Google blasted as 'negligent' over evidence destruction as landmark DOJ antitrust case wraps up

Published

2 years ago

May 6, 2024

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A federal judge blasted Google for its negligent policy that resulted in the deletion of employee chat records as closing arguments wrapped up Friday in a landmark antitrust case that could result in unprecedented changes to the tech giant’s core business.

Justice Department attorneys asked Judge Amit Mehta to sanction Google for failing to preserve evidence despite a court order and to rule that its conduct was intended to conceal anticompetitive behavior. Google has denied wrongdoing.

Mehta said it was negligent of Google to implement the policy, which automatically destroyed employee messages after 24 hours.

Googles document retention policy leaves a lot to be desired, Mehta said. Its shocking to me that a company would leave it to its employees to decide when to preserve documents.

Mehta did not indicate whether he would sanction Google over the policy. An attorney for the tech giant said the auto-erase policy was explicitly disclosed to plaintiffs years earlier, undercutting the feds claims that it showed intent to destroy evidence.

Google was already sanctioned over the same evidence destruction claims in a separate federal case filed by Fortnite maker Epic Games. Late last year, US District Judge James Donato said Googles willful and intentional suppression of relevant evidence in this case is deeply troubling.

This conduct is a frontal assault on the fair administration of justice. It undercuts due process. It calls into question just resolution of legal disputes. It is antithetical to our system, Donato said in December.

Earlier in the DOJs antitrust case, Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified that the automatic chat deletion policy was already in place when he took the job in 2015 and said he had since taken action to end it.

Much of the second and final day of closing arguments was focused on Googles conduct toward advertisers in the online search market.

The DOJ said Googles market dominance allows it to jack up prices on advertisers and cited internal documents to argue that the company has at times tweaked search results in a way that hurt quality in order to boost its profits.

Only a monopolist can make a product worse and still make more money, DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said.

A day earlier, Google faced tough questions over claims by its lawyers that the company faces stiff competition for user eyeballs. The companys defense team pointed to other tech platforms such as Microsoft and Amazon as well as travel sites like Expedia, smaller search engines like DuckDuckGo and media outlets like ESPN as rivals for search traffic.

Mehta appeared skeptical of the argument that Google, which has a 90% share of the online search market, faced meaningful competition from those firms.

You really think that DuckDuckGo is a competitor on Google? the judge asked Googles lawyers at one point on Thursday.

The judge also scrutinized the DOJs arguments, warning that the feds faced a hard road to prove that Google had failed to innovate in online search over the last decade.

He cited Microsofts admission during the trial that it hadnt spent enough resources to build out its own mobile search business to challenge Google.

Mehta is expected to issue a decision on whether Google has maintained an illegal monopoly over online search later this year. When initial court testimony concluded last fall, Mehta admitted he had no idea how he would rule on the case.

If Mehta rules against Google, a separate trial will be held to determine what remedies should be implemented. The DOJ has not specified what remedies it is seeking.

Options could include mandated choice screens allowing users to pick their own default search engine or even a breakup of Googles business empire.

The Justice Department argued that Google has relied for years on billions of dollars in payments to partners such as Apple and AT&T including $26.3 billion in 2021 alone to ensure that its search engine is enabled by default on most smartphones. The feds say the deals stifle competition and hurt consumers by limiting choice and search quality.

Ahead of closing arguments, an unredacted document revealed that Google had made a whopping $20 billion to Apple in 2022 to be the default search engine on iPhones and other devices. The DOJ has pointed to the size of the deals as evidence of their importance to Google.

Google has denied operating a monopoly and asserted that it faces intense competition in the online search market. The company has described the default deals as fair competition and claims the public gravitates toward its search tool because of its quality.

Closing arguments came months after witness testimony that began in mid-September and lasted for 10 weeks. Key witnesses included Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella who testified that Googles default deals made the concept of user choice in online search completely bogus.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai also took the witness stand last October, as did Apple executive Eddy Cue and a cadre of economists, professors and business executives who gave detail on how the companys search empire functions.

With Post wires

Politics

Refugee status set to become temporary in radical asylum reforms

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2025

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Refugee status set to become temporary in radical asylum reforms

People granted asylum in the UK will only be allowed to stay in the country temporarily, in sweeping reforms expected to be announced on Monday.

Modelled on the Danish system, the aim is to make the UK less attractive for illegal immigrants and make it easier to deport them.

