Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story  Supreme Court mulls Texas age verification law The Supreme Court weighed whether an explosion in online pornography requires repudiating the court’s precedents concerning sexual content.  © AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite The justices heard arguments in a challenge to Texas’s age-verification law for porn websites.   A majority of the justices suggested the concept of an age-verification requirement could survive First Amendment scrutiny even as the court seemed inclined to send the Texas law back to a lower panel to apply a higher standard of review.    Several of the court’s conservatives asserted that the age verification may be states’ only real option to protect children from adult websites, because the content-filtering methods the court endorsed as an alternative two decades ago are no longer viable.     “Kids can get online porn through gaming systems, tablets, phones, computers. Let me just say that content filtering for all those different devices, I can say from personal experience, is difficult to keep up with,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has seven children.    “So I think that the explosion of addiction in new online porn has shown that content filtering isn’t working,” she continued.    “It was very difficult for 15-year-olds, whatever, to get access to the type of thing that is available with a push of a button today. And the nature of the pornography, I think, has also changed in those 35 years,” Chief Justice John Roberts said.    The law, passed by the Texas Legislature in June 2023, required sites that host adult content to verify that their users are over the age of 18.     Nearly 20 other states have passed similar laws related to adult content, and age verification has become an increasingly popular option for states seeking to limit young children’s access to social media.    The Texas law also requires sites to post a warning that pornography is “potentially biologically addictive, is proven to harm human brain development, desensitizes brain reward circuits, increases conditioned responses, and weakens brain function.”    Free Speech Coalition, a trade association representing the adult entertainment industry, sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in August 2023.   Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the group has argued the law violates the First Amendment by creating barriers for adults to access websites that feature adult content.    The trade association insists its lawsuit should follow a line of Supreme Court cases in which the justices have held pornography restrictions to an exacting standard.    “Texas’s law is even more problematic than its failed federal predecessors,” said Derek Shaffer, Free Speech Coalition’s attorney.    Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.   Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   SEC sues Musk, alleging Twitter-related securities violation The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sued tech billionaire Elon Musk, alleging he committed securities fraud by failing to disclose his ownership of Twitter. According to the SEC complaint filed Tuesday in D.C. District Court, Musk withheld information that allowed him to underpay for the shares of Twitter he bought “after his financial beneficial ownership report was due.” The SEC launched an investigation into …  Full Story   Mark Zuckerberg hosting reception for Trump Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg is co-hosting a black tie reception Jan. 20 after President-elect Trump’s inauguration to celebrate the Republican’s win. The tech giant teamed up with Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertita, who is set to become the new U.S. ambassador to Italy, former Republican National Committee finance chair Todd Ricketts and his wife Sylvie Légère, and Republican mega-donor Miriam Adelson to host the event, …  Full Story   What to know about RedNote, a TikTok alternative TikTok patrons are turning to a new platform in light of the nationwide ban set to shut down the app on Sunday. RedNote, a Chinese short-form video platform, is gaining ground as users look for an alternative to the social media company owned by the China’s ByteDance. TheRedNote app, referred to as Xiaohongshu in Chinese, which translates to “Little Red Book,” is also owned by a Chinese company. It was among the top downloaded …  Full Story   The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:   Trump's Transportation chief nominee pledges continued probe of Tesla safety Former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), President-elect Trump's pick to lead the Transportation Department, said he would permit the government's probe into Tesla's advance driver assistance system to continue in the new administration, Reuters reports.    Apple CEO to attend Trump inauguration Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to join the numerous tech executives on the dais for Trump's inauguration next Monday, The New York Times reports.   On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The American Enterprise Institute will host an event on "Education Technology's Broken Promises: Can AI Break the Cycle?" on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.   In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Musk may get office space in Eisenhower building: NYT Tech billionaire Elon Musk is expected to get an office space in the building adjacent to the White House, as he prepares to take the helm of President-elect Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to a New York Times report on Monday. The office space would be in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Times reported, citing two people briefed on the plans. Musk, a close Trump ally, … Full Story   TikTok ban: Here are the Supreme Court’s options All eyes are on the Supreme Court this week as the justices mull whether to step in and block a potential TikTok ban from going into effect Sunday.  The court has signaled it will release its next opinions Wednesday morning, though the justices may also intervene via an emergency order that could be released at any time.  Either way, their decision stands to impact more than 170 million U.S. TikTok users in what has … Full Story   What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Speaker Johnson removes Mike Turner as Intelligence Committee chair Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will not make Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the 119th Congress, … Read more Pam Bondi grilled over Trump’s influence at AG hearing: 5 takeaways Pam Bondi, President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice, echoed attacks on the agency she would lead if confirmed, but demurred on … Read more   What Others are Reading  Opinion related to tech submitted to The Hill: Despite backlash on DEI, discrimination laws still exist     You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Business and Economy newsletter Subscribe