8-minute read | 1,800 words

What to know this week

Meta and YouTube case kicks off.

Opening statements begin for a major tech addiction lawsuit in California.

FISA section set to expire in April.

Section 702, which authorizes the government to conduct warrantless electronic surveillance, will expire in April.

This week's full stories

Major tech addiction lawsuit kicks off.

THE NEWS

On Monday, a California lawsuit involving Meta’s and YouTube's impact on minors kicked off. This case is originally tied to a lawsuit involving a twenty-year-old California woman accusing these social media platforms of creating addictive features which lead to her personal injury and other harm.

In her argument, the woman alleges that she became hooked on YouTube and Instagram as a child, creating mental health issues. Meta has disputed these claims, arguing that the plaintiff’s mental health issues were caused by familial abuse and struggles, not social media.

This lawsuit brings significant implications, as a win for the plaintiff could open these platforms up to significant liabilities for users’ well-being. Further, if the plaintiff won, this outcome could result in more lawsuits being filed against social media platforms, increasing monetary damages, and potentially impacting how platforms are designed.

In the case’s opening, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, described these companies' goals as:

“They didn’t just build apps, they built traps. They didn’t want users, they wanted addicts.”

Additionally, in the opening, Lanier released a substantial amount of internal documents dating back to 2011, which showed that the company executives knew of and discussed how these social media platforms would impact children.

For example, one internal Meta document noted:

“If we want to win big with teens, we must bring them in as tweens.”

Notably, TikTok and Snap were originally included in this lawsuit; however, these two companies settled.

THE KNOWLEDGE

This California case coincides with dozens of other cases filed across the country aimed at holding social media companies more accountable for their impacts on their users. For example, opening statements also kicked off on another trial in New Mexico for Meta regarding similar concerns. More specifically, that case ties back to 2023 when the state’s attorney general, Raul Torrez, sued the company for allowing predators on their platform and utilizing chatbots that harmed young people.

Another standout lawsuit includes one that was filed by thirty-three states, which claims Meta routinely collects data on children under thirteen without parental consent. In these states’ complaint, they emphasized:

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to maximize its financial gains and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms.”

One of the key defenses that social media companies plan to use is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. For context, this section provides immunity to online platforms from civil liability. For some time, this section has seen substantial criticism, as many have argued that it has created too large a shield for big tech. 

While these legal matters will likely take years to be fully resolved, they hold the potential to significantly impact how these platforms operate and handle content moderation.

THE IMPACT

As this trial and dozens of similar cases continue to move forward, their outcomes could reshape how courts, regulators, and the public engage with social media platforms and who bears responsibility when it comes to user harm. 

Rulings that favor plaintiffs would likely weaken the broad protections social media companies have relied on, such as Section 230. These cases will ultimately test whether that immunity extends to application design, such as algorithmic design choices and engagement-driven features. These rulings could significantly impact how regulators and lawmakers approach tech liability frameworks as they work to introduce relevant legislation. This outcome would mark a significant change in how tech companies have been treated within the United States (US).

Outside of these cases, these lawsuits are representative of the growing pressures to address how these companies have engaged with minors for years. Features like infinite scroll, autoplay, and algorithmic recommendations will likely face greater scrutiny by lawmakers at both the federal and state levels and be addressed in proposed legislation. 

Key FISA Section set to expire.

THE NEWS

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 was enacted to provide stronger judicial and congressional oversight of foreign surveillance activities without sacrificing the secrecy needed to monitor national security threats. However, a key section of the bill, known as Section 702, is set to expire on April 20th this year.

For context, Section 702 allows the US government to identify threat actors and their networks and obtain a detailed view of their targets. Further, Section 702 allows US intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless electronic surveillance against non-US persons outside the US and compel tech companies to assist with these efforts. 

Some other key aspects of Section 702 include:

• Agencies did not need to provide information about the target to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
• Targets do not need to be “foreign powers” or “agents of foreign powers.”
• A US person’s data is not excluded from being collected if a US person is communicating with a 702 target.

The debate over whether or not to reauthorize Section 702 comes as the White House met with lawmakers to discuss a potential path forward. Reportedly, the White House Chief of Staff and top military and intelligence officials met with Representatives Jim Jordan and Rick Crawford to discuss Section 702. In this meeting, the White House is looking for Section 702 to be reauthorized for at least eighteen months or upwards of three years.

