Tech Policy & Government | TechCrunch

TikTok parent ByteDance reportedly values itself at $300 billion

Anthony Ha — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 17:26:40 +0000

ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, valued itself at $300 billion in a recent share buyback offer, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. That number might sound familiar, as the WSJ previously reported on a ByteDance buyback offer at a $300 billion valuation back in September 2022. But a year […]

EU AI Act: Everything you need to know

Natasha Lomas — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

The European Union’s risk-based rulebook for artificial intelligence — aka the EU AI Act — has been years in the making. But expect to hear a lot more about the regulation in the coming months (and years) as key compliance deadlines kick in. Meanwhile, read on for an overview of the law and its aims. […]

X sues to block California anti-deepfakes bill

Kyle Wiggers — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 16:48:19 +0000

Per Bloomberg, X, Elon Musk’s social media company, has sued to block California law AB 2655, which requires large online platforms to remove or label AI deepfakes related to elections. X argues that the law, also known as the “Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024,” will lead to widespread censorship of political speech. […]

GM’s Cruise to pay $500,000 fine to DOJ, admits submitting false report

Rebecca Bellan — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:08:53 +0000

Cruise, the autonomous vehicle unit of General Motors, has admitted to submitting a false report with the goal of influencing a federal investigation into a safety incident last year. In penance, the company will pay a $500,000 criminal fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, per the Department of Justice (DOJ). This is one […]

Google tests removing news articles from search in EU, but it’s already backfiring

Romain Dillet — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:50:39 +0000

Under EU law, digital platforms have to pay for news reuse. But how much should Google pay for article previews? That’s what Google is trying to find out with an experiment in nine EU countries. During the test, 1% of users won’t see articles from EU-based news publishers in search and Google News so that […]

Tech leaders recommend colleagues for Trump’s cabinet

Marina Temkin — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 23:56:37 +0000

Tech executives have been trying to influence the incoming Trump administration to appoint Silicon Valley insiders for cabinet positions, The New York Times reported. Given Elon Musk’s strong relationship with Donald Trump, many of these persuasion efforts have been directed towards him, including by friends of Musk like Joe Lonsdale, the co-founder of Palantir and […]

FTC reportedly begins investigating Microsoft’s cloud business practices

Kyle Wiggers — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 23:17:43 +0000

The FTC is reportedly readying an investigation into whether Microsoft used anti-competitive tactics to maintain a dominant position in the cloud market. According to Financial Times, the agency is looking into allegations that Microsoft imposed punitive licensing agreements to prevent customers from moving data off its platforms. Sources told FT that the FTC is also […]

EU AI Act: Draft guidance for general purpose AIs shows first steps for Big AI to comply

Natasha Lomas — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 15:26:16 +0000

A first draft of a Code of Practice that will apply to providers of general-purpose AI models under the European Union’s AI Act has been published, alongside an invitation for feedback — open until November 28 — as the drafting process continues into next year, ahead of formal compliance deadlines kicking in over the coming […]

FBI raids home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan

Kyle Wiggers — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:38:39 +0000

The FBI raided the home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan on Wednesday morning and seized his electronics, a company spokesperson confirmed to Axios. It’s not clear what the FBI was seeking. In particular, it’s unclear if Polymarket, Coplan, or both are the targets of an investigation. Polymarket, one of the most active prediction betting markets, […]

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moves to place Google under supervision

Kyle Wiggers — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:22:01 +0000

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has taken steps to place Google under formal federal supervision, a move that could subject the company to the same inspections the government imposes on major banks. According to The Washington Post, the CFPB has been in talks with Google for months about the supervision order, which hasn’t yet […]

Meta slapped with a €798M fine in Europe over anticompetitive Marketplace practices

Ingrid Lunden — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:07:07 +0000

Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has been hit with yet another huge regulatory fine in Europe, this time over abusive practices related to Facebook Marketplace. The European Commission announced that it would fine Meta €797.72 million — nearly $840 million — for breaching EU antitrust rules connected to how it ties its […]

What’s DOGE? Musk’s new political appointment under Trump is a crypto joke

Amanda Silberling — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 23:11:04 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that one of his top donors, Elon Musk, will co-lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. It’s a not-even-thinly-veiled nod to the popular Doge meme, depicting a cute Shiba Inu, which is also the inspiration behind the meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin. The commission, which will advise Trump, […]

OpenAI’s take on AI agents could come in January

Kyle Wiggers — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 22:28:09 +0000

OpenAI could release an “AI agent” tool as soon as January. That’s according to Bloomberg, which reports that OpenAI is close to launching software, code-named “Operator,” that can take direct actions on a person’s computer. OpenAI is said to be planning to initially launch Operator as a research preview through its developer API. Operator would […]

Europe asks for input on banned uses of AI

Natasha Lomas — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:23:13 +0000

The European Union is developing compliance guidance for its new law on AI. As part of that process it’s launched a consultation (here) seeking input in two areas. The first is how the law defines AI systems (as opposed to “simpler traditional” software). It’s asking people in the AI industry, business, academics, and civil society […]

Donald Trump announces Elon Musk will co-lead Department of Government Efficiency

Maxwell Zeff — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:44:12 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Elon Musk will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, the acronym of which spells out DOGE, Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency. The CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, and owner of X, Neuralink, and The Boring Company will lead the department alongside biotech entrepreneur and former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy to […]

NASA awards ‘sustainable’ aircraft concepts $11.5M

Devin Coldewey — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:25:53 +0000

The future of aircraft may look very similar to today’s superficially — but under the hood (or sitting next to the tail fins) they will likely be quite different. That’s the future NASA is hoping to nurture with five research awards worth $11.5 million. The Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability 2050 (AACES) program is […]

Trump expected to try to stop looming TikTok ban

Aisha Malik — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:52:04 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump will try to prevent TikTok from getting banned in the United States, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. During his campaign, Trump promised voters that he would save the popular social media app if elected. Former Trump adviser and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told the Post that the president-elect “appreciates the breadth and […]

French newspapers want social media platform X to pay for news reuse

Romain Dillet — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:17:28 +0000

It’s rare when French newspapers team up and agree on something. But major publications, such as Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Le Parisien, have collectively decided to take legal action against X over neighboring rights, according to a statement sent to Reuters and the AFP. Under EU law, digital platforms are required to negotiate with […]

Europe’s DMA forces Meta toward ‘less personalized ads’

Natasha Lomas — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:37:03 +0000

Meta, under legal pressure in the European Union over a binary “pay us or consent to ad tracking” choice it currently offers regional users of its social networks Facebook and Instagram, is changing how its regional ad business works again. Little wonder when compliance failure in this context risks fines of up to 10% of […]

Apple’s geoblocks on media services in EU draw consumer protection ire

Natasha Lomas — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 13:15:37 +0000

Apple’s pile of regulatory woes in the European Union has ticked up again: The iPhone maker is being accused of unlawfully discriminating against consumers by applying restrictions on how several of its media services can be accessed around the bloc. Consumer protection authorities in three EU Member States have been investigating the geoblocking measures (access […]