PRIVACY SETTLEMENT
UK plans facial recognition surveillance to identify visa overstayers and immigration offenders
The UK government is set to broaden the application of live facial recognition technology to detect immigration violations across various venues such as transport hubs, ports, and major public gatherings. The Home Office's goal is to track down individuals who have overstayed their visas or arrived unlawfully in the UK.
Meta settles with teen during trial testing claims social media caused depression, eating disorders
Meta Platforms has settled with a teen plaintiff who accused the company of designing Instagram and Facebook to be addictive, causing her mental health problems
Rhode Island sues Meta over alleged tolerance for scam advertising
The suit, filed by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha in Providence Superior Court, accuses Meta of unlawfully profiting from and participating in the creation of billions of dollars in scam advertising - even as it assured its billions of users that it was working diligently to protect them.
Meta beats expectations but legal penalties hit profit amid AI race
Meta beat investor expectations for third-quarter revenue on Wednesday as it doubles down on a global AI race but the social media giant's profits took a hit due to an $18 billion legal settlement with nearly all US states. The company reported $9.86 billion in profits from July to September, almost 50 percent below investor expectations, which Meta said was dragged down by a $9.9 billion charge related to the settlement.
Meta hit with a staggering $25 billion penalty in New Mexico privacy case linked to Cambridge Analytica scandal-here's what happened
Meta has been sentenced to pay a staggering $25 billion for consumer protection infractions in New Mexico. These violations arose from misleading data collection practices tied to the notorious Cambridge Analytica scandal. Upon the court's ruling, Meta's chief legal officer expressed plans to appeal. Attorney General Raúl Torrez highlighted the serious repercussions faced by powerful tech firms, following a series of lawsuits over data breaches and child safety issues.
Meta ordered to pay New Mexico $25 billion after jury finds it deceived Facebook users about privacy
Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws when a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, harvested Facebook user data to generate targeted political ads for the 2016 election.
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Apple names Meta veteran Scott Tucker as litigation chief in legal team shake-up
Apple has hired former Meta litigation chief Scott Tucker as vice president of global litigation and financial services, strengthening its legal leadership amid mounting antitrust, patent and other lawsuits. The appointment is part of a broader reorganisation under General Counsel Jennifer Newstead, as the iPhone maker faces legal setbacks threatening its services business.

Lori, wife of televangelist Jim Bakker who faced sexual assault and financial scandal charges, issues emotional statement on his death, says ‘He finished his race with faith’
Jim Bakker, known for his influence in Christian television, passed away on October 5 at 86. His wife Lori Bakker confirmed his death in an emotional social media post. Bakker built his media empire alongside his first wife, Tammy Faye, and faced a tumultuous career filled with scandals. He returned to televangelism with his second wife, Lori, after serving prison time.

A reckoning on social media addiction came late for many kids. Will AI safety be different?
When Meta agreed to changes to its social media platforms and enhanced safeguards in an $18 billion settlement, it made progress by "getting at what we've known for years" about the dangers, said Kristin Bride, a parent advocate who has fought for social media reform since the death of her teenage son. "How are we going to get at what we don't know is coming?"

An entire island stay for Rs 5,000 a night, just 400 km from Bengaluru. Anand Mahindra shares a hidden Karnataka getaway
Anand Mahindra highlighted the Jumadi Islands near Udupi, Karnataka, after Siddharth Dialani of BharatAgri shared his experience of staying on an entire island through a homestay for Rs 5,000 a night. Mahindra reflected on the appeal of solitude despite living in a connected world, calling an island all to oneself a potential “ultimate luxury” in a country of 1.4 billion people.

Meta misled consumers in case over Cambridge Analytica scandal, New Mexico jury says
The verdict followed a two-week trial over a lawsuit filed by New Mexico's attorney general in 2021, three years after news reports revealed that personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users had been harvested through a third-party app and used in efforts to profile voters.

Facebook accused of deceiving users in New Mexico as trial over privacy scandal wraps up
Jurors heard two weeks of evidence and must now decide whether Facebook violated the state's Unfair Practices Act and if so, how many times. It would then be up to the judge to determine how much the company would pay per violation.

Meta leans into AI, smart glasses amid privacy pushback
Meta has spent billions to stay competitive with artificial intelligence, but the tech giant faces growing pushback as CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepares to announce new products built for the AI era on Wednesday. The Muse agent is built on Meta's own AI models and is designed to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude.

US approves visas for top Iranian leaders to attend UN high-level meeting even with sides at war
The United States approved visas for Iran's core delegation to attend the UN General Assembly. This includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The delegation faces travel restrictions and prohibitions on certain purchases. This decision comes amid a protracted conflict and sanctions against Iran. The US also denied visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation.

