The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals grilled parties on what it means to be a content-based restriction when it comes to social media during a hearing Thursday in NetChoice v. Brown. The case centers on the constitutionality of SB-194, which requires social media companies to implement an age-assurance system to determine whether account users in Utah are minors (see 2505270050).

BRUSSELS -- Geopolitical issues are affecting privacy and digital regulation this year, speakers said Wednesday at the IAPP Data Protection Europe Congress. Polarization is influencing the policies that affect privacy practitioners' work, said Hogan Lovells data protection attorney Eduardo Ustaran.

Discussion about a draft executive order seeking to block states from regulating AI is “speculation” until something is announced, a White House official said in a statement Thursday (see 2511190059). However, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) and others condemned the possible preemption attempt.

When seeking to comply with privacy laws, companies often fall short in a few key areas, including cookies, kids’ privacy and the collection of sensitive data, an Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) official said Wednesday during a webinar by compliance vendor Privado.

BRUSSELS -- It has taken time for DPAs to get up to speed on what the GDPR means in practice and how to carry out fast, objectively fair enforcement actions, Irish Data Protection Commissioner Dale Sunderland said Wednesday at the IAPP Data Protection Europe Congress.

Congress should be skeptical of an AI moratorium gaining traction in defense funding negotiations, but President Donald Trump’s support for state preemption means Democrats must take the issue seriously, a senior staffer for Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Wednesday.

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission's digital omnibus, published Wednesday, tweaks the GDPR without affecting its core as it tries to bring the regulation more in line with current practices, Hogan Lovells privacy attorney Eduardo Ustaran said at the IAPP Data Protection Europe Congress. The tech sector called for broader change, while digital rights and consumer groups accused the EC of harming individuals.

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A future U.S. Supreme Court ruling could limit the ability of attorneys general to issue investigative subpoenas or civil investigative demands (CIDs), a privacy lawyer and a consumer advocate said in interviews with Privacy Daily. As subpoenas and CIDs are foundational tools for attorneys general, restrictions on them could impact the number of enforcement actions, including privacy settlements, they said.

AI chatbots create privacy risks, and Congress should explore data-protection obligations, House Commerce Committee Republicans and Democrats said during a House Oversight Subcommittee hearing Tuesday.