Regulations

The ruling came in response to a complaint filed by Spotify in 2019, highlighting Apple's restrictions on informing users about alternative payment options outside of its App Store.Apple faces a hefty fine from the European Union for its actions on the App Store. The EU imposed a fine of over 1.8 billion euros ($1.95 billion), marking the tech giant's first antitrust penalty. The ruling came in response to a complaint filed by Spotify in 2019, highlighting Apple's restrictions on informing users about alternative payment…

LONDON — The European Union leveled its first antitrust penalty against Apple on Monday, fining the U.S. tech giant nearly $2 billion for breaking the bloc’s competition laws by unfairly favoring its own music streaming service over rivals. Apple muzzled app developers from telling users where they could go to pay for cheaper music subscriptions instead of paying through iOS apps, said the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer. “This is illegal. And it has impacted millions…

In a video posted on TikTok, Fort Collins resident Rachel Pastor outlines the key ways to benefit from microdosing with psilocybin. Take care of your physical body, she says, and be sure to set an intention when taking the substance. Have a consistent microdosing routine and, most importantly, make time to reflect on the experience and apply any lessons learned to other aspects of life. Pastor’s video, which has been viewed more than 10,000 times, is like many others on the social media platform that tout the benefits of…

TPG’s executive in charge of legal and external affairs, Trent Czinner, said the watchdog’s proposal could open the floodgates to SMS scams, given telcos would no longer have control over who gets to land SMS traffic on their networks.“It could seriously hamper our efforts to stop bad actors from using mobile networks to defraud Australians,” Czinner said.“It is imperative the ACCC listen to the concerns of the mobile operators leading the efforts to protect Australians from scams every day.“Mobile operators play a vital…

A new THC-infused seltzer is now available in Colorado and, in a departure from cannabis norms, locals don’t need to go to a dispensary to purchase it. That’s because Cann seltzers are made with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from hemp rather than from marijuana. In Colorado, marijuana can only be sold by heavily regulated dispensaries or recreational pot shops. But since hemp isn’t a federally controlled substance, products derived from it can be sold anywhere. In January, Cann launched one of…

Efforts by a large section of US technology majors to subject open-source generative AI to curbs and regulations could stifle innovation across the world and likely prove counterproductive even for Washington, which has hitherto led the global race in scaling and harnessing Gen AI, said a top innovation executive.“If the attempts to squash open-source software succeed, almost all nations will simply be losers…the United States as well,” Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearning AI, told delegates Wednesday at the Nasscom…

Annie Valentina Castanon knows the endless scroll of social media well — one short video on an app like Instagram or TikTok turns into another, she said, and soon a minute turns into hours. The quick rush from flashy entertainment gives way to anxiety as she worries about losing time that should have been spent on her Advanced Placement classes. And then depression sets in over the sense that she’s setting her future self up for failure. The senior at DSST: Montview High School in Denver has joined a push at the Colorado…

The European Union is expanding its strict digital rulebook on Saturday to almost all online platforms in the bloc, in the next phase of its crackdown on toxic social media content and dodgy ecommerce products that began last year by targeting the most popular services.The EU’s trailblazing Digital Services Act (DSA) has already kicked in for nearly two dozen of the biggest online platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Amazon, and Wikipedia. The DSA imposes a set of strict requirements designed to keep…

Four years after an overhaul of Colorado’s oil and gas rules that was meant to cool conflicts over drilling, a draft bill that would phase out new permits for wells is running up the temperature. Fanning the heat even more are ballot proposals that could restrict efforts to boost renewable energy. Gov. Jared Polis said he hoped a law approved in 2019 would end the state’s “oil and gas wars” by tightening regulations and putting protection of public health and the environment front and center. But growing concerns about…

Cryptocurrency mining, which consumers a lot of electricity and is very damaging to the environment, is heavily regulated in China. However, Chinese miners, once the best and with the largest pool in the world before American miners came into the scene, are now moving to Ethiopia…