Amazon is facing a new lawsuit over allegations that it secretly tracked consumers’ locations and sold their data without consent. The complaint, filed Wednesday, Jan. 29, in a San Francisco federal court, claims the tech giant embedded tracking software into mobile apps to collect location data.

According to the complaint, Amazon collected data on daily routines, travel patterns and visits to sensitive locations such as medical offices and religious centers. The plaintiffs claim this happened without users’ knowledge or permission.

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Allstate faces similar accusations

Amazon isn’t the only company under scrutiny for data privacy concerns. Allstate is also being sued over allegations it unlawfully collected and sold location data from more than 45 million consumers across the U.S.

The lawsuit claims Allstate embedded tracking software into mobile apps, allowing the company to collect location data totaling trillions of miles without user consent.

Google’s legal battles over data tracking

Consumer privacy lawsuits are not new to the tech industry. Google is also facing legal challenges over data collection practices.

A class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 alleges that Google continued tracking mobile users even after they disabled tracking options. That case is scheduled for a federal jury trial on Aug. 18, 2025.

Additionally, Google agreed to a $5 billion settlement in a separate case. The lawsuit accused the company of secretly tracking users’ internet activity, even when using private browsing mode.

What’s next for Amazon?

The lawsuit against Amazon argues that the company violated California’s laws regarding unauthorized computer access and consumer privacy. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for millions of California residents in what could become a landmark case for data protection.

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If successful, this case could set a precedent for how tech companies handle consumer data. Amazon has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LACSD) is accused of abusing sensitive criminal justice databases in 2023. The new report comes from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which says it reviewed public records.

The foundation, which describes itself as “the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world,” claims the LACSD violated a rule when it used the data to run background checks for concealed carry permits.

The records show that in California, there were 7,275 violations reported to the State Department of Justice (CADOJ) regarding the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS). Of those, a staggering 6,789 came from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

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The California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) is a statewide network that connects law enforcement agencies to share important information. It allows officers and other authorized personnel to access databases for criminal records, vehicle registration, wanted persons and other law enforcement data, helping them with investigations.

Violations are required to be reported by California agencies, with oversight from state authorities like the Department of Justice.

In one high-profile case in Redding, a police officer was charged with six offenses in 2021 after being accused of using CLETS to set up a traffic stop on his fiancée’s ex-husband, leading to the man’s car being towed. The officer was fired and later acquitted by a jury.

In 2024, CLETS abuses led to the suspension of 24 California police officers, the resignation of another six officers, and the firing of nine officers.

Since the Dobbs decision removed the federal guarantee of a right to an abortion, states have enacted restrictions beyond bans to try to minimize the practice. Many of those laws have targeted abortion providers, like doctors and hospitals, for performing the procedure.

But a few states are weighing whether to pave the way for charges against women who get an abortion. They include murder, manslaughter and related crimes.

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As state lawmakers seek to cement the notion that life begins at conception, four states—Indiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Carolina—have bills on the table changing their criminal codes on homicides. None have advanced out of committee, but all have multiple co-sponsors, indicating more support than other bills.

The laws have slight variations. However, all of them would allow homicide laws to govern the deaths of fertilized eggs and fetuses from the moment of conception.

Likewise, all of the laws include exemptions if the mother’s life is at risk. They also include situations involving spontaneous miscarriage.

Other abortion restrictions often include this provision. However, medical providers in those states have already faced broader dilemmas, including confusion over when they can legally intervene. 

In vitro fertilization (IVF) may also have an uncertain future if the laws take effect. The process can involve the destruction of an embryo.

Despite widespread political opposition to limiting IVF, previous laws expanding personhood have opened the door to court rulings, putting the process at risk.

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Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled last February that embryos created through IVF were children, threatening the treatment’s future in the state. 

But after a backlash, including from Donald Trump and other Republicans who generally oppose abortion rights, Alabama enacted a law protecting IVF.

Kansas is the latest state to join a growing list of attorneys general suing the Department of Commerce over the Census Bureau’s inclusion of noncitizens in its population count. Louisiana, Ohio, West Virginia and now Kansas are all challenging the agency’s decision to count immigrants regardless of citizenship status.

4 states join lawsuit against Census Bureau

The census follows the Residence Rule, which counts people based on where they live or sleep most of the time. However, all four states want that rule thrown out.

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The lawsuit argues immigrants living in the U.S., regardless of whether they’re in the country illegally or have a lawful temporary visa, are being counted in the census. The attorneys general say this practice inflates population numbers. They say, in turn, it impacts the allocation of Congressional seats and Electoral College votes.

The lawsuit highlights how the Residence Rule affected states like Ohio and West Virginia. It says both states lost a Congressional seat, while states with larger noncitizen populations gained seats.

The lawsuit cites Pew Research data that suggests immigrants living illegally in the U.S. made up about 1% of Ohio’s population, less than 3% in Kansas, 1.5% in Louisiana, and about 0.3% in West Virginia.

However, in California, immigrants lacking proper documentation made up nearly 5% of the state’s population, which the lawsuit claims is the highest in the nation.

Census in the U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Constitution mandates that the federal government conduct a census every 10 years and that individuals should be counted regardless of citizenship status. The next U.S. census is scheduled for 2030. The attorneys general argue that including noncitizens violates the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal representation for U.S. citizens.

