Lauren Feiner

The Federal Trade Commission set aside a 2024 order against a company it previously accused of selling an AI service that could generate false online reviews. The agency found the order didn’t adequately satisfy legal requirements and “unduly burdens innovation in the nascent AI industry,” violating the president’s directives.

Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a bill to sunset the law that shields social media platforms from being held liable for content moderation, and their users’ posts. Section 230 has long been a target of bipartisan tech critics, but reforming it has proved complicated.

A key committee scheduled a markup of 18 bills, including the revised Kids Online Safety Act, for Thursday. That’s just over a week since holding a hearing to first consider the package. After killing KOSA last year, the House may be trying to leave its mark before the holiday break.

Draft text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes funding through 2028 for the Protect Our Children Act. The 2008 bill created a nationwide task force of law enforcement agencies skilled in investigating crimes against children facilitated by the internet. Tech industry group NetChoice applauded the provision.

The agency announced a new workshop on January 28th where it will host academics, industry reps, and advocates to discuss age verification. It comes as Congress and many states have weighed or passed laws meant to protect kids online that would require companies to adopt these kinds of technologies.

The court is hearing arguments in a case where it could overturn decades of precedent over the president’s firing of a Federal Trade Commissioner. While conservative justices worry about letting Congress’ authority run wild, liberal justices like Elena Kagan warn of creating “a president with control over everything.”