GoKawiil
Tech News
A federal appeals court ruled that states retain authority to regulate prediction markets under their gambling laws, rejecting arguments that federal oversight preempts state action. The decision addresses ongoing legal disputes over platforms like Kalshi that offer event-based betting contracts.
A California district judge ruled that the Defense Department's decision to designate Anthropic a supply chain risk earlier this year violated the First Amendment. The court found the move came after Anthropic refused to drop restrictions barring its AI from being used for mass surveillance of Americans or fully autonomous lethal weapons systems, part of a broader Pentagon push to renegotiate AI vendor contracts.
After the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an FCC order that extended discounted 'lowest unit charge' TV ad rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees, the National Republican Congressional and Senatorial Committees said they will petition the Supreme Court. The 4th Circuit denied their request for an emergency stay but issued the mandate immediately, clearing the way for a Supreme Court appeal.
In court filings cited by The Guardian, attorneys for Andrew and Tristan Tate acknowledged that the brothers' displays of extreme wealth—rented supercars, a promotional yacht, and boasted income figures—were largely fabricated for social media engagement. The admission came as the brothers face extradition proceedings from Romania to the UK over serious criminal allegations.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to block an FCC Media Bureau notice that would have let political parties and joint fundraising committees, not just individual candidates, claim the discounted 'lowest unit charge' broadcast ad rate ahead of the election. Four Democratic candidates had sued, arguing federal law reserves that discount for candidates alone, while national Republican committees backed the FCC's broader interpretation.
A tech-industry writer describes how growing awareness of social media's harms—cyberbullying, body dysmorphia, and related mental health issues seen firsthand through his wife's pediatric nursing work—led his family to restrict their children to flip phones and keep them off platforms like TikTok. He notes this reflects a broader trend among tech workers and public figures, coinciding with rising cultural pushback including Jonathan Haidt's book, national social media bans in countries like Australia, and a US Supreme Court ruling upholding age-verification laws.
The Supreme Court granted preliminary approval to President Trump's executive order restricting mail voting, allowing it to move forward even though it may not immediately alter any state's election procedures before November. The ruling has instead created widespread uncertainty for the roughly one-third of American voters who typically cast ballots by mail.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority paused a Boston federal judge's injunction that had blocked Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting in 23 states and DC, ruling the states lacked standing to sue because they couldn't prove concrete harm. The court did not rule on whether the order itself is legal, leaving that question for future litigation, while a separate nationwide injunction against the Postal Service implementing the order remains intact for now.
Shadow library Anna's Archive went offline in mid-August after what appears to have been a coordinated attack on its network infrastructure, sparking fears of a legal takedown given its ongoing court battles. The site has already lost its .org, .se, .pm and .vg domains this year following lawsuits from music companies and major book publishers, and now operates from .gl, .pk and .gd domains registered outside U.S. jurisdiction. Combined default judgments against the site's anonymous operators now total roughly $340 million, yet the archive keeps returning online.
A federal appeals panel rejected Xinuos's claim that IBM improperly contributed Project Monterey code to Linux, ruling the deadline to pursue such action had passed. Xinuos, a legal successor to SCO, now plans to petition for the case to be reheard by the full Second Circuit Court of Appeals rather than just a three-judge panel.
Christine Hunsicker, former CEO of clothing-rental startup CaaStle, has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of orchestrating roughly $300 million in investor fraud. Her defense argued a brain injury from a falling mirror erased her memory and judgment during the years the fraud occurred, but prosecutors pointed to incriminating search history and inflated revenue figures as evidence of deliberate deception.