antitrust

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Pluralistic: Google's new remote attestation scheme is every bit as terrible as its old remote attestation scheme (12 Jun 2026)
2 months ago
- Google's new remote attestation system mirrors its old one, both restricting user control and blocking interoperability.
- Remote attestation forces devices to disclose configuration details, enabling servers to block ad-blockers, privacy tools, and accessibility modifications.
- Google's dominance stems from unethical practices, including bribing Apple and rigging ad markets, as confirmed by antitrust losses.
- Android's surveillance collects user data relentlessly, aiding authoritarian governments, driving demand for de-Googled alternatives.
- Google uses technical barriers like WEI and reCAPTCHA to complement illegal commercial tactics, limiting modified Android versions.
- Public outrage killed the WEI project, but Google persists with new attestation methods to enforce control.
Pluralistic: How US states and international trustbusters can beat Big Tech (07 Jul 2026)
2 months ago
- International trustbusters and US state attorneys general can collaborate to fight Big Tech as Trump's administration merges with tech giants.
- Modern tech monopolies use the same anti-competitive playbook globally, making international cooperation more effective than during the Gilded Age.
- The Marshall Plan spread US antitrust laws worldwide, so many countries have similar statutes that can be jointly enforced against Big Tech.
- Trump's capture of federal enforcers leaves a void that state AGs can fill, using their power to enforce federal antitrust laws.
- State enforcers can partner with foreign regulators, leveraging ex-employee testimony and shared evidence to break Big Tech's power.
- Joint hearings that challenge Meta's gag orders on whistleblowers could be a key starting point for coordinated enforcement.
Commission fines Google €890 million for breaches of the Digital Markets Act
2 months ago
- The European Commission fined Google €460 million for self-preferencing its own services on Google Search, violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
- Google was fined an additional €430 million for imposing restrictions on app developers that prevent them from directing consumers to alternative, cheaper purchase channels on Google Play (anti-steering).
- The Commission ordered Google to cease its non-compliance with the DMA.
Attorney General Bonta Secures Deal Halting Warner Bros
2 months ago
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta secured an agreement with Warner Bros. and Paramount to delay their merger until June 1, 2027, or until a court decision on the states' claims.
- The merger, valued at $110 billion, would combine two of Hollywood's five major film distributors and cable channel owners, reducing competition.
- The lawsuit alleges the merger violates the Clayton Act by lessening competition in film distribution, blockbuster film distribution, and cable TV licensing.
- If the court rules in favor of the states, the merger will be blocked pending appeal; otherwise, states can seek a preliminary injunction after June 1, 2027.
- The merger is expected to lead to higher prices, lower content quality, and fewer movies and TV shows for audiences.
Paramount Forced to Delay Warner Bros Merger After California Antitrust Lawsuit
2 months ago
- Paramount's $111 billion merger with Warner Bros paused by a 14-day restraining order from a California antitrust lawsuit.
- The lawsuit, filed by California and 11 other states, argues the merger would harm competition, raise prices, and cause layoffs.
- The delay could be extended and potentially kill the deal, especially as Paramount faces a $7 million daily 'ticking fee' from September 30.
- Oracle's Larry Ellison, heavily leveraged on AI, may face financing issues if an AI bubble bursts during the antitrust proceedings.
- Paramount executives made false claims, including threatening to leave California and accusing opponents of antisemitism, in a rush to close the deal.
The Amazon tactics that hiked prices across the internet
2 months ago
- Amazon allegedly pressured suppliers to raise prices on rival retailers' sites to protect its own profitability, using tactics like suppressing product listings and demanding compensation.
- Examples include a table lamp jumping from $24.99 to $39 at Walmart, an air fryer rising from $84.99 to $149.99 on Newegg, and an ice cream maker tripling to $59.99 at Amazon.
- Internal emails show Amazon employees flagged low competitor prices as threats and instructed suppliers to fix pricing or face consequences, often using code words like 'channel optimization'.
