Technology law and ethics

MIT professor charged with hiding work for China

Jan. 14, 2021 3:43 PM EST

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor was charged Thursday with hiding work he did for the Chinese government while he was also collecting U.S. dollars for his nanotechnology research. Gang Chen, 56, was arrested by federal agents at his home in Cambridge on charges including...

After top staff exodus, Texas AG seeks $43M for Google suit

Jan. 5, 2021 3:26 PM EST

DALLAS (AP) — The mass exodus of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top staff over accusations of bribery against their former boss has left the Republican seeking $43 million in public funds to replace some of them with outside lawyers to lead a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Google....

FILE - This combination of file photos shows a Google sign and the Facebook app. As a wave of antitrust actions surges against Google and Facebook, states in two lawsuits are stretching beyond the cases made by federal competition enforcers to level bold new claims. (AP Photo/File)

States making bold new legal claims in 2 Google lawsuits

Dec. 18, 2020 3:13 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — As a wave of antitrust actions surges against Google and Facebook, states in two lawsuits are stretching beyond the cases made by federal competition enforcers to level bold new claims. The states are taking new legal approaches as they join the widening siege against the two once...

FILE - This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Google mobile phone icon, in Philadelphia. The Australian government said on Friday, July 31, 2020 it plans to give Google and Facebook three months to negotiate with Australian media businesses fair pay for news content. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Google says Australian law on paying for news is unworkable

Dec. 18, 2020 12:39 AM EST

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A Google executive said on Friday that a proposed Australian law to make digital platforms pay for news was unworkable and its proposed arbitration model was biased toward media businesses. Google Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Mel Silva made her first public...

CORRECTS TO A GROUP OF 35 STATES AS WELL AS THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND TERRITORIES OF GUAM AND PUERTO RICO FILED, INSTEAD OF 38 STATES FILE - This Oct. 20, 2015, file photo, shows signage outside Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. A group of 35 states as well as the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, alleging that the search giant has an illegal monopoly over the online search market that hurts consumers and advertisers. The lawsuit, announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by states represented by bipartisan attorneys general. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Dozens of states file anti-trust lawsuit against Google

Dec. 17, 2020 8:02 PM EST

DENVER (AP) — Dozens of more states are joining an escalating effort to prove Google has been methodically abusing its power as the internet's main gateway in a way that hurts consumers habitually feeding personal information into its search engine and advertisers pouring billions of dollars into its vast...

Dozens of states file anti-trust lawsuit against Google alleging monopoly on search market.

Dec. 17, 2020 1:08 PM EST

DENVER (AP) — Dozens of states file anti-trust lawsuit against Google alleging monopoly on search market.

FILE- In this Sept. 10, 2020, file photo, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Austin Police Association in Austin, Texas. Paxton on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, announced a multi-state lawsuit against Google, accusing the search giant of “anti-competitive conduct

Ten states sue Google for 'anti-competitive' online ad sales

Dec. 16, 2020 11:05 PM EST

DALLAS (AP) — Ten states on Wednesday brought a lawsuit against Google, accusing the search giant of “anti-competitive conduct" in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the suit, which was filed in a...

FILE - In this March 5, 2019, file photo, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif. California is seeking to join the Justice Department in its antitrust lawsuit against Google parent Alphabet Inc., one of the state's largest businesses. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed the motion to join the case in federal court on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

California to join federal antitrust case against Google

Dec. 11, 2020 5:49 PM EST

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California is seeking to join the Justice Department in its antitrust lawsuit against Google parent Alphabet Inc., one of the state's largest businesses. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed the motion to join the case in federal court on Friday. “Google’s...

FILE - In this July 11, 2019 file photo, Tanya Gersh, a Montana real estate agent, embraces her father Lloyd Rosenstein following a hearing at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse in Missoula. Mont. A Montana real estate agent who secured a $14 million judgment against a neo-Nazi website operator for orchestrating an anti-Semitic harassment campaign against her Jewish family is seeking a court order compelling the man to disclose information about his assets and finances. Tanya Gersh's attorneys said in a court filing Friday, Dec. 11, 2020 that The Daily Stormer founder Andrew Anglin hasn't paid any portion of the August 2019 judgment and has ignored their requests for information about his current whereabouts, his operation of the website and other assets. (Ben Allen/The Missoulian via AP, File)

Neo-Nazi website founder accused of ignoring $14M judgment

Dec. 11, 2020 5:13 PM EST

A Montana real estate agent who secured a $14 million judgment against a neo-Nazi website publisher for orchestrating an anti-Semitic harassment campaign against her Jewish family is seeking a court order compelling the man to disclose information about his assets and finances. Tanya Gersh's attorneys said in a...

FILE- In this Oct. 3, 2019 file photo, Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during a visit to El Centro College in Dallas. Pichai has apologized for how a prominent artificial intelligence researcher's abrupt departure last week has “seeded doubts” in the company. Pichai told Google employees in a memo Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020 obtained by Axios that the tech company is beginning a review of the circumstances leading up to Black computer scientist Timnit Gebru's exit and how Google could have “led a more respectful process.” (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Google CEO says company will review AI scholar's abrupt exit

Dec. 9, 2020 7:11 PM EST

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has apologized for how a prominent artificial intelligence researcher's abrupt departure last week has “seeded doubts” in the company. Pichai told Google employees in a Wednesday memo obtained by Axios that the tech company is beginning a review of the circumstances leading...

Latest Technology law and ethics News