Google to Pay Nearly $400 Million Over Location Tracking

Google agreed to pay a total of $391.5 million to 40 US states to resolve an investigation into the company’s location-tracking practices, in what state officials are calling the largest such privacy settlement in US history.

The Alphabet Inc. unit will “significantly improve” its location-tracking disclosures and user controls starting next year as part of the deal, acc…

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How to Make Sense of the Stock Market’s Turbulent Year So Far

Here we go again. From late March 2020 till almost the end of last year, stock markets had been on an extraordinary tear. When the pandemic exploded, market plunged close to 30% in a matter of weeks. Aggressive government action by the Fed and then Congress staunched the panic, and from then until November 2021, the S&P 500 doubled, with the Nasdaq up even more. Since then, and accelerating…

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Right-Wing’s New Aim- a Parallel Economy

The controversy started, like so many things nowadays, with an internet rumor. “Dear Women, Tampax pays this man $10,000’s to MOCK YOU,” tweeted a right-wing influencer in April. “Don’t buy Tampax.”

The offense in question: transgender TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney had posted a video with the company’s tampons. Online conservatives, enraged by Tampax’s history of tran…

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Juul Is Paying $40 Million to Rebuild Its Reputation

Juul Labs reached a $40 million settlement with North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein this week, agreeing to limit its sales and marketing practices to quell underage use of its potent e-cigarettes.

The settlement is also part of an “ongoing effort to reset our company and its relationship with our stakeholders” and “earn trust through action,” as a Juul spok…

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Uniqlo’s Founder Wants to Wake Up Japan

Uniqlo's Founder Wants to Wake Up Japan

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Ireland Abandons 12.5% Tax Pledge as Global Deal Races to Finish

Ireland is ready to sign up to a proposed global agreement for a minimum tax on companies, a climbdown that removes one hurdle to an unprecedented deal that would reshape the landscape for multinationals.

On the eve of a key meeting between 140 countries hosted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Irish government said it will join the push for a floor of 15% …

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TikTok’s CEO Fails to Placate U.S. Lawmakers

TikTok Chief Executive Shou Chew’s appearance in Congress on Thursday did little to calm the bipartisan fury directed at the viral video-sharing service. If anything, his more than four hours of testimony gave critics more fuel to insist the app be banned in the U.S.

“We came here hoping to hear some action that would alleviate our concerns,” said Representative Lisa Blu…

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Sam Altman’s Worldcoin Token Soars

Worldcoin, the token of the crypto project co-founded by OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, rallied on its first day of trading on Monday as investors piled into the hype around artificial intelligence.

Worldcoin jumped to as high as $3.58 from the initial price of $1.70 before falling back to $2.52 as of 11:12 a.m. in London, data compiled by CoinMarketCap data showed. By then, r…

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Why Polling Data Has Made This CEO an Optimist

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As America heads into another election season, voters once again turn to pollsters for insights into how the results may turn out. After predictions that missed the mark during the 2016 and—to some extent—the 2020 presidential elections, peo…

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The Economics of Legal Weed Don’t Work

Ten years ago Colorado became the first state in the U.S. to fully legalize the recreational use of cannabis. Many other states followed, and several others already had sufficiently lax medical marijuana legislation, that now an estimated 40% of American adults can legally buy cannabis. Musicians, actors and sports stars have quickly jumped into the market with their own brands of weed, hoping …

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