ARI LAW

09/21/2021

In a rare move, the FTC ordered SpyFone and its CEO to stop its surveillance business operations. 🛑

In a rare move, the FTC ordered SpyFone and its CEO to stop its surveillance business operations.

08/20/2021

"Research Cannot Be the Justification for Compromising People’s Privacy"

We disabled the accounts, apps, Pages and platform access associated with NYU’s Ad Observatory Project after our repeated attempts to bring their research into compliance with our Terms.

08/16/2021

California AG says digital ad opt-outs from trade groups don't comply with CCPA

Questions remain as to whether the OAG accepts tools developed by industry groups specifically to comply with CCPA as compliant.

08/09/2021

Google said on Tuesday that it was taking legal action over an expanded version of Germany's hate-speech law that recently took effect, saying its provisions violated the right to privacy of its users.

08/04/2021

Amazon.com faces the biggest ever European Union privacy fine after its lead privacy watchdog hit it with a 746 million-euro ($888 million) penalty for violating the bloc’s tough data protection rules.

Amazon.com Inc. faces the biggest ever European Union privacy fine after its lead privacy watchdog hit it with a 746 million-euro ($888 million) penalty for violating the bloc’s tough data protection rules.

07/28/2021

As coronavirus cases rise in unvaccinated populations, Democratic senators are introducing a new bill Thursday that would strip away Facebook and other social media platforms’ Section 230 liability shield if they amplify harmful public health misinformation.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/22/22588903/covid19-misinformation-section-230-facebook-joe-biden-white-house

07/15/2021

State attorneys general said in a complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco that Google used anticompetitive tactics to thwart competition and ensure that developers have no choice but to go through the Google Play store to reach users. It then collects an “extravagant” commission of up to 30% on app purchases, the states said.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google was sued by three dozen states alleging that the company illegally abused its power over the sale and distribution of apps through the Google Play store on mobile devices.

07/14/2021

Apple and Google crowd out the competition with default apps 📱

On iOS, Apple Calculator is bigger than YouTube.

07/12/2021

Amazon.com Inc.’s proposed acquisition of film studio MGM would ordinarily provoke little antitrust concern.

For years antitrust has focused on efficiency and consumer welfare. A new generation of trust busters, led by the FTC’s Lina Khan, want to shift focus to how concentrations of economic power threaten democracy. Now in their sights is Amazon’s acquisition of MGM.

07/10/2021

Judge blocks Florida’s social media law 💼

The law raises major First Amendment issues.

06/21/2021

Google must face shareholder lawsuit claiming it hid security risks

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday revived a lawsuit in which shareholders of Google parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) accused the company of fraudulently concealing security vulnerabilities, including in its Google+ social network.