Back in the U.S. of A, a federal judge has blocked the part of Texas’s SCOPE Act that required social media companies to filter certain kinds of “harmful content” for teens. Requirements remain in place for parental consent for social media accounts and restrictions on collecting data from the young. The judge criticized the Act’s language as vague and undefined.
A Brazilian Supreme Court justice blocked Elon Musk’s X in Brazil beginning Saturday after Musk (cleverly? childishly?) attempted to evade legal action by refusing to name a local legal representative. The justice opened an investigation into X earlier this year over “fake news.” Brazil is X’s fourth-largest market with some 40 million monthly users.
Google has moved to place restrictions on responses its generative AI tools can provide on topics such as candidates, voting processes and election results. The restrictions will apply widely across its AI ecosystem including Search AI Overviews, YouTube AI-generated summaries for Live Chat and Gemini. For Google Ads, advertisers will be required to disclose the use of “synthetic content.”
It’s all surveys today, Dear Reader. Marigold reports that consumers are eager for personalized content, with 79% saying they’re likely to engage with a personalized email tailored to their interests. Sadly, 33% feel their needs are unmet by current brand messages. Discounts and coupons (95%) top the list of what they want in exchange for personal data, followed closely by loyalty rewards at 94%. Content is last at 61%.