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☆ 7 Republican AGs write to Target, say Pride month campaigns could violate their state’s child protection laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Lucy Kafanov | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Republican attorneys general from seven states signed a letter Wednesday to Target (TGT), warning clothes and merchandise sold as part of the retail giant’s Pride month campaigns could violate their state’s child protection laws. Nineteen states have passed laws restricting it. And more than 1 in 5 of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ+ – so we’re also their future. In May, Target said it was removing some products celebrating Pride Month after the company and its employees became the focus of a “volatile” anti-LGBTQ campaign. Target said it removed from shelves “items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”Target did not have comment on the letter.

Persons: Theys, Katya ’, It’s, ” Jay Brown, HRC’s, Gen, we’re, Target Organizations: New, New York CNN, AGs, Rights, Training, Research, CNN, Human Locations: New York, Indiana , Arkansas , Idaho , Kentucky , Mississippi , Missouri, South Carolina

☆ Meta Loses Appeal on How It Harvests Data in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Adam Satariano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Although the ruling applies only to Meta services in Germany, it is expected to influence other antitrust authorities in the European Union. antitrust law, called the Digital Markets Act, takes effect in the coming months and gives regulators new powers to encourage competition in the tech sector. The court said regulators investigating antitrust cases can also examine whether a company is breaking the European Union’s data protection law, called the General Data Protection Regulation, or G.D.P.R. After the company appealed the decision, it eventually landed before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. He has argued that Facebook uses the data it collects from users to strengthen its position over rivals, harming competition.

Persons: Meta, Andreas Mundt, Mundt, ” Mr, “ Organizations: European Court, Justice, Facebook, Big Tech, European Union, Markets, Data, Court of Justice, Amazon, Google Locations: Germany, European Union, Luxembourg

☆ Amazon to soon face big FTC antitrust suit over online marketplace power, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon will soon face a long-anticipated antitrust lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Such a lawsuit would be a huge milestone for FTC Chair Lina Khan, who became a known figure in the antitrust world in 2017 when The Yale Law Journal published her note, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox." But the antitrust complaint against Amazon's core business is the action most FTC watchers have been waiting for. According to Bloomberg, the expected complaint is based in part on evidence the FTC has collected that Amazon allegedly disadvantages sellers that don't use its logistics services. The FTC and Amazon declined to comment to CNBC.

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, Meta Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Bloomberg, Yale Law, FTC, Amazon, CNBC, YouTube Locations: Arlington , Virginia

☆ How to tell your company has layoffs planned. Some signs ‘will send shivers down your spine,’ career expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon, Dropbox and Lyft had the biggest layoffs in the tech industry for April. Google and Meta Platforms are responsible for the most tech layoffs since the pandemic, according to Layoffs.fyi. Look at WARN notices in your stateSo-called WARN notices can help workers figure out if layoffs are coming, Vivian Tu, a former trader turned influencer who goes by "Your Rich BFF," said in a March Instagram video. However, sometimes companies can avoid releasing these notices by spreading out the layoffs, said Susan Houseman, director of research for the W.E. "So maybe you're going to lay off 75, say you lay off 40 one month and 26 the next to avoid WARN notice," she said.

Persons: Daniel Grill, —, José Fernández, Lyft, Vivian Tu, influencer, BFF, Susan Houseman, Houseman Organizations: Challenger, Retailers, University of Louisville, Google, Worker, . Upjohn Institute, Employment Research

☆ Facebook faces new allegations of gender discrimination in its delivery of job ads. Research by human rights group suggests it's a global concern
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Clare Duffy | Carlotta Dotto | Naomi Hirst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

But Global Witness' research suggests that this results in job ads being targeted to users based on gender stereotypes. And in some cases, human rights advocates say, the biases that appear to be shown by Facebook's ad system may exacerbate other disparities. Global Witness targeted the ads to adult Facebook users of any gender who resided in, or had recently visited, the chosen countries. Certain roles were less strongly skewed — a package delivery job ad, for example, was shown to 38% women users in the Netherlands. In December, Real Women in Trucking filed its EEOC complaint alleging that Facebook's job ads algorithm discriminates based on age and gender.

