Privacy Policy News
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Meta discontinued its Muse Image AI feature just days after launch following widespread criticism over privacy concerns, including from actors' union SAG-AFTRA. The feature, which allowed users to generate images using public Instagram accounts, automatically opted users in rather than requiring explicit consent. Critics objected to the lack of clear opt-in controls and the risks of nonconsensual use of people's photos to create digital replicas.

A Texas lawyer successfully argued a landmark case against Meta and Google, proving that Instagram and YouTube were designed to be addictive and harm young users' mental health. The trial took an alarming turn when Mark Zuckerberg's security team wore Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses into the courtroom, prompting concerns they could use facial recognition to identify anonymous jurors despite a ban on cameras. The case represents the first time social media companies faced accountability for their p...

A Brazilian court ordered Microsoft to restore an Xbox user's account and digital game library after Microsoft permanently suspended it following unauthorized access by hackers. The court gave Microsoft 15 days to restore access or face daily fines, and ordered the company to pay approximately $400 in damages to the user. The case highlights growing consumer concerns about losing access to digital-only purchases when accounts are suspended.

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the AI company systematically stole trade secrets through former Apple employees now working on OpenAI's hardware business. The lawsuit claims OpenAI recruited over 400 ex-Apple employees and structured its hiring process to extract confidential information about unreleased products and proprietary designs, including asking interview candidates to bring physical Apple parts to "show and tell" sessions. Apple describes OpenAI's hardware operat...

A US federal judge approved a $1.5 million settlement between the SEC and Elon Musk over his delayed disclosure of Twitter stock purchases in 2022, which allegedly allowed him to save up to $150 million at shareholders' expense. While approving the deal, the judge expressed "significant misgivings" about the settlement's adequacy, noting that Musk admitted no wrongdoing and paid what amounts to minimal penalty for someone of his wealth. The case centered on securities disclosure violations ra...

Facebook added a new section titled 'Privacy notice for United States residents' with links to a United States Regional Privacy Notice. This addition provides US users with information about consumer privacy rights available to them under US state laws (likely CCPA/CPRA and similar state privacy regulations). The change appears to be an informational addition rather than a substantive modification to existing data practices.

Instagram added references and links to a new "United States Regional Privacy Notice" in three locations: the table of contents, near the top of the policy, and as a new dedicated section. This appears to be a structural addition directing US users to supplemental privacy information about consumer privacy rights available under US state laws (likely CCPA, Virginia CDPA, etc.), rather than a change to the core policy text itself.

Disney agreed to a $50 million settlement in an antitrust lawsuit alleging the company forced YouTube TV and DirecTV to bundle expensive channels like ESPN and Hulu into base packages, driving up subscription prices from as low as $35 to $65. Subscribers who had YouTube TV or DirecTV accounts between April 2019 and March 2026 can claim payments by September 8, 2025, with 90% of funds going to residents in 39 specified states and territories. The lawsuit claimed Disney's bundling practices vio...

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block Texas's App Store Accountability Act, which requires app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent before minors can download apps or make in-app purchases. Industry groups and advocacy organizations challenged the law as a violation of First Amendment rights, arguing it restricts access to protected content including news and educational material. Texas officials defended the measure as protecting children from privacy invasions and dat...

Europe's highest court has upheld a €4.1 billion ($4.67 billion) fine against Google for antitrust violations related to its Android operating system, ending a decade-long legal battle that began in 2018. The EU found that Google illegally forced mobile device manufacturers to pre-install Chrome and Google Search as default apps, effectively locking out competitors in markets where Android held over 80% market share. This is the largest fine the European Commission has ever imposed on Google,...