The recent trilogue session on Tuesday ended without consensus between EU member states and European Parliament representatives regarding revisions to the EU's pioneering AI Act. The key point of contention is whether certain high-risk AI systems used in consumer products should be excluded from the strictest regulations being introduced. After a grueling 12 hours of discussion, the failure to finalize changes has delayed the closure of this legislative process until next month.
The European Commission has announced preliminary findings indicating that Meta has breached the Digital Services Act by failing to prevent children from accessing Facebook and Instagram, marking a notable enforcement against social media giants rather than just adult content sites.
China's commerce ministry has submitted an official 30-page notice to the European Commission, cautioning that the EU's proposed Cybersecurity Act, which mandates the removal of certain vendors from European networks, may provoke reciprocal actions against European businesses operating in China. This follows concerns over the draft law specifically targeting technology companies Huawei and ZTE, signaling escalating tensions in tech and trade relations.
Apple's attempt to pause the court-mandated updates to its App Store payment system has been rejected, allowing external purchase links to remain active. This decision comes as Apple prepares to take its dispute with Epic Games to the Supreme Court.
AstraZeneca is set to expand its research and development operations in the UK, benefiting from provisions in the latest US-UK trade agreement that aim to boost UK drug spending. This move underscores the positive impact of international trade deals on pharmaceutical investment and innovation in the region.
Meta has warned it might pull Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp from New Mexico if forced to comply with the state attorney general's recent demands. Following a court ruling awarding $375 million against Meta for allegedly misleading users about product safety, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez seeks orders for major platform changes. These include banning end-to-end encryption for minors, instituting age verification, and detecting nearly all child sexual abuse content on the platforms. Meta states that these requirements are technologically unfeasible, prompting the company to consider withdrawing its services from the state.
Two rapidly expanding competitors in the legal AI space have secured substantial funding, ventured into each other's markets, and escalated their competition with overlapping advertising efforts.
The health insurance marketplaces in Virginia and Washington, D.C. have suspended their practice of collecting and sharing users' citizenship and race information with advertising companies. This action followed an investigation by Bloomberg that revealed the sharing of this sensitive data with ad tech giants.
A recent data exposure related to a CMS provider directory, designed to enhance the accuracy of insurer networks, has inadvertently revealed doctors' Social Security numbers.
Earlier this year, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez secured a landmark $375 million judgment against Meta in a significant child safety lawsuit. Now, both parties are heading back to a Santa Fe courthouse for a three-week trial focusing on requested changes to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The proposed measures include implementing age verification for New Mexico users, restricting end-to-end encryption for users under 18, and limiting their use of the platforms to 90 minutes daily. These developments could have far-reaching impacts not only for Meta but for the wider social media landscape as well.
