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Digital Content
US Considers a Rare Antitrust Move: Breaking Up Google
A bid to break up Alphabet Inc.’s Google is one of the options being considered by the Justice Department after a landmark court ruling found that the company monopolized the online search market. The move would be Washington’s first push to dismantle a company for illegal monopolization since unsuccessful efforts to break up
Meta shutters tool used to fight disinformation, despite outcry
Meta has been bombarded by academics, researchers, politicians and regulators about a tool called CrowdTangle, which most people probably haven’t heard of. It’s been used to investigate the spread of violence, political disinformation and false narratives on Facebook and Instagram. On August 14, less than three months before the U.S.
Harris-sponsored Google ads put news outlets in a tough spot
The Harris campaign has been editing news headlines and descriptions within Google search ads that make it appear as if the Guardian, Reuters, CBS News and other major publishers are on her side. It's a common practice in the commercial advertising world that doesn't violate Google's policies, but the ads mimic real news results from Search closely enough that they have news outlets caught off guard. The campaign buys search ads with news links to give voters searching for information about Vice President Harris more context.
Net Neutrality Goes Down in Court
The Biden regulatory blitz continues, but courts are beginning to do their job to stop the biggest legal overreaches. A Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals panel blocked the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rule, citing the Supreme Court’s major questions doctrine. Welcome to the post-Chevron world. “An agency may issue regulations only to the extent that Congress permits it,” the court writes.
6 ways the Google antitrust ruling could change the internet
A federal judge said on August 5 that Google broke the law to kneecap competition in web search in ways that entrenched the company’s power. The next steps, which involve proposing legal fixes to undo Google’s behavior, are essentially about imagining an alternative future in which Google isn’t Google as we know it. We have the internet we have, and it’s hard to imagine something different or if you’d like it more, but here are six possible alternati
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‘Google Is a Monopolist,’ Judge Rules in Landmark Antitrust Case
Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search, Judge Amit Mehta of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled, a landmark decision that strikes at the power of tech giants in the modern internet era and that may fundamentally alter the way they do business. Judge Mehta said that Google had abused a monopoly over the search business.
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Justice Department Sues TikTok and Parent Company ByteDance for Widespread Violations of Children’s Privacy Laws
The Justice Department, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S.
Perkins Coie Partner: Recent FCC Cases Likely Headed to Supreme Court
Perkins Coie Partner Marc Martin, a lawyer who helps companies understand Federal Communications Commission rules, expects multiple FCC cases to go before the Supreme Court. Martin called the recent Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision about the Universal Service Fund (USF)—ruling that the framework through which the FCC created the USF is unconstitutional—“a shock to the industry.” He referred to the Fifth Circuit Court as a “forum-shopping pla
Net neutrality is on ice
Net neutrality is officially on hold after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the rule from taking effect. The court granted a stay, extending an earlier temporary pause. This time, net neutrality will be blocked until the court says otherwise after reviewing the petitions from broadband providers who opposed the rule.