Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion
NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix has struck a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, the Hollywood giant behind “Harry Potter” and HBO Max. The $72 billion deal announced Friday would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry. If approved by regulators, the merger would put two of the world’s biggest streaming services under the same ownership — and join Warner’s television and motion picture division, including DC Studios, with Netflix’s vast library and its production arm, which has released popular titles such as “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.”
Notable early reaction to Netflix's deal to acquire Warner Bros.
NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix's $72 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. studio has sparked reactions from the worlds of entertainment, politics and business. Michael O’Leary, CEO of Cinema United, warns that Netflix's model could harm theaters and communities. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren calls the deal an “anti-monopoly nightmare,” fearing higher prices and fewer choices. Former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar believes it will reduce competition. And the Producers Guild of America said Friday that a key test for Netflix to pass is whether the deal “promotes opportunities for workers and artists, empowers consumers with choices, and upholds freedom of speech.”
Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts’ highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state’s lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit filed in 2024 by state Attorney General Andrea Campbell alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. The lawsuit is among a growing number that have been filed in federal and state court against Meta, which argues it has taken a number of steps to keep children safe online.
Georgia Power says it needs a huge increase in power capacity to meet data center demand
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's largest utility wants to spend more than $15 billion to increase its electricity capacity by 50% over the next six years to serve data centers. It would be one of the biggest buildouts to meet the demand from developers of artificial intelligence. The five elected Republicans on Georgia's Public Service Commission will vote on the request by Georgia Power on Dec. 19. The decision comes as electricity bills have emerged as a potent political issue. In Georgia, voters ousted two incumbent Republicans in favor of Democrats last month. Those Democrats won in campaigns that centered on Georgia Power bill increases, even though the company agreed to a three-year rate freeze.
EU hits Elon Musk's X with 120 million euro fine for breaching bloc's social media law
LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators have fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X 120 million euros for failing to comply with digital regulations. The European Commission issued the decision after a two-year investigation under the Digital Services Act. This rulebook requires platforms to protect European users and clean up harmful content. Regulators said X, formerly known as Twitter, breached transparency requirements. They cited issues with X’s blue checkmarks, which they called “deceptive,” and failures in its ad database and data access for researchers. The decision could upset President Donald Trump, who has criticized Brussels’ digital regulations.
Cloudflare says service restored after outage that brought down sites including Zoom and LinkedIn
MADRID (AP) — Cloudflare reports that it has resolved an outage that disrupted several global websites, including LinkedIn and Zoom. This marks the second such incident for the company in less than three weeks. On Friday, Cloudflare said the issue stemmed from a change in how its firewall handles requests, not an attack. Edinburgh airport experienced a brief shutdown but later said it was unrelated to Cloudflare. Last month, Microsoft and Amazon also faced outages affecting their cloud services. Cyber security experts warn that such outages are growing more common as organizations rely on a few companies for security and web solutions.
France intercepts illegal drone overflight at nuclear submarine base
PARIS (AP) — French officials are investigating an illegal drone overflight of the Atlantic coast base for France's nuclear-armed submarines. Several drones were detected over the Île Longue base in Brittany on Thursday night. This base is home to France's four nuclear ballistic missile submarines. Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin confirmed on Friday that troops intercepted an overflight but didn't specify how. The identity and motives of the pilots is unclear. Vautrin emphasized that overflights of military sites are prohibited. A number of EU countries have recently reported mysterious drone flights. Some caused airport shutdowns. Russia has been blamed for several airspace violations.
US health department unveils strategy to expand its adoption of AI technology
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has outlined a new strategy to expand its use of artificial intelligence. The 20-page document builds on the Trump administration’s enthusiastic embrace of the rapidly advancing technology. The strategy calls for embracing a “try-first” culture for AI among the workforce and encourages employees to use chatbots and AI assistants for daily tasks. It also calls for the creation of a suite of AI resources that can be used across the department. Experts said the bold plan was worth celebrating but warned that the government's embrace of AI tools shouldn't come at the expense of safety.
One Tech Tip: Up your Christmas shopping game with AI tools
AI-powered shopping assistants have become a staple in online retail, making shopping easier and more convenient. This month, new AI tools have launched just in time for the holiday season. Amazon's Rufus chatbot, Walmart's Sparky, and Target's holiday gift finder are among the latest offerings. These chatbots aim to simplify finding the perfect gift by allowing conversational searches. General-purpose AI shopping tools, like those from OpenAI and Google, can search multiple sites for personalized recommendations. Virtual try-on tools and agentic AI for purchasing are also gaining traction, enhancing the online shopping experience.
Russia restricts FaceTime, its latest step in controlling online communications
Russian authorities say they have imposed restrictions on Apple's video calling service FaceTime, alleging it was being used for organizing what it called “terrorist activities.” Thursday's announcement marks another step in Russia's ongoing effort to control internet and online communications. In recent years, Russia has adopted restrictive laws and blocked noncompliant websites and platforms. After the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the government blocked major social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Access to YouTube also was disrupted. Authorities have further restricted internet access with widespread shutdowns of cellphone connections. Critics say these measures are aimed at tightening internet control.