Planned changes mean that refugee status will become temporary and subject to regular review, with refugees removed as soon as their home countries are deemed safe.

Under current UK rules, those granted refugee status have it for five years and can then apply for indefinite leave to remain and get on a route to citizenship.

In a social media video trailing her announcement, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “We will always be a country that gives sanctuary to people who are fleeing danger, but we must restore order and control.”

She called it “the most significant changes to our asylum system in modern times”.

An ally of the home secretary said: “Today, becoming a refugee equals a lifetime of protection in Britain.

“Mahmood will change that, making refugee status temporary and subject to regular review. The moment your home country is safe to return to, you will be removed.

“While this might seem like a small technical shift, this new settlement marks the most significant shift in the treatment of refugees since the Second World War.”

Time and money ‘wasted’ on Rwanda scheme

While the number of asylum claims across Europe has fallen, numbers in Britain have risen.

Ms Mahmood said the previous government had had “years to tackle this problem” but had “wasted” time and money on the £700m Rwanda scheme.

Some 39,075 people have arrived in the UK after making the journey across the Channel so far this year, according to the latest Home Office figures.

That is an increase of 19% on the same point in 2024 and up 43% on 2023, but remains 5% lower than at the equivalent point in 2022, which remains the peak year for crossings.

Other changes expected to be announced on Monday include requiring judges to prioritise public safety over migrants’ rights to a family life, or the risk that they will face “inhuman” treatment if returned to their home country, the Telegraph has reported.

Denmark’s tighter rules on family reunions are also being looked at.

What are Denmark’s migration rules?

Denmark has adopted increasingly restrictive rules in order to deal with migration over the last few years.

In Denmark, most asylum or refugee statuses are temporary. Residency can be revoked once a country is deemed safe.

In order to achieve settlement, asylum seekers are required to be in full-time employment, and the length of time it takes to acquire those rights has been extended.

Denmark also has tougher rules on family reunification – both the sponsor and their partner are required to be at least 24 years old, which the Danish government says is designed to prevent forced marriages.

The sponsor must also not have claimed welfare for three years and must provide a financial guarantee for their partner. Both must also pass a Danish language test.

In 2018, Denmark introduced what it called a ghetto package, a controversial plan to radically alter some residential areas, including by demolishing social housing. Areas with over 1,000 residents were defined as ghettos if more than 50% were “immigrants and their descendants from non-Western countries”.

In 2021, the left of centre government passed a law that allowed refugees arriving on Danish soil to be moved to asylum centres in a partner country – and subsequently agreed with Rwanda to explore setting up a program, although that has been put on hold.

Changes will prevent refugees from ‘integrating into British life’

While some research has suggested that deterrence policies have little impact on asylum seekers’ choice of destination, but a 2017 study said Denmark’s “negative nation branding” had proved effective in limiting asylum applications.

The number of successful asylum claims has fallen to a 40-year low in Denmark, with 95% of failed asylum seekers deported from the country.

But some believe the changes could damage future generations seeking a haven from war, persecution and violence.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of Refugee Council, said: “These sweeping changes will not deter people from making dangerous crossings, but they will unfairly prevent men, women and children from putting down roots and integrating into British life.

“Refugee status represents safety from the conflict and persecution that people have fled.

“When refugees are not stuck in limbo, they feel a greater sense of belonging, as full members of their new communities with a stable future for themselves, their children and generations to come.

“We urge the government to rethink these highly impractical plans, which will also add to the backlog and chaos that the Home Office is tackling.

“Instead, they should ensure that refugees who work hard and contribute to Britain can build secure, settled lives and give back to their communities.”

Shabana Mahmood will be appearing on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips from 8.30am tomorrow.

World

Former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Epstein files ‘sent him over the edge’

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2025

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Former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Epstein files 'sent him over the edge'

It is an earthquake for the MAGA ecosystem.

Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene were a formidable alliance on the Republican Party’s hard-right flank.

For years, the congresswoman for Georgia embodied the combative, conspiracy-tinged politics that define Trump’s presidency.

She called him “the father of the America First movement,” campaigned to be his running mate, and was quick to defend him.

“David Cameron can kiss my ass,” she told Sky News when asked about the former UK Prime Minister’s concerns about US fading support for Ukraine.

Door-stepped by my colleague Martha Kelner, she said: “We don’t give a crap about your country or your reporting.