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Census impacts federal funding for states

Additionally, the lawsuit claims states like Texas and California received more federal funding due to the census numbers. The attorneys general argue noncitizens, who often cannot access these funds, helped allocate money they’re ineligible to use.

Advocates, such as the Latino Community Network, stress the importance of the census in determining vital resources like housing and emergency services. They say an undercount could lead to misallocation of federal funds when and where they are needed most.

The Trump administration is looking to downsize the government and has announced efforts to cut spending, fire career officials and reassess where it sends federal money. However, U.S. laws as far back as Article 1 of the Constitution give Congress, not the president, the power to decide where taxpayer money goes.

So, the Trump administration is reportedly preparing to challenge a 50-year-old law that reinforced Congress’s power.

Bloomberg reports that its team saw a slide presentation labeled “confidential” that came from inside the Trump White House. The presentation contains dozens of suggestions for expanding the president’s powers, including challenging the Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

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The law came about at the height of the Watergate scandal. At the time, Congress worried then-President Richard Nixon was blocking spending they approved for programs he opposed.

President Trump has already tried taking a similar approach. Trump ordered a freeze on spending across government until the agencies can review whether their departments included funding for programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives. The White House has since rescinded the memo.

Russel Vought, Trump’s nominee to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, told senators during his confirmation hearing earlier this month that he believed limits on the president’s ability to decide where to spend money are unconstitutional.

Some of Trump’s early actions could lead to a court challenge to the Impoundment Control Act if the White House chooses to do so.

While Democrats in Congress have called Trump’s actions unlawful impoundment, the White House says the spending holdups do not qualify because the freezes are temporary pauses.

The U.S. Copyright Office is updating its stance on AI-generated art. Under a new policy, artists can copyright AI-assisted work—but only if a human is the dominant creative force.

Past rulings have blocked AI-generated art

In March 2023, the Copyright Office reinforced that copyright protection applies only to human-created works. At the time, AI-generated content was not eligible for protection.

Kris Kashtanova wrote one of the most notable cases, “Zarya of the Dawn.” Kashtanova applied for and initially received copyright protection in September 2022.

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However, in February 2023, the Copyright Office revoked protection for the comic’s illustrations after discovering Midjourney, an AI software, created them.

A letter from the office stated:

“The application did not disclose that she used artificial intelligence to create any part of the Work, nor did she disclaim any portion of the Work.”

Kashtanova kept the copyright for the text, but the office excluded the AI-generated images.

Another AI-generated piece made headlines in 2022. “Théâtre d’Opéra Spatial,” created by artist Jason Allen using Midjourney, won first place in the digital art category at the Colorado State Fair.

The victory sparked debate over whether AI-assisted works should compete against human-created pieces. Allen later applied three times for copyright protection, arguing that his creative input justified legal protection.

The Copyright Office denied each request, stating that the work lacked sufficient human authorship. In September 2024, Allen filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ruling.

New policy allows AI-assisted copyright—under conditions

The Copyright Office has now adjusted its position. Under its latest policy, AI-assisted works can qualify for copyright if a human makes a significant creative contribution.

A statement from the office reads:

“AI-generated material can only be protected where there is sufficient human involvement or where AI is used as a tool to enhance human expression.”

Applications will be hand-reviewed, ensuring that human creativity plays a central role in the final product. If an artist substantially alters or controls AI-generated content, it may qualify for copyright protection.

AI-assisted art is no longer automatically excluded from copyright. However, artists must prove that their human creativity is the driving force behind the work.

This policy shift could shape the future of art, law, and artificial intelligence—one ruling at a time.

One of the NFL’s stated goals is to grow the game of football. Consider that mission accomplished for the Denver Broncos after the team undertook a one-of-a-kind initiative.

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the Broncos announced a program that will see more than 15,000 state-of-the-art football helmets distributed to every high school in Colorado. The program, dubbed All In, All Covered, will run for the next four years, during which time Riddell Axiom helmets will be sent to all 277 schools in the state, regardless of enrollment size or the class of football they play.

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The Axiom helmets will be custom fitted to each player and can be adjusted over time, as students grow up or the helmets are passed down year after year. Each helmet also comes with “contact” technology that uses analytics to help coaches teach proper tackling techniques. Colorado High School Activities Association Commissioner Mike Krueger says his members are blown away by the Broncos’ generosity.

“School budgets are tight,” Krueger said. “This is really going to have a significant impact, and that impact is going to go beyond football programs because where those funds would have went to helmets, now you can share that money, you know, across multiple programs.”

The program was devised during a meeting in August, when Broncos owner Greg Penner and other board members brainstormed ways to reduce the barriers to playing football, including concerns about cost and safety. The “smart helmets” typically run between $600 and $800.

Allie Engelken, the executive director of the Broncos Foundation, estimates between 75,000 and 155,000 players could wear the helmets over the next 13 years.

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“Every single six-man school will receive 22 helmets, all the way up to every 5A school will receive 100 helmets,” Engelken said. “Part of the first initial wave of the donation will also include helmet starter kits, and so that includes a lot of basic maintenance tools that schools don’t have because they don’t have these in their inventory already.”

Passengers on the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, Jan. 20, included 14 members of the U.S. Figure skating community. The team was reportedly returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.