Techmeme
July 18, 2025, 3:35 PM

Top News

Gian Volpicelli / Bloomberg:
Joel Kaplan says Meta won't sign EU's AI code of practice, calling its guidelines overreach that will throttle development and deployment of AI models in Europe  —  Meta Platforms Inc. said it won't sign the code of practice for Europe's new set of laws governing artificial intelligence …
Eric Slivka / MacRumors:
Apple sues YouTuber Jon Prosser and an Apple staffer's friend over iOS 26 leaks, for allegedly accessing the staffer's iPhone; Prosser denies the claim  —  Earlier this year, YouTuber Jon Prosser shared multiple videos showing off what he claimed to be re-created renderings of what was then presumed …
Osmond Chia / BBC:
Netflix used AI tools for the first time in one of its TV shows, for a VFX sequence; Ted Sarandos says the VFX costs would have been too high otherwise  —  Netflix says it has used visual effects created by generative artificial intelligence (AI) in one of its original TV shows for the first time.
Jessica Lyons / The Register:
Google files a lawsuit in the US against 25 unnamed individuals in China, accusing them of operating the BadBox 2.0 botnet, compromising 10M+ devices worldwide  —  Ads giant complains of damage to its reputation and finances ... and crime, too  —  Google has filed a lawsuit …
Zac Bowden / Windows Central:
Microsoft shuts down the Movies & TV storefront on the Microsoft Store on Windows and Xbox; users will continue to be able to access their past purchases  —  After 12 years, Microsoft is shutting down its storefront that let Windows and Xbox users buy or rent Movies & TV shows natively on the platform.
Washington Post:
Eric Geller / Cybersecurity Dive:
Sources: the US State Department has effectively dismantled its three-year-old Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, firing between nine and 11 staffers  —  Departures and restructuring will make it harder for the agency to pursue global policies that strengthen its own critical infrastructure, experts said.
Lucinda Shen / Axios:
SPAC Insider: SPACs are booming in 2025, with 74 blank check companies going public so far in 2025, raising about $14.7B and beating 2022 total of $13.4B  —  SPACs are reaching heights not seen since 2021, despite their reputation as a symptom of an overly frothy market. … - And its been accelerating.
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: the White House is preparing an EO requiring AI companies with federal contracts to be neutral and unbiased, to combat what officials see as “woke AI”  —  The order would be one of several expected to be released outlining the president's vision for winning the AI race with China
Lora Kolodny / CNBC:
Neuralink filed on April 24 as a “small disadvantaged business” that could give it preferential access to federal opportunities, before being valued at $9B  —  Elon Musk's health tech company Neuralink labeled itself a “small disadvantaged business” in a federal filing …
More: Musk Watch and UPI
Bluesky: @calebecarma, @calebecarma, and @lorak.  Mastodon: @WarnerCrocker@mastodon.social.  LinkedIn: Lora Kolodny

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