Amazon Invests in Direct Air Capture of Carbon Emissions
Climate
Amazon Invests in Direct Air Capture of Carbon Emissions
2023-09-13 20:24:53
by Dan McCue

SEATTLE — Amazon said Tuesday that it is making two sizable investments intended to further both the development of direct air capture technologies to scrub the atmosphere of harmful carbon and its own goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by... Read More

Amazon to Pay $30M Settlement Over Alleged Privacy Violations
Technology
Amazon to Pay $30M Settlement Over Alleged Privacy Violations
2023-06-01 20:39:36
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — Amazon.com Inc. agreed Wednesday to pay more than $30 million to settle complaints by federal regulators who say the tech giant trampled the privacy of children who used its Alexa voice assistant and of users of its home... Read More

Amazon Makes Renewed Bid for Place in Telehealth Space
Health
Amazon Makes Renewed Bid for Place in Telehealth Space
2022-11-15 16:27:52
by Dan McCue

SEATTLE — A little more than three months after announcing it was shutting down its telehealth venture Amazon Care, Amazon is poised to make a comeback in the digital health space. The new venture is called Amazon Clinic, and according... Read More

California Sues Amazon for ‘Taking Vengeance’ on Small Businesses
In The States
California Sues Amazon for 'Taking Vengeance' on Small Businesses
2022-09-14 21:30:47
by Madeline Hughes

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The state of California is suing Amazon alleging antitrust violations of how the “dominant online retail store in the United States” takes vengeance on small businesses who attempt to put their products on other websites for cheaper... Read More

DC Attorney General Loses Again in Antitrust Claims Against Amazon
Antitrust
DC Attorney General Loses Again in Antitrust Claims Against Amazon
2022-08-03 16:55:49
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C.’s attorney general lost again Monday in an attempt to hold Amazon.com liable for alleged antitrust violations. Attorney General Karl A. Racine filed an anti-competition lawsuit last year that accused Amazon of unfair trade practices that included... Read More

Amazon Shared Footage With Law Enforcement 11 Times in 2022
Technology
Amazon Shared Footage With Law Enforcement 11 Times in 2022
2022-07-14 20:41:26
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — Amazon sent footage from Ring cameras to law enforcement officials 11 times so far in 2022 without notifying the owners, according to a letter the company sent to Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “As stated in Ring's law enforcement... Read More

Sen. Markey Questions Amazon’s Use of Ring for Surveillance
Technology
Sen. Markey Questions Amazon’s Use of Ring for Surveillance
2022-06-17 20:20:37
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — Instead of peeping through a hole to see who is at the door, it’s more common for Americans to check their phone and see a video feed from their door when a package is dropped off, food is... Read More

Amazon, Cartier Sue Social Media Influencer, Businesses, Over Counterfeits
Litigation
Amazon, Cartier Sue Social Media Influencer, Businesses, Over Counterfeits
2022-06-15 14:58:51
by Dan McCue

SEATTLE – Amazon and Cartier filed joint lawsuits against an unnamed social media influencer and eight businesses on Wednesday on claims they advertised, promoted, and facilitated the sale of counterfeit luxury goods through Instagram and other websites. The federal lawsuits,... Read More

Amazon Ramps Up Criticism of Tough Antitrust Bill in Congress
Antitrust
Amazon Ramps Up Criticism of Tough Antitrust Bill in Congress
2022-06-02 21:29:46
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — Industry criticism of a tough antitrust bill to crack down on the market dominance of tech giants is growing more shrill as it heads for a vote in Congress as soon as this month. The latest salvo was... Read More

NY Workers Win First-Ever Amazon Union
Labor
NY Workers Win First-Ever Amazon Union
2022-04-01 18:23:12
by Madeline Hughes

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Employees at a Staten Island Amazon Warehouse are the first to successfully vote to unionize in the tech company’s history. On April 1, the Amazon Labor Union tallied 2050 “yes” votes and 1574 “no” from workers,... Read More

