Google, Meta and TikTok have filed separate lawsuits challenging California's Assembly Bill 1709, which bans 'psychologically exploitative' features like personalized feeds, infinite scroll and autoplay for users under 16 and requires age verification. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the law in September as part of a broader social media and AI safety package, with it set to take effect January 1, 2027. The companies argue the law violates the First Amendment and Section 230, saying it overrides their editorial judgment and parents' authority.
techspot.com
· 2026-11-06
Meta, Google, and TikTok have each filed separate lawsuits against California Attorney General Rob Bonta seeking to block AB 1709, a law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that bans autoplay and personalized feeds for users under 16 starting January 1. The law would require platforms to delete underage accounts that don't disable those features, with fines up to $50,000 per affected minor for noncompliance.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-11-06
California has agreed to take $1.86 billion in federal broadband deployment funding while explicitly refusing the Trump administration's condition that it stop enforcing net neutrality and other telecom rules. The CPUC told NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth in a letter that it will not waive its right to challenge any unconstitutional or unauthorized conditions, and that other state agencies, including the attorney general, remain free to enforce California law against ISPs.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-11-03
A new account traces the origins of McDonald's to brothers Maurice ('Mac') and Richard McDonald, who left Manchester, New Hampshire, for California in the 1920s after watching their father lose his factory job. Inspired by the state's orange-juice stands and roadside food culture, the brothers eventually built their own food business that would evolve into the McDonald's chain.
smithsonianmag.com
· 2026-11-03
The 2026 midterm elections, which will shape the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency, are expected to center largely on affordability but also include several technology-related topics on voters' minds. These include rising energy costs tied to data centers, AI safety, expansion of surveillance tools like Flock, and a California ballot measure to tax billionaire wealth that has prompted heavy tech industry spending and new stock structures.
theverge.com
· 2026-11-03
Unusually high 'king tides' during the last week of October drove record-level water along the Southern California coast, flooding the Redondo Beach boardwalk and pushing San Diego tide levels above 8 feet. NOAA says some readings were among the highest recorded in over a century, with forecasters noting the influence of a developing El Niño pattern.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-11-02
Companies are piloting AI-controlled trucks on limited routes in Texas and California, but these vehicles still require a human driver on board. Simulations suggest fully automated fleets could eventually improve safety, fuel efficiency, and delivery times, though that technology remains years away from widespread deployment.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-11-01
California's Proposition 45 would shorten environmental review timelines for projects deemed 'essential,' cap legal challenges at 270 days, and limit public comment to 45 days. Environmental groups including Earthjustice warn that data center developers could classify their projects as essential infrastructure to access these expedited approvals, even though the measure is being pitched mainly as a way to speed housing and renewable energy construction.
theverge.com
· 2026-11-01
Dayton, Minnesota's government says Flock reinstalled two surveillance cameras and put them back into service despite being told a day earlier that the city's work order program was on hold. Residents noticed the cameras and alerted police, who removed them; Dayton had already voted in August to cancel its Flock contract, and city officials say the company took five days to acknowledge the cancellation and said removal would take 60 days.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-30
Defense tech billionaire Palmer Luckey said at a press conference that he opposes California's proposed billionaire wealth tax but will not relocate because of it. Luckey, whose company Anduril is headquartered in Costa Mesa and valued at $61 billion, said other billionaires have pressured him to leave the state as a show of solidarity against the measure. He said his objection isn't to taxation itself but to the fact the ballot measure is sponsored by a healthcare workers' union that would direct the funds.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-27
A math professor at a California university has decided to stop grading take-home homework assignments, citing widespread use of AI tools by students to complete them. The university reportedly leaves AI policy decisions to individual faculty members rather than setting a campuswide rule.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-25
Federal prosecutors have charged Nathan Young, 39, and David Young, 71, with running a sober-living network that allegedly supplied illegal drugs and kickbacks to keep addicts in treatment solely to bill insurers. The Justice Department says the scheme generated more than $1.6 billion in claims and over $210 million in payouts between 2020 and 2026, with patients discarded once their coverage was exhausted.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-25
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