Policy & Regulation
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America's AI Regulation Standoff: Washington Moves to Override State Laws as States Push Back
The Trump administration's drive to create a single federal AI framework is colliding with a bipartisan wall of state resistance, setting up a constitutional battle that could define AI governance for a generation.
Investors Press Amazon, Microsoft, and Google to Disclose Data Center Water and Power Use
Shareholders are asking Amazon, Microsoft, and Google to publish site-specific data-center water and energy data as scrutiny of AI infrastructure grows.
EU Says Age-Verification App Is Ready, but Privacy Critics See New Risks
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.
China Opens First Mandatory L2 Driver-Assistance Standard to Public Comment
China has opened a public comment period on a mandatory national standard for L2 driver-assistance systems, signaling a tighter safety baseline for intelligent connected vehicles.
FTC Settles with Match and OkCupid Over Clandestine 2014 Transfer of 3 Million User Photos to Facial Recognition Firm Clarifai
The Federal Trade Commission's March 30 consent order would permanently prohibit OkCupid and Match Group from misrepresenting their data practices after sharing nearly 3 million user photos with facial recognition firm Clarifai in 2014, but levies no civil penalty and no privacy program obligations.
China Tests Deep-Sea Electro-Hydrostatic Cable Cutter at 3,500 Meters, Claiming Engineering Readiness for a Second Subsea Severing Tool
A test aboard the research vessel Haiyang Dizhi 2 demonstrated a compact, self-contained actuator capable of cutting undersea structures more than two miles down, raising fresh concerns about the resilience of the cables that carry 95 percent of intercontinental internet traffic.
European Commission Awards €180 Million Sovereign Cloud Tender to Four European Provider Groups as Brussels Codifies Digital Sovereignty Into Procurement Rules
Brussels awarded a six-year framework contract for sovereign cloud services to Post Telecom, STACKIT, Scaleway, and Proximus, using a new eight-criteria sovereignty framework that allows Google Cloud to participate only through the Proximus-led consortium.
EU Faces Defining DMA Review as Brussels Weighs AI and Cloud Expansion Amid Escalating US Tariff Threats
The European Commission must deliver its first mandatory review of the Digital Markets Act by May 3, weighing calls to expand the law into AI and cloud services while fending off Trump administration tariff threats over $7 billion in cumulative tech fines.
UK and Norway Intercept Three Russian Submarines Surveying Undersea Cables in Month-Long North Atlantic Operation
British and Norwegian forces tracked an Akula-class attack submarine and two GUGI deep-sea research vessels operating near critical undersea cable infrastructure north of the UK for over a month before the Russian fleet withdrew.
Hong Kong Grants First Stablecoin Issuer Licenses to HSBC and Standard Chartered Venture as City Bets on Regulated Digital Assets
The HKMA selected HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial from 36 applicants to issue Hong Kong dollar-pegged stablecoins under the city's new Stablecoins Ordinance, with launches expected by late 2026.
China's Platform Pricing Rules Take Effect, Banning Algorithmic Price Discrimination and Forced Merchant Discounts After Billion-Dollar Food Delivery War
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.
Congress Advances Bipartisan Push to Incentivize Domestic Biomanufacturing With Dueling Tax Credit Bills
At least four bipartisan bills in the 119th Congress would create tax credits, authorize funding, and stand up USDA task forces to reduce US dependence on petroleum-derived chemicals by scaling plant-based biomanufacturing.