THE KNOWLEDGE

This is not the first time Section 702 has attracted significant attention, as in 2024, the Section was also considered for reauthorization. While the surveillance tool was eventually reauthorized, lawmakers attempted to both revise it and narrowly pass it. 

For context, Congress reauthorized Section 702 in the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, where lawmakers attempted to impose notable changes. The first of which involved requiring intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant before conducting US person queries. While this amendment was ultimately defeated, the bill did manage to limit these queries by prohibiting those that were aimed at finding and extracting evidence of criminal activity.

Another major change also involved broadening the definition of electronic communication service providers (ECSPs). With this revision, the government was now able to compel a larger range of entities to assist with surveillance efforts under Section 702. 

The decision to reauthorize a critical intelligence tool comes shortly after Congress became embroiled in an effort to reauthorize the 2015 Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) in the fall of 2025. While Congress did eventually extend the bill's powers, this reauthorization was only temporary, as it is set to expire again on September 30, 2026. For context, this law was passed to provide significant clarity about the lawfulness of cybersecurity information sharing and created privacy protections among many other key aspects. Through this law, organizations increased their sharing efforts in both the private and public sectors. While both the White House and security experts have routinely praised the bill and pushed for its reauthorization, it is unclear how this debate will look in September. 

THE IMPACT

If Section 702 is not reauthorized, US intelligence agencies would lose one of their most widely utilized and impactful tools for collecting foreign intelligence. Officials have argued that any lapse, even temporarily, could significantly limit their abilities to monitor overseas networks and respond to risks promptly.

However, the debate surrounding reauthorization reflects a growing concern over how this authority has been used and its impacts on US citizens. While reforms were attempted in 2024, it is clear that these efforts were not enough for critics who have continued to emphasize the dangers related to government-sanctioned surveillance and privacy infringement.

While the previous reauthorization debate ended with a last-minute deal, the increasing politicization alongside the struggles to reauthorize CISA suggest that any renewal will be highly contentious. Whether Congress aims to have a long-term extension or utilize another short patch, this decision will have significant implications for US surveillance capabilities and digital privacy rights.

This Week's Caveat Podcast: Another week, another AI story.

Dave Bittner and Ben Yelin discussed two key issues. The first involves Moltboot, the rapidly growing AI-only social network, and the legal implications of the platform. The second story involves how AI is impacting the legal system and oftentimes creating significant hindrances by creating fake legal citations.

Listen to the episode now.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY STORIES

Discord to require face scan or ID for access.

What: Discord will roll out new age assurance technologies to access its platform.

Why: On Monday, Discord announced that, in March, all user accounts will have “teen-appropriate experience” settings by default, which will impose stricter communication and content settings. Users can change these settings by submitting a video selfie for age analysis or uploading a form of identification. 

Discord also stated that it will use an age inference model to help determine adult accounts without using age verification techniques. This model will base its decisions on account information such as account tenure, devices, activity data, and similar data.

Discord’s head of product policy, Savannah Badalich, released a statement commenting on this update, emphasizing:

“We design our products with teen safety principles at the core and will continue working with safety experts, policymakers, and Discord users to support meaningful, long-term wellbeing for teens on the platform.”

FEB 9, 2026 | Source: The Hill

Europe accuses TikTok of addictive designs.

What: European Union (EU) regulators stated that TikTok’s design features are most likely illegal.

Why: On Friday, the European Commission released a preliminary decision that TikTok’s application features, including its infinite scroll, auto-play features, and algorithm, contribute to an “addictive design” and violate European Union online safety laws. With these findings, TikTok would be required to overhaul these features or face significant regulatory fines.

The European Commission stated:

“TikTok needs to change the basic design of its service.”

TikTok pushed back on these claims, emphasizing:

“The Commission’s preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform.”

FEB 6, 2026 | Source: The New York Times

Google secures EU antitrust approval.

What: Google has secured the EU’s approval for its acquisition of Wiz.

Why: On Tuesday, Google gained the EU antitrust regulators’ approval to acquire Wiz for $32 billion. With their approval, regulators stated that the deal would not raise any competition concerns.

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera stated:

“Google stands behind Amazon and Microsoft in terms of market shares in cloud infrastructure, and our assessment confirmed that customers will continue to have credible alternatives and the ability to switch providers.”

FEB 10, 2026 | Source: Reuters