DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The Justice Department, during the Trump administration, closed an investigation into the realtors organization. The Biden administration re-opened it in 2021 so it could probe how broadly housing listings are available and what fees home sellers pay to the brokers who represent buyers. The government's concern focused on private listings of homes, which NAR banned but left some exceptions, and a rule that requires sellers to pay the buyer's broker. Because of concern about "pocket listings," or private listings not available to the public, the NAR adopted a "Clear Cooperation Policy" in 2019 that was supposed to ban pocket listings but has been criticized for allowing exceptions. The NAR's Participation Rule had required brokers who listed a house to offer compensation to the buyer's broker.

Persons: Sarah Silbiger, Trump, Biden, Judge Florence Pan, Frederick Liu, Chris Michel, Diane Bartz, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Justice Department and National Association of Realtors, The Justice Department, realtors, U.S ., Appeals, Circuit, NAR, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

In the 2019 agreement, Facebook, which became Meta in 2021, was required to pay $5 billion for violating an earlier agreement. The company filed a separate appeal against Judge Timothy Kelly's ruling this week that it should be an FTC judge, not a district judge, who decides that case. This new lawsuit, filed late on Wednesday, argues that it is unconstitutional for the FTC to unilaterally tighten an existing consent agreement. The Meta complaints focus on the agency's dual role of prosecuting a matter before an FTC judge. Once the FTC judge makes a decision it is the commission which votes on whether to accept it.

Persons: Yuri Gripas, Judge Timothy Kelly's, Lina Khan, Rebecca Slaughter, Alvaro Bedoya, Meta, Diane Bartz, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Facebook Inc, Headquarters, REUTERS, Rights, Facebook, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Meta, FTC, Big Tech, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Cigna (CI.N) and Humana (HUM.N), two of the biggest U.S. health insurers, are in talks for what could be the largest merger announced in 2023, according to a source familiar with the matter. A Humana and Cigna combination would give the merged company the scale to rival UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) and CVS Health (CVS.N). In July 2016, the Justice Department filed lawsuits against two health insurance mergers on the same day, saying they would lead to less competition and higher prices for Americans. Health insurers have been facing higher medical costs as people return for procedures they had put off during the pandemic. Humana in February said that it would sell its commercial business but keep its Medicare Advantage products.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Cigna, Cigna's, Aetna, Bill Baer, Andre Barlow of Doyle, Barlow, Mazard, Bernstein, Lance Wilkes, Craig Garthwaite, Manas Mishra, Diane Bartz, Deena Beasley, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Humana Inc, REUTERS, Street Journal, UnitedHealth, CVS Health, Humana’s, Medicare, Affordable, Justice Department, Humana, U.S ., Reuters, Northwestern University, Thomson Locations: Queens , New York City, U.S, Cigna, Bengaluru, Washington, Los Angeles

☆ Meta says it will appeal US judge's ruling in privacy fight with FTC
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | October | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Meta logo is seen on a beach during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France, June 19, 2023. Judge Timothy Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied a motion filed by Meta on Monday for the court to hear the dispute with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Meta in a court filing on Tuesday said it would appeal Kelly's decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The dispute started in May when the FTC proposed changing a settlement reached in 2019 that required Facebook, which became Meta in 2021, to pay $5 billion. The FTC said it would tighten the 2019 settlement to bar Meta from making money off data collected on users under age 18, including in its virtual reality business.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Timothy Kelly, Diane Bartz, Mark Porter, Richard Chang Organizations: Cannes Lions International, Creativity, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Facebook, U.S, District of Columbia, Meta, Federal Trade Commission, U.S ., Appeals, FTC, Thomson Locations: Cannes, France, U.S

☆ U.S. federal judge rules against Meta in privacy fight with FTC
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | October | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. The judge ruled that Facebook must face a review of an earlier agreement that it struck with the FTC. Judge Timothy Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied a motion filed by Meta for the court to take over the fight. The FTC has argued that it was up to the agency to decide whether its settlements should be changed and that the district court had no jurisdiction. The FTC proposed changing a settlement reached in 2019 which required Facebook to pay $5 billion.

