Microsoft finds itself under intense scrutiny from the European Union as the company risks substantial fines for allegedly bundling its Teams software with Office 365 and Microsoft 365 without adequate choice for its customers. The European Commission (EC) announced preliminary findings suggesting that this practice might unfairly limit competition within the software as a service…
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has consented to plead guilty to a single criminal charge, concluding his prolonged extradition tussle with the United States. Assange, who will reportedly avoid further jail time, is expected to return to his native Australia. Rather than appearing in the continental United States, Assange is slated to enter his plea in…
Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Records have filed lawsuits against AI music-synthesis companies Udio and Suno, alleging mass copyright infringement for using the labels’ recordings to train music-generating AI models, according to Reuters. These lawsuits, filed in federal courts in New York and Massachusetts, argue that the AI-generated music produced by these companies…
The European Commission has preliminarily determined that Apple’s App Store rules and fees are in violation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). These rules allegedly restrict app developers from steering users to alternative sales channels, which the commission announced today. This finding initiates a formal process, allowing Apple to examine the investigation file and respond…
As a result of book publishers successfully suing the Internet Archive (IA) last year, the free online library that strives to keep growing online access to books recently shrank by about 500,000 titles. IA reported in a blog post this month that publishers abruptly forcing these takedowns triggered a “devastating loss” for readers who depend…
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has firmly dismissed AT&T’s request to terminate its landline phone service obligations. Instead, the state agency is urging AT&T to upgrade its copper network to fiber, as detailed in the official ruling on Thursday. AT&T sought relief from its Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligation, which mandates the company…
The Biden administration has announced a ban on the sale of Kaspersky antivirus software in the United States starting in July. According to Reuters and a filing by the US Department of Commerce (PDF), the action is rooted in national security concerns. The US government believes that software from Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab poses a risk…
Pornhub will soon be blocked in five additional states as the adult site continues to challenge age-verification laws that compel users to provide ID to access content. According to a blog post on the site, starting July 1, visitors in Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska will encounter a video featuring adult entertainer Cherie Deville…
A malfunctioning firewall implemented by a 911 vendor caused a two-hour outage in the emergency calling system in Massachusetts, affecting residents statewide on Tuesday afternoon. The Massachusetts government reported that Comtech, the state’s 911 vendor, has since applied a technical solution to prevent future occurrences. “A preliminary investigation conducted by the State 911 Department and…
On Tuesday, Meta was named in a lawsuit alleging the company overlooks sexist treatment of female employees, including promoting less qualified men over more capable women. The complaint was filed in a US district court in New York by Jeffrey Smith, an engineer who joined Meta in 2018. According to Smith, his promising career trajectory…
AT&T is enforcing monthly price increases of $10 and $20 on its older unlimited wireless plans starting in August 2024, according to an announcement by the company. Single-line users will see a $10 hike, while customers with multiple lines will experience a total increase of $20 per month. The company has offered a variety of…
Apple has abruptly discontinued its “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) service, Apple Pay Later, which turned Apple into a money lender when it launched last March in the US and became widely available in October. The service previously allowed users to split the cost of purchases of up to $1,000 into four installments that were…
T-Mobile has agreed to revise its advertising for the "Price Lock" guarantee, which initially implied a fixed price but allowed for price increases, while maintaining a defense of the promotion. This move follows a challenge from AT&T and a ruling by the National Advertising Division (NAD), part of the Better Business Bureau’s self-regulatory program for…
Adobe prioritized profits while spending years ignoring numerous complaints from users struggling to cancel costly subscriptions without incurring hefty hidden fees, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged in a lawsuit Monday. According to the FTC, Adobe knew that canceling subscriptions was hard but determined that it would hurt revenue to make canceling any easier,…
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has proposed placing a warning label on social media platforms, cautioning young users about potential mental health harms. Murthy argues in an op-ed published in the New York Times that the mental health crisis among young people is dire, with overuse of social media contributing to anxiety, depression, and body…
Meta has apparently paused plans to process significant amounts of user data to introduce new AI experiences in Europe. The decision follows pushback from data regulators, who disputed the tech giant’s claims that it had ‘legitimate interests’ in processing data from European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) users, including personal posts and pictures,…
Brussels is preparing to charge Apple with stifling competition on its mobile app store, in what will be the first use of new EU digital regulations to target a major tech company. The European Commission has found that the iPhone maker is not complying with obligations to allow app developers to direct users to offers…
A group of Tesla investors has initiated legal action against Elon Musk and the company’s board, alleging that Musk’s new venture xAI improperly siphoned resources from Tesla. The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Court of Chancery, accuses Musk of hiring AI employees away from Tesla, redirecting microchips to xAI and social media platform X, and using…
Apple has spent years “intentionally, knowingly, and deliberately paying women less than men for substantially similar work,” a proposed class action lawsuit filed in California on Thursday alleged. A victory for women suing could mean that more than 12,000 current and former female employees in California could collectively claw back potentially millions in lost wages…
Microsoft is pivoting its company culture to make security a top priority, President Brad Smith testified to Congress on Thursday, promising that security will be “more important even than the company’s work on artificial intelligence.” Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, “has taken on the responsibility personally to serve as the senior executive with overall accountability for…
Tesla shareholders have re-approved CEO Elon Musk’s $44.9 billion pay package, the company announced. Brandon Ehrhart, Tesla’s general counsel and corporate secretary, made the announcement at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, noting that the stockholders ratified the 100 percent performance-based stock option award initially approved by stockholders in 2018. Ehrhart also stated that shareholders approved a…
An Indiana police officer has stepped down following revelations of his unauthorized usage of Clearview AI’s facial recognition technology to identify individuals on social media who were not involved in any criminal activity. The Evansville Police Department labeled this a clear “misuse” of the technology, according to their press release. Clearview AI, which has been…
Starlink, the satellite internet service provided by SpaceX, has announced a significant price reduction for its user terminal in select regions of the United States. In 28 states, the new cost for the satellite dish is $299 plus shipping and tax, while the rest of the US will maintain the $499 price point. This discount…
Elon Musk’s X Corp. has reportedly demanded money back from at least six former employees in Australia, claiming the company accidentally overpaid them. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that X is threatening to take legal action if the ex-employees do not return the overpaid sums, which are claimed to range from $1,500 to $70,000 per…
When T-Mobile announced price hikes of up to $5 per line on older smartphone plans last month, many customers were shocked. This reaction stemmed from T-Mobile’s earlier promise that prices would never increase as long as clients stayed on the same plan. “New rule: Only YOU should have the power to change what you pay,”…