Articles by Nandita Bose and Trevor Hunnicutt

White House Calls Nixing of Aon-Willis Deal ‘Robust Enforcement’ of Antitrust Laws

The White House on Tuesday praised the Justice Department’s successful effort to stop a $30 billion deal that would have created the world’s biggest insurance broker, saying the agency’s work was “robust enforcement of the antitrust laws.” Aon Plc and …

Senators Add Vaccine Misinformation as Reason to Alter Tech Firms’ Liability Protection

Two Democratic U.S. senators on Thursday will add to the stack of bills going after Section 230 – a law that protects tech companies from being sued over content posted by users – making such platforms responsible for health-related misinformation. …

U.S. Offered No Advice on Whether Colonial Pipeline Should Pay Pay Ransom

The White House declined to weigh in Monday on whether companies that are hacked like Colonial Pipeline should pay ransom to their attackers, but a national security official said it may offer some advice in the future. Anne Neuberger, deputy …

Biden’s Labor Chief Walsh Weighs Employee Status for Many Gig Workers

President Joe Biden’s top labor official said most gig workers in the United States should be classified as “employees” deserving of related benefits, in what could be a policy shift that is likely to raise costs for companies that depend …

White House to Require Software Firms to Disclose Breaches to Government Customers

A planned Biden administration executive order will require many software vendors to notify their federal government customers when the companies have a cybersecurity breach, according to a draft seen by Reuters. A National Security Council spokeswoman said no decision has …

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 …

Senators Offer Bill to Limit Liability Shield for Social Media Firms

Three Democratic U.S. senators introduced a bill that would limit Section 230, a law that shields online companies from liability over content posted by users, and make the companies more accountable when posts result in harm. Called the SAFE TECH …

Justice Department Charges Facebook With Hiring Bias Against U.S. Workers

The U.S. Justice Department accused Facebook Inc. on Thursday of discriminating against U.S. workers, saying in a new lawsuit the social media giant has given hiring preferences to temporary workers, including those who hold H-1B visas. The Justice Department said …

Republicans Eye ‘Jackhammer’ to Reform Tech Liability While Democrats Grab ‘Scalpel’

Big Tech’s decisions to block some posts and videos while letting other content viewed as inflammatory proliferate have drawn the ire of Republicans and Democrats alike, raising the prospect that a 24-year-old U.S. law that fostered the internet’s explosion will …

Twitter, Facebook, Alphabet Executives to Defend Liability Shield Before Senate

The chief executives of Twitter Inc., Facebook and Alphabet Inc. will tell U.S. lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday that a federal law protecting internet companies is crucial to free expression on the internet, according to written testimonies from the …