EU’s cookie-banner overhaul stalls amid competing interests
August 18, 2026
| Matthew Newman
The EU's latest attempt to reduce cookie banners has stalled as lawmakers struggle to balance consumers' demands for fewer consent requests, publishers' reliance on advertising revenue, and privacy advocates' ... (more story)
Delhi court fixes India's mental-act patent problem — but should judges write the rules?
August 18, 2026
| Freny Patel
India's patent system finally has a test for deciding when an invention is merely a mental act, after the Delhi High Court stepped in where the patent office hadn't. The seven-step framework could curb arbitra... (more story)
Block on French social media ban exposes risk for EU states with similar ideas
August 17, 2026
| Matthew Newman
Lawmakers across Europe are on notice in the wake of a ruling by France's highest constitutional authority that blanket social media bans for minors may be found to conflict with protections for freedom of exp... (more story)
Discord, Roblox face more lawsuits in US social media litigation
August 14, 2026
| Xu Yuan and Mike Swift
Discord and Roblox, two lesser-known defendants in the sprawling nationwide litigation over social media safety for children and teenagers, are facing a growing number of lawsuits as Meta Platforms, Snap, TikT... (more story)
UK streaming giants set to face familiar rules, but unfamiliar Ofcom, public scrutiny
August 14, 2026
| Patricia Figueiredo
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ are preparing for UK broadcast-style content and accessibility rules that could require catalog reviews and new compliance systems, even though the impact should be limi... (more story)
EU platform user-counting rules create legal uncertainty beyond Big Tech
August 13, 2026
| Sara Brandstätter
The EU’s method for counting platform users is creating legal uncertainty beyond current fee disputes involving Big Tech companies such as Meta and TikTok. For smaller and hybrid services, the lack of a clear ... (more story)
Platforms set to see EU’s full child-safety rulebook take shape by year-end
August 11, 2026
| Sara Brandstätter
In the coming months, social media companies and other online services are likely to get a clearer picture of the EU’s broader regulatory framework for child safety. A new European Commission proposal is expec... (more story)
TikTok employees were candid internally about platform harms, US court documents show
August 10, 2026
| Madeline Hughes
Years before TikTok was sued on addictive design claims, employees voiced worries about the many children under age 13 on the platform, and whether the company could be liable for inappropriate conduct, accord... (more story)