Displaying items by tag: FTC

Microsoft’s $69 Billion wish list includes the acquisition of Activision Blizzard and all the goodies that it controls. This deal has been called the largest in gaming history and it should be. It involves a massive amount of money, and a large stockpile of AAA gaming IP. It would all be under Microsoft’s control. The deal has been approved by 37 different agencies (including the EU) and has two notable hold outs; the US FTC and the UK’s CMA. Microsoft has appealed the UK regulator’s move to block the deal while the FTC case is not set to be heard until August.

The UK’s CMA (Competition and Markets Authority has added new restrictions on Microsoft and Activision Blizzard after already issuing a formal anti-trust warning over the deal back in January. Now the regulator has added additional orders that prevent either party from “acquiring an interest” in each other without written permission from the CMA.

Yesterday we talked about Microsoft’s plans to buy Activision Blizard as well as Sony’ plans to buy Bungie. We covered what these could mean in terms of content control and splitting console ownership into what titles people like. Although both Microsoft and Sony are committed to releasing content for both consoles, once the existing contracts run out, things could be very different. Because of this potential monopoly of content by the Activision Blizzard deal, the FTC is going to take look at it.

Remember that pesky anti-trust suit that Apple faced over fixing eBook prices with publishers? Well if not, let me remind you. When Apple brought their eBook store to iOS they knew they were facing an uphill battle against Amazon. To counter this they worked out a deal with several publishers to fix prices at a certain level and also to guarantee that they got the best prices along with a few exclusive books. They were found guilty of this and are supposed to be making amends for it along with having a watchdog looking over their shoulders.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp, which was announced in February. Before finalizing the transaction, companies will have to wait for approvals from other international regulators in countries where both companies operate. However, the FTC's approval did not come without warning and instructions related to the issue that stood out as the most contentious - the protection of user data.

Facebook is a company that we all love to hate and is one that none of us seem to be able to get away from. Much like Google Facebook has become so big that they feel they can do what they want with impunity; at least in regards to their users’ data. Over the last few years Facebook has come under fire for a number of things they have done with user information and even things they publicly said they wanted to do with user information. The latest one involves their attempts to use your information including picture, name, and other identifying information for… well anything they want.

In Mid-2011 it was revealed that many Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) devices were visible on the internet with a simple Google search. What was even more terrifying was that many of these devices still had the default username and password set and were visible in the search results. In 2009 someone with the same idea developed a search engine that was able to find connected devices as a service making it easier to find them and… exploit them. In January of 2012 a security flaw was found in the way that many (if not all) connected IP cameras operated. The flaw was originally found in a TRENDNet’s IP camera (a discontinued one) and it was a serious one.

Google has agreed to settle with the FTC over accusations that they bypassed security features in Safari to track users’ internet habits. Although Google often comments that they maintain the highest privacy and security standards for its users they have been repeatedly in the news for violations of privacy. Let’s face it, Google wants and needs data they really do not care so much about how they get it as long as they do. They have been in trouble over street view, Google Maps, Google Docs, Chrome, and now for tracking people when they specifically use features to prevent them from being tracked.

We have been saying for a number of years now, but the Patent System is broken. Now the FTC might be starting to agree with some of the sentiment that we have been hearing from many media outlets. In a very important move the FTC feels that the continued request for import and sales bans whenever there is a patent dispute is causing “substantial harm” to consumers.

In the very recent past the NSA and other governmental agencies have tried to show Anonymous as a terrorist organization. To do this they are using very basic definitions of the term; after all a terrorist uses fear to achieve their goals. However, if you can qualify Anonymous as a terrorist organization based on the loose definition and the fact that fear of them uncovering the truth has led to changes in many areas then you can also classify the MPAA, RIAA, NSA and other organizations as terrorist too.