3 ms·

>The FTC has been more active on anti-trust issues in the past two years than at any time in the past 30.... That's a direct result of the 2020 election. Activ

by yyyk 3y ago

>The FTC has been more active on anti-trust issues in the past two years than at any time in the past 30.... That's a direct result of the 2020 election. Active against Google though? Remember, Google can help a certain political party in tough times (e.g. rollout of healthcare.gov).

coldpie 3y ago
So can Microsoft and Amazon, surely? Yet they're getting a lot of scrutiny from the FTC right now.
- Mountain_Skies 3y ago
  Wake me up with they actually do something instead of making announcements of looking into the possibility of perhaps one day sending a strongly worded letter asking their tech buddies to calm down a little bit, if they're so inclined. Until then, this is campaign fodder and nothing else.
  - coldpie 3y ago
    Okay, here's your alarm clock going off: "FTC rewrites rules on Big Tech mergers with aim to ease monopoly-busting" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/07/ftc-rewrites-rules-on-big-tech-mergers-with-aim-to-ease-monopoly-busting/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/07/ftc-rewrites-rul... "FTC prepares “the big one,” a major lawsuit targeting Amazon’s core business" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-prepares-the-big-one-a-major-lawsuit-targeting-amazons-core-business/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-prepares-the... "The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon today, claiming the online giant violated US law by tricking consumers into signing up for the $14.99-per-month Amazon Prime subscription service and making it annoyingly difficult to cancel." https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-sues-amazon-over-4-page-6-click-15-option-prime-cancellation-process/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-sues-amazon-... "FTC files to block Microsoft’s $69B Activision Blizzard acquisition" https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/report-ftc-will-file-to-block-microsofts-69b-activision-blizzard-acquisition/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/report-ftc-will-file-... "A Federal Trade Commission lawsuit filed yesterday accused Ring, the home security camera company owned by Amazon, of invading users' privacy" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-amazon-ring-workers-illegally-spied-on-users-of-home-security-cameras/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-amazon-ring-... "Microsoft will pay $20 million to settle an FTC complaint that its Xbox platform illegally collected and retained information about children without their parents' consent" https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/xbox-coppa-violations-cost-microsoft-20-million-in-ftc-settlement/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/xbox-coppa-violations... And that's all just from one news source, in the last three months.
- yyyk 3y ago
  Yes, but Google has a strong existing relationship, the D party owes them for that one and some other favours. Can you find a link for any recent FTC action against Google (not against Google's competitors or some tiny subsidiary of Google)? I hope I'm wrong here.
  - coldpie 3y ago
    I don't see anything significant from the FTC specifically regarding Google, but there is an ongoing DOJ lawsuit. Possibly they don't want to step on that? I admit I don't really understand the roles of the DOJ versus the FTC regarding anti-trust enforcement. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-google-monopolizing-digital-advertising-technologies https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-googl...

by yyyk 3y ago

coldpie 3y ago

So can Microsoft and Amazon, surely? Yet they're getting a lot of scrutiny from the FTC right now.

Mountain_Skies 3y ago
Wake me up with they actually do something instead of making announcements of looking into the possibility of perhaps one day sending a strongly worded letter asking their tech buddies to calm down a little bit, if they're so inclined. Until then, this is campaign fodder and nothing else.
- coldpie 3y ago
  Okay, here's your alarm clock going off: "FTC rewrites rules on Big Tech mergers with aim to ease monopoly-busting" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/07/ftc-rewrites-rules-on-big-tech-mergers-with-aim-to-ease-monopoly-busting/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/07/ftc-rewrites-rul... "FTC prepares “the big one,” a major lawsuit targeting Amazon’s core business" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-prepares-the-big-one-a-major-lawsuit-targeting-amazons-core-business/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-prepares-the... "The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon today, claiming the online giant violated US law by tricking consumers into signing up for the $14.99-per-month Amazon Prime subscription service and making it annoyingly difficult to cancel." https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-sues-amazon-over-4-page-6-click-15-option-prime-cancellation-process/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-sues-amazon-... "FTC files to block Microsoft’s $69B Activision Blizzard acquisition" https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/report-ftc-will-file-to-block-microsofts-69b-activision-blizzard-acquisition/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/report-ftc-will-file-... "A Federal Trade Commission lawsuit filed yesterday accused Ring, the home security camera company owned by Amazon, of invading users' privacy" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-amazon-ring-workers-illegally-spied-on-users-of-home-security-cameras/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-amazon-ring-... "Microsoft will pay $20 million to settle an FTC complaint that its Xbox platform illegally collected and retained information about children without their parents' consent" https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/xbox-coppa-violations-cost-microsoft-20-million-in-ftc-settlement/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/xbox-coppa-violations... And that's all just from one news source, in the last three months.
yyyk 3y ago
Yes, but Google has a strong existing relationship, the D party owes them for that one and some other favours. Can you find a link for any recent FTC action against Google (not against Google's competitors or some tiny subsidiary of Google)? I hope I'm wrong here.
- coldpie 3y ago
  I don't see anything significant from the FTC specifically regarding Google, but there is an ongoing DOJ lawsuit. Possibly they don't want to step on that? I admit I don't really understand the roles of the DOJ versus the FTC regarding anti-trust enforcement. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-google-monopolizing-digital-advertising-technologies https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-googl...