IT’S THE LAW (01/07/2025)
Myanmar’s controversial new cybersecurity law makes unauthorized use of a VPN service a crime eligible for punishment of up to six months in prison and fines of up to 2 million kyats (almost $1,000).
Myanmar’s controversial new cybersecurity law makes unauthorized use of a VPN service a crime eligible for punishment of up to six months in prison and fines of up to 2 million kyats (almost $1,000).
Without admitting culpability, Apple has agreed to settle a Siri class action for $95 million for an alleged breach of privacy. Those who purchased or owned Apple devices between September 2014 and December 2024 may be eligible for part of the settlement. The suit claimed Siri activated and recorded conversations even when users didn’t initiate it via the “Hey, Siri” prompt, and that 3rd-party Apple contractors were able to access private conversations.
The draft of India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) has been released for comment and includes a rule that would require explicit parental consent for children under 18 to open a social media account. Data fiduciaries at companies would be responsible for verifying that appropriate permission has been obtained and that the individual granting the consent is an adult. The deadline for DPDP feedback is February 18th.
Disney has agreed to license more than 200 characters, costumes, and environments (but not voices or talent likenesses) to OpenAI for Sora, its gen AI video platform. This is highly unusual for Disney, which generally sues AI models for copyright infringement; in fact, it sued Google for that a day before announcing the OpenAI deal. Disney will also invest $1 billion in OpenAI, nicely illustrating how very eager they are to join the AI party.