Articles by Nandita Bose and Diane Bartz

House Antitrust Panel Blasts Big 4 Internet Firms for Abuses; Seeks Reforms, Separations

A U.S. House of Representatives panel looking into abuses of market power by four big technology companies found they used “killer acquisitions” to smite rivals, charged exorbitant fees and forced small businesses into “oppressive” contracts in the name of profit. …

Republican Senators Eye Law Shielding Internet Firms From Liability for Postings

Three Republican U.S. senators on Tuesday introduced the latest legislation targeting a federal law that largely exempts tech platforms such as Facebook and Twitter from legal liability for the material their users post. The bill from Senator Roger Wicker, who …

Internet Companies Urge FCC to Reject Trump Rules on Social Media Liability

A group representing major internet companies including Facebook Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google on Wednesday urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject a Trump administration bid to narrow the ability of social media companies to remove objectionable …

Amazon’s Worker Surveillance for Productivity, Safety May Also Curb Unions

Amazon.com relies on extensive worker surveillance to boost employee output and potentially limit unionization efforts around the United States, says a research paper issued on Monday by the Open Markets Institute. The Washington-based research and advocacy group, focused on antitrust …

Trump Seeks Dismissal of Legal Challenge to Executive Order by Social Media Firms

The Trump administration has filed a motion asking a court to dismiss a lawsuit against the president’s executive order targeting social media companies, calling it a “profound misunderstanding,” according to a copy of the motion seen by Reuters. The lawsuit …

GOP Senator Wants to Tie Internet Firms’ Liability Immunity to Curb on Behavioral Ads

Republican Senator Josh Hawley on Tuesday introduced legislation that would penalize large tech companies that sell or show targeted advertisements by threatening a legal immunity enjoyed by the industry — the latest onslaught on Big Tech’s business practices. The bill, …

Senators Propose ‘Scalpel, Rather Than Jackhammer’ to Reform Internet Liability

Two U.S. senators on Wednesday introduced legislation to reform part of a federal law that largely exempts tech platforms such as Facebook and Twitter from legal liability for the material their users post. The legislation, titled the Platform Accountability and …

Tech Group Sues Trump Over Order Weakening Social Media Immunity

An advocacy group backed by the tech industry sued President Donald Trump on Tuesday over his executive order that would weaken a law protecting online platforms including social media companies that label or fact-check his posts. The Washington-based Center for …

Trump Plans Legislation Targeting Social Media Immunity

President Donald Trump said he will introduce legislation that may scrap or weaken a law that has protected internet companies, including Twitter and Facebook, in an extraordinary attempt to regulate social media platforms where he has been criticized. The proposed …

Warehouse Workers Risk COVID-19 Shipping Knick-Knacks, Luxury Goods

As U.S. authorities ordered shutdowns of non-essential businesses to fight coronavirus, retailer Nordstrom Inc. closed hundreds of stores and gave in-store workers three weeks’ pay, calling their safety its top priority. That benefit did not extend to Meagan Christensen, 34, …