digital rights

A new GOP-backed bill would create a national consumer privacy framework but preempt stronger state laws like California's CCPA, reigniting a years-long battle over whether federal rules should be a floor or a ceiling.

The Commission says its new age-verification app is ready for deployment, but researchers and privacy advocates are already flagging security and platform-dependence concerns.

Meta will strip end-to-end encryption from Instagram direct messages on May 8, citing low adoption, just eleven days before the Take It Down Act compels platforms to police intimate content.

New regulations effective April 10 ban algorithmic price discrimination and merchant coercion on Chinese internet platforms, capping a year-long crackdown on subsidy-fueled competition among Alibaba, JD.com, and Meituan.

The warrantless surveillance program authorized under FISA Section 702 is set to expire on April 20, with Congress divided between a clean reauthorization backed by the White House and reform proposals that would require warrants for searches of Americans' communications.

At least nine bills across six states have been introduced in 2026 to regulate the collection of brain and nervous system data, as consumer neurotechnology devices proliferate and the federal MIND Act awaits action in Congress.

The EU Council and Parliament endorsed amendments delaying high-risk AI system deadlines by up to 16 months and banning nonconsensual deepfake imagery, as Amnesty International warns of a rights rollback.

Senators Lee and Wyden introduce the Government Surveillance Reform Act to close warrantless search loopholes and ban government data broker purchases, with Section 702 set to expire on April 20, 2026.

The FTC will not enforce COPPA against companies collecting children's data solely for age verification, even as sweeping new rules on biometrics, data retention, and parental consent take effect April 22.

The European Parliament voted 458 to 103 on March 11 to restrict scanning of private communications to judicially authorized, targeted investigations, rejecting years of pressure for blanket surveillance of encrypted messaging platforms.

All six DMA gatekeepers filed annual compliance reports on March 9 as the Commission prepares its first formal review of the regulation, with AI designation and transatlantic tensions at stake.

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a notice of appeal in its landmark antitrust case against Meta, challenging a November 2025 ruling that found the company is not a social media monopolist because it faces competition from TikTok and YouTube.