As a result, the company will no longer provide its UK users its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) protection and UK user files will be accessible to Apple and shareable with law enforcement.
Australia passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, in 2024 which placed responsibility for controlling children’s access to social media on providers. However, a recent study of more than 1,500 children there conducted by eSafety, indicates they can easily bypass the controls with 80% of those surveyed who were aged 8 to 12 used one or more of the eight social media services in 2024 – despite policies prohibiting users under 13.
The FTC, under Trump-appointed Chairman Andrew Ferguson, is launching an inquiry into how tech platforms “deny or degrade users’ access to services based on the content of their speech or affiliations, and how this conduct may have violated the law.” “Tech firms should not be bullying their users,” said Ferguson. Right now, its advertisers who seem to be getting bullied back onto X by the newfound powers of Elon Musk.
Preliminary findings by the European Commission state that Apple and Google are in violation of the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Among the findings, Google Search is accused of prioritizing Google’s own products and services in results; Apple is instructed to improve interoperability between iOS and third-party devices. The companies now have an opportunity to respond.