Google has introduced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open protocol designed to securely address the challenges of having AI agents make payments on behalf of humans. AP2 can be used as an extension of the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol and Model Context Protocol (MCP). “In concert with industry rules and standards, it establishes a payment-agnostic framework for users, merchants, and payments providers to transact with confidence across all types of payment methods,” explains Google, listing American Express, Coinbase, Etsy, Intuit, Mastercard, PayPal and Salesforce among 60 collaborators that provided development input. Read more

The Walt Disney Company has teamed up with Webtoon Entertainment to create a new digital comics platform that will host more than 35,000 Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, Pixar and 20th Century Studios digital comic books, including current runs and archival issues from decades past as well as original new material. The deal sees Disney taking a two percent stake in Webtoon, which will run the new venture. Disney+ subscribers will have access to a curated selection of material as part of their subscription through Disney+ Perks. The format will include a mix of vertical and traditional screen presentations. Read more

Snap Inc. has released Snap OS 2.0 in advance of the release of its next-generation Spectacles AR glasses, due for release next year. The OS 2.0 XR operating system will power both the fifth and sixth generation Spectacles, the first that the company will market directly to consumers after years of selling AR glasses made for developers building AR experiences for the Snapchat app. The new OS aims to simplify content viewing and sharing with Spectacles as well as heightening Internet exploration via a native browser with WebXR support. Snap is still keeping details like pricing and the specific release date for the consumer Spectacles under wraps. Read more

New York State Attorney General Letitia James has released proposed rules that would restrict minors from exposure to addictive features on social media pursuant to the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, signed into state law last year to “protect the mental health of children.” The law, which is expected to take effect sometime next year, requires social media companies that supply addictive content to use an age verification system with results “certified by a verified third-party.” Absent parental consent, platform operators must restrict users under 18 from receiving addictive or algorithmically personalized feeds and nighttime notifications. Read more

Apple is touting a major security upgrade for its recently unveiled iPhone 17 devices, which come with always-on protection called Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) aimed at making it more difficult to get spyware onto the four new models. The result of five years of research and development, MIE leverages both Apple silicon and iOS software. The company is calling the results “the most significant upgrade to memory safety in the history of consumer operating systems.” The upgrade targets “mercenary spyware,” the origins of which are “vastly more complex than regular cybercriminal activity and consumer malware.” Read more