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| Here's a look at today's tech briefing: - Pornhub blocks access in Texas over state age-verification law.
- Supreme Court clarifies rules on public officials who block social media critics.
- Apple agrees to $490M settlement over CEO's China comments.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Pornhub and related adult sites have blocked access for Texas users over a legal dispute concerning the state's age-verification law. The move comes after a federal appeals court ruled that Texas can continue to enforce its law requiring adult websites to verify that their users are 18 or over. 
What happened: In Texas, the adult entertainment conglomerate Aylo has blocked access to its websites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Brazzers to users without a VPN. People trying to access the sites will see a statement criticizing the state's age verification mandate and blaming elected officials for impeding adults' access to protected speech. Aylo also previously blocked or restricted access in other states with age-verification laws, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia. Meanwhile, Aylo said it's exploring options with its legal team to fight the Texas law. Zoom out: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed the age-verification law in June. Last week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the law doesn't violate the First Amendment. The ruling says Texas's stricter age verification falls within the state's "legitimate interest in preventing minors' access to pornography." |     | |
| 2 | | The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that public officials can sometimes be sued for blocking critics on social media. The court unanimously clarified that public officials using private social media for government purposes can be sued for blocking access to critics. More: - In the ruling written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the court acknowledged that it "can be difficult to tell whether the speech is official or private" due to the nature of social media.
- The court reviewed whether a Michigan city manager and California school board members could block residents and parents from their personal social media accounts.
- In the decision, the court said state officials can't block constituents on their personal pages when they have "actual authority to speak on behalf of the State on a particular matter" and "purported to exercise that authority in the relevant posts."
- But the court said officials can also choose not to use social media to discuss public matters. "If the public employee does not use his speech in furtherance of his official responsibilities, he is speaking in his own voice," Coney Barrett wrote.
Zoom out: - On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in another social media case.
- In Murthy v. Missouri, states and individuals claim federal officials violated the First Amendment by helping social media platforms counter misinformation related to COVID-19 and other matters.
- Justices will decide whether the government flagging potentially harmful posts to companies is considered "unconstitutional coercion of speech."
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| 3 | | Apple has agreed to a $490M settlement in a case accusing CEO Tim Cook of deceiving investors by hiding falling iPhone sales in China. Apple denies the allegations. The investor lawsuit claimed Cook failed to mention China during a 2018 earnings talk, where he discussed markets where economic conditions were hurting iPhone sales. More: - During the earnings call, Cook cited pressure in emerging markets like Turkey, India, Brazil, and Russia due to weakening currencies, but said he "would not put China in that category."
- Investors claimed Cook was aware of declining iPhone demand in China at the time, but chose not to reveal it, leading to Apple's stock trading at artificially high prices.
- Apple, without admitting wrongdoing, agreed to the settlement to sidestep further legal costs and time, according to a court filing.
- The proposed settlement awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in California.
Zoom out: - Apple's iPhone sales in China fell 24% during the first six weeks of 2024, Counterpoint Research reported this month.
- Huawei's comeback with its new Mate 60 5G smartphone, along with "aggressive pricing" from Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi, contributed to Apple's sales dip in China, the report found.
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| 4 | | The FCC voted to raise the speed standard for minimum broadband from 25Mbps to 100Mbps for downloads, and 3Mbps to 20Mbps for uploads. The new definition could impact billions in federal and state funding for fixed broadband service. More: - The definition helps the FCC identify areas without adequate internet speeds and decide if more government funding is needed.
- It will change how the FCC tracks progress in meeting funding rules laid out by Congress and the states.
- On Thursday, the agency voted 3-2 to approve the 100Mbps/20Mbps standard, with the two Republican commissioners dissenting.
- The FCC last updated the metric from 4Mbps/1Mbps to 25Mbps/3Mbps in 2015.
Zoom out: - The agency also set a long-term goal to raise its broadband benchmark to 1,000Mbps for downloads and 500Mbps for uploads.
- It issued its first report in three years covering the state of U.S. broadband deployment.
- The report concludes that broadband isn't being deployed quickly enough, especially for rural and tribal communities.
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| 5 | | Apple acquired DarwinAI, a Canada-based AI startup, and incorporated its team into Apple's AI division, according to Bloomberg. DarwinAI built AI technology for visually inspecting components during manufacturing, and it is also known for its technology to help make AI systems faster and smaller. More: - Apple purchased DarwinAI earlier this year for an undisclosed sum.
- Since the acquisition, dozens of former DarwinAI companies have joined Apple, including co-founder Alexander Wong, who is now a director in Apple's AI group.
- The acquisition could help Apple further incorporate AI into products and services, including the next operating systems for the iPhone and Macs.
- While Apple has been slow to launch GenAI features, the company has been the top buyer of AI startups since 2010, buying nearly twice as many as Microsoft and three times as many as Amazon.
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| 6 | | Google announced that its annual I/O developer conference will take place on May 14. While details are slim, reports speculate that this year's event will focus on Google's latest AI advancements. More: - Google may also reveal its Pixel 8A smartphone along with new features for Chromes, Android, and services like Gmail.
- At last year's I/O, Google announced its first foldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold, along with the budget Pixel 7A, and its Google Pixel tablet.
Zoom out: - Reports suggest the company may also discuss Gemini, its text-based AI chatbot, which has faced controversy in recent weeks.
- Last month, Google paused Gemini's ability to create images of people after the AI model produced historically inaccurate images, and is now working on a fix.
- The bot portrayed historical figures, including the U.S. Founding Fathers and Nazi soldiers, as people of color, in what seemed to be an effort to counteract AI's racial biases.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for publications including USA Today, the Arizona Business Gazette, and The Arizona Republic, where she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for collaborative reporting on state pension cost increases. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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