Persons: Yves Herman, Timothy Kelly, Diane Bartz, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Facebook, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, U.S, District of Columbia, Meta, FTC, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. The agreement is non-binding and carries mostly general recommendations such as monitoring AI systems for abuse, protecting data from tampering and vetting software suppliers. In addition to the United States and Britain, the 18 countries that signed on to the new guidelines include Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Australia, Chile, Israel, Nigeria and Singapore. It does not tackle thorny questions around the appropriate uses of AI, or how the data that feeds these models is gathered. Europe is ahead of the United States on regulations around AI, with lawmakers there drafting AI rules.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Biden, Raphael Satter, Diane Bartz, Alexandra Alper, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, Congress, White, Thomson Locations: United States, Britain, U.S, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Australia, Chile, Israel, Nigeria, Singapore, Europe, France

☆ U.S. Lawmakers Accuse X Chief Musk of Profiting From Anti-Israel Propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

In the letter to Musk and X chief executive Linda Yaccarino, the lawmakers noted reports from nonprofit organizations that showed people with X Premium accounts "glorifying barbaric acts of violence against Israelis." The letter is the latest fight between Musk, who bought Twitter and renamed it X, and those who have advocated for better content moderation. The lawmakers said X profited from the posts both from subscription fees as well as ads displayed in replies to both Premium and regular posts. "X has financially benefited from the spread of demonstrably false and misleading content as well," the lawmakers wrote. These are videos that carry official Hamas branding and iconography," the lawmakers wrote.

Persons: Diane Bartz WASHINGTON, Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Musk, X, Adolf Hitler, Diane Bartz, Daniel Wallis Organizations: X, Twitter, Media, Nazi, Hamas Locations: U.S, United States

☆ US agency streamlines probes related to artificial intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Investigations of cases where artificial intelligence (AI) is used to break the law will be streamlined under a new process approved by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the agency said on Tuesday. The move, along with other actions, highlights the FTC's interest in pursuing cases involving AI. The agency, which now has three Democrats, voted unanimously to make it easier for staff to issue a demand for documents as part of an investigation if it is related to AI, the agency said in a statement. The agency announced a competition last week aimed at identifying the best way to protect consumers against fraud and other harms related to voice cloning.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Rebecca Slaughter, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Democrat, Thomson

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, Rishi Sunak, Kirsty Wigglesworth, Linda Yaccarino, Musk, X, Adolf Hitler, Diane Bartz, Daniel Wallis Organizations: British, Rights, X, Twitter, Media, Nazi, Hamas, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, U.S, United States

☆ Live Nation issued subpoena regarding ticketing, fees by US Senate panel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo and trading information for Live Nation Entertainment is displayed on a screen on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 3, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Live Nation (LYV.N) and its subsidiary Ticketmaster is being sent a subpoena for documents regarding ticket pricing, fees and secondary sales, a U.S. Senate panel said on Monday. "Live Nation has egregiously stonewalled my Subcommittee’s inquiry into its abusive consumer practices — making the subpoena necessary," Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democratic chair of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said in a statement. In a cover letter that accompanied the subpoena, Blumenthal said Live Nation had failed to fully comply with document requests sent in March. A Live Nation spokesperson said the company had provided "extensive information" to the subcommittee and met with staff several times.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Taylor, Richard Blumenthal, Blumenthal, we’ve, Diane Bartz, Lisa Shumaker, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Live, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Ticketmaster, U.S, Senate, hardball, Democratic, U.S . Senate, Investigations, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S

☆ What's next in Google's court battle with the US Justice Department?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | October | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will rule sometime in 2024 on whether any of Google's actions broke antitrust law. APPEALS LIKELYNo matter who prevails when Mehta issues his ruling, experts say there will be an appeal. Google's default search agreements have prevented this from happening, they say. Google may also be required to spin off its Chrome browser, which has the Google search engine as its default. Chrome has almost 60% of the computer browser market, according to the Justice Department's amended complaint filed in 2021.

