Canada Issues Record $126 Million Fine Against Crypto Company

Canada's anti-money laundering regulator said it had imposed a C$176.9 million ($126.14 million) fine on money services business Xeltox Enterprises Limited, the largest-ever penalty doled out by the agency. The regulator, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), said Xeltox did not submit suspicious transaction reports when there were reasonable grounds to suspect transactions related to the laundering of money connected to trafficking in child sexual abuse material.

Reddit Sues Four Companies for Scraping Data from Google Search Results

The Internet message board Reddit filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York claiming that four companies had illegally stolen its data by scraping Google search results in which Reddit content appeared. Three of those companies — SerpApi; a Lithuanian start-up, Oxylabs; and a Russian company, AWMProxy — sold data to A.I. companies like OpenAI and Meta, according to the lawsuit.

Chinese Users File Complaint Against Apple Over App Distribution

A group of 55 Chinese iPhone and iPad users filed a complaint with China's market regulator, a lawyer representing the group said, alleging that Apple abuses its market dominance by restricting app distribution and payments to its own platforms while charging high commissions. The complaint to China's State Administration for Market Regulation scrutinizes Apple at a time when trade tensions between Beijing and Washington have been intensifying, with both governments deploying tariffs and technology restrictions as policy tools.

Cybersecurity Provider Blames Breach on State-Backed Chinese Hackers

A potentially “catastrophic” breach of a major U.S.-based cybersecurity provider has been blamed on state-backed hackers from China, according to people familiar with the matter. Seattle-based F5 Inc. disclosed in a regulatory filing Wednesday that nation-state hackers had breached its networks and gained “long-term, persistent access” to certain systems.

Meta Removes Facebook Group That Shared Info About ICE Agents

Meta removed a Facebook group that was used to share information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago after the Department of Justice requested it be taken down. The Facebook group was removed by the company “following outreach” by the Department of Justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post.

Britain Fines 4chan for Failing to Warn Users About Illegal Content

Britain said on it had issued U.S. Internet forum site 4chan with a 20,000 pound ($26,644) fine for failing to provide information about the risk of illegal content on its service, marking the first penalty under the new online safety regime. Media regulator Ofcom said 4chan had not responded to its request for a copy of its illegal harms risk assessment nor a second request relating to its qualifying worldwide.

Calif. Age-Check Bill Supported by Tech Companies Signed Into Law

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law requiring device-makers like Apple and Google to check users’ ages online, marking a win for tech companies that had rallied behind it in the face of opposition from Hollywood studios. California’s age-checking law boasts rare buy-in from major tech firms including Google, Meta, OpenAI and Snap, unlike similar plans recently passed in deep-red Utah and Texas that sharply divided the industry.

Governor Signs California Bill Regulating AI 'Companion Chatbots'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill placing new guardrails on how artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots interact with children and handle issues of suicide and self-harm. S.B. 243, which cleared the state Legislature in mid-September, requires developers of “companion chatbots” to create protocols preventing their models from producing content about suicidal ideation, suicide or self-harm and directing users to crisis services if needed.

Jury Orders Samsung to Pay $445.5 Million for Infringing Communication Patents

A federal jury in Marshall, Texas found that Samsung Electronics owes patent owner Collision Communications nearly $445.5 million in damages for infringing on patents related to 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi communications standards. The jury said that Samsung's laptops, Galaxy smartphones and other wireless-enabled devices infringe four Collision patents.

Russian-Speaking Hackers Claim Credit for Attack on Japanese Brewer

A cohort of Russian-speaking hackers known as Qilin has claimed responsibility for a ransomware attack that hobbled Asahi Group Holdings Ltd.’s operations for more than a week. The group stole roughly 27 gigabytes of data from Japan’s biggest beer brewer including financial documents, contracts, development forecasts and employees’ personal information, Qilin said on its website.

Lawmakers Want to Expand Bans on Selling Chips to China

U.S. lawmakers are calling for broader bans on chipmaking equipment to China after a bipartisan investigation found that Chinese chipmakers had purchased $38 billion of sophisticated gear last year. Inconsistencies in rules issued by the United States, Japan and the Netherlands have led to non-U.S. chip equipment manufacturers selling to some Chinese firms that U.S. companies could not, according to a report, published by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on China.

Report Says Chinese, Russian Hackers Using ChatGPT, DeepSeek

Malicious actors from U.S. foreign adversaries used ChatGPT jointly with other AI models to conduct various cyber operations, according to a new OpenAI report. Users linked to China and Russia relied on OpenAI’s technology in conjunction with other models, such as China’s DeepSeek, to conduct phishing campaigns and covert influence operations, the report found.

Supreme Court Refuses to Block Order Against Google's App Store

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt key parts of a judge's order requiring Alphabet's Google to make major changes to its app store Play, as the company prepares to appeal a decision in a lawsuit brought by "Fortnite" maker Epic Games. The justices turned down Google's request to temporarily freeze parts of the injunction won by Epic in its lawsuit accusing the tech giant of monopolizing how consumers access apps on Android devices and pay for transactions within apps.

Discord Says 'Unauthorized Party' Accessed Customer Service Data

One of Discord’s third-party customer service providers was compromised by an “unauthorized party,” the company says. The unauthorized party gained access to “information from a limited number of users who had contacted Discord through our Customer Support and/or Trust & Safety teams” and aimed to “extort a financial ransom from Discord.”

Apple Removes App That Allowed Anonymous Reports of ICE Sightings

Apple said that it was removing ICEBlock and other apps from its App Store that can be used to anonymously report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The move came after pressure on Apple from Attorney General Pam Bondi, and amid controversy over the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement of immigration law with ICE agents and other authorities.

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