law firms

The UN has published an updated blacklist of companies operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, adding 61 firms accused of involvement in human rights violations against Palestinians. The list, maintained by the UN Human Rights Council, names companies across sectors such as construction, finance, and technology that do business in settlements considered illegal under international law. Israeli officials reject the move, while rights groups have long pressed for greater corporate accountability in the region.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission has fined Google €403 million following an inquiry into how the company processes users' location data. The decision, announced by the Irish watchdog, marks one of the larger penalties issued under EU data protection rules and adds to a series of enforcement actions against major technology firms over their handling of personal information.

Law firms are using artificial intelligence to speed up legal research, document review and drafting, cutting the hours needed for many tasks. Corporate clients are now pushing back on bills, arguing that if AI makes legal work faster and cheaper to produce, the savings should be passed on to them rather than retained as higher firm margins.

United States authorities have arrested executives of the forensics software firm Oxygen Forensics, charging them with concealing that the company was controlled by Russian interests and that its software was developed in Russia. The case is drawing attention because the firm's tools are reportedly used by law enforcement and security agencies, raising questions about undisclosed foreign control in sensitive technology supply chains.

A new federal bill has been introduced proposing a nationwide ban on the corporate practice of medicine, which would bar corporations from owning or controlling medical practices. Law firm analysis notes the proposal could have wide-reaching effects on health care businesses, private equity investors and physician groups that rely on corporate structures.

Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley, along with Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley, have reintroduced legislation that would stop federal government use of facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technology. The measure, first put forward in earlier sessions of Congress, targets concerns over misidentification, privacy violations and disproportionate policing of communities of color, renewing a debate among civil liberties groups, law enforcement agencies and technology firms.

A startup has filed a legal claim accusing AI search company Perplexity of misappropriating its voice technology for use in AI assistants. The suit, reported by Bloomberg Law, alleges the company took the startup's voice tech without authorization. The case adds to a growing list of intellectual property disputes between startups and larger AI firms.