DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Mr. Dintzer said that the Justice Department case was “built on documents that capture exactly” what Google did. The opening statement offered clues to how the Justice Department will paint the relationship between Google and Apple. Mr. Dintzer said that Google was insistent that it would not share revenue with Apple without “default placement” on its devices. Later, Mr. Dintzer said, Google worked to make sure that Apple couldn’t redirect searches to its Siri assistant product. “They turned history off, your honor, so they could rewrite it here in this courtroom,” Mr. Dintzer said.

Persons: Kenneth Dintzer, ” Mr, Dintzer, ”, Bing, Amit P, Mehta, Achilles, Google, Siri, Sundar Pichai, “ Organizations: Justice, Google, Apple, Justice Department, Yahoo, MSN

The back-and-forth came in the federal government’s first monopoly trial since it tried to break up Microsoft more than two decades ago. If Google wins, it could act as a referendum on increasingly aggressive government regulators, raise questions about the efficacy of century-old antitrust laws and further embolden Silicon Valley. The Justice Department has filed a second lawsuit against Google over its advertising technology, which could go to trial as early as next year. The Federal Trade Commission is separately moving toward a trial in an antitrust lawsuit against Meta. Investigations remain open in efforts that could lead to antitrust lawsuits against Amazon and Apple.

Persons: Judge Amit P, Mehta, ”, Bill Baer, Biden Organizations: Microsoft, Google, U.S, District of Columbia, Justice Department, The, Federal Trade Commission, Meta, Amazon, Apple

Persons: Kenneth Dintzer, ” Mr, Dintzer, ”, Bing, Amit P, Mehta, Achilles, Google, Siri, Sundar Pichai, “ Organizations: Justice, Google, Apple, Justice Department, Yahoo, MSN

☆ Why Google Is On Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( David Mccabe | Nico Grant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Why should you care? The trial could have broad implications. If Google loses, the ruling could chip away at its stature in the technology industry — and reshuffle power in Silicon Valley. It will also be a test of whether the nation’s antitrust laws, written more than a century ago, can be used to rein in the fast-moving tech industry.

Organizations: Google Locations: Silicon Valley

What does Google say? Even though they do not operate general-purpose search engines, Google argues that they are rival destinations where consumers go to find products or content that bypasses Google entirely. Consumers have a choice to use other search engines, it argues, but choose Google because they find it most helpful. The government has to show that Google has monopoly power over the areas of the economy at issue in the case. The wider the market, the easier it is for Google to argue that it does not have monopoly power.

Organizations: Google, Consumers

The Justice Department has spent three years over two presidential administrations building the case that Google illegally abused its power over online search to throttle competition. The case — U.S. et al v. Google — is the federal government’s first monopoly trial of the modern internet era, as a generation of tech companies has come to wield immense influence over commerce, information, public discourse, entertainment and labor. Such a consequential case over tech power has not unfolded since the Justice Department took Microsoft to court in 1998 for antitrust violations. But since then, companies like Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have woven themselves into people’s lives to an even greater degree. Any ruling from the trial could have broad ripple effects, slowing down or potentially dismantling the largest internet companies after decades of unbridled growth.

Organizations: Google, District, Columbia, Justice Department, Microsoft, Apple Locations: U.S

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to China is putting a spotlight on the future of TikTok in the United States, where criticism of the app and its ties to Beijing reached a fever pitch this year. Despite the intense pressure on the popular short-form video app, which is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, efforts to ban or regulate it in Washington have not yet borne fruit. And even with all that scrutiny, Ms. Raimondo is not planning to discuss TikTok while in China, a glaring omission that reflects the impasse at which it has left the Biden administration. The administration has been stymied by how to deal with TikTok even as intelligence officials have warned that it poses a national security threat. Ms. Raimondo memorably told Bloomberg News this year that if the administration banned TikTok, “the politician in me thinks you’re going to literally lose every voter under 35, forever.” (TikTok claims 150 million users in the United States.)

