Articles by Diane Bartz and Katie Paul

Twitter Will Pay $150M to Settle With U.S. Over Data Privacy Violations

Twitter Inc. has agreed to pay $150 million to settle allegations it misused private information, like phone numbers, to target advertising after telling users the information would be used for security reasons, according to court documents filed on Wednesday. Twitter’s …

FTC Sues to Stop Merger of Rhode Island’s Two Biggest Hospital Firms

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday that it would file a lawsuit aimed at stopping the merger of Rhode Island’s two largest health care providers, Lifespan Corp. and Care New England Health System. The agency, which voted unanimously …

Firms Want U.S. to Support EU Proposals to Rein In Big Tech Platforms

Critics of tech giants like Alphabet’s Google pressed Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo for a January meeting after she expressed concern about proposed legislation in Europe aimed at reining in the U.S. platforms. Yelp, the News Media Alliance, REX and others …

How Big Tech Is Faring in U.S. Lawsuits and Probes

Big Tech platforms Meta Platforms Inc, formerly known as Facebook, and Google have been hit with a series of antitrust lawsuits by the U.S. federal government and states on charges they are operating monopolies and abusing their power. Below is …

If Facebook Is the Problem, Is a Social Media Regulator the Fix?

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told Congress on Tuesday that one option for making social media less harmful would be to create a dedicated regulatory agency to oversee companies like Facebook, and could have former tech workers on staff. “Right now, …

Whistleblower Tells Congress Facebook Puts Profits Over Safety, Urges Regulation

Former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen will urge the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to regulate the social media giant, which she plans to liken to tobacco companies that for decades denied that smoking damaged health, according to prepared testimony …

Republicans Blast Biden Vaccine Mandates While Businesses Look to Implementation

Republicans on Friday vowed to fight U.S. President Joe Biden’s new vaccine mandate covering big companies and federal employees, but business groups that often agree with them on issues like taxes are not joining in. The mandate, which the White …

U.S. Suit Against Aon-Willis Merger Assigned to Bush Nominee Judge Walton

Senior Judge Reggie Walton, who joined the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2001, will hear the Justice Department’s lawsuit aimed at stopping insurance broker Aon’s $30 billion acquisition of Willis Towers Watson. The U.S. Justice Department …

Facebook, Google CEOs Suggest How to Reform Internet Immunity Law

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg laid out steps to reform a key internet law on Wednesday, saying that companies should have immunity from liability only if they follow best practices for removing damaging material from their platforms. In testimony prepared …

States Prepare Second Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google for December

A bipartisan group of U.S. states plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against Google as early as next month, according to two people briefed on the matter, potentially beating a more widely anticipated lawsuit from a different group of states …