Government & Policy

FTC bans hidden fees for live events and short-term rentals, effective May 12

Government & Policy /

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday released new documentation detailing its new “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees.” The rule, set to take effect on May 12, prohibits hidden fees for live events, hotels, and short-term rentals. It also bans practices such as “bait-and-switch pricing” and any actions that conceal or misrepresent total prices […]

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Over 250 CEOs sign open letter supporting K-12 AI and computer science education

Government & Policy /

More than 250 CEOs signed an open letter published in The New York Times on Monday calling for AI and computer science to be “core components” of K-12 curricula. The signatories, which include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Etsy CEO Josh Silverman, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, argue that computer science and AI education are essential

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Residents of SpaceX’s Starbase launch site vote to incorporate as a city

Government & Policy /

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is getting its own official company town. Residents of an area around SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in southern Texas voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to incorporate as a city — also named Starbase. According to results posted online by the Cameron County Elections Department, there were 212 votes in favor and only six

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From tech pioneers to ‘extremists’: Belarusian founders face exile and statelessness

Government & Policy /

In 2013, Tatyana Marynich and Anastasiya Khamiankova opened the doors to Imaguru, a startup hub in Minsk, Belarus that would go on to launch some of Eastern Europe’s most prominent tech success stories. A decade later, they’ve been sentenced ‘in absentia’ to a combined 23 years in prison by Belarusian authorities. Their property has been

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IBM pledges to spend $150B in the US over the next few years

Government & Policy /

Enterprise tech giant IBM says that it plans to invest $150 billion in the U.S. over the next five years, which will include a “more than” $30 billion investment in mainframe and quantum computing research. The goal is to fuel the economy and “accelerate [IBM’s] role as the global leader in computing,” the company said in a press release Monday.

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Parents who lost children to online harms protest outside of Meta’s NYC office

Government & Policy /

Meta may have managed to kill a bipartisan bill to protect children online, but parents of children who have suffered from online harm are still putting pressure on social media companies to step up. On Thursday, 45 families who lost children to online harms – from sextortion to cyberbullying – held a vigil outside of

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DOJ reportedly probes Disney-FuboTV deal over competition concerns

Government & Policy /

The U.S. Department of Justice is probing Disney’s deal to take a controlling stake in FuboTV, Bloomberg reports. Fubo is a live TV streaming service known for its extensive sports coverage. Officials are examining whether the deal would create a concentration of power in the sports streaming market. In January, Disney announced that it was going

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EU fines Apple, Meta millions for breaching tech competition rules

Government & Policy /

The European Union has fined Apple €500 million (about $568 million) and Meta €200 million (about $227 million) for allegedly breaching the bloc’s Digital Markets Act, according to The Wall Street Journal. The EU has accused Apple of failing to comply with an obligation to allow app developers to inform customers of alternative ways to

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Feds accuse Uber of charging customers for subscriptions without consent

Government & Policy /

The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit Monday against Uber, alleging the ride-hail and delivery giant charged customers for its Uber One subscription service without their consent. The lawsuit also claims Uber failed to deliver the savings promised in its subscription service and made it unreasonably difficult for users to cancel despite its “cancel anytime”

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