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  • Monday, Jun. 24, 2024
EU targets Apple's App Store for first time using new Digital Markets Act
The logo of Apple is illuminated at a store in the city center in Munich, Germany, on Dec. 16, 2020. European Union regulators have accused Apple of breaking new rules on digital competition by preventing software developers on its App Store from steering users to other venues. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
By Kelvin Chan, Business Writer
LONDON (AP) -- 

European Union regulators on Monday leveled their first charges under the bloc's new digital competition rulebook, accusing Apple of preventing app makers from pointing users to cheaper options outside its App Store.

The European Commission said that according to the preliminary findings of its investigation, the restrictions that the iPhone maker imposes on developers using its mobile App Store had breached the 27-nation bloc's Digital Markets Act.

The rulebook, also known as the DMA, is a sweeping set of regulations aimed at preventing tech "gatekeepers" from cornering digital markets under threat of heavy financial penalties. The commission opened an initial round of investigations after it took effect in March, including a separate ongoing probe into whether Apple is doing enough to allow iPhone users to easily change web browsers, and other cases involving Google and Meta.

Apple has been facing pressure on both sides of the More

  • Monday, Jun. 24, 2024
SAG-AFTRA American Scene Awards honor CMA, "Lost LA" and "Abbott Elementary"
LOS ANGELES -- 

SAG-AFTRA has announced the recipients for the sixth biennial SAG-AFTRA American Scene Awards, honoring producers who realistically portray the American Scene by employing union talent from misrepresented or underrepresented groups. The winners are:

  • Music & Sound Recordings Award: Mickey Guyton and the Country Music Association for "Love My Hair," performance by Mickey Guyton featuring Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards at the 2021 CMA Awards.
  • Belva Davis News & Broadcast Award: PBS SoCal/KCET for Lost LA: From Little Tokyo to Crenshaw.
  • Entertainment: ABC, Warner Bros. Television, 20th Television for Abbott Elementary.

Winners were selected for work that exemplifies equal access and full inclusion of diverse backgrounds, people with disabilities, women, seniors and people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender as well as other misrepresented or underrepresented More

  • Friday, Jun. 21, 2024
Workers sue Disney claiming they were fraudulently induced to move to Florida from California
The Cinderella Castle is seen at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, July 14, 2023, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
By Mike Schneider
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- 

Disney workers are suing their employer, claiming they were fraudulently induced to move from California to Florida to work in a new office campus only to have those plans later scrapped amid a fight between the entertainment giant and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In July 2021, the Disney Parks' chief told workers in California that most white-collar employees would be transferred to the new campus in Orlando to consolidate different teams and allow for greater collaboration.

As many as 2,000 workers in digital technology, finance and product development departments would be transferred to the campus located about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the giant Walt Disney World theme park resort, the company said at the time.

Many workers were reluctant to make the move given their longstanding ties to Southern California and fears of uprooting their families, but Disney encouraged the move by promising a state-of-the-art, centralized More

  • Friday, Jun. 21, 2024
Adidas is investigating allegations of embezzlement and bribery in China, according to news reports
In this file photo dated May 7, 2009 the company's logo is pictured on shopping bags in the Adidas outlet store in Herzogenaurach, southern Germany. Adidas has launched an investigation into allegations of “compliance violations” in China after receiving an anonymous letter earlier this month accusing local executives of embezzling millions of euros, according to news media reports. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
HONG KONG (AP) -- 

Athletic apparel company Adidas has launched an investigation into allegations of "compliance violations" in China after receiving an anonymous letter earlier this month accusing local executives of embezzling "millions of euros," according to news reports.

Adidas confirmed it had received an anonymous June 7 letter indicating potential "compliance violations" in China, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported.

The shoe and sportwear maker said it was investigating the matter together with external legal counsel, the news outlets reported.

Chinese state media outlet Jiemian last week reported that an anonymous group of whistleblowers, who called themselves employees of Adidas China, had sent the letter containing the allegations to the company's German headquarters.

The letter, which was published by Jiemian but also widely circulated on social media, accused senior executives and several staff members of embezzlement More

  • Thursday, Jun. 20, 2024
New York moves to limit "addictive" social media feeds for kids
In this still image taken from video of the Office of the New York Governor, Gov. Kathy Hochul signs a bill, in New York, Thursday, June 20, 2024. Hochul signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm, a move to limit feeds critics argue are addictive. (Office of the New York Governor via AP)
By Anthony Izaguirre

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm, a move to limit feeds critics argue are addictive.

Under the legislation, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited for people under age 18 to posts from accounts they follow, rather than content suggested by an automated algorithm. It would also block platforms from sending minors notifications on suggested posts between midnight and 6 a.m.

Both provisions could be turned off if a minor gets what the bill defines as "verifiable parental consent."

The law does not take effect immediately. State Attorney General Letitia James is now tasked with crafting rules to determine mechanisms for verifying a user's age and parental consent. After the rules are finalized, social media companies will have 180 days to implement the regulations.