Congressmen Ask Justice Dept. to Investigate Amazon
Business
Congressmen Ask Justice Dept. to Investigate Amazon
2022-03-11 20:32:19
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON – Members of Congress are asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Amazon.com officials lied last year when they denied giving preference to their own offerings on their website. They sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland... Read More

Major Outage at Amazon Disrupts Businesses Across the US
Business
Major Outage at Amazon Disrupts Businesses Across the US

A major outage in Amazon's cloud computing network Tuesday severely disrupted services at a wide range of U.S. companies for more than five hours, the latest sign of just how concentrated the business of keeping the internet running has become.... Read More

Moss Says U.S. Needs a Digital Market Regulator to Curb Big Tech’s Power
Technology
Moss Says U.S. Needs a Digital Market Regulator to Curb Big Tech’s Power
2021-11-05 18:34:12
by Victoria Turner

WASHINGTON — If the U.S. intends to reel in the power of Big Tech, it should create a digital market regulator that captures all market participants and provides adequate oversight, according to Diana Moss, president of the American Antitrust Institute,... Read More

Capitol Employee Who Took Gig Job During Pandemic Could Be Out $20K
Employment
Capitol Employee Who Took Gig Job During Pandemic Could Be Out $20K
2021-08-20 15:25:00
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON -- An employee of the Architect of the Capitol’s office who took a job working with Amazon while on administrative leave during the pandemic may have to repay the office $20,197, the AOC Office of the Inspector General said... Read More

House Panel Passes Antitrust Reform Bills After Heated Debate
Technology
House Panel Passes Antitrust Reform Bills After Heated Debate
2021-06-25 11:59:28
by Victoria Turner

WASHINGTON - A heated debate took place in the House Judiciary Committee markup of a merger fee legislation that skated through the Senate, but their congressional counterparts took three hours Wednesday to come close to an agreement. The single amendment... Read More

Bipartisan Antitrust Package Seeks to Rein in Tech Giants
Congress
Bipartisan Antitrust Package Seeks to Rein in Tech Giants
2021-06-11 19:58:30
by Dan McCue

House lawmakers on Friday introduced sweeping antitrust legislation aimed at restraining the power of large tech companies and preventing corporate consolidation across the economy. Introduced by Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Ken Buck, R-Colo.,... Read More

Global Glitch: Swaths of Internet Go Down After Cloud Outage
Technology
Global Glitch: Swaths of Internet Go Down After Cloud Outage

LONDON (AP) — Multiple websites went offline briefly across the globe Tuesday after an outage at the cloud service company Fastly, revealing how critical a handful of companies running the internet's plumbing have become.  Dozens of sites including the New... Read More

Amazon’s Huge Acquisition of MGM Faces Intense Government Scrutiny
Entertainment
Amazon’s Huge Acquisition of MGM Faces Intense Government Scrutiny
2021-06-01 14:22:37
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON -- Amazon.com, Inc.'s, $8.45 billion deal announced Wednesday to purchase MGM sets it up to become a major player in the film and television industries but also to face a new round of antitrust allegations by federal regulators. MGM,... Read More

Amazon Survives Drive to Unionize Plant in Alabama
Labor
Amazon Survives Drive to Unionize Plant in Alabama
2021-04-09 20:27:00
by Dan McCue

Amazon appears to have enough votes to thwart an effort to unionize its warehouse in Bessemer, Ala.  By Friday afternoon, the company had crossed the threshold to secure a majority of votes, with 1,700 warehouse workers voting against the union... Read More

Amazon Loses in Labor Complaint
Labor
Amazon Loses in Labor Complaint
2021-04-07 13:53:53
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON - The National Labor Relations Board’s finding announced this week that online retailer Amazon retaliated unfairly against two of its headquarters staff members is paving the way for a possible lawsuit against the company. The two workers publicly criticized... Read More

Event Looks at Free Expression in the Digital Age
Technology
Event Looks at Free Expression in the Digital Age
2021-03-30 13:33:18
by Victoria Turner

