109 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Lauren Feiner

Lauren Feiner

Senior Policy Reporter

Senior Policy Reporter

    More From Lauren Feiner

    Lauren Feiner
    Lauren Feiner
    Privacy and competition advocates urge FTC, DOJ to investigate Walmart’s $2.3 billion Vizio acquisition.

    The 19 groups — including the Demand Progress Education Fund, Open Markets Institute, and Electronic Privacy Information Center — urged federal antitrust enforcers to probe Walmart’s proposed acquisition of TV-maker Vizio. In a letter shared exclusively with The Verge, they warn the deal risks “privacy dangers” and “could lock in captive buyers to Walmart advertising and content channels for good.”

    Lauren Feiner
    Lauren Feiner
    DeSantis vetoes bill that would have barred teens under 16 from using social media, but teases a “superior” one.

    He explained that the veto was “because the Legislature is about to produce a different, superior bill.” The Florida governor added that he expects that new bill “will be signed into law soon.”

    On X, Speaker Paul Renner later posted that the state Senate would hear a new bill, HB3, on Monday, which “will empower parents to control what their children can access online.”

    Lauren Feiner
    Lauren Feiner
    The FBI has been using push alerts to track down predators.

    The Washington Post describes how law enforcers have gotten companies like Google to hand over data associated with push notifications. Investigators use the code to track down child predators, even through encrypted apps, per the Post, but law enforcement around the world could use the tactic to track down activists and others too.

    It also sheds light on why Apple might have chosen to update its law enforcement guidelines late last year to require a court order to provide customers’ push notification data.

    Lauren Feiner
    Lauren Feiner
    Amazon skipped a hearing and now its lobbyists are banned from EU Parliament.

    Fourteen Amazon employees can no longer access the European Parliament building without an invitation, WIRED reported Wednesday. And it’s all because they skipped a hearing about working conditions in its fulfillment centers and declined to let policymakers tour them (Amazon blamed the busy holiday period, WIRED said).

    Lauren Feiner
    Lauren Feiner
    White House urges developers to use memory safe programming languages to limit cybersecurity risk.

    The White House says memory safety bugs are “one of the most pervasive classes of vulnerabilities.” But, coding with memory safe languages “can eliminate most memory safety errors.”

    That means the White House is urging coders against using languages like C and C++. And when a complete rewrite of code isn’t feasible, it suggests prioritizing the most critical functions.

    Lauren Feiner
    Lauren Feiner
    The cases are submitted.

    NetChoice got the last word in the arguments over Texas’ law, with Clement saying the state had not proven social media’s common carrier status.

    Clement also pointed to a statement from an anti-child predator group who said the law’s transparency requirements, which were minimally discussed in these arguments, could give predators a “roadmap” as to why their messages aren’t reaching kids.

    And with that, we’re wrapped for the day — we’ll be awaiting a decision in the coming months.