Rowa's Thoughts
Longer, more personal takes on tech policy, privacy, and digital rights.
Brussels Wants to Call the Cloud a "Gatekeeper." That's a Bigger Deal Than the Headline Sounds.
The EU thinks AWS and Azure should get the same "gatekeeper" label reserved for Google Search and the App Store. The reasoning this time is about AI, and it's the first real test of whether that legal category can reach the infrastructure nobody sees.
Australia Just Told Big Tech: Pay Eight Publishers, Not Just One
Australia's original news bargaining law let platforms cut one convenient deal and call it compliance. The rewrite closes that loophole with a number: pay eight publishers, or pay a levy instead.
Roblox Said Its Age Checks Worked. Australia's Own Testers Proved Otherwise.
Roblox rolled out chat-access age checks in Australia. Then eSafety tested the feature itself, and found adults could still contact children. Here's why the audit requirement in the fix matters more than the fine.
The US Just Cut Off Zimbabwe's Health Funding Over a Data Clause. Here's What Was Actually In It.
A proposed $367 million health deal collapsed over one clause: Zimbabwe would hand over sensitive health data with no reciprocal sharing and no guaranteed access to anything developed from it. Now all US health funding ends.
China Just Created a New Category for Companies That Hold 10 Million People's Data
China's draft rules create a new "large-scale personal information handler" tier on top of its existing privacy law. It's the same pattern regulators everywhere keep reaching for: rules that scale with a company's reach.
Six Authors Turned Down $3,000 to Bet They Can Get $150,000 Instead
Anthropic's $1.5 billion book-piracy settlement pays about $3,000 per work. Six authors, including a two-time Pulitzer winner, opted out to sue Anthropic and five other AI companies individually instead — for $150,000 per title, per company. Here's why that's a genuinely interesting bet.
Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines Are Writing the Same Rule at Three Different Speeds
Indonesia banned under-16 social media accounts in March. Malaysia started checking IDs in June. The Philippines is still debating it. Same rule, same region, three completely different timelines — and that gap is the actual story.
Will TikTok Actually Join Meta's $17.1 Billion Settlement? Here's My Read.
$5 billion of Meta's child-safety settlement only gets paid if TikTok, YouTube, and Snap agree to match its new rules. TikTok has already rejected Meta's ad campaign pushing it to join. Snap looks like it's already halfway there. Here's why I don't think TikTok folds the same way.
The EU Just Made AI Labeling Mandatory. Does Your Country?
As of August 2, every deepfake and AI-generated image, video, or audio clip in the EU legally has to say so. I think that's one of the most fundamental digital rights we have right now — and most of the world still doesn't have it.
Shein, Celsius, and Revolve Are Getting Sued Over Influencer Posts
The FTC's own Endorsement Guides spell out the disclosure standard, and its December warning letters show it's starting to enforce it. Meanwhile private plaintiffs are seeking over $1.1 billion in class-action claims against five major brands. Here's what actually counts as a violation, and how to check what your state requires.
153 Million Driver's Licenses Just Got Stolen. I Never Even Got a Notification.
I, like a lot of you, have had my data breached and sold to data brokers before. I never once received a notification about it. Turns out that's not an accident, it's because breach notification requirements are completely different depending on where you live.
India's New Deepfake Rules: 3 Hours to Take It Down
India's new IT Rules amendment gives platforms three hours to remove flagged AI-generated content or lose their legal safe harbor. That's one of the fastest deadlines I've seen anywhere in the world.
When Your Government Cuts the Internet, Your Only Option Is a VPN or a Starlink
Sudan, India, Uganda, and a growing list of others have all shut down the internet during protests this year, leaving people with exactly two options to stay connected. Here's what that actually looks like, and how to check if your own government is legally allowed to do it.
A $21 Million Lawsuit Over One Opinion Piece
A Malaysian property company is suing veteran journalist P. Gunasegaram for RM100 million over a single opinion column. Journalists get harassed for doing their jobs all over the world — the real question is whether your country actually protects them when it happens.
Arrested for Criticizing a Government Official Online
Nigerian police tracked a man's social media posts, staked out his hotel, and detained him at a facility with a reputation for torture — all because he criticized a government official. Amnesty International calls it unlawful. Here's what happened, and how to find out if it could happen where you live.
12,000 Arrests Over Social Media Posts. Really?
Elon Musk called the UK 'real fascism' after a number went viral: over 12,000 arrests tied to online posts. The number is real. What it actually means is more complicated than the headline.
The UK (and Australia) Are Rewriting the Rules for Kids Online
The UK just announced a full social media ban for under-16s, plus overnight app curfews for 16 and 17 year olds. It goes further than Australia's version. Two countries have decided minors need real legal protection online — most of the world hasn't.
Welcome to Rowa's Thoughts
Why I'm starting this space, and what you can expect to find here.