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Joshua Aaron, the developer of the ICE agent tracking app ICEBlock, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and ICE for unconstitutionally pressuring Apple to remove the app from its App Store. Apple pulled ICEBlock in early October after Justice Department officials contacted the company claiming that the app enables users to evade immigration raids and endangers ICE agents. The app, which has more than a million downloads, gives users notifications when ICE agents are nearby, and allows users to anonymously report the location of ICE agent activity, but only if they are located in the same area. Aarons lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks reinstatement of the app, plus appropriate damages. The case could reshape how tech platforms handle government requests, particularly when those requests come without formal warrants or court orders. The developer argues the app simply facilitates sharing of public information, similar to community apps that track traffic or weather. The lawsuit claims Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials violated Aarons rights by forcing the apps removal without a court order. The goal is pretty simplewere hoping to set a precedent that says not only is ICEBlock protected by the First Amendment but they cannot come after me and threaten me as they’ve been doing over the past year, Aaron tells Fast Company. If successful, the lawsuit could prevent the Justice Department or other federal agencies from depriving other lawful apps of distribution in the future. The ICEBlock app removal may be a case of an unconstitutional government tactic known as jawboning, in which a government official uses their official capacity to pressure a private sector entity to do something. In another recent example of the practice, FCC chairman Brendan Carr used an implicit threat of regulatory entanglement to pressure ABC and its affiliates to drop Jimmy Kimmels Kimmel Live show. Bondi may have admitted, in public, to jawboning, when she spoke on Fox Digital the night after Apples removal of ICEBlock on October 2, 2025. We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Storeand Apple did so, Bondi declared, according to the lawsuit. With this admission, Attorney General Bondi made plain that the United States government used its regulatory power to coerce a private platform to suppress First Amendment-protected expression, the suit states. Bondi again boasted of the ICEBlock take-down during a congressional oversight hearing two days later. But it may take more than Bondis public statements to prove that the government violated the First Amendment. The EFF, a digital rights group, recently filed suit to compel the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to release documentation of their communications with Apple and other tech platforms that led to the app removals. Meta removed a Facebook group with 80,000 members called ICE Sighting-Chicagoland at the request (or demand) of the government. Chicago residents had been using the apps to warn neighbors when the masked federal agents were near area schools, grocery stores, and other community locations. Google removed an ICE tracking app called Red Dot from its Google Play store, saying the app violated its policy against apps that share the location of what it describes as a vulnerable group. Large tech companies have largely overlooked the authoritarian tendencies of the Trump administration, choosing instead to appease and coddle it, and capitulate to its demands. The tech industry is engaged in investing trillions in AI, and wants the administration to continue hobbling the governments normal regulation and oversight. Precedent may be on Aarons side. There is a long history that shows documenting law enforcement performing their duties in public is protected First Amendment activity, Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Mario Trujillo tells Fast Company. The government acted unlawfully when it demanded Apple remove ICEBlock, while threatening others with prosecution. Reuters reported that members of the House Homeland Security committee argued in a letter to tech companies that free speech does not protect incitement to lawless action, and called on them to explain how they vet and monitor such content. Apple cited its App Store guidelines prohibiting content that poses “safety risks” as justification for the removal, but critics argue the vague policy allows for arbitrary enforcement influenced by government pressure. As AppleInsiders Wesley Hilliard points out, the App Store carries the Waze and Apple Maps apps, both of which allow users to post information about nearby traffic enforcement personnel.
