Congress is moving to establish national safety standards for self-driving cars, while tech companies face scrutiny over app store practices and content moderation. The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the SELF DRIVE Act on Tuesday, aiming to override state-level restrictions on autonomous vehicles, according to Fox News. Simultaneously, Apple and Google agreed to modify their app stores in the UK following intervention by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and Discord announced it would require age verification for access to adult content.
The SELF DRIVE Act, sponsored by Rep. Bob Latta, aims to address questions of public safety and establish a framework for the future of autonomous vehicles, as reported by Fox News. The CMA's intervention in the UK resulted in agreements from Apple and Google to not give preferential treatment to their own apps and to be transparent about the app approval process, according to BBC Technology. The CMA's head, Sarah Cardell, stated the commitments "will boost the UK's app economy."
Discord's new safety measures, which will roll out globally from early March, will require users to verify their age with a face scan or ID to access adult content, BBC Technology reported. The online chat service, which has over 200 million monthly users, aims to protect users by placing everyone into a teen-appropriate experience "by default." Discord already implements age verification in the UK and Australia to comply with online safety laws.
In other tech news, a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Tuesday discussed how foreign adversaries allegedly fund U.S. agitator groups, according to Fox News. Former tech mogul Neville Roy Singham was regularly named in the discussion.
Additionally, a landmark trial began in California examining the mental health effects of Instagram and YouTube, with lawyers accusing the companies of creating "addiction machines," as reported by BBC Technology. Mark Lanier, representing the plaintiff, argued that his client suffered from mental health issues due to social media addiction. Lawyers for Meta and YouTube countered that the addiction stemmed from other issues.
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