John Lister

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Amazon of "illegally maintaining monopoly power." Critics argue the lawsuit is too vague, while redacted sections make it hard to assess in full. The FTC has filed the ... complaint alongside 17 state attorneys. It says Amazon "violates the law not because it is big, but because it engages in a course of exclusionary conduct that prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging." It also alleges that Amazon acts illegally to "wield monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle ... (view more)

X, formerly known as Twitter, appears to have scaled back a tool for reporting election misinformation. The tool appears to now only be available in Europe. The BBC notes the tool launched in Australia, South Korea and the United States in 2021 and ... expanded to other countries last year. However, a non-profit group says it's now only available in European Union countries. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) Users on the former Twitter can report posts which they believe breach the site's guidelines, but must choose a specific category. That includes breaches such as spam or hate speech, but no longer ... (view more)

The latest update for iPhones has switched on sensitive tracking, even for users who've actively switched it off. It appears to be a bug rather than conspiracy but users may want to check their settings. The change comes with iOS17, the latest ... version of the operating system, which started rolling out last week. It should eventually come to most models of iPhone released in the past five years. The problem is with two settings on the iPhone, namely iPhone Analytics and Significant Locations. A small minority of users have spotted the settings switched back on after the update, even though ... (view more)

The latest Windows 11 update has led to complaints of all manner of problems. That's particularly troubling as it's a mandatory security update. The update in question has the codename KB5030219. It's a cumulative update, meaning it brings together ... several updates which were previously optional, though will have been downloaded automatically for most people with Windows 11 on the default settings. It's not unusual to get reports of glitches, but both tech site readers and message board users have reported a particularly wide range of significant problems. The most serious include users ... (view more)

Google is to pay $93 million following claims it misled people about location tracking . The company allegedly deceived users about their ability to opt out of tracking. The payment will settle a case brought by California's Attorney General. The ... terms of the settlement do not require Google to make any admission of wrongdoing or illegal activity. The case was based on two main allegations. The first is about the way Google "collected, stored and user a person's location data." The claim is that Google continued doing this for people who has turned off a setting labeled "Location History." It ... (view more)

Google has committed to keeping Chromebooks updated for 10 years. It's an increase of two years, though a key catch remains. The change applies to all devices running Chrome OS, which also includes the Chromebox (a small box which comes without a ... keyboard or screen), Chromebase (an all-in-one PC with monitor) and Chromebit (a computer on a stick which plugs into an HDMI port). Security Guarantee For Longer Previously such devices were only supported for eight years. After this time they stopped getting performance, feature and security updates, making them somewhat risky to use. That annoyed ... (view more)

Electromagnetism fears mean Apple can no longer sell the iPhone 12 in France. The company rejects government claims that the phone exceeds safe emission limits. The government agency which made the ruling stands by its claims. Officials say that if ... Apple doesn't fully withdraw the handset from sale, the country may demand a recall of handsets from customers, a costly and embarrassing outcome for Apple. The move has proven particularly controversial as its disputed whether exposure to electromagnetic fields at the levels a phone could put out cause any risk to humans. Close Range Emissions Too ... (view more)

Apple and Microsoft have disputed claims that some of their key services are so big they require additional regulation. The European Commission will now reassess whether they qualify as holding "gatekeeper" status. The status matters because of the ... new Digital Markets Act, designed to boost competitions. A "gatekeeper" status means the service needs to follow tighter rules to make it easier for customers to switch to rivals. It's particularly aimed at cases where one business controls software and hardware in multiple areas, for example an operating system and a browser. The assessment is for ... (view more)

Samsung and Apple are both reportedly working on "smart ring" fitness trackers. They're designed as an alternative to smart watches, though with some inherent limitations. Several companies already sell smart rings to wear on the finger, but none ... are household names. The likes of Apple and Samsung getting into the market could be a breakthrough, particularly for people with the relevant brand mobile phones. The logic behind the devices is that some people want to track fitness measures such as step count and heart activity, but don't want to wear a special watch. For example, they may already ... (view more)

Google faces a legal claim demanding more than $9 billion for allegedly contributing to inflation. It's fair to say the claim is somewhat ambitious. The claim has been filed in the United Kingdom by Hereford Litigation, which describes itself as a ... "third-party litigation funder." It's filed a claim with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which hears cases that specifically relate to alleged breaches of competition law. Technically the claim is on behalf of every person aged over 16 in the UK, meaning the demand is for around $140 per person. If the claim was successful, it's not obvious how the ... (view more)