On July 27th, the CEOs of Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google — the “GAFA” companies — will testify in front of the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. Getting those four people into the same room — even virtually — on the same day is something of a feat and it speaks to how seriously these companies Read more about Big tech’s reckoning starts with an antitrust committee[…]
I’ve used a Samsung Galaxy smartphone almost every day for nearly 4 years. I used them because Samsung had fantastic hardware that was matched by (usually) excellent software. But in 2020, a Samsung phone is no longer my daily driver, and there’s one simple reason that’s the case: Ads. Ads Everywhere Ads in Samsung phones Read more about Ads are taking over Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones — and it needs to stop[…]
Last Friday, it was reported that Canadian smart glasses startup North was on the verge of being snapped up by Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Today, it’s official. North announced the acquisition on both Twitter and in an official blog. Details regarding the terms of the sale were scant, though a Globe and Mail scoop from Read more about Google Just Acquired Smart Glasses Startup North, then kills off the product[…]
As advertisers pull away from Facebook to protest the social networking giant’s hands-off approach to misinformation and hate speech, the company is instituting a number of stronger policies to woo them back. In a livestreamed segment of the company’s weekly all-hands meeting, CEO Mark Zuckerberg recapped some of the steps Facebook is already taking, and Read more about As advertisers revolt, Facebook commits to flagging ‘newsworthy’ political speech that violates policy[…]
Apple has said it has decided not to implement 16 web APIs in its Safari browser’s WebKit engine in part because they pose a privacy threat. Critics of the iGiant, including competitors like Google, see Apple’s stance as a defense against a competitive threat. These APIs, developed in recent years to allow web developers to Read more about Apple: We’re defending your privacy by nixing 16 browser APIs. Rivals: You mean defending your bottom line[…]
Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and a host of other tech giants will have to pay billions of dollars in extra tax after the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal on a stock-option case. America’s top court said [PDF] on Monday it will not review a decision by the Ninth Circuit of Appeals that stock-based Read more about Big Tech on the hook for billions in back taxes after US Supreme Court rejects Altera stock options case hearing[…]
The European Commission has launched two separate antitrust investigations into Apple, focused on the App Store and Apple Pay. The executive branch of the European Union said it would consider App Store rules that force developers to use its own payment and in-app purchase system. In a press release, the Commission referenced a complaint filed Read more about Apple Pay and the App Store are under EU antitrust investigation[…]
European Union officials are preparing to bring antitrust charges against Amazon for abusing its dominance in internet commerce to box out smaller rivals, according to people with knowledge of the case. Nearly two years in the making, the case is one of the most aggressive attempts by a government to crimp the power of the Read more about Amazon Set to Face Antitrust Charges in European Union[…]
Voor 495 euro in een private jet naar Ibiza vliegen, met 25 kilogram bagage, luxesnacks en een glaasje champagne. Dat wil de Limburgse luchtvaartondernemer Philippe Bodson vanaf 4 juli onder de naam Flying Executive in de markt zetten. Op wekelijkse basis vanuit Brussel. Een lijnvlucht voor private jets is geen primeur in Europa. Maar de Read more about Belg opent lijnvlucht met private jets naar Ibiza[…]
The following report appeared on Yahoo! Finance: Privacy-focused browser Brave was found to autocomplete several websites and keywords in its address bar with an affiliate code. Shortly after a user published his findings, Brave CEO and co-founder Brendan Eich addressed the incident and called it “a mistake we’re correcting.” Eich said that while Brave is Read more about Brave Browser Mistake Adds Its Referrer Code For Cryptocurrency Sites – quite a big oops also for privacy[…]
Three online advertisers are suing Google for allegedly violating antitrust laws by monopolizing “digital advertising markets.” “Google leveraged its stranglehold on online search and search advertising to gain an illegal monopoly in brokering display advertising on other companies’ websites,” the marketers allege in a class-action complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Read more about Marketers Bring Antitrust Suit Against Google[…]
Expedia Group’s new CEO isn’t mincing words about one of the company’s biggest challenges: Google’s dual role as a rival in online travel, and a key source of customers through search traffic and paid advertising. “I think Google’s a problem — it’s a problem for everyone who sells something online, and we all have to Read more about Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern: ‘Google’s a problem for everyone who sells something online’ – yup, monopolies are bad[…]
Many smart home device makers rely on subscriptions to keep a steady stream of money coming in, but Wink is learning how that strategy can easily go wrong. The company has announced plans to move to a $5 per month subscription on May 13th (yes, just one week from now), and it’s mandatory. Decline to Read more about Wink smart home users have one week to subscribe or be shut off – yay cloud devices[…]