Persons: Gina Raimondo’s, Raimondo, ”, TikTok Organizations: Biden, White, Bloomberg News Locations: China, United States, Beijing, Washington

☆ Amazon to Meet Regulators as U.S. Considers Possible Antitrust Suit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( David Mccabe | More About David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

commissioners, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are confidential. The scheduled meetings signal that the F.T.C. is nearing a decision on whether to move forward with a lawsuit arguing that Amazon has violated antimonopoly laws. Such discussions are sometimes known as “last rites” meetings, after the prayers some Christians receive on their deathbed. As a $1.4 trillion behemoth, Amazon has turned into a major force in the economy.

Persons: Lina Khan, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Alvaro Bedoya Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Metro, Goldwyn, Mayer

A federal judge said this week that the Justice Department and a group of states could not move forward with some claims in an antitrust lawsuit against Google, narrowing the scope of the most significant federal monopoly trial against a tech giant in decades. In the decision, which was unsealed on Friday, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the U.S. government and the states could not argue that Google maintained a monopoly by boosting its own products in search results over those of specialized sites. They had not “demonstrated the requisite anticompetitive effect,” he said. But Judge Mehta declined Google’s request to dismiss portions of the case. The decision sets the stage for the first major tech monopoly trial since the federal government took Microsoft to court in the 1990s, accusing it of monopolistic practices.

Persons: Judge Amit P, Mehta, ”, Judge Mehta Organizations: Justice Department, Google, U.S, District of Columbia, Microsoft, Apple, Meta Locations: U.S

The forceful antitrust posture is a pillar of President Biden’s agenda to stamp out economic inequality and encourage greater competition. “Promoting competition to lower costs and support small businesses and entrepreneurs is a central part of Bidenomics,” a senior administration official said in a call with reporters. The agency has accused Meta of buying Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 to prevent future competition. These so-called network effects have helped companies like Meta and Google maintain their dominance in social media and internet search. The agencies also laid out ways in which mergers involving “platform” businesses, the model used by Amazon’s online store and Apple’s App Store, could harm competition.

Persons: Biden’s, ”, Mr, Kanter, “ Organizations: “, Meta, Justice, Google Locations: Bidenomics, WhatsApp

A federal appeals court on Friday paused a judge’s order that had blocked much of the Biden administration from talking to social media sites about content. The case could have significant First Amendment implications and affect the conduct of social media companies and their cooperation with government agencies. In its three-sentence order, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said the preliminary injunction issued this month by a federal judge in Louisiana would be put aside “until further orders of the court.” The appeals court also called for expedited oral arguments in the case. In the lawsuit, Missouri, Louisiana and five individuals said that President Biden’s campaign, his administration and outside groups pressured social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube to take down content that it objected to. That content included conservative claims about the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 presidential election, and a story about Hunter Biden, the president’s son.

Persons: Biden, ”, Biden’s, Hunter Biden Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Facebook, YouTube Locations: Louisiana, Missouri

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled against the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to delay Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, setting the stage for the tech giant and the video game publisher to merge as soon as this month. In a 53-page decision, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said the F.T.C. had failed to show it was likely to prove that the merger was likely to result in a substantial reduction in competition that would harm consumers. The ruling is a significant blow to the F.T.C.’s efforts to police blockbuster tech mergers more aggressively. has sued Microsoft, Meta and Amazon, but it walked away from one of its cases against Meta and has had little to show for its efforts so far.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Lina Khan Organizations: Federal Trade, Activision Blizzard, U.S, Northern, Microsoft, Meta Locations: Northern District, California

A deal to ensure that data from Meta, Google and scores of other companies can continue flowing between the United States and European Union was finalized on Monday, after the digital transfer of personal information between the two jurisdictions had been thrown into doubt because of privacy concerns. The decision adopted by the European Commission is the final step in a yearslong process and resolves — at least for now — a dispute about American intelligence agencies’ ability to gain access to data about European Union residents. The debate pitted U.S. national security concerns against European privacy rights. The accord, known as the E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, gives Europeans the ability to object when they believe their personal information has been collected improperly by American intelligence agencies. A new independent review body made up of American judges, called the Data Protection Review Court, will be created to hear such appeals.

