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Walt Disney Co. will pay $2.75 million to settle allegations that it violated the California Consumer Privacy Act by not fully complying with consumers’ requests to opt out of data sharing on its streaming services, the state attorney general’s office said Wednesday.

The Burbank media and entertainment company allegedly restricted the extent of opt-out requests, including complying with users’ petitions only on the device or streaming services they processed it from, or stopping the sharing of consumers’ personal data through Disney’s advertising platform but not those of specific ad-tech companies whose code was embedded on Disney websites and apps, the attorney general’s office said.

In addition to the fine, the settlement, which is subject to court approval, will require Disney to enact a “consumer-friendly, easy to execute” process that allows users to opt-out of the sale or sharing of their data with as few steps as possible, according to court documents.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to go to infinity and beyond to assert their privacy rights,” Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said in a statement. “In California, asking a business to stop selling your data should not be complicated or cumbersome.”

A Disney spokesperson said in a statement that the company “continues to invest significant resources to set the standard for responsible and transparent data practices across our streaming services.”

“As technology and media continue to evolve, protecting the privacy and preserving the experience of Californians and fans everywhere remains a longstanding priority for Disney,” the spokesperson said.

The settlement with Disney stemmed from a 2024 investigation by the attorney general’s office into streaming devices and apps for alleged violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act, which governs the collection of consumers’ personal data by businesses.

Under the law, businesses that sell or share personal data for targeted advertising must give users the right to opt-out.

Disney’s $2.75-million payment is the largest such settlement under the state privacy act, Bonta’s office said.

The attorney general has also reached settlements with companies such as beauty retailer Sephora, food delivery app DoorDash and SlingTV for alleged violations of the privacy act.

Feb. 12 (UPI) — Russia has attempted to block access to WhatsApp, the Meta-owned encrypted smartphone messaging application said, accusing the Kremlin of trying to force its citizens to use a state-owned service.

WhatsApp said the Russian attempt to block the service occurred Thursday.

“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” WhatsApp said in a brief statement in both English and Russian.

“We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected.”

Little information about the alleged effort was made public by the U.S.-based company. UPI has contacted WhatsApp and Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, for comment.

The application Russia was allegedly attempting to drive users to was not named by WhatsApp, but is widely believed to be Max, a smartphone application that Reporters Without Borders condemns as a tool for digital control.

According to the free speech and media watchdog, Russia is seeking to make Max the most widely used messaging app in Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories. It said the service requires a Russian or Belarusian phone number and blocks communication with other parts of Ukraine while harvesting user data and disseminating pro-Kremlin news and information.

“Max gives the Kremlin a powerful tool for spreading its propaganda in a centralized digital space,” Vincent Berthier and Pauline Maufrais of RSF said in a joint statement published in November.

“This forced adoption also creates an information blackout for Ukrainian citizens in the occupied territories, cut off from free Ukraine.”

WhatsApp made its accusation after Telegram founder Pavel Durov made similar allegations against Moscow.

“Russia is restricting access to Telegram in an attempt to force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship,” he said in a post on Telegram.

“Restricting citizens’ freedom is never the right answer. Telegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy, no matter the pressure.”

Roskomnadzor said in a statement that it will continue to restrict access to Telegram over alleged violations of Russian law, privately owned Russian business news outlet RBC reported.

It accused Telegram of not implementing legally regulated measures to protect the security of citizens’ data and said it would continue to take steps to compel its compliance with the law.

“By decision of the authorized bodies, Roskomnadzor will continue the introduction of phased restrictions in order to achieve compliance with Russian legislation and ensure the protection of citizens,” the agency said.

Meta was designated as an extremist organization by a Russian court in 2022, leading to bans of Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram. Other social media platforms, including X, are blocked or restricted in the country.

Major League Baseball is making streaming options available for fans to watch in-market games of 20 teams, including the Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres — a significant shift to respond to the fast-changing TV landscape.

The Angels on Tuesday announced its arrangement with the league to make its games more widely available. The club said the option — Angels.TV — would be available for purchase for $99.99 for the full season or $19.99 per month through the MLB app.