"We can More

  • Thursday, Jun. 20, 2024
TikTok accuses federal agency of "political demagoguery" in legal challenge against potential U.S. ban
The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
By Haleluya Hadero

TikTok disclosed a letter Thursday that accused the Biden administration of engaging in "political demagoguery" during high-stakes negotiations between the government and the company as it sought to relieve concerns about its presence in the U.S.

The letter — sent to David Newman, a top official in the Justice Department's national security division, before President Biden signed the potential TikTok ban into law — was submitted in federal court along with a legal brief supporting the company's lawsuit against measure. TikTok's Beijing-based parent company ByteDance is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which is expected to be one of the biggest legal battles in tech and internet history.

The internal documents provide details about negotiations between TikTok and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a secretive inter-agency panel that investigates corporate deals over national security concerns, between January 2021 and More

  • Thursday, Jun. 20, 2024
Actor Ian McKellen offers thanks for messages of support after 3 nights in the hospital
Actor Sir Ian McKellen speaks during the press conference for the film "Mr. Holmes" at the 2015 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
LONDON (AP) -- 

Actor Ian McKellen is resting, taking light exercise and undergoing physiotherapy after spending three nights in the hospital after he toppled off a London stage during a fight scene earlier this week.

The 85-year-old veteran actor thanked the public for their many messages of support following his fall at the Noel Coward Theatre on Monday. An understudy, David Semark, will take his place in "Player Kings" during the production's final London dates, a statement sent on McKellen's behalf by his publicist Clair Dobbs said Thursday.

The play is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's two "Henry IV" history plays, directed by Robert Icke. Several performances were canceled after the incident.

"The many messages of love and support will, I am sure, aid the speedy recovery that my doctors have promised me," the statement said.

McKellen, who played Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings," is one of Britain's most acclaimed Shakespearean More

  • Wednesday, Jun. 19, 2024
Snapchat Inc. to pay $15 million to settle discrimination and harassment lawsuit in California
The Snapchat app on a mobile device is seen in New York. Snap Inc., Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017. The owner of Snapchat will pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit brought by California’s civil rights agency that claimed the company discriminated against female employees, failed to prevent workplace sexual harassment and retaliated against women who complained. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
By Olga R. Rodriguez
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- 

Snapchat Inc. will pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit brought by California's civil rights agency that claimed the company discriminated against female employees, failed to prevent workplace sexual harassment and retaliated against women who complained.

The settlement with Snapchat Inc., which owns the popular disappearing-message app by the same name, covers women who worked for the company in California between 2014 and 2024, the California Civil Rights Department announced Wednesday. The settlement is subject to court approval.

The agreement resolves a more than three-year investigation over claims that the Santa Monica, California-based company discriminated against female employees when it came to pay and promotions, the department said in a statement.

The bulk of the settlement money will go to employees who faced discrimination at Snapchat Inc., California officials said.

"In California, we're proud of the work of our More

  • Wednesday, Jun. 19, 2024
Actor Ian McKellen, 85, is looking forward to returning to work after his fall off a London stage
Actor Sir Ian McKellen speaks during the press conference for the film "Mr. Holmes" at the 2015 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. McKellen has been hospitalized Monday, June 17, 2024, after toppling off a London stage during a fight scene in a play. The 85-year-old actor known for playing Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” films and his many stage roles was playing John Falstaff in a production of Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
LONDON (AP) -- 

Actor Ian McKellen said Tuesday he is looking forward to returning to work after he toppled off a London stage mid-performance and was hospitalized.

McKellen, 85, said he was "hugely indebted" to medics who treated him after the tumble on Monday night during a performance of "Player Kings" at London's Noel Coward Theatre.

"They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work," he said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Performances on Tuesday and Wednesday were canceled after the accident and are scheduled to resume on Thursday.

The stage and screen veteran, who played Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" films, cried out in pain after the fall, according to a BBC journalist at the theater. McKellen was playing the roguish John Falstaff in "Player Kings," an adaptation of William Shakespeare's two "Henry IV" history plays, directed by Robert Icke More

  • Tuesday, Jun. 18, 2024
Federal Trade Commission refers complaint about TikTok's adherence to child privacy law to the DOJ
The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. The Federal Trade Commission has referred a complaint against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, to the Department of Justice. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
By Haleluya Hadero

The Federal Trade Commission has referred a complaint against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, to the Department of Justice.

The FTC said in a statement Tuesday that it investigated the two companies and "uncovered reason to believe" they are "violating or are about to violate" the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, a federal law which requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parental consent before collecting personal information of children under 13.

The agency also cited potential violations of the FTC Act, the law that outlines its enforcement responsibilities.

A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press in March that the agency was looking into whether TikTok violated a prohibition against "unfair and deceptive" business practices by denying that individuals in China had access to U.S. user data.

TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek said the company has been working with the FTC for more More

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