Roblox to Add AI for Creators; Google, Apple Lose Big on EU Appeals; Slim CD Data Breach

Today’s Tech News Roundup:

• AI: Roblox to give creators GenAI tools
• Big Tech: Google & Apple Lose EU Appeals
• Cybersecurity: 1.7 million people victim of Slim CD breach

Roblox Developing GenAI Tool to Build 3D Objects

Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system that is built on user-generated content. Soon, developers can use a generative AI tool, the 3D Foundations Model, to construct 3D elements with text prompts, images, or even videos. The model will be open source in the hope that it will gain wider adoption in the gaming industry. There is currently no launch date for the 3D Foundations Model.

Why it matters: The tool works like a large learning model, predicting what comes next based on the information it already knows. Today’s generative AI art tools can already create images from text-based prompts, but 3D environments are a bit more complicated. If a 2D model can’t generate human hands or even spell words correctly, it will be interesting to see what the first generation of the 3D Foundations Model creates.

Further Reading: MIT Technology ReviewOpens a new window ; Ars TechnicaOpens a new window ; PCMagOpens a new window

EU Courts Win Big Against Google and Apple

In 2017, antitrust regulators in the EU fined Google $2.7 billion for abusing its dominant position in the search market by giving its comparison shopping tool preference over others. The company appealed, and in 2021, the courts upheld the penalty. Google appealed again, and yesterday, the EU’s highest court, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), upheld the original ruling. In a separate case, the same court determined that Apple received an unfair tax break on profits between 2003 to 2014. The company must now pay $15 billion in back taxes and fees to Ireland, where Apple’s European headquarters are located.

Why it matters: Technology and, therefore, tech companies move much faster than governments can keep up. We are just now seeing the results of court cases filed against Big Tech nearly a decade ago. At the time, Google’s fine was a record-breaking penalty from the European Commission. The EU’s regulations on data privacy, antitrust violations, and the Digital Markets Act are stricter than any US laws. Companies headquartered in the US must decide if they will abide by the regulations, ignore them and continue to pay hefty fines, or cease business activities in the EU.

Further Reading: Tech CrunchOpens a new window ; The Next WebOpens a new window ; EngadgetOpens a new window ; CJEU’s RemarksOpens a new window

Payment Processing Provider Slim CD Discloses Data Breach

Most people understand how Visa, Mastercard, and even Square process payments. But they may not know that the major credit card companies aren’t the only payment processors. Canadian payment gateway provider Slim CD is notifying customers of a data breach that was discovered in June 2024. The company believes attackers had access to the systems as far back as August 2023. Nearly 1,700,000 people may be impacted by the breach. The attackers had access to credit card numbers and expiration dates, but not the card verification number.

Why it matters: This is another in a string of data breaches that expose personally identifiable information (PII) of individuals who may not have even realized the company that was breached had their data. Slim CD encourages those impacted by the breach to “remain vigilant,” which is poor advice, given the attacker remained hidden in their systems for nearly a year. Let’s hope they were at least PCI compliant.

Further Reading: Bleeping ComputerOpens a new window ; SecurityWeekOpens a new window ; Tech RadarOpens a new window ; Slim CD’s Notice of Data Privacy EventOpens a new window