“We are excited to partner with Major League Baseball to bring Angels games to their streaming platform,” Angels President John Carpino said in a statement. “Our priority is making it as easy as possible for fans to watch Angels Baseball and MLB’s industry-leading app provides another great option to stay connected to the team.”

The league separately announced the move, which provides options for fans of other teams, through its MLB app. In-market games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals will be provided through the app.

Games will still be available to traditional pay-TV subscribers.

Spectrum, owned by cable giant Charter Communications, which distributes the Dodgers’ SportsNet LA had previously made available Dodger games as a streaming option through a separate app.

On Tuesday, ESPN announced that it would become the new streaming home of MLB.TV, bringing out-of-market live games to the ESPN App and ESPN.com.

“With MLB.TV now available through ESPN, we’re taking a significant step forward in reinforcing ESPN as the home of the MLB regular season while deepening the value proposition of the ESPN Unlimited plan – giving fans even more flexibility in how and where they watch all season long,” Rosalyn Durant, Executive Vice President, ESPN Programming & Acquisitions, said in a statement.

The move comes as traditional regional sports networks struggle amid the exodus of pay-TV customers. Regional sports networks once were viewed as cash cows for teams and TV programming companies that owned them but, in recent years, at least one regional sports network owner has filed for bankruptcy. That pompted the MLB to step in to fill the gap.

The league said it also was taking over the television production of games for 14 teams, including the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.

TikTok calls European Commission probe ‘meritless’, pledges to challenge findings the video platform harms minors.

Authorities in the European Union said that the video-sharing platform TikTok is in breach of online content regulations, warning the company to change “addictive” features in order to protect minors from compulsive use.

The European Commission shared the preliminary conclusions of a probe into TikTok on Friday, stating that features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and a personalised recommendation algorithm encouraged addiction.

“TikTok has to take actions and they have to change the design of their service in Europe to protect our minors,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen told reporters.

European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the “measures that TikTok has in place are simply not enough”.

“These features lead to the compulsive use of the app, especially for our kids, and this poses major risks to their mental health and wellbeing,” Regnier said, stating that the app is in violation of the Digital Services Act.

The EU regulator has threatened TikTok with a potential fine of as much as 6 percent of the global turnover of ByteDance, the platform’s owner.

TikTok slammed the findings, saying they are without basis.

“The Commission’s preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform, and we will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge these findings,” a spokesperson for TikTok said.

The probe comes as EU countries are seeking greater restrictions on powerful tech and social media companies, often with the stated goal of protecting young users.

TikTok stands out among competitors for an algorithm able to craft a precise understanding of the users’ interests, directing related content into their feed.

The investigation into TikTok was first opened in February 2024, with Regnier citing a series of “alarming” statistics compiled during the course of the investigation.

He stated that the app is the most-used social media platform after midnight by children between the ages of 13 and 18, and that 7 percent of children between the ages of 12 and 15 spend four to five hours on the app every day.

A tech executive who made a fortune developing education software, then waded into the fight against homelessness, is now entering the race for Los Angeles mayor.

Adam Miller, co-founder of Better Angels, a nonprofit focused on preventing homelessness and building affordable housing, filed paperwork on Wednesday to run against Mayor Karen Bass in the June 2 primary election.

Miller, in an interview, said the city is on a downward trajectory and beset with problems — and needs someone with strong leadership skills at City Hall.

“A lot of the issues we face in the city are management problems, and I know how to manage,” he said. “I’ve managed effectively teams that are big and small. I’ve managed teams that are domestic and international. And I’ve managed programs at every stage, so I know how to scale things up and make them operate at scale for a big system.”

The 56-year-old entrepreneur and nonprofit executive is making his move at a moment when the candidate lineup remains unsettled. Even with Saturday’s deadline for filing candidate paperwork fast approaching, some are still undecided on whether to run.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has spent several days hinting that she may jump into the race, while also taking shots at Bass on CNN and elsewhere.

Maryam Zar, who founded the Palisades Recovery Coalition in the wake of the Palisades fire, is also weighing a run. Even real estate developer Rick Caruso, who publicly ruled out a mayoral bid last month, told KNX on Wednesday that he may reconsider.