David Freiheit began his presentation at the American Enterprise Institute event on the values and consequences of free expression in the digital age by pointing to the response of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to Amazon’s “snotty tweets.” Warren has repeatedly... Read More

Mandates Needed to Keep Big Tech in Check
Antitrust
Mandates Needed to Keep Big Tech in Check
2021-02-26 15:02:10
by Victoria Turner

Congress needs to create mandates to curb the abusive power exerted by a handful of online platforms, according to all six witnesses at a Capitol Hill hearing on Thursday. During the hearing, members of a House Judiciary subcommittee grappled with... Read More

Antitrust Reforms Could Kill Competition
Antitrust
Antitrust Reforms Could Kill Competition
2021-02-23 22:07:55
by Victoria Turner

Four panelists warned today that proposed legislative reforms for more aggressive antitrust enforcement in Big Tech would likely spill over across all industries, hindering innovation and harming consumers. Strengthening the antitrust laws - federal and state statutes that restrict the... Read More

Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s Founder, Will Step Down as CEO
Business
Jeff Bezos, Amazon's Founder, Will Step Down as CEO

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon and turned into an online shopping behemoth, is stepping down as the company's CEO, a role he's had for nearly 30 years. He'll be replaced in the fall by Andy Jassy,... Read More

Judge Says Amazon Won’t Have to Restore Parler Web Service
Social Media
Judge Says Amazon Won't Have to Restore Parler Web Service

Amazon won't be forced to immediately restore web service to Parler after a federal judge ruled Thursday against a plea to reinstate the fast-growing social media app, which is favored by followers of former President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge... Read More

Democrats Call for Congress to Rein In, Break Up Big Tech
Technology
Democrats Call for Congress to Rein In, Break Up Big Tech

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic lawmakers are calling for Congress to rein in Big Tech, possibly forcing Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple to break up their businesses, while making it harder for them to acquire others and imposing new rules to... Read More

Big Tech Chief Executives Defend Against Antitrust Accusations in Congress
Congress
Big Tech Chief Executives Defend Against Antitrust Accusations in Congress
2020-07-30 14:03:19
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON -- The chief executives of the biggest computer and Internet companies faced tough questioning in Congress Wednesday on whether they have too much control over the U.S. market. Some lawmakers want to break up their dominance under federal antitrust... Read More

Price-Gougers‌ ‌Face‌ ‌a‌ ‌Crackdown‌ ‌for‌ ‌Profiting‌ ‌on‌ ‌Coronavirus‌
In The News
Price-Gougers‌ ‌Face‌ ‌a‌ ‌Crackdown‌ ‌for‌ ‌Profiting‌ ‌on‌ ‌Coronavirus‌
2020-03-31 20:43:46
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON‌ ‌-‌ ‌Attorneys‌ ‌general‌ ‌nationwide‌ ‌are‌ ‌joining‌ ‌in‌ ‌urging‌ ‌companies‌ ‌that‌ ‌sell‌ ‌ online to‌ ‌stop‌ ‌price-gougers‌ ‌trying‌ ‌to‌ ‌take‌ ‌advantage‌ ‌of‌ ‌consumers‌ ‌during‌ ‌the‌ ‌coronavirus‌ ‌pandemic. They‌ ‌are‌ ‌selling‌ ‌hand‌ ‌sanitizers,‌ ‌aerosol‌ ‌spray‌ ‌disinfectants,‌ ‌surgical‌ ‌masks‌ ‌and‌ ‌other‌ ‌devices designed‌ ‌to‌ ‌prevent‌... Read More

Median Home Prices Continue to Surge in DC Suburbs in Wake of Amazon HQ2 News
Economy
Median Home Prices Continue to Surge in DC Suburbs in Wake of Amazon HQ2 News
2019-06-07 21:12:28
by HJ Mai

Rising home prices in some of the country's largest urban centers have put the America Dream of owning a home out of reach for many middle- to low-income families. While the nation’s capital and its surrounding suburbs are regularly ranked... Read More

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