Content Policy Archives | Page 137 of 227 | Digital Watch Observatory

Eminem sues Meta over copyright violations

Eminem has filed a major lawsuit against Meta, accusing the tech giant of knowingly enabling widespread copyright infringement across its platforms. The rapper’s publishing company, Eight Mile Style, is seeking £80.6 million in damages, claiming 243 of his songs were used without authorisation.

The lawsuit argues that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, allowed tools such as Original Audio and Reels to encourage unauthorised reproduction and use of Eminem’s music.

The filing claims it occurred without proper licensing or attribution, significantly diminishing the value of his copyrights.

Eminem’s legal team contends that Meta profited from the infringement instead of ensuring his works were protected. If a settlement cannot be reached, the artist is demanding the maximum statutory damages — $150,000 per song — which would amount to over $109 million.

Meta has faced similar lawsuits before, including a high-profile case in 2022 brought by Epidemic Sound, which alleged the unauthorised use of thousands of its tracks. The latest claim adds to growing pressure on social media platforms to address copyright violations more effectively.

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Cyber attacks and ransomware rise globally in early 2025

Cyber attacks have surged by 47% globally in the first quarter of 2025, with organisations facing an average of 1,925 attacks each week.

Check Point Software, a cybersecurity firm, warns that attackers are growing more sophisticated and persistent, targeting critical sectors like healthcare, finance, and technology with increasing intensity.

Ransom ware activity alone has soared by 126% compared to last year. Attackers are no longer just encrypting files but now also threaten to leak sensitive data unless paid — a tactic known as dual extortion.

Instead of operating as large, centralised gangs, modern ransomware groups are smaller and more agile, often coordinating through dark web forums, making them harder to trace.

The report also notes that cybercriminals are using AI to automate phishing attacks and scan systems for vulnerabilities, allowing them to strike with greater accuracy. Emerging markets remain particularly vulnerable, as they often lack advanced cybersecurity infrastructure.

Check Point urges companies to act decisively by adopting proactive security measures, investing in threat detection and employee training, and implementing real-time monitoring. Waiting for an attack instead of preparing in advance could leave organisations dangerously exposed.

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TikTok bans ‘SkinnyTok’ hashtag worldwide

TikTok has globally banned the hashtag ‘SkinnyTok’ after pressure from the French government, which accused the platform of promoting harmful eating habits among young users. The decision comes as part of the platform’s broader effort to improve user safety, particularly around content linked to unhealthy weight loss practices.

The move was hailed as a win by France’s Digital Minister, Clara Chappaz, who led the charge and called it a ‘first collective victory.’ She, along with other top French digital and data protection officials, travelled to Dublin to engage directly with TikTok’s Trust and Safety team. Notably, no representatives from the European Commission were present during these discussions, raising questions about the EU’s role and influence in enforcing digital regulations.

While the European Commission had already opened a broader investigation into TikTok over child protection issues in early 2024 under the Digital Services Act (DSA), it has yet to comment on the SkinnyTok case specifically. Despite this, the Commission says it is still coordinating with French authorities on matters related to DSA enforcement.

The episode has spotlighted national governments’ power in pushing for online safety reforms and the uncertain role of the EU institutions in urgent digital policy actions.

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OpenAI turns ChatGPT into AI gateway

OpenAI plans to reinvent ChatGPT as an all-in-one ‘super assistant’ that knows its users and becomes their primary gateway to the internet.

Details emerged from a partly redacted internal strategy document shared during the US government’s antitrust case against Google.

Rather than limiting ChatGPT to existing apps and websites, OpenAI envisions a future where the assistant supports everyday life—from suggesting recipes at home to taking notes at work or guiding users while travelling.

The company says the AI should evolve into a reliable, emotionally intelligent helper capable of handling a various personal and professional tasks.

OpenAI also believes hardware will be key to this transformation. It recently acquired io, a start-up founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for $6.4 billion to develop AI-powered devices.

