Legal News • The Register

Legal

Indian police commissioner wants ID cards for AI agents

Asia In Brief PLUS: China broadens cryptocurrency crackdown; Australian facial recognition privacy revisited; Singapore debuts electric VTOL; and more!

Legal09 Feb 2026 | 5

Romanian rail workers accused of bribery turned to ChatGPT for legal tips

Corruption probe takes detour as staff facing trial reportedly asked AI if seat-blocking scams caused financial damage

AI + ML06 Feb 2026 | 20

Ghost gun legislation casts shadow over 3D printing

Proposed bills in New York and elsewhere threaten makers, Adafruit says

Legal05 Feb 2026 | 86

AWS says you're on your own if media codec patent owners come knocking

Exclusive Service terms update removes infringement cover tied to audio and video encoding tech

PaaS + IaaS04 Feb 2026 | 22

UK to properly probe xAI to test if its revolting robo-smut generator broke the law

As Spain announces stern laws for social media, and Elon Musk’s response shows regulators keep looking his way

Legal04 Feb 2026 | 29

Ex-Googler nailed for stealing AI secrets for Chinese startups

Network access from China and side hustle as AI upstart CEO aroused suspicion

Legal30 Jan 2026 | 21

Nudify app proliferation shows naked ambition of Apple and Google

Researchers with the Tech Transparency Project found all sorts of apps that let users create fake non-consensual nudes of real people

Legal27 Jan 2026 | 37

EU looking into Elon Musk's X after Grok produces deepfake sex images

Probe follows outcry over use of creepy image generation tool

Personal Tech26 Jan 2026 | 27

Ofcom probes Meta over WhatsApp info it was legally required to provide

UK watchdog investigates accuracy of data handed over for SMS market review

Legal23 Jan 2026 | 18

Surrender as a service: Microsoft unlocks BitLocker for feds

updated If you're serious about encryption, keep control of your encryption keys

Security23 Jan 2026 | 77

Oracle, Michael Dell, named as investors in JV that will run TikTok's US operations

Big Red gets to store data, advise on security, and store the 'I'll watch just one more video' algo

SaaS23 Jan 2026 | 10

UK gambling regulator accuses Meta of lying about its struggle to spot illegal ads

Labels Zuck’s ad library ‘a window into criminality’ and the Social Network as ‘happy to turn a blind eye’

Legal20 Jan 2026 | 43

Akamai CEO wants help to defeat piracy, reckons he can handle edge AI alone

Interview OG CDN boss says fighting illegal streams is about stopping criminals cashing in, not free speech

Legal20 Jan 2026 | 12

Ofcom keeps X under the microscope despite Grok 'nudify' fix

Cold milk poured over 'spicy mode,' but it might not be enough to escape a huge fine

AI + ML15 Jan 2026 | 21

India demands crypto outfits geolocate customers, get a selfie to prove they’re real

Government is fed up with bad actors using digi-cash to fund dodgy deeds

Public Sector13 Jan 2026 | 9

Tories vow to boot under-16s off social media and ban phones in schools

Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch pitches age limits and classroom curbs as fixes for behavior and mental health

Personal Tech12 Jan 2026 | 60

Cloudflare CEO threatens to make the Winter Olympics a political football after Italy slugs it with a fine

Labels Rome's comms regulator ‘a quasi-judicial body’ that works on behalf of ‘shadowy, European media cabal’

Legal12 Jan 2026 | 158

Malaysia and Indonesia block X over failure to curb deepfake smut

Asia in Brief PLUS: Cambodia arrests alleged scam camp boss; Baidu spins out chip biz; Panasonic’s noodle shop plan; And more!