Persons: Naomi Hirst, Clara Wichmann, Ashley Settle, Settle, Meta, Linde, Ireland —, Caroline Leroy, Blanvillain, Fondation des Femme, Pat de Brún, de Brún, —, Brún, Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, Sandberg, Peter Romer, Friedman, " Romer, Facebook's, Hirst, Meera Senthilingam, Seth Fiegerman, Carlotta Dotto, Carolina Moscoso, Tal Yellin, Damian Prado, David Blood, Gabrielle Smith Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Global, Facebook's, des, UK, Human Rights, Commissioner's, Meta, US, Employment, Commission, Real Women, Trucking, Ad, Ireland, Fondation des, Amnesty, Employment Opportunity Commission, University of Southern, Real, Data Locations: Europe, France, Netherlands, Canada, United States, India, South Africa, United Kingdom, Indonesia, University of Southern California

☆ Cuba Gooding Jr. and anonymous woman have ‘resolved the matter’ in federal civil rape lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Lauren Del Valle | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An anonymous woman and actor Cuba Gooding Jr. have “resolved the matter” in the federal civil rape case against him, according to a court docket entry. The trial was set to kick off Tuesday with jury selection, but is now “off the calendar,” the docket states. The woman had alleged that Gooding raped her at the Mercer Hotel in August 2013 after meeting her in a bar earlier that night. Last year, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of forcibly touching a woman at a New York City nightclub in 2018. Gooding admitted to kissing the woman, a waitress at the club, on her lips without consent.

Persons: Cuba Gooding, Gooding, Jane Doe “, Jane Doe, Rod Tidwell, Jerry Maguire, ”, Coleen Balbert, ” Gooding Organizations: CNN, Mercer Hotel, New, Manhattan, Attorney’s Locations: New York City, Manhattan

☆ US senators question Twitter's FTC compliance under Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The lawmakers asked Musk and Yaccarino to respond to a series of questions about Twitter’s FTC obligations and whether the layoffs and resignations have hindered its ability to comply. Elon Musk under TwitterSince purchasing Twitter, Musk has said he’s laid off more than 6,000 employees, or roughly 80% of the company’s pre-acquisition headcount. Twitter is already under investigation by the FTC for possible breaches of its consent orders. But as both the FTC and now the senators have indicated, Twitter’s behavior under Musk is also covered by the consent agreements. House Republicans have alleged that the FTC probe is intended to “harass” Musk and represents an example of the “weaponization” of the US government.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Ella Irwin, Twitter’s, “ Mr, ”, Massachusetts Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Elizabeth Warren ; Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, Hawaii Democratic Sen, Mazie, Twitter didn’t, Twitter, he’s, Peiter “ Mudge ” Zatko, Zatko Organizations: Washington CNN —, Twitter, Federal Trade Commission, CNN, Massachusetts Democratic, Elizabeth Warren ; Oregon Democratic, Hawaii Democratic, FTC, Washington Post, House Republicans Locations: Elizabeth Warren ; Oregon

☆ Support dips for Indigenous recognition referendum in Australia, poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

About 46% will vote yes to having the new advisory body, called the Indigenous "Voice to Parliament", while 43% would vote no, according to the Newspoll survey published in the Australian newspaper on Monday. The poll comes just days after the referendum legislation cleared its first parliamentary hurdle as it was passed in the House of Representatives. This is the first survey to poll voters on the precise question they will be asked at the ballot box when the referendum is held, expected between October and December. Another poll last month found the yes vote dipping to 53% from 58% earlier this year. While a majority of Indigenous people support the Voice, others argue it is a distraction from achieving practical and positive outcomes.

Persons: Read, Anthony Albanese, Praveen Menon, Ediring, Michael Perry Organizations: Australian, Torres Strait, Thomson Locations: Rio Tinto, Perth, Australia, SYDNEY, Australia's

Companies Meta Platforms Inc FollowWASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - A 2018 privacy lawsuit brought by Washington, D.C., against Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) was dismissed on Thursday by a Superior Court judge, who ruled the firm did not mislead consumers over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The social media firm drew global scrutiny in 2018 after disclosing that a third-party personality quiz distributed on Facebook gathered profile information on 87 million users worldwide and sold the data to British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. "Facebook did not materially mislead consumers as to their response to Cambridge Analytica," the judge said on Thursday. The District of Columbia attorney general's office said it disagreed with the court's decision and was considering options. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maurice Ross of, general's, Kanishka Singh, Leslie Adler Organizations: WASHINGTON, D.C, Facebook, Meta, Inc, Cambridge, Superior Court, District of Columbia, of Columbia, Thomson Locations: Washington, Cambridge

June 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday gave Salesforce Inc's (CRM.N) Slack Technologies another chance to avoid a lawsuit over the workplace communications software company's 2019 direct listing. A direct listing is an alternative to a traditional initial public offering. The registration statement was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). That differs from an IPO, under which newly registered shares are offered to the public while existing shareholders are typically barred from selling their unregistered shares for months. Slack's direct listing released 118 million shares that were registered under its registration statement and 165 million pre-existing shares that were exempt from registration.

