Apple and Epic argue over how much Apple should get from purchases made outside the App Store
Apple and Epic argue over how much Apple should get from purchases made outside the App Store

In a new filing in its long-running legal dispute with Epic Games, Apple has proposed a structure that would allow it to collect fees on digital purchases made via external links that don’t use the company’s in-app purchase system. Epic has already responded, saying that Apple’s request is “far outside of the bounds” of the […]

‘That is not acceptable’: Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier
‘That is not acceptable’: Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

One month after Epic Games and Google seemingly stopped fighting over the future of Android app distribution, they were back in a San Francisco courtroom today – where Judge James Donato just ordered Google to make it easier to install rival app stores on Android. It’s been nearly three years since a jury unanimously decided […]

The fight over Flock and other ALPRs
The fight over Flock and other ALPRs

There are over 120,000 of Flock’s automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras installed all over the US. Flock’s cameras, and others like them, use AI to identify and track vehicles based on their license plate number, make, model, color, and other info, networked together to track vehicles and people’s movements throughout the day and across […]

Roundtables: Inside the “Censorship-Industrial Complex” Idea Shaping US Policy

Listen to the session or watch below The “censorship-industrial complex” is an idea that a network of government, tech, and research groups is collaborating to suppress conservative online speech. This was fodder for the right-wing information sphere for years—then it began making its way into US policy. Watch a conversation exploring how it started, where…

The Trump admin will start letting private firms launch international cyberattacks
The Trump admin will start letting private firms launch international cyberattacks

The Trump administration is launching a new program that will allow private firms to perform cyberattacks against foreign criminals, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. The private firms would operate “under the control and oversight” of the federal government, giving them permission to surveil and disrupt criminal networks, according to a presidential memorandum published on Wednesday. […]

Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’
Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’

Surveillance tech company Flock is rolling out updates to address reports of cops across the country abusing its tools to stalk ex-romantic partners and others. CEO Garrett Langley is delivering a mea culpa, and in an interview with The Verge, says he’s changed his mind on what responsibility Flock bears for how law enforcement uses […]

ICE wants to give agents electrified gloves that shock people into compliance
ICE wants to give agents electrified gloves that shock people into compliance

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is aiming to spend up to $20 million on equipping officers and agents with specialized gloves that deliver painful electric shocks. These plans were outlined in a notice published by the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, with an unspecified quantity of the devices set to be delivered by March […]

Doctors Push Back Against Trump’s Vaccine Order

In this week’s edition of InnovationRx, we look at the potential impact of Trump’s executive order on vaccines, the healthcare dynamos on Forbes 50 Over 50, a Swiss startup focused on a rare bleeding disorder, and more.

Brendan Carr is one firing away from an unchecked FCC
Brendan Carr is one firing away from an unchecked FCC

President Donald Trump already holds a Republican majority in the agency tasked with regulating America’s communications systems. But with a new nomination to the Federal Communications Commission, he could move to shut out opposing voices altogether – albeit at a legal risk. The FCC is currently composed of two Republicans and one Democrat – Republican […]

How the “censorship-industrial complex” is changing the Internet and US policy

I first heard the term “censorship-industrial complex” on April 15, 2025.  That’s when I got the tip that a small office in the U.S. State Department, which focused on monitoring and countering foreign disinformation from the likes of Russia, Iran, and China, was facing imminent shutdown—the next day.  And the reason? R/FIMI, as the office…