In Brief Under EU law, digital platforms have to pay for news reuse. But how much should Google pay for article previews? That’s what Google is trying to find out with an experiment in nine EU countries.During the test, 1% of users won’t see articles from EU-based news publishers in search and Google News so that Google can see its real impact on traffic. Or at least that was the plan. But the plan doesn’t seem well thought out given it appears that news publishers discovered the test in a blog post. Just ...

Core Points - Ford has agreed to pay a $165 million penalty to federal regulators for delays in recalling vehicles with faulty rearview cameras, marking the second largest fine in NHTSA's history [1] - The automaker failed to provide accurate and complete information in its reports to NHTSA and did not submit certain quarterly recall reports on time [2] Financial Implications - Ford will pay $65 million in the coming months, with an additional $55 million contingent on compliance with the consent order, and will allocate $45 million towards developing safety technology [3] Compliance Measures - NHTSA's remedies require Ford to engage an independent third party with expertise in motor vehicles to ensure compliance with federal safety regulations [4] Company Commitment - Ford expressed commitment to improving safety and compliance, with ongoing enhancements including advanced data analytics and a new in-house testing facility [5]

Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been hit with yet another huge fine in Europe, this time over abusive practices in Facebook Marketplace. The European Commission announced that it would fine it €797.72 million — nearly $840 million — for breaching EU antitrust rules connected to how it ties its online classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, creating “unfair trading conditions” for other providers of classifieds online. The fine is the latest instalment of a case that dates bac ...

Group 1: Merger Overview - Reliance and Disney have completed a significant merger in the Indian media sector, creating an entertainment entity valued at $8.5 billion that will dominate streaming and television markets in India [1][2] - The joint venture will control approximately 85% of India's streaming market and about 50% of television viewership [1] Group 2: Financial and Operational Details - Reliance has invested $1.4 billion in the venture, holding a 63.16% stake, while Disney retains 36.84% [2] - The merger results in the largest media group in India, generating annual revenues of $3.1 billion, combining JioCinema, Hotstar, and over 100 television channels [3] Group 3: Leadership and Management - Nita Ambani will chair the joint venture, with Uday Shankar as vice-chair and Kevin Vaz, Kiran Mani, and Sanjog Gupta overseeing various operational aspects [5] Group 4: Strategic Implications - The joint venture consolidates control over valuable media rights, including major cricket properties and global sports content [4] - Disney's CEO Robert Iger emphasized the expansion of their presence in the Indian media market through this partnership [7]

U.K. consumer rights group ‘Which?’ is filing a legal claim against Apple under competition law on behalf of some 40 million users of iCloud, its cloud storage service.The collective proceeding lawsuit, which is seeking £3 billion in compensation damages (around $3.8 billion at current exchange rates), alleges that Apple has broken competition rules by giving its own cloud storage service preferential treatment and effectively locking people into paying for iCloud at “rip-off” prices. “iOS has a monopoly a ...

In Brief Amazon has shut down a four-year-old secret program working on a fertility monitoring device and accompanying smartphone app, CNBC reported.The project, which was known by the codename “Encore,” evolved out of Amazon’s 2020 purchase of a startup called bluDiagnostics, which was developing a device that measured the levels of estradiol and progesterone — two of the hormones responsible for fertility in women — from saliva samples. Amazon planned to release the product this year, but the team of app ...

AMD has confirmed that it’s laying off 4% of its workforce to focus on “large growth opportunities.” It’s unclear how many workers have been impacted by the reduction — and which divisions. AMD had roughly 26,000 employees as of last year, according to the company’s annual 10-K filing. Four percent would translate to approximately 1,000. “As a part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a number of targeted steps,” an AMD spokesperson told CRN. “We are committed to ...

Amazon has rolled out its answer to the discounted, low-cost storefronts of Temu and Shein. The Amazon Haul store, currently available on the mobile app or mobile web browser exclusively, offers similar mass-produced, discounted items, most of which ship from China. It’s a departure from Amazon’s long-established reputation as a powerhouse of rapid delivery times since even Amazon can’t reduce the time it takes to get these overseas goods.The landing page for Amazon Haul is reminiscent of Shein and Temu eve ...

In Brief Tesla’s Cybertruck is facing its sixth recall since its launch a year ago. The recall affects 2,431 units, including certain 2024 Cybertrucks built between November 6, 2023 and July 30, 2024. A report from Tesla found that those trucks are or were equipped with a faulty drive inverter.  “If the inverter stops producing torque, the driver loses the ability to apply torque to the vehicle using the accelerator pedal resulting in a loss of propulsion, which may increase the risk of a collision,” reads ...

Group 1 - Apple is expanding its smart home presence by developing an IP camera expected to ship in 2026 [1] - The camera is anticipated to achieve sales of tens of millions of units annually [1] - Goertek, a Chinese component maker, will assemble the new IP camera [1] Group 2 - Goertek is also rumored to manufacture upcoming AirPod models [2] - The new AirPods are expected to focus more on health features, building on the hearing aid capabilities introduced in AirPods Pro 2 [2]