Porn App Appears in an App Store for iPhones Following EU Regulation

For years, Apple’s voluminous rules about which apps are and aren’t allowed have been clear: Apps featuring “overtly sexual or pornographic material” are banned from Apple’s App Store. But now, an iPhone porn app called Hot Tub is available — only in the European Union — from one of the non-Apple mini app stores created under a landmark E.U. law to jump-start more technology competition.

Google Drops Pledge Against Using AI for Weapons Development, Surveillance

Google has updated its ethical policies on artificial intelligence, eliminating a pledge to not use AI technology for weapons development and surveillance. According to a now-archived version of Google’s AI principles seen on the Wayback Machine, the section titled “Applications we will not pursue” included weapons and other technology aimed at injuring people, along with technologies that “gather or use information for surveillance.”

After Musk Complains, Reddit Temporarily Bans 'WhitePeopleTwitter'

Reddit has temporarily banned the subreddit r/WhitePeopleTwitter after Elon Musk complained about the community. An X account called “Reddit Lies” posted screenshots from a thread on r/WhitePeopleTwitter in which users were discussing the identities of the individuals with ties to Musk who have reportedly played a key role in the takeover of technical systems within the federal government.

Meta, Google Sue to Block Maryland Law Protecting Kids Online

A lobbying group representing Meta, Google and other tech companies sued to block the Maryland “Kids Code,” one of several state laws passed in recent years meant to expand protections for children on social media and other platforms. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) in May signed the “Kids Code” law, which requires that companies conduct “impact assessments” ensuring its products are protecting “the best interests of children” and prioritize the well-being of children above their “commercial interests.”

Spyware Campaign Targeted Journalists Using WhatsApp

Around 90 users of Meta’s chat service WhatsApp are suspected to have been targets of a spyware campaign conducted by an Israeli spyware company called Paragon Solutions, a WhatsApp spokesperson told NBC News. The spokesperson said that the attack targeted a number of users including journalists and members of civil society “across over two dozen countries, particularly in Europe.”

Britain to Outlaw Using AI Tools to 'Nudeify' Children's Images

Britain will make it illegal to use artificial intelligence tools that create child sexual abuse images, it said on Saturday, becoming the first country in the world to introduce the new AI sexual abuse offences. Possessing, taking, making, showing or distributing explicit images of children is a crime in England and Wales. The new offences target the use of AI tools to "nudeify" real-life images of children.

Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking Using AI Chatbots

A man from Massachusetts has agreed to plead guilty to a seven-year cyberstalking campaign that included using artificial intelligence chatbots to impersonate a university professor and invite men online to her home address for sex. James Florence, 36, used platforms such as CrushOn.ai and JanitorAI, which allow users to design their own chatbots and direct them how to respond to other users during chats, including in sexually suggestive and explicit ways, according to court documents seen by the Guardian.

Hackers Exploiting WordPress, Plug-Ins to Install Malware

Hackers are exploiting outdated versions of WordPress and plug-ins to alter thousands of websites in an attempt to trick visitors to download and install malware, security researchers have found. The hacking campaign is still “very much live,” said Simon Wijckmans, the founder and CEO of web security company c/side, which discovered the attacks.

DeepSeek AI App Removed from Apple, Google App Stores in Italy

The Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek could not be accessed in Apple and Google app stores in Italy, the day after the country's data protection authority requested information on its use of personal data. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it had also requested information from DeepSeek about data processing in relation to Irish users.

Meta Agrees to $25 Million Settlement with Trump Over Suspended Account

Meta Platforms has agreed to pay roughly $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit that President Trump brought against the company and its CEO after the social-media platform suspended his accounts following the attacks on the U.S. Capitol that year, according to people familiar with the agreement. Of that, $22 million will go toward a fund for Trump’s presidential library, with the rest going to legal fees and the other plaintiffs who signed onto the case.

Hackers Linked to Foreign Governments Using AI Technology

Hackers linked to China, Iran and other foreign governments are using new AI technology to bolster their cyberattacks against U.S. and global targets, according to U.S. officials and new security research. In the past year, dozens of hacking groups in more than 20 countries turned to Google’s Gemini chatbot to assist with malicious code writing, hunts for publicly known cyber vulnerabilities and research into organizations to target for attack, among other tasks, Google’s cyber-threat experts said.

U.K. Regulators Find Lack of Competition in Cloud-Services Market

Microsoft and Amazon Web Services could face an investigation by U.K. regulators after an independent enquiry found that competition isn’t working in the cloud-services market. The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said that the enquiry provisionally found that the lack of competition could result in higher costs, less choice, less innovation and lower quality of service for businesses and organizations across the U.K. economy.

Google Asks EU Court to Overturn $4.5 Billion Antitrust Fine

A record EU antitrust fine of 4.3-billion-euro ($4.5 billion) imposed on Google seven years ago punished the tech giant over its innovation, the Alphabet unit told Europe's top court, as it asked judges to scrap the EU decision. Google's appeal to the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union comes two years after a lower tribunal sided with the European Commission which said the company used its Android mobile operating system to quash rivals.

PayPal to Pay $2 Million Fine for Cybersecurity Failures Exposing SSNs

PayPal will pay a $2 million civil fine over cybersecurity failures that led to the exposure of customers' Social Security numbers in late 2022, New York state's Department of Financial Services said. Adrienne Harris, New York's financial services superintendent, said a probe by her office found PayPal failed to use qualified staff to manage key cybersecurity functions or provide adequate training to address cybersecurity risks.

Court Rules FBI's 'Backdoor' Searches Under FISA Unconstitutional

Following years of litigation, a federal court has finally ruled it unconstitutional for the FBI to search communications of U.S. citizens collected under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). In a ruling, U.S. District Court Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall decided that these “backdoor” searches violate the Fourth Amendment.

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.