Julianne McShane reports: Last month, Louisiana became the first state to begin classifying misoprostol and mifepristone—the two pills used in medication abortion—as schedule IV controlled substances. The move, driven by anti-abortion Republicans and unsupported by evidence, left the state’s doctors bracing for the worst—the pills also are used to manage miscarriages and treat postpartum hemorrhages, and the new law requires…
Author: Dissent
Texas Legislature to Consider Sweeping AI Legislation in 2025
Matthew Shapanka, Jayne Ponder, and August Gweon of Covington and Burling write: On October 28, Texas State Representative Giovanni Capriglione (R-Tarrant County) released a draft of the Texas Responsible AI Governance Act (“TRAIGA”), after nearly a year collecting input from industry stakeholders. Representative Capriglione, who authored Texas’s Data Privacy and Security Act (discussed here) and currently co-chairs the state’s AI Advisory Council, appears likely…
Explicit deepfake scandal shuts down Pennsylvania school
Ashley Belanger reports: An AI-generated nude photo scandal has shut down a Pennsylvania private school. On Monday, classes were canceled after parents forced leaders to either resign or face a lawsuit potentially seeking criminal penalties and accusing the school of skipping mandatory reporting of the harmful images. The outcry erupted after a single student created…
Tech Companies Push Back on Vietnam’s Proposed Data Protection Law
Scott Ikeda reports: Vietnam’s draft of a new data protection law has sparked pushback from US tech companies, who have been eyeing the country as one of Asia’s leading growth markets. The tech companies primarily object to what would be stringent international data transfer terms, and the ability of the government to demand that data…