“The Trump administration is doing a great job and I stand by their statements,” she added.

“I’m thankful to President Trump that he is leading us out of wars.”

Watch Sky’s Martha Kelner’s encounter with Taylor Greene from earlier this year…

But in recent months, she had expressed concerns about Trump’s involvement in the Middle East, Ukraine and elsewhere.

It escalated when she stood with victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to demand justice and joined Democrats in demanding a vote on the release of all files.

Just days ago, President Trump told reporters Taylor Greene had “lost her way”, but something triggered a war of words late on Friday.

The president had taken questions on Air Force One, with two reporters citing Taylor Green’s demand that the files be released.

Moments later, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he was withdrawing his endorsement of the congresswoman.

He branded her a “ranting lunatic”, “wacky Marjorie”, and said all she ever does is “COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN.”

Her reply came very quickly, in a post claiming she had sent the president text messages about Jeffrey Epstein.

“Apparently this is what sent him over the edge. The Epstein Files,” she posted.

She accused him of “coming after” her to “scare all the other Republicans” before next week’s vote to release the Epstein files.

“It’s astonishing how hard he’s fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out that he actually goes to this level,” she added.

For years, they were joined at the hip – Trump the movement’s figurehead, Taylor Greene its megaphone – but it has now descended into open hostility.

Epstein, the story that won’t go away, has just cost Trump one of his most loyal allies, and rocked the internal dynamics of his political movement.

Environment

Rivian’s ALSO announces lower $3,500 price for it’s fancy new e-bike

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2025

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Rivian's ALSO announces lower ,500 price for it's fancy new e-bike

ALSO, the electric bike spin-off from EV-maker Rivian, just dropped some welcome news: a more affordable version of the bike is coming. Officially called the TM-B, the new model will launch at $3,500, coming in a full $1,000 under the previously announced $4,500 TM-B Performance we saw last month.

While the Performance model leaned heavily into premium components and higher output, the new TM-B appears designed to bring the platform’s eye-catching design to a wider audience.

The TM-B includes much of the same design and basic feature set as the TM-B Performance, though the $1,000 lower price tag does come from the company filet-ing a few corners. The bike drops from the 10x assist of the Performance edition to just 5x assist (presumably meaning half the power, but it’s hard to say since e-bike companies generally don’t list power as a multiple of rider input). It also has a smaller battery, more basic coil spring shock instead of the nicer and lighter air shock, fewer ride modes, and doesn’t come with the same premium styling options.

The bike does retain ALSO’s interesting drive-by-wire solution though, which means that there isn’t a physical connection between the pedals and the bike. Instead, riders turn pedal cranks connected to a generator that converts pedaling energy into electrical energy to feed the rear wheel through a Gates carbon belt drive.

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Hydraulic disc brakes along with ABS-braking come standard on both models, and the cockpit includes a compact color display with app connectivity, offering basic ride metrics and configurable assist modes.

ALSO hasn’t committed to an exact delivery date, but reservations are now open.

Electrek’s Take

A $3,500 entry point is undeniably better news for fans of ALSO’s design language who weren’t ready to shell out $4,500. However, I still seem to be one of the few in the industry who are hesitant to believe there is a path to profitability here. Americans don’t buy $4,500 e-bikes, at least not in high volume, and they don’t really buy $3,500 e-bikes, either.

It’s not that the bike isn’t worth it – ALSO’s engineers should be commended for stuffing a crazy amount of tech and innovation into this bike. But it simply won’t matter when the bike doesn’t sell very many units and ALSO has to keep making payroll on its huge workforce comprised of many expensive engineers and other tech roles. It’s very close to the same playbook that we watched sink other tech-forward e-bike companies like VanMoof, which went bankrupt after it couldn’t keep up with servicing its expensive and proprietary e-bike tech while trying to float a massive workforce.

Frankly, I’m a bit confused. Most basic e-bike media seems to be going nuts over the thing, and I’m the only one pointing out that the king appears to be walking around naked.

Also, the timing here is… odd.

Good news usually gets announced on a Tuesday morning, not sent to us at 4:56 PM on a Friday, right as everyone logs off and heads into the weekend. The classic “Friday news dump” is where companies hide things they don’t want attention on – not where they brag about slicing $1,000 off the entry price of a new model. A head scratcher all around.

Either way, a lower-priced TM-B is objectively good news. The problem is, it might just be shouting into the wind.