The company’s strategy outlines how upcoming models like o2 and o3, alongside tools like multimodality and generative user interfaces, could make ChatGPT capable of taking meaningful action instead of simply offering responses.

The document also reveals OpenAI’s intention to back a regulation requiring tech platforms to allow users to set ChatGPT as their default assistant. Confident in its fast growth, research lead, and independence from ads, the company aims to maintain its advantage through bold decisions, speed, and self-disruption.

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WhatsApp fixes deleted message privacy gap

WhatsApp is rolling out a privacy improvement that ensures deleted messages no longer linger in quoted replies, addressing a long-standing issue that exposed partial content users had intended to remove.

The update applies automatically, with no toggle required, and has begun reaching iOS users through version 25.12.73, with wider availability expected soon.

Until now, deleting a message for everyone in a chat has not removed it from quoted replies. That allowed fragments of deleted content to remain visible, undermining the purpose of deletion.

WhatsApp removes the associated quoted message entirely instead of keeping it in conversation threads, even in group or community chats.

WABetaInfo, which first spotted the update, noted that users delete messages for privacy or personal reasons, and leave behind quoted traces conflicted with those intentions.

The change ensures conversations reflect user expectations by entirely erasing deleted content, not only from the original message but also from any references.

Meta continues to develop new features for WhatsApp. Recent additions include voice chat in groups and a native interface for iPad. The company is also testing tools like AI-generated wallpapers, message summaries, and more refined privacy settings to enhance user control and experience further.

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DeepSeek claims R1 model matches OpenAI

Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek has announced a major update to its R1 reasoning model, claiming it now performs on par with leading systems from OpenAI and Google.

The R1-0528 version, released following the model’s initial launch in January, reportedly surpasses Alibaba’s Qwen3, which debuted only weeks earlier in April.

According to DeepSeek, the upgrade significantly enhances reasoning, coding, and creative writing while cutting hallucination rates by half.

These improvements stem largely from greater computational resources applied after the training phase, allowing the model to outperform domestic rivals in benchmark tests involving maths, logic, and programming.

Unlike many Western competitors, DeepSeek takes an open-source approach. The company recently shared eight GitHub projects detailing methods to optimise computing, communication, and storage efficiency during training.

Its transparency and resource-efficient design have attracted attention, especially since its smaller distilled model rivals Alibaba’s Qwen3-235B while being nearly 30 times lighter.

Major Chinese tech firms, including Tencent, Baidu and ByteDance, plan to integrate R1-0528 into their cloud services for enterprise clients. DeepSeek’s progress signals China’s continued push into globally competitive AI, driven by a young team determined to offer high performance with fewer resources

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NSO asks court to overturn WhatsApp verdict

Israeli spyware company NSO Group has requested a new trial after a US jury ordered it to pay $168 million in damages to WhatsApp.

The company, which has faced mounting legal and financial troubles, filed a motion in a California federal court last week seeking to reduce the verdict or secure a retrial.

The May verdict awarded WhatsApp $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167.25 million in punitive damages. Jurors found that NSO exploited vulnerabilities in the encrypted platform and sold the exploit to clients who allegedly used it to target journalists, activists and political rivals.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta, filed the lawsuit in 2019.

NSO claims the punitive award is unconstitutional, arguing it is over 376 times greater than the compensatory damages and far exceeds the US Supreme Court’s general guidance of a 4:1 ratio.

The firm also said it cannot afford the penalty, citing losses of $9 million in 2023 and $12 million in 2024. Its CEO testified that the company is ‘struggling to keep our heads above water’.

WhatsApp, responding to TechCrunch in a statement, said NSO was once again trying to evade accountability. The company vowed to continue its legal campaign, including efforts to secure a permanent injunction that would prevent NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp or its users again.

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AI copyright clash stalls UK data bill

A bitter standoff over AI and copyright has returned to the House of Lords, as ministers and peers clash over how to protect creative workers while fostering technological innovation.

