Good morning. It’s Wednesday, we’re halfway to the end of the week, and we’ve got five things to catch you up on in the world of tech. Let’s get stuck in.
1. The FTC takes on Amazon for operating an illegal monopoly
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is finally entering the ring with Amazon, the antitrust nemesis of Commissioner Lina Khan. The agency, along with 17 other state attorneys general, is officially suing Jeff Bezos’s e-commerce baby for growing and metastasising into a trillion-dollar anti-competitive monopoly, allegedly at the expense of consumers and sellers. The FTC and the attorneys general have filed a historic lawsuit, which accuses the e-commerce giant of using “interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies” to maintain an illegal monopoly. The landmark 172-page suit, filed in Western Washington district court, claims Amazon leveraged its monopoly power to simultaneously raise prices for consumers and crush would-be competitors. Today’s complaint builds off of a years-long investigation into Amazon’s business practices and marks one of the most significant legal challenges to the company since its founding three decades ago.
2. Google wraps up Podcasts
As reported by Engadget, Google is calling time on its Podcasts service, with YouTube Music to take up the mantle next year when the dedicated long-form audio platform shuts down. Google Podcasts has been around since 2018, but it never had the same mass adoption that its rivals had, such as Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and Spotify. The good news is that Google won’t be doing away with podcasts entirely, with YouTube (a platform already popular for the content form) to continue hosting them. RIP Google Podcasts, we barely knew you.
3. Video game voice actors vote ‘Yes’ on strike authorisation
Nearly 35,000 SAG-AFTRA members voted in favour of a strike authorisation on the Interactive Media Agreement, the union reported last night. The Interactive Media Agreement covers members’ work on video games, which includes voice acting and live-action capture. SAG-AFTRA announced the strike authorisation over X/Twitter yesterday. The signatory companies that use the Interactive Media Agreement include; Activision Productions Inc, Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Epic Games, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.
SAG-AFTRA Members Approve Video Game Strike Authorization Vote With 98.32% Yes Vote https://t.co/skrGUK7yBq
— SAG-AFTRA NEWS (@sagaftranews) September 26, 2023
4. The EU warns Elon Musk
As reported by The Guardian, the European Union has warned Elon Musk after a recent report found that his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) had the highest ratio of disinformation posts of all large social media platforms. “Mr Musk knows he is not off the hook by leaving the code of practice,” said the European commissioner Věra Jourová. “There are obligations under the hard law. So my message for Twitter/X is you have to comply. We will be watching what you do.”
5. Western Australian Police deploy Starlink
As reported by itNews, the Western Australian Police Force is planning to deploy Starlink equipment for 550 vehicles and 129 police stations across the state, as part of an $8.5 million plan to improve internet connectivity for isolated police stations. It’s expected that adopting the satellite internet technology, developed by SpaceX, will improve situational awareness for officers on the frontline, and will help with keeping police informed on developing matters. “For the first time, officers will have high-speed internet no matter where they are in the state,” Police Minister Paul Papalia said.
BONUS ITEM: What are you doing in my swamp?
Photos from Shrek’s swamp, available to book a stay at on Airbnb beginning October 13.
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 26, 2023
The luxury getaway is located in Highland Council, Scotland, United Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/PmNaDleL0H
Have a lovely day.