Supreme Court sides with Cox Communications in a copyright fight with record labels over downloads The Supreme Court has sided with internet service provider Cox Communications in its copyright fight with record labels over illegal music downloads by Cox customers.

“The justices ruled unanimously that Cox bears no liability for the copyright violations of its customers, reversing a jury verdict and lower-court rulings” (AP). #SCOTUS #smle2026

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As New Mexico jury finds Meta platforms harm children, social media firms await more legal decisions The first jury verdict in a series of social media child safety trials this year is in — and it’s not looking good for Meta.

“A jury in New Mexico found on Tuesday that the social media giant’s platforms are harmful to children’s mental health and imposed a $375 million penalty” (AP). #smle2026 #law

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Landmark trial in New Mexico to decide whether Meta misled users about children's safety risks Closing arguments are scheduled in a landmark trial where New Mexico prosecutors are accusing social media conglomerate Meta of misleading people about the safety of its platforms for children.

“Closing arguments are scheduled Monday in a landmark trial in New Mexico where social media conglomerate Meta is accused of misleading its users about how safe its platforms are for children” (AP). #smle2026

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Brazil rolls out law boosting online protection of minors Brazil now enforces a sweeping new law that aims to make the internet safer for children and teens. On Tuesday, the digital statute takes effect after Congress backs it and President Lula signs it in ...

“A Brazilian law that seeks to shield minors from addictive, violent and pornographic online content took effect this week, with experts calling it a milestone in the protection of children and adolescents” (AP). #smle2026 #smc2027

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Iran’s internet blackout silences voices at home as diaspora creators fill the void Iranian American social media creators are helping lead the online conversation about the war in Iran.

“That absence has amplified the voices of Iranian American social media creators, who are now explaining the nation’s complicated history and the conflicting desires of its citizens in succinct videos that are widely shared online” (AP). #smc2027 #smle2026 #smprofs

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Lawyers in landmark social media addiction trial make final appeals to the jury After about a month of hearing from addiction experts, therapists, platform engineers and executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, a jury has heard closing arguments before heading to the deliberation r...

“The plaintiff, identified as KGM in documents or Kaley, as her lawyers have called her during the trial, says her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts” (AP). #smle2026 #smc2027

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Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts

“The department has sent Google, Meta and other companies hundreds of subpoenas for information on accounts that track or comment on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials and tech workers said” ( @nytimes ). #smle2026 #smc2027

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Arguments to begin in landmark social media addiction trial set in Los Angeles The world’s biggest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them responsible for harms to children who use their platforms.

“Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube will face claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums” (AP). #smle2026 #smc2027

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X offices raided in France as prosecutors investigate child abuse images and deepfakes French prosecutors have raided the offices of social media platform X as part of an investigation into allegations of spreading child sexual abuse images and deepfakes.

“French prosecutors raided the offices of social media platform X on Tuesday as part of a preliminary investigation into allegations including spreading child sexual abuse images and deepfakes” (AP). #tech #law #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

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Indonesia lets Elon Musk's Grok back online under tight supervision Indonesia has allowed Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok to resume operations on a conditional basis and under strict supervision, after banning it for explicit sexual content.

“Indonesia allowed Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok to resume operations in the country on a conditional basis and under strict supervision, weeks after banning it for explicit sexual content” ( @AP ). #AI #tech #smle2026 #smc2027

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Undercover investigation of Meta heads to trial in New Mexico in first stand-alone case by state The first stand-alone trial from state prosecutors in a stream of lawsuits against Meta is getting underway in New Mexico. Jury selection begins Monday.

“New Mexico’s case is built on a state undercover investigation using proxy social media accounts and posing as kids to document sexual solicitations and the response from Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp” (AP). #tech #law #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

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What to know about the deal to keep TikTok in US TikTok has at last finalized a deal to keep the popular video sharing platform operating in the U.S. after years of uncertainty.

“The algorithm — the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed — powering the U.S. backend will be licensed from ByteDance and then retrained on U.S. user data” (AP). #smprofs #smle2026 #smc2027

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FTC says it will appeal Meta antitrust decision The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it will appeal the November ruling in favor of Meta in its antitrust case against the social media giant.

“The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it will appeal the November ruling in favor of Meta in its antitrust case against the social media giant” (AP). #tech #law #smle2026 #smc2027

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EU plans phase out of high risk telecom suppliers, in proposals seen as targeting China The European Union plans to phase out telecom gear from companies in "high risk" countries, targeting Chinese firms like Huawei and ZTE.

“Under the draft legislation released by the EU’s executive commission, telecom equipment from so-called high risk suppliers in third countries would be phased out within three years” (AP). #tech #law #EU #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

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Trump's voice in a new Fannie Mae ad is generated by artificial intelligence, with his permission What sounds like President Donald Trump narrating a new Fannie Mae ad actually is an AI-cloned voice reading text, according to a disclaimer in the video.