Former L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner, who launched his campaign in October, has been out of the public eye since the death of his 22-year-old daughter on Jan. 6. Reality TV star Spencer Pratt has spent the last several weeks promoting his book “The Guy You Loved to Hate,” and emerged earlier this week to file his candidate paperwork.

Community organizer Rae Huang has been courting the city’s left-leaning voters, appearing with podcaster Hasan Piker in a conversation about housing policy.

Meanwhile, Bass has been using the trappings of her office to promote her work, scheduling two State of the City speeches in a three-month span. The first of those, delivered Monday, sounded in many ways like a campaign stump speech, except longer.

After Miller filed his paperwork, Bass spokesperson Douglas Herman immediately derided him, describing Miller as a “wealthy venture capitalist” who sold software that helped large companies “systematically lay off workers.”

“The last thing Los Angeles needs now is another self-funder who doesn’t understand the crisis of affordability in our city,” Herman said. “Mayor Karen Bass will continue working to solve the biggest problems facing our city with groundbreaking efforts on housing affordability, reductions in street homelessness and public safety stats sitting at 60-year lows.”

Miller pushed back on the mayor’s statement, saying his company’s software was used for training and helping employees build their skills. He said that, although he will provide a loan to his campaign to get things started, he will be raising money like any other campaign.

Miller is the former chief executive of Cornerstone OnDemand, the global training and development company that he built over more than two decades, growing it to more than 3,000 employees. The publicly traded company was sold in 2021 to a private equity firm for $5.2 billion, he said.

The Brentwood resident has been heavily focused on philanthropy, serving as chair of the nonprofit 1P.org, which is a charitable foundation that provides funding to other nonprofit groups.

Miller said he and his wife, Staci, while mapping out their philanthropic work, chose to focus on intractable problems at the local, state, national and global level. Locally, he said, homelessness was the issue they identified as the most intractable.

1P.org has been providing funding to Better Angels, which has been working to build affordable housing while also distributing micro-loans to families facing eviction. In addition, the nonprofit has developed an app to help homeless outreach workers stay connected.

Sara Reyes, executive director of SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, said its 700 volunteers use Better Angels’ outreach app to maintain relationships with one another and their clients in neighborhoods stretching from Hollywood to Atwater Village.

The app is not integrated with the homeless database maintained by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county partnership, and would be more effective if it was, Reyes said.

Miller said the city needs help with issues that go well beyond homelessness. For example, he said, city leaders have made L.A. “one of the least developer friendly cities in the country,” hindering the construction of new homes.

“We have a major housing shortage,” he said. “We have an unacceptable number of people who are unhoused. We have affordability issues. I’d say city cleanliness is on the decline. We are not well prepared for disasters, as was clearly seen last year.”

LOLA Young is single and looking for love after returning to the stage from her career break.

The Londoner triumphed with the Best Pop Solo Performance Grammy on Sunday night for her No1 hit Messy — and she won over even more fans with an emotional performance of the song.

But I can reveal she has well and truly moved on from the subject matter, all about the end of a previous relationship, and has signed up to dating app Raya.

And she has overhauled her life by cutting out booze.

I’ve seen her profile on the high-end matchmaking app, which features a handful of sultry photos, as well as one of her performing, and is linked to her official Instagram account.

But she still has an air of mystery, choosing to leave the “bio” section of her profile blank. It’s a change from September, when she said she was too busy to date.

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However, it’s fair to say it’s been a period of a lot of changes for Lola.

She took a four-month break after collapsing on stage in September, and only returned to the spotlight at a pre-Grammys party at the end of last week.

Now she is sober, I’m told industry pals Lily Allen and Sir Elton John, who are also teetotal, have been offering their support.

Lola revealed she had ditched alcohol when asked how she would be celebrating following her Grammys success.

She said: “I am going to have an In-N-Out burger with my manager and everyone. And I’m probably going to go out a little bit.

“I don’t drink, but it’s going to be fun anyway.”

Last year, she revealed she had to check into rehab to tackle a cocaine addiction in 2024, just as Messy was rising up the charts.

Then on her song d£aler, released last summer, she sang about the struggle of “tryna be sober.”

