At the intersection

It has been a busy fortnight for anyone watching the intersection of media, tech, and regulation. In the US, three major cases have put intensified pressure on platform accountability: a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction case centred on platform design; a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $375 million over child-safety failures; and the city of Baltimore has sued xAI over Grok's alleged mass production of sexual deepfakes, including images involving teenagers. Echoing Derek’s note in the last newsletter about the concerning volume of AI-generated mis- and disinformation by and about Iran, UK MPs have accused Meta, TikTok, and X of failing to stem false and manipulative content, warning that tougher laws may follow. Meanwhile, amid UK competition concerns, Google is developing ways for websites to opt out of its search crawler for AI Overviews without sacrificing search visibility.

In our newsletter this week, Derek examines the latest developments in Kyle Sandilands’ dispute with KIIS FM, ACMA’s powers, and the challenges of regulating repeat misconduct; I explore what the latest eSafety findings tell us about children’s use of AI companions' uptake among children, the risks they pose, and the emerging regulatory responses in the UK and Australia; and Sacha shares some reflections from the recent public lecture and symposium celebrating UTS Professor David Lindsay’s contributions to copyright, privacy, cyberlaw, and digital regulation in Australia.

Read it here.