Persons: Amit Mehta, Mehta, Megan Gray, Lee Hepner, Bing, Satya Nadella, Department's, Diane Bartz, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . Justice Department, Google, U.S, District, Supreme, Justice Department, Apple, Android, American Economic Liberties, Thomson Locations: Columbia, Washington

The logo of Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in New York City, U.S., January 20, 2023. In the trial that started on Sept. 12 and is expected to largely end Thursday, the Justice Department is seeking to prove that Google is a monopolist and illegally abused that monopoly power to favor its own bottom line. No decision on whether to hold closing arguments, the final phase of the trial, has been made. They may be held in the spring, according to courtroom discussions about future hearings. The final witness for the U.S., MIT economics professor Michael Whinston, argued as the hearing began that those contracts helped provide Google with market power in the search advertising market and that "Google has exercised significant market power by raising prices."

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Alphabet's, Michael Whinston, Diane Bartz Organizations: Google, Chelsea, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Justice Department, Verizon, Samsung, MIT, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S

Visitors cast their shadows past the logo of Google at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 15, 2023. "The payments that Google makes reflect that competition," he said. Murphy also argued that the payments to device makers and others were often passed through to users in the form of a cheaper phone or better data plan. Further, Murphy argued that while Microsoft had virtually all the preinstalled browser defaults in early 2010s, its Bing search engine got just 15% of search queries. Reporting by Diane Bartz Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Kevin Murphy, Apple, Murphy, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Google, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Microsoft, Apple, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, WASHINGTON

☆ EU AI Act to serve as blueprint for global rules, Benifei says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. While several countries have been looking at ways to regulate AI, European lawmakers have taken a lead by drafting AI rules aimed at setting a global standard for a technology key to almost every industry and business. Executives and experts attending the conference stressed the importance of establishing guardrails to AI to prevent threats to society and democracy. Last week, Britain published a paper known as the "Bletchley Declaration", agreed with 28 countries including U.S. and China, aimed at boosting global efforts to cooperate on AI safety. "We can build these common alphabet because it's very important to deal with higher level challenges on AI development, for example, the risk of AI used as weapons," he said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Brando Benifei, Benifei, Joe Biden, Liz O'Sullivan, Supantha Mukherjee, Diane Bartz, Jeffrey Dastin, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Union, Reuters NEXT, U.S, Congress, National AI, Reuters, reuters, Thomson Locations: EU, New York, Britain, Bletchley, U.S, China, Stockholm, Washington, San Francisco

Many of the patents at issue in the Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book listing of approved products were for devices such as asthma inhalers and epinephrine autoinjectors, the FTC said. "Wrongfully listed Orange Book patents by pharma companies can raise drug prices for Americans, harm fair competition, and delay better drugs," FTC Chair Lina Khan said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Orange Book identifies drugs and products that the FDA has deemed safe and effective. The FTC says companies sometimes improperly list patents in the Orange Book that can delay market entry of lower priced generics. AbbVie was informed the FTC would dispute four patents in the Orange Book having to do with Restasis Multidose, eye drops used for chronic dry eye.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Lina Khan, Boehringer Ingelheim, Mylan, AbbVie, Restasis, Diane Bartz, Patrick Wingrove, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, FDA, REUTERS, AstraZeneca, GSK, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Food, FTC, pharma, Thomson Locations: White Oak , Maryland, U.S, WASHINGTON, Israel, Viatris

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, reacts during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior officials and CEOs of American and Indian companies in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and its subsidiary Google, will testify on Monday in the once-in-a generation antitrust fight with the U.S. government over Google's dominance of search and some parts of search advertising. The government, in cross examination, will likely also ask why the company pays billions of dollars annually to ensure that Google search is the default in smartphones. The clout in search makes Google a heavy hitter in the lucrative advertising market, its biggest revenue source. It has also argued that if people are dissatisfied with default search engines that they can, and do, switch to another search provider.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Diane Bartz, Chris Sanders, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Google, U.S, India's, White, REUTERS, Rights, Alphabet Inc, Apple, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