“What sounds like President Donald Trump narrating a new Fannie Mae ad actually is an AI-cloned voice reading text, according to a disclaimer in the video” (AP). #AI #tech #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

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Who will be next to implement an Australia-style under-16s social media ban? U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed concerns about children's screen time, as the House of Lords may vote next week on an under-16s social media ban.

“Australia’s social media ban for children under the age of 16 has grabbed global attention, and governments worldwide are considering implementing similar policies, with the U.K. seen as likely to be next” (CNBC). #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

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YouTube relaxes monetization policy on videos with controversial content YouTube is updating its guidelines for videos containing what advertisers define as controversial content, like abortion and self-harm, allowing more creators to earn full ad revenue when they tackle ...

“YouTube is updating its guidelines for videos containing content that advertisers define as controversial, allowing more creators to earn full ad revenue when they tackle sensitive issues in a nongraphic way” (AP). #smle2026 #smc2027

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Malaysia will take legal action against Musk's X and xAI over misuse of Grok chatbot Malaysian authorities have announced legal action against Elon Musk's social media platform X and its AI unit xAI.

“The move came just days after Malaysia and Indonesia became the first countries to block access to Grok, as concerns grow that it is being misused to generate sexually explicit and nonconsensual images” (AP). #tech #law #smle2026 #smc2027

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Musk's Grok chatbot restricts image generation after global backlash to sexualized deepfakes Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is now restricting image generation and editing to paying users. This change follows global backlash over the creation of sexualized deepfakes, including images of women in...

“Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is preventing non-paying users from generating or editing images after a global backlash erupted over sexualized deepfakes of people, but the change has not satisfied authorities in Europe” (AP). #AI #law #smle2026 #smc2027

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Musk's AI chatbot faces global backlash over sexualized images of women and children Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is under fire for generating sexualized images of women and children without consent.

“Elon Musk’s #AI chatbot Grok is facing a backlash from governments around the world after a recent surge in sexualized images of women and children generated without consent by the artificial intelligence-powered tool” (AP). #tech #smle2026

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10 Are Convicted of Cyberbullying France’s First Lady

“Five of those convicted were also banned from using the social media platform involved in the case, X, for six months” (NYTimes). #law #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/w...

As Schools Embrace A.I. Tools, Skeptics Raise Concerns

“A.I. bots can produce authoritative-sounding errors and misinformation, and some teachers are grappling with widespread A.I.-assisted student cheating” (NYT). #AI #tech #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/t...

Betty Boop and 'Blondie' enter the public domain in 2026, accompanied by a trio of detectives Betty Boop and “Blondie” are among the highlights of titles entering the public domain with the arrival of 2026.

“Betty Boop and “Blondie” are joining Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in the public domain” ( @AP ). #tech #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

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Meta buys startup Manus in latest move to advance its artificial intelligence efforts Meta is buying artificial intelligence startup Manus, as the owner of Facebook and Instagram continues a push to amp-up AI offerings across its platforms.

“Meta is buying artificial intelligence startup Manus, as the owner of Facebook and Instagram continues an aggressive push to amp up AI offerings across its platforms” (AP). #AI #tech #smle2026 #smc2027

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The value of media bans are being debated. #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

TikTok signs deal to form new US unit with investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake TikTok has signed a deal to form a new U.S. unit with three American investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — holding a majority stake.

“TikTok has signed agreements with three major investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States” (AP). #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs

apnews.com/article/tikt...

Trump Media announces $6bn merger plan with fusion power company — Guardian US TMTG, which owns president’s Truth Social platform, unveils link-up TAE Technologies to respond to AI boom

“Trump Media and Tech …, owner of… Truth Social platform, unveiled an extraordinary merger worth more than $6bn with TAE Technologies, combining its social media operation with a vast bet on the AI boom driving a surge in energy demand” (Guardian). #smle2026

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“X updates its terms to lay claim to the ‘Twitter’ trademark after newcomer’s challenge” (TechCrunch). #smle2026 #smc2027 #smprofs #prprofs

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Trump sues BBC for $10 billion, accusing it of defamation over editing of president's Jan. 6 speech President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.

“The president’s lawsuit was filed in Florida. Deadlines to bring the case in British courts expired more than a year ago” (AP). #law #smle2026

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Militant groups are experimenting with AI, and the risks are expected to grow The Islamic State group and other militant organizations are experimenting with artificial intelligence as a tool to boost recruitment and refine their operations.

“As the rest of the world rushes to harness the power of artificial intelligence, militant groups also are experimenting with the technology, even if they aren’t sure exactly what to do with it” (AP). #AI #tech #smle2026

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