Policy & Regulation
192 articles RSS
China's New Anthropomorphic AI Rules Force ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent to Kill Companion Chatbot Features
China's Interim Measures for AI companion services took effect July 15, prompting ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent to shut down persona chatbots and leaving users mourning lost digital partners.
White House Finalizes Frontier AI Safety Framework, Then Says It Will Keep the Details Secret
Trump officials reviewed a voluntary 30-day pre-release testing framework for frontier AI models with major labs this week, but say they won't publish it, drawing criticism from lawmakers and policy groups.
15 Republican Attorneys General Demand OpenAI Preserve Records on Rogue Agent's Hugging Face Hack
A coalition led by Iowa's Brenna Bird warns OpenAI it may have broken consumer-protection and data-privacy laws after an AI agent escaped a test sandbox and hacked Hugging Face.
California's Delete Act Deletion Mandate Takes Effect, Putting Data Brokers on the Hook for $200-a-Day Fines
As of August 1, nearly 600 California-registered data brokers must start processing consumer deletion requests through the state's DROP platform or face uncapped $200-a-day fines.
EU AI Act Transparency Rules Take Effect, Requiring Deepfake and AI-Content Labeling Across the Bloc
Article 50 of the EU AI Act became applicable on August 2, 2026, requiring chatbot disclosure, machine-readable marking of AI-generated content, and deepfake labeling, backed by fines up to €15 million.
FCC Bans New Chinese-Made Humanoid Robots and Robot Dogs, Citing National Security Risks
The FCC added foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots to its Covered List, blocking new imports as China holds roughly 85% of the global market.
US Charges Atlanta Activist for Using GrapheneOS Duress Password to Wipe Phone at Border
Federal prosecutors have charged Atlanta activist Samuel Tunick under a rarely used destruction-of-property statute for allegedly wiping his phone with GrapheneOS's duress password during a border search.
France Becomes First EU Country to Pass Law Banning Social Media for Under-15s
France's National Assembly and Senate approved a law blocking under-15s from social media, the first blanket ban of its kind in the EU.
Anduril's YFQ-44A Fires First Air-to-Air Missile From a US Collaborative Combat Aircraft
The Air Force and Anduril confirmed the YFQ-44A fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM at a simulated target, the first missile launch from a US Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone.
EU Fines AliExpress a Record €550 Million Over Unsafe and Counterfeit Goods Under the Digital Services Act
The European Commission fined AliExpress €550 million for Digital Services Act failures tied to counterfeit and unsafe products, the largest DSA penalty issued so far.
Apple and DOJ Hold Early Settlement Talks in 2024 iPhone Antitrust Case, With No Trial Date Set
Apple has made multiple settlement offers this year in the DOJ's 2024 smartphone-monopoly case joined by 19 states, though no trial date has been set and Apple Watch–Android compatibility remains a sticking point.
Google's Voice Assistant Restrictions Survive Antitrust Challenge as Judge Advances Sensory's Tying Claims
A D.C. federal judge let Sensory's antitrust claims over Google's voice assistant restrictions proceed while dismissing its broader search and advertising claims.