Tag: rules
TikTok’s attempt to stall DMA antitrust rules rejected by EU court
TikTok’s attempt to stall the EU from designating it as a “gatekeeper” — companies with platforms powerful enough that they must follow strict Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust rules — has been rejected by a court. Bloomberg reports that the EU’s General Court has dismissed owner ByteDance’s request for an interim measure that would effectively would buy TikTok some more time to implement the regulations, finding that the company “failed to demonstrate the urgency” required.
Although TikTok is appealing the EU’s gatekeeper designation, the bloc still hasn’t reached a final decision yet on the appeal. ByteDance asked for an interim measure in December so it wouldn’t have to comply with the regulations before the EU decided the outcome…
Virgin Media probed over digital switchover rules
Judge Rules Against Users Suing Google and Apple Over ‘Annoying’ Search Results
In an order (PDF) granting the tech companies’ motion to dismiss, US District Judge Rita Lin said that users did not present enough evidence to support claims for relief. Lin dismissed some claims with prejudice but gave leave to amend others, allowing users another chance to keep their case — now twice-dismissed — at least partially alive. Under Lin’s order, users will not be able to amend claims that Google and Apple executives allegedly sealed the default search deal on the condition that Apple would not create its own general search engine through “private, secret, and clandestine personal meetings.” Because plaintiffs showed no evidence pinpointing exactly when Apple allegedly agreed to stay out of the general search market, these meetings, Lin reasoned, could just as easily indicate “rational, legal business behavior,” rather than an “illegal conspiracy.”
Users attempted to argue that Google and Apple intentionally hid these facts from the public, but Lin wrote that their “conclusory and vague allegations that defendants ‘secretly conducted meetings’ and ‘engaged in conduct to obfuscate internal communications’ are plainly insufficient.” Sharing bystander photos documenting Google’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook meeting at a restaurant with a manila folder tucked under Pichai’s elbow did not help users’ case. Lin was also not moved by users demonstrating that Google has a history of destroying evidence, because “they put forth no specific factual allegations that defendants did so in this case.” However, users will have 30 days to amend currently “inadequately” alleged claims that “Google’s exclusive default agreement, under which Apple set Google as the default search engine for its Safari web browser, foreclosed competition in the general search services market in the United States,” Lin wrote. If users miss that deadline, the case will be tossed with no opportunities to further amend claims.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Gary Glitter won’t be released from prison, Parole Board rules
Supreme Court rules in favor of Twitter and Google, avoiding the issue of Section 230 for now
On Thursday, the Supreme Court resolved two adjacent cases aiming to hold social platforms liable for dangerous content. The pair of cases, Twitter v. Taamneh and Gonzalez v. Google, both sought to hold tech platforms accountable for hosting content from the Islamic State that promoted the terrorist organization in connection to violent attacks. The Supreme […]
Supreme Court rules in favor of Twitter and Google, avoiding the issue of Section 230 for now by Taylor Hatmaker originally published on TechCrunch
The new rules of venture debt are already being written
Venture debt, in many ways, used to be an afterthought. But in the post-SVB world, raising this kind of debt is going to look very different.
The new rules of venture debt are already being written by Rebecca Szkutak originally published on TechCrunch
Vanderpump Rules season 10 finale live stream: where to watch for free
I’m 55 and still wear miniskirts – I don’t care for outdated rules, I have no boundaries
A 55-YEAR-OLD woman has shared that she wears miniskirts and has no intention of stopping.
She says she doesn’t care for outdated rules on fashion.
Laura (@mixtapemomma) shared her outfit with over 9,000 TikTok followers.
The blonde stepped out of a car in a grey miniskirt and white tube top, the first fit of many in what she dubbed: “The Miniskirt Series.”
“Are you ready for the five day series?” she teased.
The fashion influencer encouraged her fans to dress as they pleased despite their age.
“Breaking any rules of no miniskirts after the age of 35,” she said.
“The new 50-year-olds have no boundaries.”
The influencer believed that fashion trends included her age demographic as well: “Fashion trends reveal short skirts,” she said.
People took to the comments to share their thoughts on her fit and philosophy.
Many agreed with her take: “Absolutely,” said one commenter.
“Amazing,” said another.
Others were impressed with her physique: “Unbelievable body,” said one admirer.
“Fantastic,” said another.
“Beautiful,” said a third.
She said there’s no rules when it comes to fashion[/caption]
Three Companies Faked Millions of Comments Supporting 2017 Repeal of ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules
Their investigation “found that the fake comments used the identities of millions of consumers, including thousands of New Yorkers, without their knowledge or consent,” as well as “widespread fraud and abusive practices”
Collectively, the three companies have agreed to pay $615,000 in penalties and disgorgement. This is the second series of agreements secured by Attorney General James with companies that supplied fake comments to the FCC… As detailed in a report by the Office of the Attorney General, the nation’s largest broadband companies funded a secret campaign to generate millions of comments to the FCC in 2017. These comments provided “cover” for the FCC to repeal net neutrality rules. To help generate these comments, the broadband industry engaged commercial lead generators that used advertisements and prizes, like gift cards and sweepstakes entries, to encourage consumers to join the campaign.
However, nearly every lead generator that was hired to enroll consumers in the campaign instead simply fabricated consumers’ responses. As a result, more than 8.5 million fake comments that impersonated real people were submitted to the FCC, and more than half a million fake letters were sent to Congress. Two of the companies, LCX and Lead ID, were each engaged to enroll consumers in the campaign. Instead, each independently fabricated responses for 1.5 million consumers. The third company, Ifficient, acted as an intermediary, engaging other lead generators to enroll consumers in the campaign. Ifficient supplied its client with more than 840,000 fake responses it had received from the lead generators it had hired.
The Office of the Attorney General’s investigation also revealed that the fraud perpetrated by the various lead generators in the net neutrality campaign infected other government proceedings as well. Several of the lead generation firms involved in the broadband industry’s net neutrality comment campaigns had also worked on other, unrelated campaigns to influence regulatory agencies and public officials. In nearly all of these advocacy campaigns, the lead generation firms engaged in fraud. As a result, more than 1 million fake comments were generated for other rulemaking proceedings, and more than 3.5 million fake digital signatures for letters and petitions were generated for federal and state legislators and government officials across the nation.
LCX and Lead ID were responsible for many of these fake comments, letters, and petition signatures. Across four advocacy campaigns in 2017 and 2018, LCX fabricated consumer responses used in approximately 900,000 public comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Similarly, in advocacy campaigns between 2017 and 2019, Lead ID fabricated more than half a million consumer responses. These campaigns targeted a variety of government agencies and officials at the federal and state levels…
LCX and its principals will pay $400,000 in penalties and disgorgement to New York and $100,000 to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.
Thanks to Slashdot reader gkelley for sharing the news.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.