Persons: Didier Reynders, Merrick B, Garland, Gina Raimondo Organizations: Meta, Google, European Union, European Commission, European, U.S Locations: United States, European Union

Two months after President Biden took office, his top digital adviser emailed officials at Facebook urging them to do more to limit the spread of “vaccine hesitancy” on the social media platform. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials held “weekly sync” meetings with Facebook, once emailing the company 16 “misinformation” posts. And in the summer of 2021, the surgeon general’s top aide repeatedly urged Google, Facebook and Twitter to do more to combat disinformation. The examples are among dozens of interactions described in a 155-page ruling by a federal judge in Louisiana, who on Tuesday imposed temporary but far-reaching limits on how members of Mr. Biden’s administration can engage with social media companies. It taps into fury on the right about how social media companies have treated stories about the origins of Covid, the 2020 election and Hunter Biden, the president’s son.

Persons: Biden, Hunter Biden Organizations: Facebook, Centers for Disease Control, Google, Twitter Locations: Louisiana

☆ Federal Judge Limits Biden Officials’ Contacts With Social Media Sites
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Steven Lee Myers | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal judge in Louisiana on Tuesday restricted parts of the Biden administration from communicating with social media platforms about broad swaths of content online, a ruling that could curtail efforts to combat false and misleading narratives about the coronavirus pandemic and other issues. The ruling, which could have significant First Amendment implications, is a major development in a fierce legal fight over the boundaries and limits of speech online. Republicans have often accused the government of inappropriately working with social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to censor critics and say the platforms disproportionately take down right-leaning content. Democrats say the platforms have failed to adequately police misinformation and hateful speech, leading to dangerous outcomes, including violence. In the ruling, Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana said that parts of the government, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, could not talk to social media companies for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.”

Persons: Biden, Judge Terry A, Doughty, ” Organizations: Republicans, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, U.S, Western, Western District of, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of Locations: Louisiana, Western District, Western District of Louisiana

In a San Francisco courtroom, federal regulators are fighting to block one of the biggest deals in the history of Silicon Valley. David McCabe, who covers technology policy for The New York Times, talks about Lina Khan, the F.T.C. chair who is the architect of the lawsuit, and the growing campaign to finally rein in big tech.

Persons: David McCabe, Lina Khan Organizations: The New York Times Locations: San Francisco, Silicon Valley

The Biden administration is weighing additional curbs on China’s ability to access critical technology, including restricting the sale of high-end chips used to power artificial intelligence, according to five people familiar with the deliberations. The curbs would clamp down on the sales to China of advanced chips made by companies like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, which are needed for the data centers that power artificial intelligence. Biden officials have said that China’s artificial intelligence capabilities could pose a national security threat to the United States by enhancing Beijing’s military and security apparatus. in guiding weapons, carrying out cyber warfare and powering facial recognition systems used to track dissidents and minorities. But such curbs would be a blow to semiconductor manufacturers, including those in the United States, who still generate much of their revenue in China.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Nvidia, Devices Locations: China, United States

☆ Microsoft Says It Could Abandon Activision Deal if Judge Delays It
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Kellen Browning | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

On Wednesday, it sued Amazon over allegations that the company tricked users into signing up for its Prime subscription service. has had setbacks: Its challenge to Meta’s purchase of a virtual reality start-up fell apart this year after a judge declined to stop the deal from closing. But that court does not have the legal authority to stop the deal. asked the federal court to step in this month, saying it feared Microsoft would try to complete the deal despite the legal challenges. would be a sign that its broader challenge has legs, and could put new pressure on Microsoft and Activision to reconsider the multibillion-dollar corporate marriage.

Persons: Wilkinson, ”, Jim Ryan, Meta, Microsoft’s, Corley’s Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Nintendo, Nvidia, PlayStation, Sony, Amazon

☆ China’s Cloud Computing Firms Raise Concern for U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the digital cold war between the United States and China, American officials are increasingly turning their attention to a new target: Chinese cloud computing giants. American officials have discussed whether they can set tighter rules for the Chinese companies when they operate in the United States, as well as ways to counter the companies’ growth abroad, three of the people said. The Biden administration has also spoken with the American cloud computing companies Google, Microsoft and Amazon to understand how their Chinese competitors operate, three other people with knowledge of the matter said. By focusing on the Chinese cloud companies, U.S. officials are potentially widening the scope of the technological tensions between Washington and Beijing. In recent years, the United States has choked China’s access to crucial technologies while trying to limit the reach of Chinese tech and telecommunication companies abroad.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Huawei, Google, Microsoft Locations: United States, China, Washington, Beijing

☆ F.T.C. Sues Amazon for Inducing Users to Subscribe to Prime
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, argues that Amazon had used design tactics on its website known as “dark patterns” to nudge people into subscribing to Prime, the F.T.C. And when consumers wanted to cancel, they had to go through a byzantine process to do so. “Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” Ms. Khan said in a statement. has taken Amazon to court under Ms. Khan, who rose to fame with a viral critique of the company and who is ramping up scrutiny of the e-commerce giant. Ms. Khan has said the power that big tech companies have over online commerce requires regulators to be far more aggressive and has begun taking actions against them.

