Big tech companies tend to make a lot of enemies — but there are none more powerful than the US government. Apple, Google, Amazon, and Meta are regularly called in front of Congress to fend off monopoly accusations — and lawmakers bring up bills to rein in the companies just as often. The Federal Trade Commission has taken a particularly central role, leading a lawsuit to sever Facebook and Instagram while blocking new acquisitions for Oculus and the company’s virtual reality wing. Like it or not, these regulatory fights will play a huge role in deciding the future of tech — and neither side is playing nice.
In a new interview with The Financial Times, Jonathan Kanter says regulators may need to act urgently to keep AI from being controlled by already-dominant tech companies. Kanter has been leading the antitrust charge against tech intermediaries that are “more powerful than the products and services or the entities they intermediate.”
It took 30 years for the US to lose almost its entire bike manufacturing industry. Can the most bike friendly member of Congress fix that?
The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into force in March, resulting in the launch of the following new third-party iOS app marketplaces:
• AltStore Pal (hands-on)
• SetApp Mobile (hands-on)
• Aptoide game store (hands-on)
• Mobivention (hands-on)
Each has its own pros and cons but none has been able to upset the balance of power in Europe.
Aptoide is the fourth third-party iOS marketplace to launch in Europe. Will its unique model find success where others have struggled?
It’s a police-operated drone. WIRED took a deep look into how one California city is using the aerial devices to collect information before responding in-person to some incidents. After analyzing 10,000 flight records over a two-year period, WIRED found poorer residents had more contact with the drones. But most Chula Vista residents interviewed said they supported the program.
The state legislature is expected to vote this week on a bill preventing social media companies from using the recommendation tools to serve kids content, unless parents give the OK, according to The Wall Street Journal. States across the country have implemented a range of safeguards from limiting data collection to imposing age verification requirements.
[Twitter]
The former President, who once attempted to ban the platform, posted his first video to it yesterday under his usual handle of @realdonaldtrump.
As Politico notes, Trump reversed his stance earlier this year after momentum behind the ban abruptly rekindled and President Biden signed it into law.
In case you need the chance to scream, cry, breathe, or just go to the bathroom during the presidential debate, CNN will offer commercial breaks during the June 27 event, two sources told Variety. That’s a break from tradition for presidential debates, but then again, so is plenty about this presidential debate.
Twitter main characters past and present have met recently to discuss possible government roles for Musk should Trump win in November. According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk and Trump have “discussed ways to give Musk formal input and influence over policies related to border security and the economy.” Oh, and also voter fraud. Meanwhile, Trump is out on the campaign trail talking about how he’s going to ban the sale of electric vehicles.
While you might think that the balloon war between North and South Korea has reached a new low, remember that activists once floated 80,000 copies of Seth Rogen’s The Interview over the northern border — and that film wasn’t worth a shit.
The keffiyeh has become a symbol of the movement for Palestine, and model Bella Hadid wearing a keffiyeh-inspired dress at Cannes was a political statement. The head scarf has been banned by some government bodies.
Clothing has always been a core part of culture — a way to communicate ideas and identities. Last summer I wrote about Palestinian embroidery (tatreez) and ongoing efforts to digitize and protect it.
Weirdly, experts say the DOJ’s demand for a jury trial in the Google ad antitrust lawsuit is just as strange.
Wait, you’re telling me that consumer tech can be foiled by a determined and well-funded military?
The new outages appeared to be the first time the Russians have caused widespread disruptions of Starlink. If they continue to succeed, it could mark a tactical shift in the conflict, highlighting Ukraine’s vulnerability and dependence on the service provided by Mr. Musk’s company.
Time for Musk to deploy the Starshield! Or, did he?
“It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster,” said US Attorney General Merrick Garland, in a statement announcing the DOJ antitrust lawsuit.
The feds have filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to break up Live Nation, the parent company of event ticketing giant Ticketmaster, and we’re about to hear more details from the government’s side in this press conference.
Update, May 27th: Replaced live stream link with archive copy from YouTube.
The announcement could come as soon as Thursday. Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, calls itself “the largest producer of live music concerts in the world.” It’s one of many agents of consolidation that drastically reshaped music.
[The Washington Post]
The iPhone maker has filed a suit at the EU’s General Court, according to Bloomberg, after arguing that the investigation into the App Store’s music-streaming app distribution had failed “to uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm.”
The probe, sparked by an antitrust complaint Spotify raised in 2019, also ordered Apple to stop preventing music-streaming apps from advertising cheaper deals available outside the App Store.
European ministers have unanimously adopted the bloc’s AI Act, which is now set to be published in the EU’s Official Journal in the coming days.
The law will take effect 20 days after publication, where compliance deadlines will be staggered — starting at six months for AI systems that pose “unacceptable risk,” up to the end of 2030 for AI components of large-scale IT systems.
[Council of the EU]