- Amazon's algorithmic price-matching and 'game theory' approach led to demands for supplier reimbursement, pushing some to pull products from rivals or increase prices elsewhere.
- California and FTC lawsuits allege Amazon's practices constitute illegal price-fixing, while Amazon defends them as routine retail negotiations that lower consumer prices.
- Former employees and suppliers described pressure to raise competitor prices, with Amazon staff advised to avoid written records of such discussions.
Judge halts Paramount's $111B purchase of Warner Bros. in win for US states
2 months ago
- A federal judge ordered Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery to halt their $111 billion merger, granting a temporary restraining order.
- The temporary order lasts 14 days but can be extended into a preliminary injunction blocking the merger until the case is resolved.
- A group of 12 states, led by California, sued to block the deal, arguing it would eliminate competition among major Hollywood studios and cable TV channels.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the emergency order a critical first win against the unlawful merger.
- Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín ruled that the states made a strong showing the merger would substantially lessen competition in the theatrical-film market.
- The merged company would hold a 27% share of the wide-release theatrical distribution market, close to the 30% threshold presumed to violate antitrust law.
Third-party app stores coming to Google Play next week as Epic settlement wit
2 months ago
- Google's settlement with Epic Games regarding antitrust issues is being withdrawn, leading to third-party app stores being integrated into the Google Play Store starting next week.
- Epic Games initiated the antitrust lawsuit in 2020 after Fortnite was removed from app stores for bypassing Google and Apple's 30% fee by adding a direct purchase option for V-Bucks.
- Google was found guilty of anti-competitive practices by discouraging device makers from promoting non-Google app stores and hiding its conduct, which entrenched the Play Store as the primary software source for Android users.
- The court-mandated remedies include lower fees, mirroring Google Play apps in other stores, and requiring Google to list rival app stores on the Play Store to ensure fair access and competition.
Top EU court upholds Google Android fine in landmark antitrust case
3 months ago
- Europe's top court dismissed Google's appeal against a €4.1 billion Android antitrust fine.
- The ruling upheld a 2022 judgment that Google abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on smartphone makers and mobile operators.
- The fine was adjusted from €4.34 billion to €4.125 billion, marking a major victory for the European Commission in its antitrust battle with Big Tech.
The Egg Bandits Made a Thousand Times the Fine They Just Paid for Price Fixing
3 months ago
- Major egg producers Cal-Maine, Versova, and Hickman's were accused of price-fixing from 2022-2025, using the avian flu crisis as cover to artificially inflate egg prices.
- The conspiracy involved manipulating the Urner Barry price index by submitting fake bids and sham transactions on the Egg Clearinghouse to create false demand signals, influencing wholesale contract prices.
- Despite clear evidence from emails and texts, the settlement resulted in only $3 million in total penalties and egg donations, with no admission of wrongdoing, allowing companies to avoid follow-on civil suits.
- Cal-Maine profited over $3 billion from the scheme, paying penalties roughly 1,000 times less than their gains, highlighting how crime can be financially rewarding with minimal legal consequences.
- The case illustrates the failure of elites, economists, and media to acknowledge price-gouging, instead attributing price hikes solely to supply and demand, while antitrust action ultimately led to lower prices after the investigation.

antitrust

Pluralistic: Google's new remote attestation scheme is every bit as terrible as its old remote attestation scheme (12 Jun 2026)

Pluralistic: How US states and international trustbusters can beat Big Tech (07 Jul 2026)

Commission fines Google €890 million for breaches of the Digital Markets Act

Attorney General Bonta Secures Deal Halting Warner Bros

Paramount Forced to Delay Warner Bros Merger After California Antitrust Lawsuit

The Amazon tactics that hiked prices across the internet

Judge halts Paramount's $111B purchase of Warner Bros. in win for US states

Third-party app stores coming to Google Play next week as Epic settlement wit

Top EU court upholds Google Android fine in landmark antitrust case

The Egg Bandits Made a Thousand Times the Fine They Just Paid for Price Fixing