EU Preparing to Issue Report on Meta's Design Addiction

The European Union is set to ramp up an investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. that alleges its products are addictive to children, as the bloc increases regulatory pressure on the U.S. social media company. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, is preparing to issue preliminary findings that accuse Meta’s Facebook and Instagram of using exploitative design techniques to keep young users hooked, according to people familiar with the matter.

House Lawmakers Reach Agreement on Child Protection Bill

House lawmakers announced a bipartisan deal on a package for protecting kids online, months after negotiations on digital and social media regulation fell apart between the two parties. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said they “worked across the aisle for many months” and found “common ground on polices to significantly improve the digital environment for kids.”

Telegram Linked to Sexual Abuse, Financial Scams, Indian Report Says

An Indian investigation found that Telegram is being used extensively to ​share child sexual abuse material and perpetrate financial scams, according to a report by the government, which ‌added it was "proactively monitoring" groups on the messaging app. The 35-page report by the Home Ministry's Cybercrime Coordination Centre was submitted in court as part of the government's successful defense of a one-week ban of the app after a question paper to the country's medical school exam was allegedly leaked.

Texas Judge Gets Public Warning After Comments on YouTube Channel

The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct has issued a public warning for a Texas judge, in part because of public comments that she made through her court’s YouTube channel. Judge Stephanie Boyd, a judge of the 187th Criminal District Court in San Antonio, livestreams her court proceedings on YouTube and has “engaged in extrajudicial activities with viewers,” including by hosting a book club and allowing comments about current court proceedings and participants, according to the commission’s June 3 decision.

Anthropic Shuts Down Access to Newest Models After U.S. Objection

The artificial intelligence lab Anthropic said it had shut down access to its newest and most powerful models after the U.S. government banned use of the technology by foreign nationals, citing national security concerns. The San Francisco-based company said it received a letter from the government that did not specify officials’ concerns, but that it was informed that the government believed there was a method of bypassing safeguards designed to neuter the ability of its Fable model to aid computer hackers.

U.K. to Ban Children Under 16 from Using Social Media

The U.K. will ban social media from offering services to under-16s, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced, as governments around the world face mounting pressure to ensure child safety online. The U.K. plans to model its approach on landmark Australian legislation passed late last year, but the country will go further by introducing additional restrictions on features deemed particularly harmful to children.

  • Read the article: CNBC

States Investigating OpenAI for Privacy Practices, Minor Safety

A coalition of states has opened a wide-ranging investigation into the artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI, the company said, adding to a growing backlash over AI. State attorneys general subpoenaed OpenAI asking for internal documents on its practices, including its handling of user data, safety of minors and advertising activities, according to the company.

Court Reporters Maintain Job Security Despite Threats from AI

The profession of court reporters has become an example of AI’s limitations in replacing human skill in the real world. In an actual courtroom, court reporters record nonverbal cues like gestures and transcribe through distracting courtroom noises like coughs or door slams. Other times, they must gently ask witnesses to repeat themselves while recounting traumatic testimony.

Google Sues Chinese Group for Using Its AI Tools to Create Fake Sites

Google sued a Chinese cybercrime network, accusing it of using the company’s artificial intelligence to blast online financial scams to hundreds of thousands of Americans. The Chinese group used Gemini, Google’s AI system, to create hundreds of fake websites mimicking companies like Google and YouTube and government operations like the Postal Service and New York’s E-ZPass service for highway tolls, the lawsuit said.

U.S. Seizes Domain Names Allegedly Linked to Chinese Agent Scams

Federal authorities announced the seizure of 13 ‌Internet domains tied to what the U.S. Justice Department called fake consulting firms designed to recruit current or former U.S. government and military employees to provide information to suspected Chinese agents. These ​fake firms target people via job listings for consulting or analyst roles, and ​then pressure applicants for exclusive or insider information, the department said ⁠in a statement.

Australian Ban on Children Using Social Media Has Limited Impact

Six months in, most indications are that Australia’s law banning children younger than 16 from having social media accounts has largely failed at keeping young teens off the platforms, in a disappointing start to an initiative carefully watched by parents and governments around the world. But some Australian parents say the real effect of the law may be for the coming cohort of younger kids who were not yet on social media, and who may stay off because of the ban.

Canadian Bill Would Limit Social Media Use by Children

The Canadian government introduced a new digital safety bill that would ‌ban social media for children under 16 with exemptions for platforms that meet certain safety standards, months after Australia enacted the world's first social media ban for young people. The bill also aims to make AI chatbots safer by setting up a digital regulator to establish safety standards, a government official said.

EU Regulators Blame Apple for Failure to Launch Siri AI in Europe

EU regulators ‌slammed Apple for blaming EU tech rules for its decision not to roll out its upgraded assistant Siri AI in the European Union for now, saying they had rejected the company's request for an 18-month exemption from its obligations. The iPhone maker on Tuesday said Siri AI ​would not be available initially in the EU on iPhones or iPads and faulted the European Commission for ​refusing to engage constructively with them to ensure privacy and security on their devices.

EU Orders Meta to Allow Rival Chatbots on WhatsApp

Meta Platforms has been ordered by EU antitrust regulators to give rival AI chatbots such as OpenAI free access to WhatsApp while they continue to investigate whether the company abused its market power by blocking competitors from the messaging app. The European ​Commission's decision to issue an interim measure against Meta followed complaints from The Interaction Company of ​California, developer of the Poke.com AI assistant, French AI startup Agentik and a Spanish ⁠rival.

Hackers Exploit Instagram Bug to Change Passwords for 34,000 Accounts

In March, a group of hackers discovered a bug in a Meta customer service tool that allowed anyone to use an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to reset the passwords for Instagram accounts. Roughly 34,000 Instagram accounts were affected, including the former White House social media account for President Barack Obama and the accounts of the home security monitoring company SimpliSafe and a senior official in President Trump’s Space Force department, according to internal Meta documents viewed by The New York Times.

Meta Seeks Contempt Order Against NSO for Phishing Campaigns

Meta said it is filing a federal court contempt order against Israeli spyware ​firm NSO Group for violating a permanent injunction that barred ‌it from ever targeting WhatsApp and its users. The company said its WhatsApp messaging service disrupted new spear phishing attempts linked to NSO, an entity ​blacklisted by the U.S. government for engaging in activities that ​are contrary to the national security or foreign policy ⁠interests.

Senate Bill Would Restrict How Pentagon Uses AI for Weapons, Spying

A top Senate Democrat is introducing a bill to restrict how the Pentagon uses artificial intelligence, adding to a flood of AI proposals that offer a preview of the oversight tech companies can expect if Democrats win back control of Congress. Sen. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) is proposing a bill that would ensure a human is involved when the Pentagon uses AI in weapons and protects against the technology’s use for domestic surveillance.

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.