The Justice Department plans to accuse Google of maintaining an illegal monopoly over search and search advertising in a lawsuit to be filed on Tuesday, the government’s most significant legal challenge to a tech company’s market power in a generation, according to officials at the agency. From a report: In its suit, to be filed in a federal court in Washington,…
Tag: attorney general
US Antitrust Regulators Could Target Google’s Chrome Browser For Breakup
Slashdot reader alternative_right shares a report from Politico:
Justice Department and state prosecutors investigating Google for alleged antitrust violations are considering whether to force the company to sell its dominant Chrome browser and parts of its lucrative advertising business, three people with knowledge of the discussions said… The conversations — amid preparations for an antitrust legal battle that the Department of Justice…
Netflix Indicted By Texas Grand Jury Over ‘Lewd’ Depiction of Children In ‘Cuties’
A Texas grand jury indicted Netflix for the “lewd” representation of children in the controversial French film “Cuties.” The Hill reports: The Sept. 23 indictment shows the Tyler County Grand Jury charged the popular streaming site for “promotion of lewd visual material depicting child” for its drama about a young girl who is torn between her conservative Muslim family’s values and…
Two Leaders of Videogame Piracy Group Arrested
On Friday America’s Department of Justice announced: Two leaders of one of the world’s most notorious videogame piracy groups, Team Xecuter, have been arrested and are in custody facing charges filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle… The indictment alleges the defendants were leaders of a criminal enterprise that developed and sold illegal devices that hacked popular videogame consoles so they…
Mercedes-Benz Fined $1.5 Billion For Emissions Cheating
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBS News: Automaker Daimler AG and subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA have agreed to pay $1.5 billion to resolve allegations they cheated on emissions tests, officials said Monday. The U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency and the California attorney general’s office said Daimler violated environmental laws by using so-called “defeat device software” to circumvent emissions…
California Amends Freelancer Law, But Still Pursues Gig-Worker Companies and Food-Delivery Services
“California is exempting about two-dozen more professions from a landmark labor law designed to treat more people like employees instead of contractors, under a bill that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Friday,” reports the San Diego Union-Tribune: The amendments, which take effect immediately, end what lawmakers said were unworkable limits on services provided by freelance writers and still photographers, photojournalists, and…
Dozens of Scientists Around the World Are Giving Themselves DIY Coronavirus Vaccines
schwit1 shares a report from the New York Post: As governments around the world scramble to approve a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus, an increasing number of scientists have started administering DIY vaccines to themselves and even their friends and family members. The methods, results, and claims have varied widely among the dozens of scientists around the world who have taken…
Andrew Yang Takes Lead Role In California Data Privacy Campaign
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang is throwing his weight behind California’s November data privacy ballot measure — not just endorsing the initiative but chairing its advisory board, the Proposition 24 campaign announced Monday. Politico reports: Yang’s involvement could bring more visibility and cachet to the effort, given the tech entrepreneur’s national profile and popularity among younger voters. It could also help…
Texas A&M Professor Accused of Secretly Collaborating With China Amid NASA Work
CNBC reports:
A Texas A&M professor was charged with conspiracy, making false statements and wire fraud on allegations that he was secretly collaborating with the Chinese government while conducting research for NASA, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday… “Once again, we have witnessed the criminal consequences that can arise from undisclosed participation in the Chinese government’s talent program,” Assistant Attorney General…
DC Attorney General Sues Instacart, Claiming it Deceived Customers Into Thinking Service Fees Would Go To Workers
District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine announced a lawsuit Thursday against Instacart, claiming the grocery delivery service collected millions of dollars by deceiving customers into thinking that an optional service fee would be used as a tip for workers, when it allegedly went to the company instead. From a report: The suit echos an earlier charge against food delivery service…