California governor signs law to limit children's social media risks
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen new laws on Thursday that address various aspects of children's safety online, including one that prohibits social media companies from serving addictive features to users under 16 years old. Instead, it defines "addictive" features as ones that are "psychologically exploitative" and prohibits social media companies from providing children with features such as infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations and autoplay.

BIS chief Pablo Hernández de Cos warns of a second-round inflation threat from energy prices
Central banks must monitor energy price impacts and potential second-round inflation effects. Global regulatory coordination is crucial for advanced AI technology challenges. Stablecoins require careful regulation to mitigate negative economic spillovers. Economies can build inventories, diversify, and develop technology for resilience. The BIS supports tokenization within traditional banking systems for stability.

California bans addictive social media features for under-16s, AI chatbot toys
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed technology laws protecting children online. These measures restrict social media features designed for compulsive use. A four-year ban on AI companion chatbots in toys was also enacted. The legislation strengthens online privacy and parental controls for minors. These laws aim to ensure technology supports children's well-being.

Social media companies are trying harder to know which users are kids
Determining which accounts belong to children is the linchpin of child safety measures that other companies, including Google, TikTok, and Roblox, are ramping up as public and regulatory sentiment turns against them in the US and other countries.

Explained | Settlement requires Meta to check young users' ages: How will that work?
Here is a look at what Meta said it will do to ensure that users are as old as they say they are, and some of the legal issues that could complicate age checks.

Judge in Google privacy class action awards lawyers $147 million in legal fees
US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco granted the fee request by law firms Boies Schiller Flexner, Susman Godfrey and Morgan & Morgan over objections from some class members. A jury in September found Google liable for secretly collecting app activity data from millions of users who had disabled a tracking feature.

Meta’s $17.1 billion settlement puts Instagram and Facebook on a digital bedtime
Meta has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to settle a multistate lawsuit alleging Facebook and Instagram were designed to hook children, while introducing stricter controls for U.S. teenagers, including screen-time limits, overnight restrictions, reduced notifications, stronger parental controls and non-personalised feeds, according to ToI correspondent Chidanand Rajghatta’s report.

What Meta agreed to in US teen safety settlement
Meta will pay up to eighteen billion dollars to settle claims regarding child engagement. States alleged social media platforms enticed and retained young users, misleading the public about risks. The agreement includes monetary payments and nationwide changes to Meta's services for teenagers. Meta will implement teen safeguards, including daily time limits and overnight blocks. These changes will be phased in after the settlement takes effect.

Meta shares hit 5% intraday high after $16.68 billion settlement over alleged harm to young users
Meta shares hit a 4.96% intraday high after the company agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion to settle claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users. The settlement covers claims by 29 US states and requires Meta to introduce usage limits and stronger safeguards for children on its platforms.

TikTok agrees to $400 million US children's privacy settlement
The Justice Department sued TikTok and ByteDance in 2024 for allegedly failing to protect children's privacy, and illegally collecting their information.

TikTok reaches $400 million settlement with US Justice Department over children's privacy
TikTok has agreed to a $400 million settlement with the US Department of Justice. This resolution addresses allegations of violating federal children's privacy laws. The company will pay $300 million immediately and $100 million later. This action follows a 2024 lawsuit concerning data collection practices. The settlement aims to protect children's online privacy and data security.

Facebook privacy settlement checks coming from June 9 - here’s who qualifies, how much you’ll get and everything you need to know
Facebook user privacy settlement: Facebook users who previously cashed their initial privacy settlement payment are now eligible for a second distribution. This comes from leftover funds in the settlement, with new checks and digital payments beginning to be distributed in early June. Approximately 15.7 million eligible recipients will receive smaller payouts automatically.

YouTube and Google $30 million child privacy settlement: Who qualifies and how to claim
Google and YouTube will pay $30 million to settle claims of violating child privacy laws. The lawsuit alleged they collected data from under-13s watching kids' content without parental consent, for targeted ads. Eligible individuals who were under 13 between July 2013 and April 2020 can file claims by January 21, 2026.

Facebook’s $725 Million Privacy Settlement payment begins: What it is the highest & lowest payouts users will receive
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, has begun distributing payments from its USD 725 million privacy settlement. Newly filed court documents confirm that eligible users in the United States will soon start receiving their respective amounts.

Facebook Privacy Settlement 2025: Payments Start This Month for Millions of Users
After years of waiting, millions of Facebook users are finally starting to receive payments from the $725 million privacy settlement. The payout addresses claims that Facebook allowed personal data to be accessed without consent, including by firms linked to political campaigns. After years of waiting, millions of Facebook users are finally starting to receive payments from the $725 million privacy settlement.
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