Persons: Lina Khan, Ms, Khan Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Wednesday, Amazon, Western, of Locations: U.S, of Washington

☆ As U.S. and Chinese Officials Meet, Businesses Temper Their Hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Ana Swanson | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Foreign direct investment in China has fallen to an 18-year low. “The hope is that high-level dialogues like this can start to inject some certainty for business into an increasingly fraught and unpredictable trade relationship,” he said. Still, as one of the world’s largest consumer markets and home to many factories that supply global businesses, China exerts a powerful pull. On a visit to China this month, Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and owner of Twitter, described the American and Chinese economies as “conjoined twins” and said he opposed to efforts to split them. Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, traveled to China in March and lauded the company’s “symbiotic” relationship with the nation.

Persons: ”, Jake Colvin, Mary Barra, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, Stephen Schwarzman, Elon Musk, Tesla, Tim Cook Organizations: American Chamber of Commerce, National Foreign Trade Council, General Motors, JPMorgan, Twitter Locations: China, Blackstone

☆ F.T.C. Said to Plan to Sue to Stop Microsoft’s Activision Deal From Closing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( David Mccabe | Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The planned lawsuit would be the latest blow to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, which makes popular video games like Call of Duty and Candy Crush. sued to block the deal through an in-house court, arguing it would damage competition in various parts of the video game market. The agency plans to file the separate lawsuit on Wednesday because unlike the F.T.C.’s in-house court, a federal court can issue a restraining order to block a purchase from being completed. In April, the British Competition and Markets Authority also moved to stop the deal, though regulators in the European Union said in May that it could go forward. Governments around the world have been challenging the power of tech giants like Microsoft.

Persons: Meta Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Activision, behemoth, British Competition, Markets Authority, European Union, Amazon, of Justice, Google

☆ TikTok and Free Speech Groups Appear Poised for Legal Fight Over Montana Ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ms. Oberwetter also pointed to statements from civil and digital groups raising similar concerns. To justify a ban, Ms. Krishnan said, Montana would have to show that its privacy and security concerns were real and that they could not be addressed in narrower ways. “I don’t think TikTok has yet committed to suing, but I think it’s likely that it will,” Ms. Krishnan said. Montana’s law came after the federal government and more than two dozen states banned TikTok on government devices in recent months. TikTok says that it has never been asked to provide, nor has it provided, any U.S. user data to the Chinese government.

☆ White House Unveils Initiatives to Reduce Risks of A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The White House on Thursday announced its first new initiatives aimed at taming the risks of artificial intelligence since a boom in A.I.-powered chatbots has prompted growing calls to regulate the technology. The National Science Foundation plans to spend $140 million on new research centers devoted to A.I., White House officials said. The administration also pledged to release draft guidelines for government agencies to ensure that their use of A.I. A senior administration official said on Wednesday that the White House planned to impress upon the companies that they had a responsibility to address the risks of new A.I. developments.The White House has been under growing pressure to police A.I.

☆ As Regulators Block Tech Deals, They Increasingly Look to the Future
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( David Mccabe | Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As companies like Google and Facebook grew into giants in the early 21st century, regulators chose largely not to interfere in the still-young market for online services. Now regulators have reversed course: When it comes to tech, they want to see into the future and beat companies to getting there. The decision by the British authorities on Wednesday to block Microsoft’s $69 billion bid for the video game giant Activision Blizzard exemplified the new approach. British officials said a core reason for rejecting the deal was how it could threaten competition in the nascent market for cloud gaming, which lets users stream their favorite video game titles. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which last year sued to block Microsoft’s deal for Activision, also raised concerns about competition in cloud gaming, though the agency focused mostly on the impact to the traditional console games business.

Search resuls for: "David McCabe"

25 mentions found