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A new law has been passed against deepfakes in California.
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Monday.
- Two new laws have been passed in California aimed at stopping deepfakes in politics and porn. CNET reports that it's now illegal to distribute videos aimed at discrediting political candidates in California, and California residents now have the right to sue the makers of deepfake porn.
- Iran is planning to take legal action against the U.S. for alleged cyber attacks and threats on its networks, according to Bloomberg. Bloomberg says the plans were first reported by semi-official Iranian publication Tasnim News, after an interview with an Iranian general.
- Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedly forged close ties with President Donald Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump, and Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner. According to the Wall Street Journal, Cook will often flag to Trump's administration if he disagrees with a policy before publicly disavowing it.
- Startup investors are discussing the appeal of direct listings after disappointing returns from some of the industry's most anticipated tech IPOs, and blamed big banks for overhyping private companies on public markets. Iinvestors at TechCrunch Disrupt discussed the merit of direct listings to avoid flops like WeWork and Uber.
- Apple says that some iPhone 6S and 6S Plus models have a problem where a component can fail and prevent the phone from turning on. It only affects devices that were manufactured between October 2018 and August 2019, Apple says, and the company will fix the issue for free.
- The GM of Houston Rockets has deleted a pro-Hong Kong tweet after the Chinese consulate told him to 'correct the error'. According to CNBC, Daryl Morey has now apologised for the tweet.
- A smaller, less expensive iPhone could drive sales in early 2020, according to a prominent Apple analyst. According to CNBC, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks Apple's iPhone shipments could go up '10% year-over-year.'
- Dozens of death threats have been found in pro- and anti-Brexit Facebook groups. A BBC report uncovered the threats, which Facebook says it is investigating.
- Iranian Instagram star Sahar Tabar has been arrested for blasphemy, reports BBC News. The 22-year-old became famous for posts showing her extensive attempts to look like Angelina Jolie via plastic surgery.
- Elon Musk's plan to make chips that can be inserted into the human brain is equal parts impressive and unrealistic, according to two neuroscientists. Musk says chips developed by his company Neuralink could help people with neural disorders as well as eventually create human-AI hybrids - but scientists aren't so sure.
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