Legal12 Jan 2026 | 29

UK government exempting itself from flagship cyber law inspires little confidence

ANALYSIS Ministers promise equivalent standards just without the legal obligation

Cyber-crime10 Jan 2026 | 40

Grok told to cover up as UK weighs action over AI 'undressing'

Image generation paywalled on X after ministers and regulators start asking awkward questions

AI + ML09 Jan 2026 | 116

Popular

Linus Torvalds keeps his ‘fingers and toes’ rule by decreeing next Linux will be version 7.0

But first, kernel 6.19 is upon us, with many goodies

Matrix is quietly becoming the chat layer for governments chasing digital sovereignty

FOSDEM 2026 One-to-one and group messaging, encrypted VoIP calls, video conferencing – the open protocol handles them all

Containers, cloud, blockchain, AI – it's all the same old BS, says veteran Red Hatter

Opinion After decades in the trenches, this engineer is done with hype cycles

This dev made a Llama with three inference engines

Meet llama3pure, a set of dependency-free inference engines for C, Node.js, and JavaScript

How the GNU C Compiler became the Clippy of cryptography

FOSDEM 2026 Security devs forced to hide Boolean logic from overeager optimizer

Tech support chap invented fake fix for non-problem and watched it spread across the office

Who, Me? You can fix all sorts of things with a paperclip, but not gullibility

Telcos aren't saying how they fought back against China's Salt Typhoon attacks

Infosec In Brief PLUS: OpenClaw teams with VirusTotal; Crypto kidnappings in France; Critical vulns at SmarterMail; And more

Machine learning could yield faster, cheaper lithium-ion battery development

Researchers claim model can cut years from testing cycles

BBC bumps telly tax to £180 as Netflix lurks with cheaper tiers

UK's pay-to-watch license fee gets inflation-linked hike amid funding debate

Indian police commissioner wants ID cards for AI agents

Asia In Brief PLUS: China broadens cryptocurrency crackdown; Australian facial recognition privacy revisited; Singapore debuts electric VTOL; and more!

MORE
STORIES

China to probe Meta’s acquisition of AI outfit Manus

Grab some popcorn for the Xi vs Zuck bout, which may not be the biggest fight on the card

AI + ML09 Jan 2026 | 2

Boffins probe commercial AI models, find an entire Harry Potter book

Dark copyright evasion magic makes light work of developers' guardrails

AI + ML09 Jan 2026 | 142

UK regulators swarm X after Grok generated nudes from photos

Lawyers say Musk's platform may face punishment under Online Safety Act priority offenses

AI + ML08 Jan 2026 | 123

Researchers poison stolen data to make AI systems return wrong results

Wanted: Chief Disinformation Officer to pollute company knowledge graphs

AI + ML06 Jan 2026 | 40

EU won't scrap tech regs just because Washington dislikes them

US trade body threatens software and services market access unless European approach changes

Legal05 Jan 2026 | 33

UK surveillance law still full of holes, watchdog warns

Investigatory Powers Commissioner says reforms have failed to close oversight gaps

Security18 Dec 2025 | 8

California DMV tells Tesla to ease off on those Autopilot claims

Full Self-Driving Capability marketing deemed a 'violation of state law'

AI + ML17 Dec 2025 | 25

X sues to protect Twitter brand Musk has been trying to kill

Lawsuit concedes the bird is still the word for many

Legal17 Dec 2025 | 55

UK.gov accused of Grinching Christmas by ignoring phone theft scourge

Six months after expert testimony, no one has yet dialed into promised summit on technical solutions

Personal Tech17 Dec 2025 | 28

Devs say Apple still flouting EU's Digital Markets Act six months on

Coalition for App Fairness warns App Store fees remain unlawful despite non-compliance ruling

Applications16 Dec 2025 | 20

US freezes $42B trade pact with UK over digital tax row

Tech Prosperity Deal paused after London resists pressure on online services levy

Public Sector16 Dec 2025 | 75

Denmark takes a Viking swing at VPN-enabled piracy

Minister insists 'modest' bill is not an assault on privacy-preserving tech

Networks15 Dec 2025 | 89

Legal protection for ethical hacking under Computer Misuse Act is only the first step

Opinion I'm dreaming of a white hat mass

Security15 Dec 2025 | 17

Here we go again: Microsoft in UK court over cloud licensing

Competition Appeal Tribunal to decide if multibillion-pound overcharging case can go to trial

