Chromebooks train schoolkids to be loyal customers, internal Google document suggests
Chromebooks train schoolkids to be loyal customers, internal Google document suggests Internal documents revealed as part of a child safety lawsuit hint at Google’s plan to “onboard kids” into its ecosystem by investing in schools. In this November 2020 presentation, Google writes that getting kids into its ecosystem “leads to brand trust and loyalty over […]
Congress doesn’t seem to know if the TikTok deal complies with its law
Congress doesn't seem to know if the TikTok deal complies with its law TikTok finally closed a deal meant to bring it into compliance with the law that should have banned it a year ago, and the lawmakers who passed that law still don’t seem to know what’s going on. The company announced Tuesday that […]
What TikTok’s new owners mean for your feed
What TikTok's new owners mean for your feed TikTok is officially under new ownership in the US, and that could spell big changes for the video-sharing app. On January 22nd, ByteDance – TikTok’s Chinese parent company – and a group of investors closed a $14 billion deal to spin off the platform’s US operations, introducing […]
The TikTok deal is done, finally
The TikTok deal is done, finally Just over a year after it briefly disappeared from app stores, TikTok in the US is now part of a new entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. With approval from both the US and China closing on the schedule laid out in December, ByteDance’s ownership of the new joint […]
Sen. Markey questions OpenAI about ‘deceptive advertising’ in ChatGPT
Sen. Markey questions OpenAI about 'deceptive advertising' in ChatGPT Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is pressing OpenAI about its move to bring ads to ChatGPT, and is asking several other companies whether they have similar plans. In letters to the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Snap, and xAI, Markey writes that embedding ads into […]
Verizon’s prepaid services add a 365-day wait to unlock phones
Verizon's prepaid services add a 365-day wait to unlock phones It’s been just one week since Verizon got permission to lift its 60-day phone unlocking period, and the carrier is already making changes to its policy. Now, Verizon says customers who activate a phone on one of its sub-brands, including Visible, TracFone, Straight Talk, and […]
Amazon’s CEO says tariffs are starting to ‘creep into’ pricing
Amazon's CEO says tariffs are starting to 'creep into' pricing Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says consumers are starting to see the impact of tariffs less than a year after President Donald Trump implemented sweeping fees on a range of imported goods. During an interview with CNBC, Jassy says the inventory Amazon and third-party sellers prebought […]
600,000 Trump Mobile phones sold? There’s no proof.
600,000 Trump Mobile phones sold? There's no proof. Where’s the Trump phone? We’re going to keep talking about it every week. We’ve reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone’s whereabouts. As usual, we’re still waiting for a response. In the meantime, some impressive alleged sales figures have gone viral – but they […]
The US claims it just strongarmed Taiwan into spending $250 billion on American chip manufacturing
The US claims it just strongarmed Taiwan into spending $250 billion on American chip manufacturing The US just lowered Taiwan’s tariffs in exchange for a massive domestic chipmaking promise, the Commerce Department announced on Thursday. Under the deal, tariffs on goods from Taiwan will decrease from 20 to 15 percent, while Taiwanese technology companies will […]
Democrats push FTC to investigate Trump Mobile
Democrats push FTC to investigate Trump Mobile Elizabeth Warren and other Democrat lawmakers have written an open letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking for an investigation into alleged “false advertising and deceptive practices” from Trump Mobile. The company first announced its T1 Phone more than six months ago, but is yet to ship […]