Government & Policy
Technology is deeply intertwined with government and policy, both being regulated by them and augmenting civic infrastructure like voting, social services, the justice system, and state-funded research, as well as exploring the frontiers of civil rights.
EU member states remain divided on controversial CSAM-scanning plan — but for how long?
Opponents also contend the EU plan will fail at its claimed aim of protecting children, suggesting law enforcement will instead be swamped by millions of false positives.
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has initiated a formal “phase 1” investigation into Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) planned acquisition of Juniper Networks. The CMA said it’s in the…
The agency was investigating the company over potential violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Act.
US sues Adobe for hiding termination fees and making it difficult to cancel subscriptions
In the complaint filed on Monday, the DOJ wrote that “Adobe has harmed consumers by enrolling them in its default, most lucrative subscription plan without clearly disclosing important plan terms.”
FTC Chair Lina Khan on startups, scaling, and ”innovations in potential lawbreaking”
FTC Chair Lina Khan was the youngest person appointed to her position when she assumed the job in 2021. But once her term ends in September — after which she’ll…
Meta pauses plans to train AI using European users’ data, bowing to regulatory pressure
Meta has confirmed that it will pause plans to start training its AI systems using data from its users in the European Union and U.K. The move follows pushback from…
Helen Toner worries ‘not super functional’ Congress will flub AI policy
Helen Toner, a former OpenAI board member and the director of strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, is worried Congress might react in a “knee-jerk” way where…
Washington’s political class doesn’t know Y Combinator exists — yet
After educating the D.C. market, YC aims to leverage its influence, particularly in areas like competition policy.
FTC Chair Lina Khan tells TechCrunch the agency is pursuing the ‘mob bosses’ in Big Tech
Lina Khan says the FTC wants to be effective in its enforcement strategy, which is why it has been taking on lawsuits that “go up against some of the big…
With dozens of antitrust cases and close to a hundred on the consumer protection side, the agency is now turning to innovative tactics to help it fight fraud, particularly in…
New York moves to limit kids’ access to ‘addictive feeds’
New York’s state legislature has passed a bill that would prohibit social media companies from showing “addictive feeds” to children under 18, unless they obtain parental consent. The Stop Addictive…
LinkedIn to limit targeted ads in EU after complaint over sensitive data use
LinkedIn has confirmed it will no longer allow advertisers to target users based on data gleaned from their participation in LinkedIn Groups. The move comes more than three months after…
Modi-led coalition’s election win signals policy continuity in India — and spending cuts
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has emerged victorious in India’s 2024 general election, but with a smaller majority compared to 2019. According to post-election analysis by Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, CLSA,…
President Joe Biden has vetoed H.J.Res. 109, a congressional resolution that would have overturned the Securities and Exchange Commission’s current approach to banks and crypto. Specifically, the resolution targeted the…
Chinese e-commerce marketplace Temu faces stricter EU rules as a ‘very large online platform’
Temu is to face Europe’s strictest rules after being designated as a “very large online platform” under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Misinformation works, and a handful of social ‘supersharers’ sent 80% of it in 2020
The studies, by researchers at MIT, Ben-Gurion University, Cambridge and Northeastern, were independently conducted but complement each other well.
Chinese EV makers, and their connected vehicles, targeted by new House bill
Chinese EV manufacturers face a new challenge in their pursuit of U.S. customers: a new House bill that would limit or ban the introduction of their connected vehicles. The bill,…
Featured Article
The women in AI making a difference
As a part of a multi-part series, TechCrunch is highlighting women innovators — from academics to policymakers —in the field of AI.
Tech startup Odyssey goes on journey to help states implement school choice programs
The company’s public fund disbursement and e-commerce platform makes accepting school tuition and enabling educational enrichment more accessible.
Spotify hikes subscription price in France by 1.2% to match new music-streaming tax
Spotify has hiked its premium subscription in France by an eye-watering €0.13, in response to a new music-streaming tax.
With the EU AI Act incoming this summer, the bloc lays out its plan for AI governance
The European Union has taken the wraps off the structure of the new AI Office, the ecosystem-building and oversight body that’s being established under the bloc’s AI Act. The risk-based…
OpenAI has formed a new committee to oversee “critical” safety and security decisions related to the company’s projects and operations. But, in a move that’s sure to raise the ire…
EU’s ChatGPT taskforce offers first look at detangling the AI chatbot’s privacy compliance
A data protection taskforce that’s spent over a year considering how the European Union’s data protection rulebook applies to OpenAI’s viral chatbot, ChatGPT, reported preliminary conclusions Friday. The top-line takeaway…
The families of victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas are suing Activision and Meta, as well as gun manufacturer Daniel Defense. The families bringing the…
Y Combinator’s Garry Tan supports some AI regulation but warns against AI monopolies
Like most Silicon Valley VCs, what Garry Tan sees is opportunities for new, huge, lucrative businesses.
The biggest French startups in 2024 according to the French government
The French Secretary of State for the Digital Economy as of this year, Marina Ferrari, revealed this year’s laureates during VivaTech week in Paris. According to its promoters, this fifth…
The FCC has proposed a $6 million fine for the scammer who used voice-cloning tech to impersonate President Biden in a series of illegal robocalls during a New Hampshire primary…
‘Pro-competition’ rules for Big Tech make it through UK’s pre-election wash-up
The U.K. will shortly get its own rulebook for Big Tech, after peers in the House of Lords agreed Thursday afternoon to pass the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer bill…
The Biden campaign is looking to hire a seasoned meme lord
President Joe Biden needs a meme manager.
FCC proposes all AI-generated content in political ads must be disclosed
Under the envisioned framework, both candidate and issue ads would be required to include an on-air and filed disclosure that AI-generated content was used.