Persons: Salesforce Inc's, Fiyyaz Pirani, Pirani, Slack, Neil Gorsuch, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Slack Technologies, San, Circuit, Securities, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, falsities, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, New York

☆ Microsoft flags over $400 mln charge for Irish privacy violation fine on LinkedIn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 1 (Reuters) - Software major Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Thursday it expected to take a charge of about $425 million in the current quarter for a potential fine from an Irish regulator over alleged privacy violations at its unit LinkedIn. The Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) launched an investigation into the professional networking platform in 2018 over whether its targeted advertising practices violated the European data protection law. The regulator's order is not public and Microsoft said that LinkedIn was informed about the preliminary decision in April. Microsoft added it would dispute the proposed fine after receiving a final order. Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: IDPC, Yuvraj Malik, Rashmi Organizations: Software, Microsoft Corp, Irish Data Protection, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Irish, Bengaluru

☆ Judge Dismisses D.C.’s Privacy Lawsuit Against Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Cecilia Kang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The NewsA Superior Court judge on Thursday dismissed a privacy lawsuit against Meta by the District of Columbia, which had accused the company of deceiving consumers by improperly sharing their data with third parties, including the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. The decision was a rare victory for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, as it battles lawsuits filed by the federal government, states, foreign regulators and consumers in privacy, antitrust and consumer protection disputes. But Judge Ross said Facebook not only had adequately informed users of how data could be shared with third parties but had provided instructions on how to limit data sharing. He added that Facebook had taken adequate steps to investigate Cambridge Analytica and inform users after press reports about the activity emerged. “While the district may disagree with Facebook’s approach to the situation, there is no legal basis that required Facebook to act differently,” Judge Ross said.

Persons: Maurice A . Ross of, Karl Racine, Cambridge Analytica, Racine, Judge Ross, ”, Gabriel Shoglow, Rubenstein, “, ” Meta Organizations: Meta, District of Columbia, Cambridge, Maurice A . Ross of Superior Court, Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, ” Locations: District

☆ Factbox: Penalties imposed on Australian companies over the recent years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some of the major penalties imposed by the regulators:AMP LTD (AMP.AX)Troubled Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd was fined a court-mandated penalty of A$24 million in May for billing dead clients for insurance and financial advice. In October 2022, ANZ was penalised A$25 million for failing to provide certain benefits it had agreed to give customers. In October 2022, CBA's trading unit was fined A$20 million for compliance failures in delivering financial services. NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK (NAB.AX)National Australia Bank, the country's second-largest bank, was charged A$18.5 million penalty in August 2021 by a court for issuing misleading fee disclosure statements or none at all. WESTPAC BANKING CORP (WBC.AX)Australia's third-biggest lender, Westpac Banking Corp was ordered to pay A$113 million in penalties in April 2022 for multiple compliance failures across its businesses.

The European Union is at the forefront of drafting new AI rules that could set the global benchmark to address privacy and safety concerns that have arisen with the rapid advances in the generative AI technology behind OpenAI's ChatGPT. "If it's about protecting personal data, they apply data protection laws, if it's a threat to safety of people, there are regulations that have not been specifically defined for AI, but they are still applicable." Data protection authorities in France and Spain also launched in April probes into OpenAI's compliance with privacy laws. 'THINKING CREATIVELY'French data regulator CNIL has started "thinking creatively" about how existing laws might apply to AI, according to Bertrand Pailhes, its technology lead. "We are looking at the full range of effects, although our focus remains on data protection and privacy," he told Reuters.

☆ Australia to regulate buy-now-pay-later sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, May 22 (Reuters) - The Australian government said on Monday it would introduce laws that will consider buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services as a credit product in a bid to protect consumers in a largely unregulated industry. "Best way to do that is to legislate, to regulate as a credit product, so that we can manage some of the risks." But concerns about repayment have been rising as Australia battles high inflation, which now sits at near 30-year highs. Australia, home to about a dozen listed BNPL providers, has about 7 million active accounts that resulted in A$16 billion ($10.9 billion) of transactions in 2021-22, up 37%, data showed. ($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms Mondelez International Inc FollowWalmart Inc FollowMay 19 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Illinois has dismissed a lawsuit accusing Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ.O) of deceiving consumers into believing its Trident "Original Flavor" gum contained real mint. U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston said it was "fanciful" to believe reasonable consumers would expect the gum to contain mint or peppermint because its packaging featured an "unnaturally blue" leaf with condensation bubbles. "At most, Trident 'Original Flavor' packaging hints that its flavor is mint, not that its ingredients include mint or peppermint," he added. The lawsuit covered consumers in Illinois and eight other U.S. states, and accused Chicago-based Mondelez of violating various consumer protection laws. The case is Lesorgen v Mondelez International LLC, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No.

