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Arlington County will give dockless a try (officially)

By Jeff Clabaugh

WASHINGTON — Arlington County expects to roll out a pilot program for dockless bikes and scooters this fall, clearing the way for formal agreements with the companies that operate them.

The decision comes two weeks after dockless scooter operator Bird began deploying its scooters in Arlington County with no formal county agreement.

In response, the County Attorney considered what the county’s response would be, but in a statement Thursday, the county said there are no regulations currently in place that prohibits the operation and use of the scooters in Arlington.

Arlington County’s transportation staff expects to bring its demonstration project to the County Manager and County Board for approval by September.

If approved, it will be a time-limited pilot project to gauge the impacts and evaluate the overall performance of dockless bikes and scooters.

Arlington has posted a series of frequently asked questions and answers about dockless bikes and scooters and how they may fit in to Arlington online.

The District extended its ongoing dockless pilot program through August.

In D.C., seven private companies are currently operating dockless bike and electric scooters. The bike companies are Jump, Spin, ofo and Mobike. Waybots and Bird operate electric scooters. LimeBike has both scooters and bikes.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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