By Tali Arbel, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer, a Hollywood power player, is leaving the entertainment company after revealing he received threats of extortion following a settlement with a woman with whom he had an affair.
Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, said in a statement Tuesday that Meyer "acted in a manner which we believe is not consistent with our company policies or values." NBC declined to elaborate.
Meyer, in a statement provided by Comcast's NBCUniversal, said he "made a settlement, under threat, with a woman outside the company who had made false accusations against me." He said he had a "very brief and consensual affair" a long time ago with the woman, whom he did not name.
He said other people, whom he also did not name, tried to extort him after they learned of the settlement. The extortion included threats to "falsely implicate NBCUniversal, which had nothing to do with this matter."
Shell's statement said that Meyer disclosed his actions to NBC late last week and "we have mutually concluded that Ron should leave the company, effective immediately."
Meyer was head of Universal Studios since 1995 and then promoted to NBCUniversal's vice chairman, providing "strategic guidance and counsel" over its extensive film, TV and theme park business, in 2013. He co-founded Creative Artists Agency, a top Hollywood talent agency, in 1975.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More