Did WhatsApp really need Meta?
Did WhatsApp really need Meta? In its antitrust case against Meta, the US Federal Trade Commission is asking a judge to consider an alternate reality. In that world, the company never bought Instagram and WhatsApp. The two apps remained competitive with Facebook, developing features that competed for users’ attention. And that competition created a thriving […]
Google rejected giving publishers more choice to opt out of AI Search
Google rejected giving publishers more choice to opt out of AI Search Publishers have to opt out of Search entirely to avoid their content being used in AI Overviews. Google didn’t want to give publishers the choice to keep their content out of AI Search results because it’s “evolving into a space for monetisation.” That’s […]
Trump signs the Take It Down Act into law
Trump signs the Take It Down Act into law President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act into law, enacting a bill that will criminalize the distribution of nonconsensual intimate images (NCII) — including AI deepfakes — and require social media platforms to promptly remove them when notified. The bill sailed through both chambers […]
Epic asks judge to make Apple let Fortnite back on the US App Store
Epic asks judge to make Apple let Fortnite back on the US App Store Epic CEO Tim Sweeney. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Epic is asking District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to order Apple to review — and approve if compliant with Apple’s guidelines — Epic’s submission of Fortnite to the US App […]
Verizon’s $20 billion Frontier acquisition wins FCC approval
Verizon's $20 billion Frontier acquisition wins FCC approval Verizon’s $20 billion Frontier acquisition wins FCC approval Verizon’s $20 billion deal to acquire the fiber internet provider Frontier is officially happening. On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission signed off on the merger, which will allow Verizon to “upgrade and expand” Frontier’s existing fiber networks. Verizon expects […]
The State Department reportedly pressured African countries to adopt Elon Musk’s Starlink
The State Department reportedly pressured African countries to adopt Elon Musk's Starlink The State Department reportedly pressured African countries to adopt Elon Musk’s Starlink After The Washington Post earlier this month revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had instructed the State Department to help Starlink expand in order to fend off Chinese technological influence, […]
Anthropic blames Claude AI for ’embarrassing and unintentional mistake’ in legal filing
Anthropic blames Claude AI for 'embarrassing and unintentional mistake' in legal filing Anthropic blames Claude AI for ‘embarrassing and unintentional mistake’ in legal filing Not the best publicity for Anthropic’s chatbot. Anthropic has responded to allegations that it used an AI-fabricated source in its legal battle against music publishers, saying its Claude chatbot made an […]
Meta asks judge to throw out antitrust case mid-trial
Meta asks judge to throw out antitrust case mid-trial Meta has filed a motion for judgment on the antitrust case it’s currently fighting in court. The motion argues that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has failed to produce any evidence that Meta unlawfully monopolized part of the social networking market, something the government argues it […]
Jeff Bezos makes his most ghoulish deal yet
Jeff Bezos makes his most ghoulish deal yet Watching the behavior of our tech overlords has answered questions I’d never thought to ask. How do you NDA an army of baby mamas? Is there anything more embarrassing than impersonating Benson Boone? (Also, who is Benson Boone?) And now, the latest: how long after a sovereign ruler of […]
Thanks, Trump tariffs, now I gotta replace my phone battery
Thanks, Trump tariffs, now I gotta replace my phone battery After five years, I was still happy with my phone, even though its battery had started the inevitable process of slowing to a stop. But Donald Trump’s tariff nonsense pushed me to make a decision: buy a new phone or fix the old one now, […]