SaaS12 Dec 2025 | 19

Reddit sues Australia to exempt itself from kids social media ban

Forum site says it’s potentially more harmful to users who don’t log in

Legal12 Dec 2025 | 71

Crypto-crasher Do Kwon jailed for 15 years over $40bn UST bust

Judge said his fraud was on 'epic, generational scale'

Legal12 Dec 2025 | 24

European cloud trade group says EU should have blocked VMware-Broadcom merger

Org argues that the approval process was flawed and regulators should have known better

Legal11 Dec 2025 | 12

Users report chaos as Legal Aid Agency stumbles back online after cyberattack

Exclusive Workers frustrated with security-first changes to workflows and teething issues

Cyber-crime11 Dec 2025 | 3

India’s government wants to set prices for the content AI companies use to train models

Proposes central body to collect royalties and dole out cash to creators

AI + ML11 Dec 2025 | 7

Australia bans teens from social media, but nobody thinks it'll really work

Still, the ban has reset expectations and may reduce harm, and that’s kind of enough

Legal09 Dec 2025 | 80

Google's AI training tactics land it in another EU antitrust fight

Brussels probes whether unpaid web and YouTube content – and rivals' lock-outs – amount to abuse of dominance

AI + ML09 Dec 2025 | 6

Feds bust nefarious plot to ship Nvidia H200s to China and hurt US

As Trump gives green light to ship Nvidia H200s to China and boost US

Systems09 Dec 2025 | 5

Care leavers mired in red tape trying to get their own records

UK data watchdog demands public sector improves subject access request processing

Legal09 Dec 2025 | 2

UK finally vows to look at 35-year-old Computer Misuse Act

As Portugal gives researchers a pass under cybersecurity law

Security09 Dec 2025 | 55

ICE-tracking app developer sues Trump admin after Apple spikes the software

Suit argues forcing Apple to remove app, and threatening dev with legal action is a First Amendment violation

Legal08 Dec 2025 | 62

X shuts down European Commission ad account after €120M fine announcement

Brussels accused of using Ad Composer quirk to post link disguised as a video

Personal Tech08 Dec 2025 | 90

Judge hints Vizio TV buyers may have rights to source code licensed under GPL

Tentative ruling signals a potential win for SFC’s copyleft enforcement push

Legal05 Dec 2025 | 56

EU metes out first-ever Digital Services Act fine, dings X for blue check deception

TikTok, by contrast, satisfied DSA concerns over its ad repository transparency

Legal05 Dec 2025 | 105

Lawyer's 6-year-old son uses AI to build copyright infringement generator

Rights holders had better buckle up for years of legal wrangling, IP lawyer tells The Reg

Legal03 Dec 2025 | 108

Landlord quirks leave thousands of flats stuck in the broadband slow lane

Openreach pushes for legal overhaul as apartments fall through fiber rollout gaps

Networks01 Dec 2025 | 96

UK Digital Services Tax raises £800M from global tech giants

Treasury haul beats early forecasts, yet captures only a fraction of the revenue generated in Britain

Off-Prem28 Nov 2025 | 18

VMware isn’t budging in its pursuit of Siemens for alleged unpaid licenses

Fresh court filings try to keep the case about copyright, and in US courts

Virtualization28 Nov 2025 | 35

Soup king Campbell’s parts ways with IT VP after ‘3D-printed chicken’ remarks

‘Our soup’s not toxic but this chap’s behavior was’ is the gist of the defense

Legal28 Nov 2025 | 107

Canadian data order risks blowing a hole in EU sovereignty

Updated OVH stuck between a rock and a hard place as investigators demand access

PaaS + IaaS27 Nov 2025 | 90

TSMC lawsuit claims former exec is probably leaking secrets to Intel

Chipzilla can certainly use foundry smarts, but denies the allegation

Legal27 Nov 2025 | 14

70-hour work weeks no longer enough for Infosys founder, who praises China’s 996 culture

Asia In Brief PLUS: Manga publishers win Cloudflare copyright case; India, EU to link payment systems; Storm over Australia’s weather website; And more!

