Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was indicted in France today and ordered to post bail of 5 million euros. The multi-billionaire is forbidden from leaving the country and must report to police twice a week while the case proceeds. Charges were detailed in a statement issued by Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, which was provided to Ars….
An appeals court has revived a lawsuit against TikTok, reversing a lower court’s ruling that Section 230 immunity shielded the short video app from liability after a child died taking part in a dangerous “Blackout Challenge.” Several children have died taking part in the “Blackout Challenge,” which encourages users to choke themselves until they pass…
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is heading to court for a possible indictment after being released from police custody, authorities in France said on Wednesday. “An investigating judge has ended Pavel Durov’s police custody and will have him brought to court for a first appearance and a possible indictment,” according to a statement from the Paris…
An Australian man who pretended to be a famous teenage YouTuber has been sentenced to 17 years for orchestrating what police are calling “one of the worst sextortion cases in history.” Twenty-nine-year-old Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed blackmailed hundreds of victims across 20 countries, ultimately pleading guilty to 119 charges involving 286 people. Most victims…
Elon Musk’s X platform, previously known as Twitter, has announced changes to its AI assistant, Grok, to prevent the dissemination of incorrect information regarding election ballot deadlines and other election-related facts. From now on, Grok will guide users to Vote.gov when they inquire about election details. The decision comes two weeks after complaints from five…
AT&T has agreed to pay a $950,000 fine in response to an August 2023 outage affecting users across four states. The telecommunications giant failed to deliver 911 calls and delayed notifications to eight 911 call centers, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced in a press release on Thursday. The outage, which lasted for 1 hour…
After years of conflict with the Biden administration over vaccine misinformation, Mark Zuckerberg has accused the White House of “repeatedly” pressuring Facebook to “censor certain COVID-19 content” in 2021 that Facebook allegedly would not have removed without such pressure. In a letter to the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Monday, the Meta CEO…
Since around 2013, Jonathan Mann, known as “Song a Day Mann”, has made his living by writing and posting a new song each day. While his whimsical and often topical songs have gained traction online, monetization remained challenging until he discovered non-fungible tokens (NFTs). By attaching blockchain-based tokens to his songs, Mann found a way…
A federal judge has ordered Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to halt his investigation into Media Matters for America, a nonprofit journalism organization known for its critical reporting on various topics, including Musk’s X platform. The investigation was initiated after Media Matters published an article revealing that X had placed advertisements next to pro-Nazi posts,…
After the arrest of Telegram CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov in France over the weekend, his detention has been extended for up to four days while a judge decides whether he should face criminal charges. “The detention of Durov, 39, was extended beyond Sunday night by the investigating magistrate who is handling the case,” Le…
Amazon may soon need to negotiate with unionized delivery drivers after a regional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) director concluded Thursday that Amazon is a joint employer of contractors working to deliver its packages on time. This ruling challenges Amazon's long-held stance that delivery service partners (DSPs) were the exclusive employers of delivery drivers, thereby…
The United States government has initiated legal action against RealPage, alleging that the company’s software undermines competition in the rental housing market by aiding landlords in collectively setting prices, according to documents filed by the Department of Justice and eight state attorneys general. Read the lawsuit. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that modern-day antitrust violations…
A former bank CEO from Kansas has been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison after embezzling $47 million in a cryptocurrency scam, ultimately leading to the collapse of Heartland Tri-State Bank (HTSB) in Elkhart, Kansas. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that 53-year-old Shan Hanes acted out of “greed” when diverting bank funds to…
Google has struck an agreement to fund local journalism and a new artificial intelligence initiative in California, effectively circumventing a legislative proposal known as the California Journalism Preservation Act. The proposed act aimed to require tech platforms to compensate news outlets for disseminating their content, a move Google opposed, terming it a “link tax”. California…
A Kentucky man has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison after hacking into state registries to fake his own death, in hopes of avoiding approximately $116,000 in child support payments. In a press release, the US Attorney’s Office wrote that Jesse Kipf, 39, was sentenced on charges including computer fraud and aggravated identity…
A telecommunications company has agreed to pay a $1 million fine for transmitting spoofed robocalls featuring a deepfake of President Joe Biden’s voice, urging New Hampshire residents not to vote. Lingo Telecom, based in Texas, came to a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as announced today by the agency. The FCC emphasized that…
Chrome users who chose not to sync their Google accounts with their browsing data have won a significant privacy battle. Following an earlier loss in a proposed class action, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the previous decision, impacting over 100 million users who believed Google collected their data without consent. The 9th…
A federal judge in Texas has blocked the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) attempt to prohibit noncompete agreements, which often prevent workers from switching jobs or starting new businesses. Judge Ada Brown, ruling in the Northern District of Texas, granted a motion for summary judgment requested by several business groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce….
Disney has decided to abandon its motion to compel arbitration in a lawsuit brought by Jeffrey Piccolo, who alleges his wife died from anaphylaxis after a restaurant at a Disney complex failed to honor requests for allergen-free food. Disney’s motion controversially cited the Disney+ streaming service subscriber agreement, which includes a binding arbitration clause. Plaintiff’s…
A federal judge who bought significant Tesla stock has refused to recuse himself from a legal battle involving Elon Musk’s X Corp. and nonprofit Media Matters for America. US District Judge Reed O’Connor, presiding over the Northern District of Texas, acquired Tesla shares valued between $15,001 and $50,000 in 2022, according to a financial disclosure…
A US judge has temporarily blocked the launch of Venu, a sports streaming service created through a collaboration between Disney\u2019s ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox. The decision follows an antitrust suit filed by FuboTV, which argued that Venu would \u201csuffer irreparable harm\u201d to its business. Judge Margaret Garnett granted an injunction on Friday to…
A major Internet service provider has petitioned the Supreme Court to rule that ISPs should not be required to disconnect broadband users accused of piracy. Cox Communications, which faces a copyright infringement lawsuit from Sony, submitted a petition for review on Tuesday. The case traces back to a 2018 lawsuit by Sony and other music…
San Francisco’s city attorney David Chiu is suing to shut down 16 popular websites and apps that allow users to “nudify” or “undress” photos, predominantly targeting women and girls. These platforms, according to Chiu, are purposely designed to create non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) using AI technology that swaps faces onto explicit images. Chiu’s lawsuit argues…
AT&T and Verizon are urging telecom regulators to reject a key part of SpaceX’s plan to offer cellular service with T-Mobile, claiming the satellite system will interfere with and degrade service for terrestrial mobile broadband networks. Filings urging the Federal Communications Commission to deny SpaceX’s request for a waiver were submitted by AT&T and Verizon…
Kim Dotcom, the controversial figure behind Megaupload, has lost another appeal in his prolonged battle to avoid extradition from New Zealand to the United States. New Zealand’s Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, has signed an extradition order for Dotcom, according to Reuters. Goldsmith stated, "I have received extensive advice from the Ministry of Justice on this…