Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 7 September 2019
As feds loom, states hit Facebook, Google with new probes

By MARCY GORDON and The lawmaker leading that
MATT O’BRIEN investigation, Rep. David
Associated Press Cicilline, D-R.I., said Friday
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two the states’ probe of Face-
groups of states are target- book is “completely appro-
ing Facebook and Google priate.”
in separate antitrust probes, “Facebook has proven
widening the scrutiny of Big time and time again that it
Tech beyond sweeping cannot be trusted to regu-
federal and congressio- late itself,” Cicilline said. “I
nal investigations into their commend the state attor-
market dominance. neys general for launching
Facebook and Google this investigation, and I look
are two of the world’s larg- forward to working with
est and most ubiquitous them and learning what
tech companies. The bil- they uncover.”
lions who use their services “This investigation will also
for making social media serve to put further pres-
posts, uploading videos or sure on federal enforcers,
searching ads are targeted who have a track record
by the tech companies for of inaction, to protect
their personal data — a consumers, competitors
prized asset that enhanc- In this Tuesday, April 18, 2017, file photo, a conference worker passes a demo booth at Facebook’s and our democracy from
es the companies’ power. annual F8 developer conference, in San Jose, Calif. the range of dangers that
Regulators are examining Associated Press Facebook’s extraordinary
whether the companies investigation into “wheth- sparked outrage with a seek to determine if Face- power presents,” Miller said
have used their market er large tech companies series of privacy scandals book endangered con- in a statement.
power to crimp competi- have engaged in anticom- and its use by Russian oper- sumer data, reduced the Facebook said in a state-
tion, potentially raising pric- petitive behavior that sti- atives in the 2016 presiden- quality of consumer choic- ment Friday it plans to
es and hurting consumers. fled competition, restricted tial campaign. es or increased the price of “work constructively” with
New York Attorney General access and harmed con- In July, Facebook was hit advertising. the state attorneys general
Letitia James, a Democrat, sumers,” an advisory from with a $5 billion fine from The U.S. Justice Depart- and welcomes a conver-
confirmed the Facebook Texas Attorney General the Federal Trade Commis- ment opened a sweeping sation with policymakers
investigation in a news re- Ken Paxton said Friday. The sion over privacy violations. antitrust investigation of big about competition.
lease Friday, saying the Washington Post and The “Even the largest social tech companies this sum- “People have multiple
probe by the coalition of Wall Street Journal, citing media platform in the mer, looking at whether choices for every one of
states she is leading would sources they didn’t identify, world must follow the law their online platforms have the services we provide,”
focus on Facebook’s have reported that target and respect consumers,” hurt competition, sup- said Will Castleberry, a vice
“dominance in the industry will be Google. James said. “I am proud to pressed innovation or oth- president of state and lo-
and the potential anticom- Both groups of state attor- be leading a bipartisan co- erwise harmed consumers. cal policy. “We understand
petitive conduct stemming neys general include Dem- alition of attorneys general The Federal Trade Commis- that if we stop innovating,
from that dominance.” ocrats and Republicans. in investigating whether sion has been conducting people can easily leave
A separate group of state With some 2.4 billion us- Facebook has stifled com- its own competition probe our platform. This under-
attorneys general is an- ers around the globe petition and put users at of Big Tech, as has the scores the competition we
nouncing Monday in Wash- and a huge social media risk.” House Judiciary subcom- face, not only in the US but
ington the launch of an presence, Facebook has She said the probe would mittee on antitrust. around the globe.”q

Huawei debuts latest advanced

chipset for smartphone

showed off the Kirin 990 bar U.S. companies from foreign suppliers. It has also
chipset at the IFA consum- selling technology to Hua- built its own operating sys-
er electronics fair in Berlin wei without government tem, Hongmeng, though
on Friday. approval, though there executives have said they
Optimized for new 5G net- are 90-day exemptions for hope to be able to keep
works and packing 10.3 a narrow list of products using Android.
billion transistors into its fin- and services. The U.S. and China are
gernail size, the Kirin 990 Yu revealed little about locked in tech and eco-
will be the brain powering the Mate 30 as he show- nomic rivalry, with Wash-
the Mate 30 phone. cased the company’s ington pressuring allies to
A staff member holds a Huawei ‘Mate20 X 5G’ smartphone Huawei, the world’s No. 2 other products. He touted ban Huawei, the world’s
at the IFA 2019 tech fair in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Sept. smartphone maker, plans the new chip’s lower en- biggest supplier of tele-
5, 2019. a global launch for the ergy use and superfast 5G com gear, from new 5G
Associated Press phone in Munich, Germa- download speed. networks. Beijing on Friday
BERLIN (AP) — Chinese phone, even as uncertain- ny, on Sept. 19. Huawei has developed its lambasted the U.S. oppo-
tech giant Huawei un- ty hangs over whether the But with the U.S.-China Kirin line of chips to power sition to Huawei after Vice
veiled its latest advanced device can use Google’s trade war raging, it’s un- some of its phones and President Mike Pence this
chipset Friday ahead of Android. clear whether the device reduce reliance on U.S.- week called on Iceland
the upcoming launch of Huawei’s consumer busi- can use the Android op- based Qualcomm Corp.’s and other governments to
its latest flagship smart- ness CEO, Richard Yu, erating system. Sanctions Snapdragon and other find alternatives. q