At the centre of the debate is the proposed Data (Use and Access) Bill, which was expected to pass smoothly but is now stuck in parliamentary limbo due to growing resistance.

The bill would allow AI firms to access copyrighted material unless rights holders opt out, a proposal that many artists and peers believe threatens the UK’s £124bn creative industry.

Nearly 300 Lords have called for AI developers to disclose what content they use and seek licences instead of relying on blanket access. Former film director Baroness Kidron described the policy as ‘state-sanctioned theft’ and warned it would sacrifice British talent to benefit large tech companies.

Supporters of the bill, like former Meta executive Sir Nick Clegg, argue that forcing AI firms to seek individual permissions would severely damage the UK’s AI sector. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology insists it will only consider changes if they are proven to benefit creators.

If no resolution is found, the bill risks being shelved entirely. That would also scrap unrelated proposals bundled into it, such as new NHS data-sharing rules and plans for a nationwide underground map.

Despite the bill’s wide scope, the fight over copyright remains its most divisive and emotionally charged feature.

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Gmail adds automatic AI summaries

Gmail on mobile now displays AI-generated summaries by default, marking a shift in how Google’s Gemini assistant operates within inboxes.

Instead of relying on users to request a summary, Gemini will now decide when it’s useful—typically for long email threads with multiple replies—and present a brief summary card at the top of the message.

These summaries update automatically as conversations evolve, aiming to save users from scrolling through lengthy discussions.

The feature is currently limited to mobile devices and available only to users with Google Workspace accounts, Gemini Education add-ons, or a Google One AI Premium subscription. For the moment, summaries are confined to emails written in English.

Google expects the rollout to take around two weeks, though it remains unclear when, or if, the tool will extend to standard Gmail accounts or desktop users.

Anyone wanting to opt out must disable Gmail’s smart features entirely—giving up tools like Smart Compose, Smart Reply, and package tracking in the process.

While some may welcome the convenience, others may feel uneasy about their emails being analysed by large language models, especially since this process could contribute to further training of Google’s AI systems.

The move reflects a wider trend across Google’s products, where AI is becoming central to everyday user experiences.

Additional user controls and privacy commitments

According to Google Workspace, users have some control over the summary cards. They can collapse a Gemini summary card, and it will remain collapsed for that specific email thread.

In the near future, Gmail will introduce enhancements, such as automatically collapsing future summary cards for users who consistently collapse them, until the user chooses to expand them again. For emails that don’t display automatic summaries, Gmail still offers manual options.

Users can tap the ‘summarise this email’ chip at the top of the message or use the Gemini side panel to trigger a summary manually. Google also reaffirms its commitment to data protection and user privacy. All AI features in Gmail adhere to its privacy principles, with more details available on the Privacy Hub.

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Gemini AI can now summarise videos in Google Drive

Google is expanding Gemini AI’s capabilities in Drive by enabling it to analyse video files and respond to user questions or generate concise summaries.

The new feature aims to save users time by providing quick insights from lengthy content such as meetings, classes or announcements, instead of requiring them to watch the entire video. Until now, Gemini could only summarise documents and PDFs stored in Drive.

According to a blog post published on 28 May 2025, the feature will support prompts like ‘Summarise the video’ or ‘List action items from the meeting.’ Users can access Gemini’s functionality either through Drive’s overlay previewer or a standalone viewer in a separate browser tab.

However, captions must be enabled within the user’s domain for the feature to work properly.

The update is being gradually rolled out and is expected to be available to all eligible users by 19 June. At the moment, it is limited to English and accessible only to users of Google Workspace and Google One AI Premium, or those with Gemini Business or Enterprise add-ons.

For administrators, smart features and personalisation settings must be activated to grant access.

To use the new function, users can double-click on a video file in Drive and select the ‘Ask Gemini’ option marked by a star icon in the top right corner. Google says the upgrade reflects a broader effort to integrate AI seamlessly into everyday workflows by making content easier to navigate and understand.

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