Security24 Nov 2025 | 86

Lawsuit seeks to probe Uncle Sam's role in ICE-tracking app takedowns

EFF wants to know if citizens had their First Amendment rights violated

Applications21 Nov 2025 | 42

AI nudification site fined £55K for skipping age checks

Decision marks second penalty issued under the UK's Online Safety Act

Legal21 Nov 2025 | 79

TP-Link accuses rival Netgear of 'smear campaign' over alleged China ties

Networking vendor claims rival helped portray it as a national-security risk in the US

Security20 Nov 2025 | 11

Senators propose to let users sue tech giants for harmful algos

The latest attack on Section 230 is likely to face the same fate as many previous efforts

Legal19 Nov 2025 | 14

Brussels eyes AWS, Azure for gatekeeper tag in cloud clampdown

European Commission probes whether Amazon and Microsoft wield outsized control under Digital Markets Act

AWS Re:invent18 Nov 2025 | 4

Chinese web giant Tencent can't buy all the GPUs it wants

Getting by with a meager $2 billion quarterly capex – vastly less than rivals, but still cashing in on AI

PaaS + IaaS14 Nov 2025 | 4

Geopolitics push European CIOs to think local on cloud

Majority of customers plan to favor domestic providers as sovereignty fears rise

AWS Re:invent13 Nov 2025 | 13

Rhadamanthys malware admin rattled as cops seize a thousand-plus servers

Operation Endgame also takes down Elysium and VenomRAT infrastructure

Cyber-crime13 Nov 2025 | 2

Bitcoin bandit's £5B bubble bursts as cops wrap seven-year chase

Metropolitan Police lands lengthy sentence following 'complex' investigation

Legal12 Nov 2025 | 36

UK's Cyber Security and Resilience Bill makes Parliamentary debut

Various touch-ups added as MPs seek greater resilience to attacks on critical sectors

Security12 Nov 2025 | 15

EU's reforms of GDPR, AI slated by privacy activists for 'playing into Big Tech’s hands'

Lobbying efforts gain ground as proposals carve myriad holes into regulations

Legal11 Nov 2025 | 38

FBI prevails over convicted fraudster in $345M destroyed Bitcoin dispute

Counterfeiter failed to conjure a credible claim, appeals court rules

Legal06 Nov 2025 | 25

Tanzania back online after politically motivated five-day outage

Net access cut on election eve, resumed after widely-loathed president was sworn in after disputed poll

Public Sector05 Nov 2025 | 4

Amazon complains that Perplexity's agentic shopping bot is a terrible customer

Perplexity likens Amazon's legal threat to an attempt to ban access to ... wrenches?

AI + ML05 Nov 2025 | 45

UK judge delivers a 'damp squib' in Getty AI training case, no clear precedent set

Experts disagree about what the ruling means for AI training on copyrighted material

Legal04 Nov 2025 | 32

Metropolitan Police hails facial recognition tech after record year for arrests

But question marks remain over the tech’s biases

Security03 Nov 2025 | 35

Russia finally bites the cybercrooks it raised, arresting suspected Meduza infostealer devs

Rare case of the state turning on its own, but researchers say it may be doing so more often

Cyber-crime31 Oct 2025 | 8

Sole trader dispatched almost 1M spam texts to hard-up Brits, says watchdog

ICO fined Bharat Singh Chand £200,000 after receiving 19,138 complaints

Security29 Oct 2025 | 17

Zen Internet loses unfair dismissal appeal case with former CEO

Judges agree broadband biz didn't follow its own procedures when booting boss

Networks29 Oct 2025 | 25

Clearview AI faces criminal heat for ignoring EU data fines

Noyb says New York-based facial recognition biz flouted GDPR orders and kept scraping anyway

Legal28 Oct 2025 | 13

Twist in Tesco vs. VMware case as Computacenter files claim against Broadcom, Dell

As negotiations stalled, Broadcom feared Tesco no longer saw it as a long-term partner

Legal28 Oct 2025 | 62

Automattic accuses rival WordPress outfit WP Engine of ‘false advertising, and deceptive business practices’

UPDATED FOSS feud re-ignites with massive counter-claim

Legal27 Oct 2025 | 10

UN Cybercrime Treaty wins dozens of signatories, to go with its many critics

Allows surveillance and cross-border evidence sharing, which worries human rights groups

Cyber-crime27 Oct 2025 | 1

Australia sues Microsoft for misleading M365 users about Copilot subscription options

Asia In Brief PLUS: China demotes tech self-sufficiency goal; Alibaba Cloud quietly quits VMware; India demands deepfake labels; and more!

