Would You Still Use Google if It Didn’t Pay Apple $20 Billion to Get on Your iPhone?

Microsoft has poured over $100 billion into developing its Bing search engine over the past two decades but has little market share to show for it. About nine out of every 10 web searches in the US are made through Google, with Bing splitting the remaining queries with a long list of small competitors. On … Read more

Chinese universities accused of overstepping the mark with restrictions on students’ off-campus holiday travel

Notices issued by Lanzhou Jiaotong University and the School of Foreign Studies at Jiangsu Normal University were among the strictest, according to local online media ThePaper.cn, citing statements made last week. 01:26 The University of Hong Kong beats Singapore’s National University in influential Asia ranking The University of Hong Kong beats Singapore’s National University in … Read more

Net Neutrality Returns to a Very Different Internet

The Federal Communications Commission has voted—once again—to assert its power to oversee and regulate the activities of the broadband industry in the United States. In a 3-2 vote, the agency reinstated net neutrality rules that had been abandoned during the height of the Trump administration’s deregulatory blitz. “Broadband is now an essential service,” FCC chair … Read more

China’s security ministry hails move to reward postal and parcel workers for spy tip-offs in eastern province

The new local regulation was jointly issued by Jiangsu’s anti-spy agency, the state security department and the provincial postal bureau and took effect on April 15, making it the first government document in China to reward delivery companies and delivery workers for tip-offs about spying. 05:29 China executes scientist for spying in 2016, among 10 … Read more

Tech Leaders Once Cried for AI Regulation. Now the Message Is ‘Slow Down’

The other night I attended a press dinner hosted by an enterprise company called Box. Other guests included the leaders of two data-oriented companies, Datadog and MongoDB. Usually the executives at these soirees are on their best behavior, especially when the discussion is on the record, like this one. So I was startled by an … Read more

Oregon’s Breakthrough Right-to-Repair Bill Is Now Law

Oregon governor Tina Kotek yesterday signed the state’s Right to Repair Act, which will push manufacturers to provide more repair options for their products than any other state so far. The law, like those passed in New York, California, and Minnesota, will require many manufacturers to provide the same parts, tools, and documentation to individuals … Read more

The EU Targets Apple, Meta, and Alphabet for Investigations Under New Tech Law

Apple is among three tech giants being investigated for failing to comply with the European Union’s new competition rules, in another blow to the embattled smartphone maker. Apple was the primary focus of an EU press conference on Monday morning. But authorities also opened formal investigations into Meta and Alphabet, Google’s parent company. The trio … Read more

Nexstar Fined $1.2M By FCC, Could Lose CW Flagship WPIX-TV In New York

The Federal Communications Commission has determined that local TV giant Nexstar Media Group‘s takeover of WPIX-TV in New York in 2020 violated federal limits on station ownership. In a ruling issued Thursday, the regulatory agency ordered Mission Broadcasting, Nexstar’s partner in WPIX, to sell the station. Failing that, Nexstar could put the station under its … Read more

Reddit’s Sale of User Data for AI Training Draws FTC Inquiry

Reddit said ahead of its IPO next week that licensing user posts to Google and others for AI projects could bring in $203 million of revenue over the next few years. The community-driven platform was forced to disclose Friday that US regulators already have questions about that new line of business. In a regulatory filing, … Read more

Regulators Need AI Expertise. They Can’t Afford It

ChatGPT caught regulators by surprise when it set off a new AI race. As companies have rushed to develop and release ever more powerful models, lawmakers and regulators around the world have sought to catch up and rein in development. As governments spin up new AI programs, regulators around the world are urgently trying to … Read more