☆ Alphabet chief Pichai labored in trenches but rose to defend search giant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The move was done to give Page fewer direct reports and product units to oversee. * Pichai became CEO of Google in 2015 and all of Alphabet in 2019. * Alphabet, Google's parent company, has a long list of other businesses. Since Pichai became CEO, it acquired Fitbit in 2021 and the security company Mandiant in 2022. * Pichai's total compensation was about $226 million in 2022, more than 800 times the median employee's pay, the company said in a securities filing in April.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Larry Page, Andy Rubin, Page, Pichai, Bard, Diane Bartz, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Google, U.S, India's, White, REUTERS, Rights, Big Tech, Wharton, Stanford University, Indian Institute of Technology, McKinsey & Co, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Google executive Prabhakar Raghavan on Thursday detailed challenges the search and advertising giant faces from smaller rivals, describing efforts to avoid becoming "the next road kill." "I feel a keen sense not to become the next road kill," said Raghavan, a senior vice president at Google who reports to chief executive Sundar Pichai. Raghavan said Google had some 8,000 engineers and product managers working on search, with about 1,000 involved in search quality. Asked about the expression "Grandpa Google," Raghavan said "unfortunately, yes" he had heard it. "Grandpa Google will help with things like homework but when it comes to interesting things, they go elsewhere," he said.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Prabhakar Raghavan, Raghavan, Alphabet's, TikTok, Sundar Pichai, Microsoft's Bing, Google, Grandpa, Diane Bartz, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Justice Department, Yahoo, Google, Grandpa Google, Thomson Locations: Expedia.com, Instagram

☆ Google CEO Sundar Pichai to testify Monday in US Google antitrust trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Google CEO Sundar Pichai arrives for a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum for all U.S. senators hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 13, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and its subsidiary Google, will testify on Monday in the once-in-a generation antitrust fight over Google's dominance of search and some parts of search advertising. The government, in cross examination, may ask why the company pays billions of dollars annually to ensure that Google search is the default in smartphones. The clout in search makes Google a heavy hitter in the lucrative advertising market, boosting its profits. * Google has argued the revenue share agreements are legal and that it has invested to keep its search and advertising businesses competitive.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Chuck Schumer, Leah Millis, Diane Bartz, Chris Reese Organizations: Intelligence, Senate, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Google, Apple, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

☆ Instagram linked to depression, anxiety, insomnia in kids - US states' lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | October | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowOct 24 (Reuters) - Dozens of U.S. states are suing Meta Platforms (META.O) and its Instagram unit, accusing them of contributing to a youth mental health crisis through the addictive nature of their social media platforms. "Research has shown that young people’s use of Meta's social media platforms is associated with depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with education and daily life, and many other negative outcomes," the complaint said. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal actions against social media companies on behalf of children and teens. Meta deceptively denied publicly that its social media was harmful, the lawsuit said. Nine other states are expected to file similar lawsuits on Tuesday, bringing the total number of states suing to 42.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, ByteDance's, Meta, We’re, Jonathan Stempel, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Nate Raymond, Rod Nickel, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Meta, YouTube, Menlo, Thomson Locations: Oakland , California, California, Illinois, , California, New York

☆ Tennessee attorney general says six states to discuss big-tech investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti's office said on Monday that there would be a press conference on Tuesday with five other states to discuss a big-tech investigation. The other states participating in the press conference are California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nebraska and New Hampshire. While Reuters could not determine the topic of the press conference, in November 2021 Tennessee joined seven other states to probe allegations Meta Platforms (META.O) promoted its subsidiary Instagram to children despite potential harms. Separately, Virginia's attorney general's office said on Monday that it would hold a press conference on Tuesday to update reporters on a similar probe into Meta. Reporting by Diane Bartz, Nate Raymond and David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jonathan Skrmetti's, Diane Bartz, Nate Raymond, David Shepardson, Leslie Adler Organizations: Tennessee, Reuters, Meta, Thomson Locations: California, Colorado , Massachusetts , Nebraska, New Hampshire