Legal27 Oct 2025 | 34

Apple faces £1.5B payout after losing UK App Store case

iPhone maker overcharged devs and users, says competition court

Applications24 Oct 2025 | 38

Reddit to Perplexity: Get your filthy hands off our forums

Updated Social media site continues legal campaign against those who take its content without a license

Legal22 Oct 2025 | 24

AI does a better job of ripping off the style of famous authors than MFA students do

Shall I refer thee to all those lawsuits about fair use? Researchers think this result makes them worth revisiting

AI + ML21 Oct 2025 | 24

Tribunal wonders if Microsoft has found a legal hero after pivot to copyright gambit

ValueLicensing dispute probes whether Office counts as a creative work

Software20 Oct 2025 | 19

Chamber of Commerce sues over Trump's $100K H-1B paywall

US biz lobby claims president overstepped his authority with proclamation demanding hefty visa fee

Legal17 Oct 2025 | 60

Labor unions sue Trump administration over social media surveillance

Updated Sharing views POTUS doesn't like? Say goodbye to that visa, First Amendment be damned

Legal17 Oct 2025 | 80

Literal crossed wires sent cops after innocent neighbors in child abuse case

Eight-year telco blunder had a profound impact on three wrongly accused in Wales

Networks17 Oct 2025 | 120

£2B UK cloud licensing claim against Microsoft seeks more business backers

Updated Action alleges Redmond unfairly hikes costs for businesses running Windows Server outside Azure

Software15 Oct 2025 | 5

Trump's anti-sustainability agenda comes to Eurozone

canalys emea forum 2025 ESG kicked like a 'toxic political football' amid greenwashing

CxO15 Oct 2025 | 128

Ofcom fines 4chan £20K and counting for pretending UK's Online Safety Act doesn't exist

Regulator warns penalties will pile up until internet toilet does its paperwork

Security13 Oct 2025 | 134

UK slaps 'strategic market status' on Google, unlocking power to pry open search

Competition watchdog can now meddle in how the tech giant runs the biggest wing of its organization

Off-Prem10 Oct 2025 | 18

Clearview AI sees red as UK tribunal sides with regulator over $10M GDPR fine

Court says ICO can chase US outfit for unlawfully hoovering up Brits' selfies

Databases09 Oct 2025 | 16

Nextcloud withdraws European Commission OneDrive bundling complaint

Blames 'lack of interest' from the EU policy enforcer for towel throwing

Public Sector09 Oct 2025 | 10

The price is wrong! California goes Bob Barker on algorithmic price rigging

When sellers collude through a computer algorithm, that doesn't make it right

Legal08 Oct 2025 | 15

Qualcomm in the dock over 'patent tax' on smartphones

Consumer group Which? says owners of Apple and Samsung devices overcharged by £480M

Systems06 Oct 2025 | 17

College student went on a destructive rampage, then confessed to ChatGPT, cops say

Police say they found the evidence on his phone

Legal02 Oct 2025 | 26

Judge dismisses Arm's last legal claim against Qualcomm in licensing spat

Chip designer tells The Reg it plans to appeal

Systems01 Oct 2025 | 9

Imgur yanks Brit access to memes as parent company faces fine

ICO investigation into platform's lack of age assurance continues

Security01 Oct 2025 | 75

£5.5B Bitcoin fraudster pleads guilty after years on the run

Zhimin Qian recruited takeaway worker to launder funds through property overseas

Legal30 Sep 2025 | 7

YouTube coughs up $24.5 million to make Trump 'censorship' case go away

Alphabet's vid-streamer will fund construction of a ballroom The Donald adores

Legal30 Sep 2025 | 67

The Register Biting the hand that feeds IT

About Us

Our Websites

Your Privacy

Situation Publishing

Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2025