☆ India's Glenmark Pharma reports lower Q4 profit as domestic sales weaken
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, May 19 (Reuters) - India's Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GLEN.NS) reported a 12.3% decline in fourth-quarter profit on Friday, hurt by higher input costs and lower demand in its domestic drugs business. Consolidated profit before exceptional items and tax fell to 3.09 billion rupees ($37.78 million) for the three months ended March 31, from 3.52 billion rupees a year earlier, the cetirizine maker said in a stock exchange filing. Glenmark, which caters to the therapeutic areas such as diabetes, cardiovascular and oral contraceptives, reported a 11.5% rise in quarterly net sales. Input costs for the quarter rose 11% to 8.77 billion rupees from a year earlier. Glenmark Pharma shares had climbed 9.6% in the March quarter, comfortably outperforming the Nifty Pharma index (.NIPHARM) that fell 4.6%.

Companies Hyatt Hotels Corp FollowNEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Monday against Hyatt Hotels Corp (H.N) for allegedly violating Texas consumer protection laws by misleading consumers with marketing and charging hidden fees. In a petition filed in district court, Paxton said U.S.-based Hyatt did not include mandatory fees in advertised room rates to stop comparison shopping, amounting to millions of dollars in fraudulent charges. "I will not stand by while Texas consumers are taken advantage of by Hyatt, or by any hotel chain that tries to get away with charging illegal hidden fees," Paxton said in a press release. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Paxton's lawsuit. Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Johnson & Johnson FollowNEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) has set aside $400 million to resolve U.S. state consumer protection actions as part of its broader $8.9 billion effort to settle claims that its Baby Powder and other talc products cause cancer. LTL's bankruptcy plan would pay $400 million into a separate trust for claims filed by state attorneys general alleging that J&J violated state unfair business practices and consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about the safety of its talc products. Several states had begun consumer protection actions against J&J before LTL's first bankruptcy filing stopped those investigations from moving forward in 2021. New Mexico and Mississippi said in their motion to dismiss that LTL's renewed bankruptcy violates state law enforcement powers by attempting unilaterally to cap the company's liability for state consumer protection actions. From there, the proposed settlement applies discounts depending on the type and severity of cancer, the individual's age, history of talc use and other factors.

☆ FTC Chair Khan on regulation: To ensure incumbents don't squash competition with existing dominance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFTC Chair Khan on regulation: To ensure incumbents don't squash competition with existing dominanceFTC Chair Lina Khan joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the push for A.I. regulation, the Microsoft-Activision merger, the enforcement of antitrust & consumer protection laws, and more.

☆ FTC Chair Lina Khan: What best produces breakthrough innovations is competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFTC Chair Lina Khan: What best produces breakthrough innovations is competitionFTC Chair Lina Khan joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the push for A.I. regulation, the Microsoft-Activision merger, the enforcement of antitrust & consumer protection laws, and more.

☆ Missouri Lawmakers Pass Bill to Ban Transition Care for Minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Background: Transition care was already in flux in MissouriThe vote on Wednesday was not the first attempt to limit transgender care in Missouri this year. Why It Matters: New limits are emerging across the countryThe Missouri bill comes amid a national blitz of Republican legislation targeting transition care for transgender youth. The rapidly changing legal landscape has placed transition care out of reach for many transgender children in the Midwest and South, infuriating L.G.B.T.Q. Several states bordering Missouri — Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee and Oklahoma — have passed new limits on transition care for minors this year. An attempt to ban care for minors in Kansas failed when lawmakers did not muster enough votes to override the Democratic governor’s veto.

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ -China's steps to control its data and information
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Below is a timeline of main events in China’s effort to tighten its grip on data and information and especially over their export. July 2015: China passes a national security law that broadened the scope to protect its cyberspace and also emphasised a need to develop key technologies. June 2021: China passes a data security law on the protection of “important data” and “core data”, including information involving national and economic security, people’s welfare and on issues of important public interest. July 2022: China unveils cross-border data review measures that require a security review for “important” offshore data transfers. September 2022: Regulators ask China's biggest financial data provider Wind Information Co to stop providing offshore users with certain data, sources told Reuters.

☆ Britain launches probe into ChatGPT-style A.I. as regulators grow concerned by risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — The U.K. competition regulator launched an investigation into the artificial intelligence industry, seeking to examine potential competition and consumer concerns as U.S. tech giants Microsoft and Google square off over the technology. The probe will focus on "foundation models" like large language models and generative AI, such as those being developed by Microsoft-backed firm OpenAI. Large language models are AI systems trained on huge amounts of data to understand human language and come up with humanlike responses to user inputs. However, they have also caused alarm for regulators who are concerned by the rapid pace at which AI systems are being developed and what this means for the labor market. The announcement by the CMA follows a request by the government to regulators to review how principles like safety, transparency and accountability are being incorporated into AI systems.

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