DOJ
Latest
DoJ asks Congress to limit protections for social media companies
The Department of Justice (DoJ) is asking Congress to adopt a new law that would make Facebook, Google and Twitter liable for the way they moderate content, The Washington Post reports. The legislation would alter the controversial Section 230 so that tech companies would be accountable when they “unlawfully censor speech and when they knowingly facilitate criminal activity online.” “For too long Section 230 has provided a shield for online platforms to operate with impunity,” Attorney General William Barr said in a statement.
Nikola founder resigns following SEC probe into electric truck business
Following a fraud accusation by a short firm and potential probe by the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), Nikola founder Trevor Milton is stepping down as executive chairman.
A dozen states might join the DOJ's antitrust lawsuit against Google
About a dozen states are reportedly joining the Department of Justice's upcoming antitrust lawsuit against Google.
DOJ may present its antitrust case against Google later this month
The New York Times reports Justice Department lawyers are divided over a push to bring antitrust charges against Alphabet/Google this month, as some worry that moving too fast will help Google's case.
Tesla worked with the FBI to block a million dollar ransomware attack
Tesla avoided a ransomware attack with the help of an honest employee and the FBI.
US officials seize cryptocurrency accounts tied to al-Qaeda and ISIS
Agents recouped about $2 million worth of virtual currency in total.
US charges two Chinese hackers with trying to steal COVID-19 research
Today, the US Justice Department charged two Chinese hackers with targeting US COVID-19 research.
EARN IT Act amendments transfer the fight over Section 230 to the states
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed an amended version of the EARN IT Act, which will head to the Senate floor for debate.
Six former eBay employees charged in a bizarre cyberstalking scheme
The Department of Justice has charged six former eBay employees with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking.
Facebook, Google and others adopt guidelines intended to fight child abuse
Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security -- along with government counterparts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom -- published guidelines to help the tech industry fight online child exploitation. The principles were developed "in consultation" with Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Roblox, Snap and Twitter, after all six companies agreed to tackling the online child sexual abuse epidemic.
Ohio man charged for laundering $300 million through Bitcoin 'mixer'
American law enforcement just illustrated how important cryptocurrency has become in the criminal world. Federal agents have charged Ohio resident Larry Harmon for allegedly running a darknet-based Bitcoin "mixer" that laundered the equivalent of roughly $300 million for drug dealers and other crooks. Helix, as it was called while it ran between 2014 and 2017, reportedly let customers pay to send Bitcoin in a way that hid the true source. It operated with "brazenness," the IRS' Don Fort said. Helix supposedly partnered with AlphaBay to serve the darknet black market's customers, and advertised Helix on the Grams search engine (which Harmon apparently ran) as a way to hide deals from police.
DOJ is trying to stop US VoIP carriers from hosting foreign robocalls
The Department of Justice has taken its first ever enforcement action against a handful of American companies involved in massive robocall schemes. In an announcement, the agency has revealed that it's seeking temporary restraining orders against five voice over internet protocol (VoIP) carriers from New York and Arizona, which serve as "gateway carriers" for hundreds of millions of fraudulent calls from overseas.
Google reportedly facing a DOJ probe over its $2.1 billion Fitbit purchase
Both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) apparently aren't thrilled with Google's Fitbit acquisition. According to a New York Post report, both agencies are concerned that the purchase would give Google access to even more personal data, and they both sought authority to investigate the deal. Since the DOJ is already looking into Google's practices as part of a larger anti-competition probe, though, it was reportedly put in charge of reviewing the merger. A Post source said: "The DOJ's handling of Fitbit will give an early read on the Google investigation."
DOJ charges two Russians with using malware to steal millions
Officials are offering a $5 million reward for information that leads to the capture of Maksim Yakubets of Moscow. Yakubets is one of two Russian nationals charged with cybercrimes that resulted in tens of millions in losses. The $5 million reward is the largest amount offered for a cyber criminal's capture to date.
AT&T and Verizon agree to change their eSIM practices
Two years ago, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into whether AT&T, Verizon (Engadget's parent company) and the GSM Association (GSMA) worked together to limit eSIM technology. Today, The New York Times reports that the DOJ is closing the investigation and has found no evidence of wrongdoing.
ACLU sues to reveal the FBI's uses of facial recognition
The ACLU is unsurprisingly concerned about the FBI's use of facial recognition, and it wants to force the agency to divulge its practices. It just filed a lawsuit against the FBI, the Justice Department and the DEA ordering them to turn over records showing "when, where and how" they use facial recognition tech. The civil liberties group was concerned that these systems could "fundamentally alter" society and lead to constant surveillance, and pointed to the FBI's history and public stances as reasons to be concerned.
Google faces scrutiny from Congress, DOJ over plans to encrypt DNS
Google's bid to encrypt domain name requests appears to be raising hackles among American officials. The Wall Street Journal has learned that the House Judiciary Committee is investigating Google's plans to implement DNS over HTTPS in Chrome, while the Justice Department has "recently received complaints" about the practice. While Google says it's pushing for adoption of the technology to prevent spying and spoofing, House investigators are worried this would give the internet giant an unfair advantage by denying access to users' data.
Justice Department sets rules for using genealogy sites to solve crimes
Investigators have used genealogy sites to solve a string of cold cases in recent years, but the US hasn't really had a firm stance on how and when to use those sites. There's now a basic framework in place, however. The Justice Department has established interim rules that determine how this forensic genetic genealogy can be used to tackle unsolved violent crimes. Officials portray it as striking a balance between the desire to solve crimes with the protection of privacy and civil freedoms.
Google acknowledges DOJ scrutiny as part of competition review
Google has confirmed that it's one of the targets of the Justice Department's review of competition in tech. The search firm has revealed that DOJ officials asked it to provide information about "past investigations," with an SEC filing also referencing the request. It expected state attorneys general to make similar demands in the future, and planned to work "constructively" with regulators.
DOJ launches probe of automakers that agreed to California emissions rules
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an antitrust investigation into BMW, Ford, Honda and Volkswagen, the four automakers that came to a voluntary agreement with California to follow stricter fuel efficiency standards. After The Wall Street Journal broke the news, Ford and Honda confirmed they plan to cooperate with the investigation.
