Ryan Lovelace

Big Tech antitrust bill slowly gains steam in Congress, still likely short of needed votes

Big Tech's most ardent critics have gained some momentum in pursuit of an antitrust overhaul to curb the power of companies such as Amazon and Google that have become integral to the everyday lives of millions of Americans.

July 29, 2022

Twitter received record number of legal demands for people’s info last year

Twitter saw a record number of legal demands for information on people's accounts last year, including a spike in government demands that targeted verified news publishers and journalists, according to the company.

July 29, 2022

Google warns lawmakers of growing spyware business to surveil people through devices

Google is warning Congress that the sale of spyware tools is fueling the growth of a commercial surveillance industry that enables governments to track people around the world in unprecedented ways.

July 28, 2022

Senate committee advances bill to change tech companies’ interaction with kids

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced legislation on Wednesday to crack down on Big Tech companies' interaction with kids and provide parents with tools to make decisions about their children's digital use.

July 27, 2022

Democrats hammer Hulu for censorship after it restricts political ads on guns, abortion

Democrats are furious with Disney's Hulu streaming service for allegedly censoring ads focusing on political topics that liberal congressional candidates want to broadcast ahead of the midterm elections in November.

July 27, 2022

More than 40% of parents with kids under 5 don’t want to vaccinate their children: Poll

More than 40% of parents with kids under 5 years old do not want to vaccinate them against COVID-19, according to a survey published Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

July 26, 2022

Uber admits to hiding 2016 data breach exposing riders and drivers, avoids prosecution

Uber has admitted to hiding a major 2016 data breach that exposed its drivers and riders in a new settlement the ride-sharing company made to avoid prosecution, according to the Justice Department.

July 25, 2022

‘We are all under stress’: Microsoft president issues dire assessment of world affairs

Microsoft President Brad Smith offered a dire assessment of world affairs on Friday, pointing to the economy, war and climate as among the troubles putting extraordinary pressure on people across the globe.

July 22, 2022

YouTube cracking down on content about abortion safety and methods

YouTube is cracking down on content about abortions that the video platform determines will mislead people about the procedure's safety, expanding the company's rules on medical misinformation.

July 22, 2022

Warren and Jayapal criticize Biden admin for hiring Big Tech execs

Liberal lawmakers are mad that the Biden administration has relied heavily on employees with Big Tech credentials to inform its decision-making, revealing new tension between the Democratic administration and its left-wing allies who prefer a more confrontational policy approach.

July 21, 2022

Facebook shifts focus away from newsletter service as competition with TikTok heats up

Facebook is deprioritizing its newsletter and information-focused products in favor of services for creators, signaling a major shift by the tech titan to attract the audience that has driven TikTok's rapid growth.

July 20, 2022

San Francisco considers allowing police to live-monitor private surveillance cameras across city

The police chief in San Francisco wants to live-monitor private security cameras that cover the city to fight the crime wave, but he's hitting resistance from elected leaders and civil liberties advocates.

July 18, 2022

Federal judge orders Google to pay nearly $1 million in legal fees for misconduct

A federal judge ordered Google to pay a nearly $1 million penalty for misconduct in a privacy lawsuit in California, rebuking the tech giant's actions in a yearslong case that has not yet gone to trial.

July 18, 2022

Council on Foreign Relations says U.S. internet policy has failed, urges new approach

U.S. policies promoting a free and open internet have failed and the American government needs to rethink its approach to cyber, digital trade and online freedom, the Council on Foreign Relations said in a recent report.

July 15, 2022

Biden administration warns of criminal drone threat to Americans

Biden administration officials warned Congress on Thursday that dangerous uses of drones are on the rise, and they want lawmakers to provide additional authority for the federal government to combat the drones.

July 14, 2022

Biden administration warns Log4J cyber flaw will linger for possibly ‘decade or longer’

The Biden administration is warning that a widespread cyber vulnerability discovered last year will linger for several years -- perhaps more than a decade.

July 14, 2022

FTC warns of crackdown on companies making false claims of protecting personal data

The Federal Trade Commission is warning that it will go after corporations that make false claims about how they are protecting personal data of consumers.

July 13, 2022

Twitter sues Elon Musk over attempt to end planned acquisition

Twitter sued Elon Musk on Tuesday over his effort to drop his planned acquisition of the platform, teeing up a major legal battle between the Tesla and SpaceX founder and the social-media company that wants him to follow through on the deal.

July 12, 2022

Musk blasts Trump criticism, says it’s time for ex-president ‘to hang up his hat’

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called for former President Donald Trump to quit politics, escalating a war of words between the influential billionaires with their eyes on dominating the social media marketplace.