Now it sounds like things are finally looking up for her — and she seems in great spirits.

Speaking about her break, Lola said: “This is a very difficult industry to be in.

I took the time out to get better because there were a lot of things going on in my head, in my personal life, and we constantly have to be protected as artists.

“I had to make the decision to do it for myself — to be kind to myself and give myself space.”

“But now I am back. I feel better.

“I will do as much as I can to be good for my fans and to be good for the people that love me.”

She’s got Teyst

Teyana Taylor was my best-dressed star of the night, and it’s fair to say she probably has the busiest awards season of anyone.

She wore this stunning, sculptural Tom Ford dress but sadly lost out on the Best R&B Album prize for her record Escape Room, with the gong going to Leon Thomas’s Mutt instead.

Still, Teyana will have plenty more wins I’m sure. The multi-talented performer is the favourite to win Best Supporting Actress at the Baftas and the Oscars – after winning the same prize at the Golden Globes – for her role in One Battle After Another.

She joined a load of stars hitting the town, with Justin Bieber spotted in an open hoodie, having earlier performed his song Yukon in just some silver silk boxers.

That wasn’t half as mad k as Lady Gaga performing with a black bird cage on her head though.

Kesha wore an over-the-top head-dress to greet fans, while Miley Cyrus looked chuffed to pose with Bad Bunny.

And Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo and Bruno Mars all looked super-stylish as they headed out to the afterparties.

Those celebrity stylists have been working overtime.

All the goss at The Grammys

Cher added some laughs to proceedings when announcing the Record of the Year winner, claiming it had gone to Luther Vandross, despite the fact he died 21 years ago.

She got confused when reading out who had won, claiming she thought the name would be on the autocue and she wouldn’t have to open the envelope on stage.

But when she did, she saw the title Luther and said the late singer’s name instead.

Thankfully, winners Kendrick Lamar and SZA, whose song Luther samples the soul star’s version of If This World Were Mine, put two and two together and realised they had won.

And that was a relief, because it was seven more seconds before Cher exclaimed: “No, Kendrick Lamar!”

Sabrina’s tough love

She left the ceremony empty handed despite six nominations, although Sabrina Carpenter still sent pulses soaring during a racy performance of her hit Manchild.

But any new admirers should take note, she has no qualms about spilling the beans on her love life in her music.

Speaking backstage, Sabrina, who wrote her last album Man’s Best Friend about her ex Barry Keoghan, said: “I love really hard. If you f*** with me, there will be consequences.

“I feel pretty transparent going into any of my relationships that I write songs and I think they’re just as down for it.

“Also, most of the time, they’ve been pretty flattered. When they get a song written about them, good or bad, I think they’re just excited to get a shout out.

“I’m not scared of men in that sense. I am scared of men sometimes, but I’m not scared in that sense.

“I will attract exactly who I’m supposed to attract. And again there’s so much conversation around women that are honest and strong and opinionated and determined, focused.”

Winner Tyla will ao A-POP

Tyla celebrated her second Grammy win by announcing her new album will be called A-POP.

She won Best African Music Performance for Push 2 Start, having won the same gong in 2024 for Water.

Speaking backstage, she said: “I wanna announce that my sophomore album drops this summer and it’s called A-POP.”

Asked what fans can expect, she said: “Amazing new music. It’s going to be different. It’s me now. I just grew up… I’m now 24, I feel like a woman.

“I’ve got other things I want to say and other vibes I want to give, so yeah, it’s definitely a different vibe but I’m so excited.”

Charli XCX is a self-proclaimed “365 Party Girl” so I can see why her post-event bash was one of the most star-studded of the evening.

The Saint Laurent-sponsored event took place at Bar Marmont in West Hollywood – the go-to venue for luxury brands – and boasted a guestlist including Demi Lovato, Paris Hilton, Diplo and Rose.

Not so clever, Trevor

Donald Trump has threatened to sue Grammy host Trevor Noah over his jokes about him at the bash.

Noah, inset, said: “Song of the Year – that is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because since Epstein’s gone, he needs a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!!

“I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media.

“Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast.

“Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you!” Here we go again . . .