Continuing to refine the fact-checking service that began as Twitter’s Birdwatch, X has announced that users can now request Community Notes to clarify problematic posts on the platform. According to X’s Community Notes account, the feature is currently in a pilot phase on the web-based version and will soon be available on Android and iOS….
Citing frustration with mobile carriers enforcing different phone-unlocking policies that are bad for consumers, the Federal Communications Commission is proposing a 60-day unlocking requirement that would apply to all wireless providers. The industry’s “confusing and disparate cell phone unlocking policies” mean that “some consumers can unlock their phones with relative ease, while others face significant…
Elon Musk’s ongoing battle over content moderation on his social media platform, X, has taken a significant turn as he seeks to block California’s AB-587 law. This legislation mandates detailed disclosures about how platforms like X handle controversial categories of content, including hate speech, disinformation, and foreign political interference. At a recent hearing, three judges…
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently voted to lower the price caps on prison phone calls, addressing a longstanding issue that has imposed significant financial burdens on incarcerated individuals and their families. This decision will notably reduce the cost of both interstate and intrastate calls, with the latter being regulated for the first time….
RealPage, a property management software company, has been thrust into a legal quagmire as it faces multiple lawsuits and a reported federal criminal probe related to allegations of rental price fixing. In an effort to counteract the negative narrative, RealPage has launched a microsite and a digital booklet titled “The Real Story”, aiming to dispel…
This week, Meta asked a US district court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Professor Ethan Zuckerman, who has concerns that Meta may sue him if he releases an automated tool enabling Facebook users to remove all feed content. The tool, Unfollow Everything 2.0, aims to allow users to easily unfollow all friends, groups, and…
US senators are seeking explanations from AT&T about why it stores extensive call and text message records on a third-party analytics platform known as the “AI Data Cloud.” Last week, AT&T revealed that customer data was illegally downloaded from its workspace on Snowflake, the third-party cloud service in question. The breach compromised call and text…
TikTok facilitated the promotion of Germany’s far-right extremist political party to young voters ahead of last month’s EU elections, according to a new report by AI Forensics and Interface. This report, shared exclusively with WIRED, reveals that in a quarter of cases, young users searching for specific political parties on TikTok were instead given suggestions…
A British judge has referred Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed inventor of bitcoin, to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for possible criminal charges of perjury and forgery. Justice James Mellor of England's High Court of Justice made the referral and granted two injunctions prohibiting Wright from relitigating his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator…
In a recent development in the competitive landscape of the global cloud market, Google attempted to thwart a Microsoft antitrust settlement in the European Union. Google reportedly offered a $500 million alternative deal to the Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE), the group behind the EU complaint against Microsoft. According to Bloomberg, the offer…
On Friday, major record labels initiated legal action against Verizon, accusing the Internet service provider of violating copyright laws by continuing to offer services to users allegedly involved in music piracy. In the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, companies like Universal, Sony, and Warner allege that…
A federal court has temporarily halted the enforcement of net neutrality regulations, delaying their implementation until August 5, 2024. The decision by the US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit allows more time to consider a telecom-industry request to block the rules on a long-term basis. The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) revived net neutrality…
A feces-encrusted swim diaper resold by Amazon has ruptured a family business, Bloomberg reports, leading to a negative review that demolished a million-dollar enterprise, leaving it in a $600,000 debt. Paul and Rachelle Baron, owners of Beau & Belle Littles, revealed that Amazon failed to inspect the returned item before reselling it, consequently generating a…
AT&T has revealed that a security breach on a third-party cloud platform resulted in the exposure of call and text records for nearly all its cellular customers. The incident was part of a larger attack affecting multiple companies using Snowflake’s AI data cloud, which was infiltrated by hackers using information-stealing malware. AT&T confirmed the scope…
Elon Musk’s overhaul of the Twitter verification system deceives users and violates the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission said in an announcement of preliminary findings that could lead to significant financial penalties. The social media platform now called X “designs and operates its interface for the ‘verified accounts’ with the ‘Blue checkmark’ in…
Following the release of a report by the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Elon Musk has called for the criminal prosecution of those behind an advertiser boycott on X (formerly Twitter). The report accuses the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) of collaborating with companies to censor conservative voices. Musk expressed his views…
In a landmark settlement with the European Commission (EC), Apple has agreed to open its mobile payments system to rival wallets, allowing iPhone users in the European Union to utilize any mobile wallet for “tap and go” payments. This decision follows an investigation into whether Apple had unfairly restricted competition by denying access to the…
A Spanish youth court has sentenced 15 minors to one year of probation after they created and distributed AI-generated nude images of female classmates in two WhatsApp groups. The minors faced charges of creating child sex abuse images and offenses against their victims’ moral integrity. Besides probation, they are mandated to attend classes focusing on…
Republican lawmakers are challenging a Biden administration initiative requiring Internet service providers (ISPs) that receive federal grants to offer low-cost plans to low-income individuals. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which administers the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, is under investigation by GOP leaders for what they describe as an…
A legal battle concerning severance pay for former Twitter employees took a decisive turn this week as Elon Musk successfully had a class-action lawsuit dismissed in federal court. The suit, which alleged wrongful denial of severance pay under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), was presided over by US District Judge Trina Thompson in…
A US district judge has dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that Amazon's Buy Box was manipulated to disadvantage customers, ruling that plaintiffs failed to provide adequate evidence. The lawsuit, filed by Jeffrey Taylor and Robert Selway, followed earlier antitrust investigations in the European Union and the United Kingdom which found that since at least…
Firms that serve as intermediaries to negotiate and control prescription drug access in the U.S. “wield enormous power,” largely with “extraordinarily opaque” business practices, and may be “inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies” for profit, according to a searing interim report released Tuesday by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Amid a national focus…
Two Russian nationals, Anton Napolsky and Valeriia Ermakova, who were arrested for operating the pirate e-book site Z-Library, have reportedly fled house arrest in Argentina following a court’s approval of their extradition to the United States. The pair have been accused by the U.S. Department of Justice of criminal copyright infringement, wire fraud, and money…
Northwest Oregon had never seen anything like it. Over the course of three days in June 2021, Multnomah County—Oregon’s most populous county—experienced unprecedented temperatures of 108°, 112°, and 116° Fahrenheit. Temperatures soared so high that metal on cable cars melted and asphalt on roadways buckled. Due to Oregon’s usually mild summers, nearly half the homes…
A recent incident in a Philadelphia suburb has drawn national attention as it marked the first-known TikTok mob attack orchestrated by middle school students against their teachers. The New York Times reported that eighth graders at Great Valley Middle School created at least 22 fake TikTok accounts impersonating approximately 20 teachers in offensive ways. The…