Policy & Regulation
Law, regulation, copyright and AI governance.
The DMCA Trap: How Fake Copyright Claims Remove Live Pages From Google
Analysis of how DMCA copyright complaints are exploited to remove legitimate pages from Google search results, the takedown process mechanics, and how site owners can detect and respond to false claims.
Demis Hassabis Proposes FINRA-Style Self-Policing Body for Advanced AI Models
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has proposed establishing an industry-funded self-regulatory organization, modeled after Wall Street's FINRA, to benchmark and test frontier AI models before their release.
OpenAI’s Sol Rollout Bypasses Clarity on AI Safety Sign-Off
OpenAI’s latest frontier model Sol launched widely without transparency about how government officials evaluated its safety—reigniting the same unease Anthropic’s banned Fable model provoked months ago.
AI’s Regulatory Farce: Big Tech Calls for Rules—on Its Own Terms
How Google’s “middle way” proposal masks a lobbying effort to enshrine the status quo—while copyright, disclaimers, and safety gestures go unchecked.
Oracle Opens MySQL to Community Governance — But the Veto Power Stays Put
After months of pressure from the OurSQL Foundation lobby group, Oracle has unveiled a new technical steering committee and committer program for MySQL — but Percona's co-founder warns the commitments are advisory, not binding.
The UK's £350 Million Consultancy Lie: How Whitehall Promised Cuts Then Signed Big Checks
The UK Home Office awarded Deloitte and PA Consulting contracts worth up to £350 million for data and analytics services, directly contradicting the November 2024 commitment to cut public sector consultancy spending by £1.2 billion by 2026 through new ministerial sign-off controls.
Google Finally Fixes the Agency Access Nightmare in Merchant Center
Google is introducing new Merchant Center agency roles that centralize client access management and strengthen security for agencies managing multiple advertiser accounts.
From Google to a Parish Council, Microsoft's UK Lock-In Complaints Keep Rolling In
Google, Mozilla, Vivaldi, and even a Yorkshire parish council have all filed complaints with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority accusing Microsoft of anti-competitive bundling, browser lock-in, and licensing practices that squeeze customers and rivals alike.
Commercialized Legal Cannabis Linked to Psychosis and Addiction While Decriminalization Keeps Use Stable
A global meta-analysis in The Lancet Psychiatry reveals that for-profit commercial cannabis legal structures, rather than decriminalization, drive rising product potency, addiction rates, and emergency hospital admissions for psychosis.
AI Companion Apps Face Growing Legal Scrutiny Over Child Safety Risks
Regulators worldwide are targeting AI companion apps after teen suicide cases and reports of inappropriate content, with California enacting the first comprehensive law requiring safeguards for minors.
Midjourney Challenges Hollywood Studios to Reveal Their Own AI Usage Tactics
Midjourney is pushing in its copyright dispute with major Hollywood studios—Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros.—to force disclosure of the studios' internal generative AI practices, arguing that revealing this information is critical to its 'fair use' defense.
Challenging the AI Oligarchy: Gary Marcus's Democratic Roadmap to Rein in Big Tech Power
An exploration of cognitive scientist Gary Marcus's proposed frameworks to regulate artificial intelligence, counter corporate oligarchy, and establish democratic oversight.