☆ US House speaker race: Who's in, who's out
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/8] U.S. Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX) speaks to reporters on his way into a House Republican candidates forum to make his pitch to be the next GOP House Speaker nominee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. October 23, 2023. OUT: BYRON DONALDSDonalds, a Republican from Florida and member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, dropped out after four rounds of voting on Tuesday. OUT: PETE SESSIONSSessions was one of the more experienced candidates, having chaired the powerful House Rules Committee and headed the House Republican's campaign arm. The chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, whose goal is to unite congressional Republicans, dropped out on Tuesday. OUT: DAN MEUSERMeuser, who is from Pennsylvania and has been in the House for four years, dropped out on Monday.

Persons: Pete Sessions, Jonathan Ernst, Kevin McCarthy, Emmer, MIKE JOHNSON Johnson, BYRON DONALDS Donalds, KEVIN HERN Hern, AUSTIN SCOTT Scott, JACK BERGMAN Bergman, Sessions, GARY PALMER Palmer, Donald Trump, MEUSER Meuser, Katharine Jackson, David Morgan, Diane Bartz, Andy Sullivan, Makini Brice, Moira Warburton, David Ljunggren, Scott Malone, Alistair Bell, David Gregorio, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Republican, GOP, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . House, Caucus, Committee, Marine, House Republican, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Minnesota, Louisiana, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Pennsylvania

☆ U.S. Senate panel sends three FTC nominations to full Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter testifies on the "Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission" before the U.S. Senate Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee voted on Wednesday to send three nominations for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to the full Senate. THE TAKEIf confirmed by the Senate, as expected, adding the two Republicans will not change the balance of power at the five-member FTC, which also enforces antitrust law. A previous Republican FTC commissioner, Christine Wilson, quit this year and sharply criticized agency leadership. Reporting by Diane Bartz; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rebecca Slaughter, Leah Millis, Andrew Ferguson, Melissa Holyoak, Lina Khan, Christine Wilson, Diane Bartz, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Federal, Federal Trade Commission, U.S . Senate Consumer Protection, Safety, Insurance, Data, Russell Senate, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Senate, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Democrat, FTC, Democratic, Amazon.com, Albertsons, Republican, Thomson Locations: Russell, Washington , U.S, Virginia, Utah

The Justice Department has called witnesses who testified about Google's payments, billions of dollars annually, to smartphone makers and wireless companies to make Google search the default on devices, and win more users. Others testified how search dominance led to clout in online advertising, including the ability to quietly raise ad prices. He also testified about how Google used machine learning tools that it developed to improve its search. Nayak's discussions of improving search appeared to downplay the role that search query volume played, implicitly disagreeing with Microsoft (MSFT.O) CEO Satya Nadella's arguments that his company needed more search queries to improve its Bing search engine but was being blocked by Google. Nayak also testified that Google compared its results to answers from Microsoft's search engine Bing, and found Bing to be lower quality.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Pandu Nayak, Satya Nadella's, Amit Mehta, Nayak, Bing, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, WASHINGTON, Google, The, Thomson

Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen on smartphone in front of displayed logo of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp and Oculus in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowWASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Meta (META.O), which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and the U.S. government tangled on Tuesday over the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's plan to toughen a 2019 privacy order. Speaking for Meta on Tuesday, James Rouhandeh argued that Judge Timothy Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia had jurisdiction to take the case and should scrap the FTC's proposal because Meta had not agreed to it. Arguing for the FTC, Zachary Cowan of the Justice Department said that it was the agency's decision on whether its settlements should be changed and the district court had no jurisdiction. Essentially, the fight is whether Meta and the FTC, if they fail to settle, will go to district court or an FTC judge to decide if the 2019 agreement will be modified.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, James Rouhandeh, Timothy Kelly, Meta, Zachary Cowan, Kelly, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Meta, U.S, U.S . Federal, District of Columbia, Justice Department, FTC, Thomson Locations: toughen

Search resuls for: "Diane Bartz"

25 mentions found