A Texas Federal Judge issues a preliminary injunction against the App Store Accountability Act on First Amendment grounds, the Italian Competition Authority orders Meta to suspend the policy banning outside AI chatbots on WhatsApp, and a Waymo postmortem breaks down the breakdown during the San Francisco blackout.
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Show Notes
Waymo released a postmortem breaking down the taxi service breakdown due to the San Francisco blackout over the weekend. Regarding the spike in vehicles requesting confirmation checks over handling dark traffic signals, which turn into 4-way stops, the statement reads, “This created a backlog that, in some cases, led to response delays contributing to congestion on already-overwhelmed streets.” Waymo will push an update to improve vehicle context about regional outages, and will coordinate with San Francisco authorities to better implement emergency response protocols using data from this event.
On Tuesday, a Federal Judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction against the App Store Accountability Act, noting it likely violated the First Amendment. The act, originally set to be in force in January 2026, would require app stores to create a method for those under 18 years of age to obtain parental consent to make purchases in and even to download apps in the first place. Judge Pitman noted the act would be akin to bookstores needing to verify customer ages upon entering and requiring parental approval for under-18s to visit and/or buy a book.
Source: New York Times
Beginning in 2026, Apple will allow third-party iOS app stores to operate in Brazil and let developers use external payment systems. Apple will still be able to charge fees and any warnings about the third-party app stores and external payment options must use neutral language. Apple must implement the changes within 105 days and could face fines of up to $27 million USD if it does not comply. Europe and Japan previously regulated Apple open up to third-party stores, and external payment links are available in the US.
Source: The Verge
On Tuesday, the Bolivian government issued a new decree waiving previous restrictions on internet satellite companies operating within the country. In 2024 the government denied a license to SpaceX, disallowing Starlink in Bolivia over concerns regarding data protection and national sovereignty issues. Ookla, known for a speedtesting tool, published a report in November finding Bolivia had the slowest internet speeds for broadband and mobile within South America. Brazil is the current fastest and Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz hopes to “reduce the digital divide”.
Source: ABC News
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) ordered Meta to suspend its policy banning companies from using their own AI chatbots on WhatsApp. Meta argued the WhatsApp API isn’t designed to be a distribution platform for chatbots, and there are other options available for businesses to use AI bots from outside providers. The order could affect the availability of AI chatbots from OpenAI, Perplexity, and others and goes into effect in January 2026. Meta will appeal the decision.
Source: TechCrunch
Samsung announced the lineup of 2026 gaming monitors, including the Odyssey 3D G90XH, the first 6k display with “glasses-free 3D”. The 32-inch ISP panel uses real-time eye-tracking for managing the 3D effects and has a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. The refresh rate can be changed to 330Hz using Dual Mode, which switches to a 3k display. A non-3D version, the Odyssey G8, will also be available. No prices or launch date have yet been announced.
Source: The Verge
Korean YouTube channel OMG_electronics posted a test of the Samsung Galaxy TriFold, folding it repeatedly over many days. Samsung claims the TriFold was tested internally with 200,000 folds, simulating 100 folds per day for 5 years. The YouTube video shows the device making a creaking sound on a hinge around 61,000 folds, with the another hinge making a sound around 121,000 folds, and around 144,000 folds the device had to be forced strongly to fully open and became more difficult to open and close, though the screen remained fully functional throughout. The Galaxy Z TriFold will be available in the US in early 2026.
Source: 9to5google
Nvidia’s GeForce Now game streaming service updated it’s FAQ to announce play time will be limited to 100 hours per month, adding extra fees for extra play time. Performance plan subscribers, which costs $9.99/month, can add a 15 hour block for $2.99 while the Ultimate tier, which is $19.99/month, will be charged $5.99 for the extra time. Gamers not using all 100 hours in a given month will have 15 hours rolled over into the next. Founding members remain exempt from this new restriction, maintaining the unlimited playtime for life, and the ad-supported free tier remains available for sessions limited to an hour at a time.
Source: PCMag