacking Group Takes Down Website for Geneva Airport

A pro-Russian hacking group had intensified its cyberattacks against Switzerland, authorities said, with hackers claiming to have taken down several major websites including the one for Geneva Airport. Switzerland's main government websites, including parliament and the federal administration, have been hit in recent days by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack claimed by the NoName group.

Meta's Oversight Board Says Recommendations Helping, More Needed

More than two years after it formed, the Oversight Board says that its recommendations have helped make Meta’s rules more transparent to its users, though the company still needs to improve in some key areas. The board, which is made up of nearly two dozen experts in human rights and free speech, published its annual report covering its work and interactions with Meta over the last year.

Instagram Lifts Ban on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Sharing COVID Misinformation

Instagram lifted its suspension against the account of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken anti-vaccine activist and nephew of the late president John F. Kennedy, who is running for president as a long shot Democratic challenger to President Biden. The popular photo-sharing platform removed Kennedy’s account in 2021 for “repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,” and later in 2022 took down the account of his nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, for spreading medical misinformation.

SEC Sues Binance, CEO for Allegedly Operating 'Web of Deception'

U.S. regulators sued Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao for allegedly operating a "web of deception," piling further pressure on the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange and sending bitcoin to its lowest in almost three months. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) complaint, filed in a federal court in Washington, D.C., listed 13 charges against Binance, Zhao and the operator of its purportedly independent U.S. exchange.

Stanford Researchers Say Twitter Failed to Block Images of Child Sex Abuse

Twitter failed to prevent dozens of known images of child sexual abuse from being posted on its platform in recent months, according to Stanford University researchers who said the situation indicated a lapse in basic enforcement. The researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory, who were investigating child-safety issues across several platforms, said they told Twitter staff about their findings, and that the problem appeared to have been resolved in May.

Judge Dismisses District of Columbia's Privacy Lawsuit Against Meta

A Superior Court judge dismissed a privacy lawsuit against Meta by the District of Columbia, which had accused the company of deceiving consumers by improperly sharing their data with third parties, including the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. The decision was a rare victory for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, as it battles lawsuits filed by the federal government, states, foreign regulators and consumers in privacy, antitrust and consumer protection disputes.

Twitter’s Head of Trust and Safety Resigns After One Year at Company

Twitter’s top official for monitoring safety and content moderation said she resigned, the second time an executive with that role has departed since Elon Musk bought the social-media company in October. Ella Irwin, Twitter’s head of trust and safety, declined to comment on the reason for her departure in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

FTC Says Former Amazon Employee Spied on Customers via Ring Doorbells

A former employee of Amazon.com's Ring doorbell camera unit spied for months on female customers in 2017 with cameras placed in bedrooms and bathrooms, the Federal Trade Commission said in a court filing when it announced a $5.8 million settlement with the company over privacy violations. The FTC said Ring gave employees unrestricted access to customers' sensitive video data: "As a result of this dangerously overbroad access and lax attitude toward privacy and security, employees and third-party contractors were able to view, download, and transfer customers' sensitive video data."

Meta Says It Could Block Users in California from Sharing News Articles

Meta is threatening to block users in California from sharing news articles on its social media networks to protest a state legislative proposal that would force tech companies to pay publishers for their content. The social media giant said that if the California Journalism Preservation Act passes, the company would “be forced” to pull news from Facebook and Instagram in the state rather than agree to pay news outlets the journalism usage fee that the bill would require.

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