FCC Reviewing Internet Subsidy Program for Schools, Libraries

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reviewing a $3 billion annual program that subsidizes Internet access for schools and libraries, citing concerns over excessive screen time among children and its impact on their health. FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced that the commission will conduct a complete review of the E-Rate program and release a proposal.

British Prime Minister Pushes Ban on Content 'Harmful' to Children

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce a ban on "harmful" online platforms for children under 16 while maintaining access ​to some safer forms of social media, the Times newspaper reported. Starmer, who is due to make a speech later on Monday, is said to have decided to proceed with restrictions after speaking to bereaved parents and ​considering evidence from Australia, which brought in a ban for under-16s ​last December.

U.K. to Allow Publishers to Opt Out of Feeding Content to Google's AI

U.K. antitrust regulators said they would allow publishers to opt out of feeding their content to power artificial-intelligence features in Google’s online searches. The Competition and Markets Authority said that the move aims to give publishers control over how their content is used by AI and put them in a stronger position to negotiate with Google.

New Meta Feature to Limit Harmful Content Shown to Teens

Meta is rolling out a new feature to limit harmful content shown to teenagers as part of a broader push to better protect kids online in the wake of two landmark verdicts against the company. The setting, called Limited Content, will limit specific types of content, such as posts about weightlifting, nutrition and anxiety coping strategies, the Instagram and Facebook parent company announced.

Trump Signs Executive Order Giving Government Preview of AI Models

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would provide the government with an early look at powerful new artificial intelligence models, giving officials a chance to brace the economy for security risks. The order the president signed is largely the same as an earlier draft obtained by The Washington Post, but it narrows the government’s preview to up to 30 days rather than 90 days.

Malaysia Bans Children Under 16 from Creating Social Media Accounts

Malaysia has begun barring those aged under 16 from registering accounts on social ​media platforms, its communications regulator said, ‌as it boosts efforts to protect minors from exposure to harmful content online. The Southeast Asian nation joins a growing number of ​countries introducing measures to regulate access to ​online platforms, amid mounting concerns over the impact ⁠of social media on children's health and safety.

Florida Sues OpenAI, Cites 'Litany of Harms' Caused by ChatGPT

Florida fired a new broadside in a growing rebellion against alleged safety failings of artificial-intelligence chatbots, becoming the first state to file a lawsuit against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman. The lawsuit, filed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, claims OpenAI and Altman knowingly released an unsafe product and ignored warnings that it could harm users.

Supreme Court Rejects Meta's Appeal in Social Media Addiction Case

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a bid by Meta Platforms to avoid a lawsuit brought ​by Vermont's attorney general accusing the company of designing its Instagram social media app to be addictive to young users, as big ‌technology companies face mounting legal risks over child and teen safety. The justices turned away Meta's appeal of a lower court's ruling that let the lawsuit proceed, rejecting the company's argument that courts in Vermont lack jurisdiction over the dispute.

AI-Generated Legal Filings Creating Burdens for Court System

Federal judges and legal experts said they are increasingly seeing filings flooding court dockets and clogging an already overburdened system as AI supercharges pro se litigation — even as it opens up the legal system to people who might not otherwise be able to afford to bring a case. Many judges emphasized the seriousness of the immediate workload problem created by AI-enabled pro se filings, including one who characterized the overall problem as “an existential threat to the federal courts.”

Law Enforcement Focusing on New Threats from Anti-Tech Extremists

In the wake of attacks on CEOs, a nationwide protest movement targeting data centers, and increasing concerns about AI job replacement, federal intelligence agencies and domestic law enforcement are circulating reports with a new domestic target in mind: anti-technology extremists. More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by Wired show a national shift taking place to surveil this new and worryingly broad category of people and activities deemed an emerging threat.

Pope Issues Encyclical Urging Caution About AI Development

Pope Leo XIV set out a sweeping vision for corporate executives, politicians and individuals who will shape and be shaped by the future of artificial intelligence, warning leaders to safeguard humanity from AI’s most disruptive effects. Leo’s declaration came in the form of a papal encyclical, an open letter to “all people of good will” that ran to roughly 42,300 words in its English version.

California's Governor Signs Executive Order on Labor Policies, AI

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, issued an executive order to explore a broad overhaul of labor policies, an attempt to front run a potential mass job displacement caused by artificial intelligence. Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, signed the order mandating state agencies work with academics, labor groups and the AI industry to study how to subsidize companies that keep employees rather than replace them with the technology.

Bluesky Accounts Hacked, Post Fake Russian News Articles

Hundreds of accouns on Bluesky have been hijacked and used to post fake news articles, according to the company and researchers at Clemson University working with a collective of internet monitors who track Russian influence operations and call themselves the dTeam. The campaign, which the researchers at Clemson linked to the Social Design Agency, a company in Moscow, shows how Russia continues to seek new ways to erode public support for Ukraine, which Russian forces invaded in 2022.

Trump Delays Signing of Executive Order on AI Regulation

President Donald Trump abruptly delayed the signing of a landmark executive order on AI afternoon, telling reporters that he had pulled the order at the last minute because it could interfere with American competitiveness on AI. “We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump, answering reporters’ questions in the Oval Office during an unrelated event, said about America’s AI industry.

Texas Suit Accuses Meta of Lying About Encrypted WhatsApp Messages

WhatsApp is able to access user’s encrypted messages, Texas said in a lawsuit that accuses Meta Platforms Inc. founder Mark Zuckerberg of lying to the U.S. Senate in 2018 about the company’s steps to make them inaccessible. The lawsuit brought in Texas state court says WhatsApp, the chat service Meta has owned since 2014, maintains access to communications from 3 billion users that it purports to be private.

Meta Settles Addiction Trial with Kentucky School District

Meta Platforms reached a settlement with a Kentucky school district over accusations that social-media companies intentionally designed their platforms to addict young people, becoming the last major platform to resolve the case and avert a coming trial. The settlement spares the companies from a June jury trial that was poised to be the first among more than 1,200 lawsuits brought by school districts alleging student mental-health harms caused by Meta, TikTok, Snap and Alphabet’s YouTube.

Bill Would Increase U.S. Specialists Combating Child Sex Abuse Online

Senate Republicans included in their reconciliation bill a significant increase in funding to fight child sexual trafficking and exploitation, adding to a drumbeat in Congress to better protect children online. The measure, championed by Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, would increase the number of specialists combating child sexual abuse material and child trafficking at the Department of Homeland Security’s investigations division to 200 from seven.

Subscribe

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.