+++Utah Sues TikTok Over Its “Addictive Nature” That Harms Children
+++FCC Fines Dish Television Network Over Satellite Space Debris
+++Yoga App Developer Sues Meta Over Collusion To Kill VR App
+++EU Requests X’ Compliance With Digital Service Act In Light Of Israel-Hamas Misinformation
Utah Sues TikTok Over Its “Addictive Nature” That Harms Children
Utah’s Division of Consumer Protection is suing TikTok, alleging the app’s addictive nature harms children and that it hides its connection to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The lawsuit claims TikTok violates the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act, demands a jury trial, and seeks an injunction, legal fees, restitution, damages exceeding $300,000, and $300,000 in civil penalties.
Read the full report on The Verge.
Read the case Utah Consumer Protection Agency v. TikTok, U.S. District Court for the County of Salt Lake.
FCC Fines Dish Television Network Over Satellite Space Debris
The FCC imposed a $150,000 fine on Dish for failing to move a satellite to a safe orbit, marking a significant step in addressing space debris concerns. The fine affected Dish’s reputation, causing a 4% drop in its share price, serving as a warning to other companies. This action may boost the market for commercial space debris removal services and encourage other countries to take similar measures. With the growing number of satellites in orbit, managing space debris is essential to prevent collisions. Dish admitted liability, and the FCC could impose higher fines in the future. This reflects a trend of enforcing compliance with licensing requirements to address space debris issues.
Read the full report on MIT Technology Review.
Read the order FCC v. Dish Operating LLC, No. DA 23-888
Yoga App Developer Sues Meta Over Collusion To Kill VR App
Meta is facing a lawsuit from a software developer, Andre Elijah, who alleges that the company canceled his virtual reality yoga app, AEI Fitness, just before its launch upon learning of his discussions with Apple and ByteDance. Elijah claims that Meta’s actions cost him potentially tens of millions in the growing VR fitness app market. The lawsuit accuses Meta of trying to control the VR headset and app distribution market, which could limit innovation and consumer choice. Elijah is seeking $3.2 million and substantial lost revenue.
Read the full report on Fortune.
Read the case Andre Elijah Immersive Inc. v. Meta Platforms Technologies LLC, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 5:23-cv-05159.
EU Requests X’ Compliance With Digital Service Act In Light Of Israel-Hamas Misinformation
The European Union has escalated scrutiny of Elon Musk’s company, X (formerly Twitter), after reports of illegal content and disinformation related to the Israel-Hamas conflict circulated on the platform. The EU issued a formal request for more information, which may lead to a formal investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Non-compliance could result in fines of up to 6% of annual turnover and service blocking. X’s compliance with DSA rules, including content moderation, complaint handling, risk assessment, and enforcement, is under review. The company has until October 18 to provide information, and the EU will assess the next steps based on X’s response.
Read the full report on TechCrunch.
Read the press release by the European Commission requesting X to comply with the Digital Services Act.
More Headlines
- Right To Repair Act: Right-to-repair is now the law in California (by The Verge)
- Data Privacy: Apple AirTags stalking led to ruin and murders, lawsuit says (by ArsTechnica)
- AI: This Prolific LA Eviction Law Firm Was Caught Faking Cases In Court. Did They Misuse AI? (by LAist)
- Online News Act: Canada news industry body backs Google’s concerns about online news law (by Reuters)
- Data Privacy: What we know about the 23andMe data breach (by San Francisco Business Times)
- Data Privacy: Delete Act signed by Gavin Newsom will enable residents to request all data brokers in the state remove their information (by Guardian)
In-Depth Reads
- How a billionaire-backed network of AI advisers took over Washington (by Politico)
- The AI regulatory toolbox: How governments can discover algorithmic harms (by Brookings)
In Other News (or publications you should read)
- Richard Allen’s regulate.tech blog: How to regulate the internet without breaking it
- Benjamin Wittes, Robert Chesney, Jack Goldsmith’s lawfare: Hard national security choices
- Julie Zerbo’s the fashion law (TFL)
- Justin Hendrix’ tech policy press: technology and democracy.
- Eugene Volokh: The Volokh Conspiracy
This post originated from my publication Codifying Chaos.