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E-Commerce
On December 5, the entertainment world was rocked when Netflix and Warner Bros. announced a massive deal that set Netflix up to purchase the legendary Hollywood studio, creating one of the largest media entities of all time. Today, Paramount Skydancewhich has been vying for Warner Bros. for monthsappears to be saying, Not so fast. Paramount Skydance, the David Ellison-led company fresh off of its own merger earlier this year, has been circling around a potential buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery (Warner Bros. parent company) since at least September. Last week, it appeared that Netflix was swooping in to snatch a large part of the deal. And now, Paramount Skydance has countered with a hostile takeover bid to secure Warner Bros. Discovery once and for all. Heres everything you need to know about the saga and whats at stake. Whats the backstory? Back in early September, initial reports emerged that Paramount Skydance was preparing a bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, one of its rivals. The following month, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed that it was open to a potential sale in a press release, sharing that it had received unsolicited interest from multiple parties for the entire company. Paramount Skydance and Netflix were two of the top contenders identified for the deal. In late October, Reuters reported that Ellisons initial $60 billion approach offer was rejected by Warner Bros. Discovery, though analysts still pegged Paramount Skydance as the most likely victor in the bidding wars. Then, on December 5, Netflix and Warner Bros. came forward to announce a deal in which Netflix would purchase the legendary Hollywood studio, along with its HBO Max and HBO divisions, for a total enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion (which Netflix says has an equity value of $72 billion). The agreement came after Warner Bros. Discovery announced this summer that it would split the current company into two, with the newly created companies owning its Streaming & Studios assets and Global Networks divisions, respectively. Through the proposed acquisition, Netflix would be buying the Streaming & Studios company that will spin off from Warner Bros. Discovery next year. Paramount Skydance, on the other hand, had expressed interest in buying all of Warner Bros. Discoverys assets. How did people react to the Netflix deal? Experts say that the colossal Netflix-Warner Bros. deal would give the worlds largest streaming service access to a giant library of valuable IP, including the Harry Potter film franchise, the DC Universe, Barbie, and more. The proposed deal sparked immediate concerns that Netflix might gain too much of a monopoly within the entertainment industry, potentially allowing the company to bump up its subscription prices. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the deal an anti-monopoly nightmare in a statement. It would create one massive media giant with control of nearly half of the streaming marketgiving Americans fewer choices over what and how they watch, and putting American workers at risk, she wrote on X. Another notable commentator was President Trump, who said on December 7 that the deal could be a problem because of the size of the combined market share. What’s happening now? Now, it seems that the Netflix deal could be on shaky ground. On December 8, Paramount Skydance announced that it would go straight to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders with an all-cash, $30-per-share offer that equates to an enterprise value of about $108.4 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly rejected the deal last week, but now its investors will get a chance to weigh in. This tactic is called a hostile takeover bid, and its intended to put pressure on a target company by recruiting its shareholders on the side of the deal. Were really here to finish what we started, Ellison told CNBC this morning. He added: Were sitting on Wall Street, where cash is still king. We are offering shareholders $17.6 billion more cash than the deal they currently have signed up with Netflix, and we believe when they see what it is currently in our offer, thats what theyll vote for. At this point, the deal is in limbo as shareholders react to Ellisons new offer. And, no matter which company comes out victorious, the acquisition is likely to face regulatory fights to determine whether the megamerger truly represents a media monopoly.
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E-Commerce
For global companies, Africas promise has long been tempered by a persistent operational myth: that the continent is not ready for complex business. The reality is different, however. The barrier isn’t a lack of demand, but the inability of traditional global systems to handle Africas unique financial landscape. Nearly 400 million African adults remain on the fringes of the formal financial system, yet digital adoption is exploding. The conversation has decisively shifted from basic financial access to a more critical question: How can multinationals efficiently manage their core operations like paying suppliers, collecting revenue, and moving money across borders, in such a complex environment? WHY AFRICAN FINTECH IS THE SOLUTION Global payment giants are built for standardized, mature markets. African fintech companies have grown from basic payment services into essential partners. Their key strength is building the specialized digital backbone that businesses need to operate. The most important work of African fintech isn’t consumer-facing. Today, it’s happening behind the scenes, where it solves two fundamental problems at once: domestic fragmentation and global isolation. Internally, their platforms help large companies easily pay hundreds of suppliers across different African countries at once, in local currencies. Externally, they are building the rails for African businesses to trade with the world. For instance, they provide a secure infrastructure for African merchants to pay or receive payments from a partner in East Asia. This dual capability avoids the delays, high fees, and headaches of old systems, keeping supply chains running smooth. African fintech systems are crucial for global money transfer companies, allowing them to send payments directly to people anywhere, even remote areas, not just major cities. This same technology is also built into key industries like agriculture and logistics. It provides instant payments to farmers and handles complex freight payments, solving critical cash flow problems for businesses. This is not e-commerce, this is the essential financial plumbing for Africa’s real economy. The role of regulators has also evolved. Its no longer just about enabling data sharing. Progressive regulators are now collaborating with fintechs to design cross-border payment frameworks and digital identity systems that secure high-value B2B transactions. This proactive engagement is creating a more stable and predictable environment for large-scale investment. Similarly, deep integration with telcos goes beyond consumer mobile money. It’s about leveraging vast agent networks and mobile penetration to create secure, corporate-grade channels for business operations, from distributing payroll to settling invoices with small-scale retailers. The data underscores this shift. According to the GSMA’s 2025 report, Africa processed $1.1 trillion in mobile money value in 2024, accounting for 66% of the global total. Digital payments in Africa are growing rapidly, with transaction values expected to continue their strong upward trajectory. But the real story is in the nature of these transactions: Increasingly, they are sophisticated, high-value B2B flows. Multinationals must now strategically partner with African fintechs to succeed. This is crucial for their proven pan-African networks and deep understanding of local rules and markets. The future of business on the continent will be built on this connected infrastructure. By working with these fintechs, global companies aren’t just overcoming a barrier; they are plugging into Africa’s most powerful driver for growth. Olugbenga GB Agboola is founder and CEO of Flutterwave.
Category:
E-Commerce
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