A California state panel on Friday rejected a request from Elon Musk’s SpaceX for $655,500 in state job and training funds, citing the chief executive’s recent threats to move Tesla, the electric carmaker that he also runs, out of the state. The snub comes as Musk has sparred with officials in Alameda County over his Read more about California officials reject subsidies for Musk’s SpaceX over Tesla spat – might have something to do with opening in defiance of Covid orders[…]
IT services provider Cognizant said in an earnings call this week that a ransomware incident that took place last month in April 2020 will negatively impact its Q2 revenue. “While we anticipate that the revenue impact related to this issue will be largely resolved by the middle of the quarter, we do anticipate the revenue Read more about Cognizant expects to lose between $50m and $70m following ransomware attack[…]
A new study from The School of Business at Portland State University suggests that the aggressive cultures of private equity firms, like venture capitalists, might spill over into the companies that they fund. Venture capitalists are often the hidden players in business decision making, and they are funding startups like Uber, SpaceX and AirBnB. With Read more about New study spotlights the dark side of venture capitalist funding – shows it’s also bad for the bottom line[…]
Shares of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) jumped more than 8% on Monday, putting Tesla’s market capitalization at $141.1 billion at the close. More importantly for Musk, Tesla’s stock market value reached a six-month average of $100.2 billion, according to an analysis of Refinitiv data. Hitting a six-month average of $100 billion triggers the vesting of the Read more about Tesla stock rise appears to qualify CEO Musk for $700 million payday – and the chance to buy loats of Tesla stock at low prices[…]
As predicted, the proprietary locking system Apple rolled out with its 2018 MacBook Pros is hurting independent repair stores, refurbishers, and electronics recyclers. A combination of secure software locks, diagnostic requirements, and Apple’s new T2 security chip are making it hard to breathe new life into old MacBook Pros that have been recycled but could Read more about Apple’s T2 Security Chip ensure used laptops become unrecyclable junk, a Nightmare for MacBook Refurbishers[…]
CEO Elon Musk tweeted Friday that the company’s stock price was “too high” in his opinion, immediately sending shares into a free fall and in possible violation of an agreement reached with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last year. Tesla shares fell nearly 12% in the half hour following his stock price tweets — Read more about Tesla shares fall on Elon Musk “stock price too high” tweet[…]
Apple has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by folks upset the iGiant broke FaceTime overnight on millions of iPhones. The settlement amounts to a few bucks a device, meaning the Cupertino giant almost certainly made a net profit in the process. This week the Tim Cook-led corporation said it would pay $18m [PDF] Read more about Apple chucks $3 at iPhone users after killing FaceTime on iOS 6 because it didn’t want to pay connectivity charges after 6 year legal fight[…]
ICANN has vetoed the proposed $1.1bn sale of the .org registry to an unknown private equity firm, saying this was “the right thing to do.” The DNS overseer has been under growing pressure to use its authority to refuse the planned transfer of the top-level domain from the Internet Society to Ethos Capital, most recently Read more about Sense prevails over money! ICANN finally halts $1.1bn sale of .org registry, says it’s ‘the right thing to do’ after months of controversy[…]
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has delayed a decision on whether to allow the sale of the organization that controls .org registrations to a band of private equity ghouls after the California attorney general’s office issued a warning Domain names with .org suffix are used by countless nonprofits, in part because Read more about Sale of .Org Registry Stalled for a few weeks After California AG Steps In[…]
Air Charter Service has told the BBC that the first flight will land on Thursday in Stansted carrying 150 Romanian farm workers. The firm told the BBC that the plane is the first of up to six set to operate between mid-April and the end of June. Government department Defra said it was encouraging people Read more about 60,000 Eastern Europeans to be flown in to pick fruit and veg – turns out they weren’t stealing jobs then, brexit![…]
Leading health experts have labelled Donald Trump’s decision to cut funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) as a “crime against humanity” and a “damnable” act that will cost lives. The move also drew a rebuke from the head of the United Nations, who said the WHO was “absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to Read more about ‘Crime against humanity’: Trump (the man who mismanaged Corona most in!) condemned for WHO funding freeze[…]
With just seven days left until it has to make a decision on the $1.13bn sale of the .org registry to a private equity firm, DNS overseer ICANN appears in chaos. In a series of communications from senior executives, ICANN has embarked on a public negotiation with potential buyer Ethos Capital over the sale of Read more about ICANN suffers split-personality disorder as deadline for .org sale decision draws close[…]