policy

Apple is updating App Store policies to require an 18+ rating for dating apps and AI companion apps featuring sexual or romantic content, alongside new content descriptors for location-sharing features starting November 16.

An opinion piece arguing that AI companies should pay up front for the environmental and cultural costs they impose, via disclosure requirements and an independent trust fund modeled on nuclear decommissioning funds, rather than leaving the public with a much larger bill later.

OpenAI announced a 'Grid Protectors Program' pilot at a Georgia data center, promising to free up to 1,000 megawatts of power during extreme weather to support nearby communities amid growing opposition to AI data centers.

Michigan's Department of Corrections will pilot a new prison classification system on December 1, 2026, forecasting about 30% better prediction of future violence risk for security-level placement, developed with help from Recidiviz. The model itself and the basis for the 30% estimate were not disclosed, and the figure remains a forecast.

California's Prop 45, pitched as a fast track for essential infrastructure, could let data center developers evade CEQA environmental scrutiny by shortening review deadlines, limiting public comment, and restricting courts from halting non-compliant projects.

New York became the first US state to enact a data center development moratorium, and this Wired column examines how Governor Kathy Hochul's compromise order — and growing community demands for stricter rules — offer lessons for Democrats heading into the midterms.

An opinion piece arguing that AI models are irreversibly decentralized and uncontrollable, advocating for public funding of open-source AI and cybersecurity initiatives to prevent power from concentrating in private corporations and to keep AI benefits publicly owned.

A post sharing an NYT report that US lawmakers signaled a potential shift away from a hands-off approach to AI companies if Democrats retake the House, with commentary lamenting the implications for US AI leadership versus China.

France is introducing a €0.055/GB download tax on content providers to fund broadband infrastructure, raising concerns about net neutrality and who bears the cost of network expansion.

Bill Gates notes that Alzheimer's breakthroughs are advancing faster than the healthcare systems meant to deliver them, leaving many patients without access, and argues that closing this gap is the next major frontier.

Senator Bernie Sanders warns that Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, SpaceX, Oracle, and Nvidia have accumulated $3 trillion in debt on AI bets, stating taxpayers will not bail out Big Tech if those investments fail.

Wikimedia Foundation filed an amicus brief arguing that courts should protect LLM training on copyrighted work while still curbing chatbots from reproducing that content, warning that overly broad rulings in cases involving OpenAI, Microsoft, and The New York Times could threaten the open web.

A bill that would impose a moratorium on data center development in New York emerged as the most-lobbied legislation of the summer, now awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul's signature amid debate over the industry's energy and community impacts.

A Semafor report highlights that voters in key swing states want AI safety measures, drawing a surprised reaction from AI policy researcher Miles Brundage.

A new white paper from Brown University's Climate Solutions Lab argues that U.S. electricity law contains no mechanism to rapidly disconnect a data center housing a rogue AI agent, making a simple 'pull the plug' response legally infeasible.

Climate activists Adam McKay and Philip Eubanks argue that both AI and the climate crisis pose existential threats driven by the same corporate power structures, urging that neither needs to end humanity if communities and policy push back.

As AI-driven data center growth strains Europe's electricity grids, EU governments are moving to prioritize housing and renewables over data centers in grid connection queues, with Ireland serving as a cautionary example of the consequences.

A look at eight AI liability cases shows accountability is inconsistent—falling variously on freelancers, managers, executives, or rank-and-file employees—highlighting that documented system ownership is what prevents a 'blame lottery.'

The Verge storystream tracking the FCC's escalating bans on foreign—particularly Chinese—consumer gadgets, including drones, routers, robot vacuums, and power inverters, driven by national security claims critics say lack public evidence.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the agency will vote on November 19th on rules allowing prisons to use cellphone signal jamming equipment, a change backed by law enforcement but criticized by some as potentially silencing incarcerated journalists.