Last week, it was reported that the FBI had figured out how to unlock the iPhone belonging to one of the shooters who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, CA, on Dec. 2, 2015. Now, it’s official, as the government has dropped its attempt to compel Apple to aid the FBI in bypassing the device’s security — but this is just the first of likely many fights over this issue. [More]
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Justice Department Advises Against Throwing Poor People In Jail For Not Paying Fines
By 3.15.16
While debtor prisons have long been outlawed, failure to pay a court-ordered fine or fee can get you locked up. But in a letter sent yesterday to state court administrators, the Department of Justice advises against using the penal system as a way to collect debts. [More]
Facebook’s WhatsApp May Be Next In Law Enforcement’s Privacy Battle
By 3.14.16
The federal government’s courtroom war with Apple over iPhone encryption may be grabbing all the headlines, but a number of tech companies offer devices, apps, and messaging services with privacy settings that frustrate police investigations. And according to a new report, the Facebook-owned WhatsApp instant messaging app could be the next to face a legal challenge from the feds. [More]
John Oliver Rewrites Apple Ads To Make Them More Honest About Encryption
By 3.14.16
On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver looked at length at the ongoing, complicated legal battle between Apple and the FBI, which has asked a court to compel the tech company to rewrite its software to allow authorities to search crime suspects’ locked iPhones. And while Oliver ultimately came down in defense of Apple’s position in the matter, he also believes the company could be more direct about presenting the reality of the situation. [More]
Apple Accuses DOJ Of “Smear” Campaign In Fight Over Unlocking Shooter’s iPhone
By 3.11.16
The legal tug-of-war over whether or not Apple can be forced to unlock a secure iPhone continued last night, with the U.S. Justice Department filing a sharp rebuke to Apple’s claims that it can’t legally be compelled to rewrite its software, and with Apple responding by accusing federal prosecutors of operating a “smear” campaign through the court system. [More]
Supreme Court Leaves Apple On The Hook For $450 Million In E-Book Refunds
By 3.7.16
Nearly three years after Apple was found liable for conspiring with book publishers to fix prices on the e-book market — and nine months after losing again at the appeals court level — the electronics giant has failed to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case one final time, meaning Apple is now on the hook for $450 million to e-book buyers. [More]
DOJ Sues To Shut Down Liberty Tax Franchisee For Giving People Fake Jobs Based On Their Hobbies
By 2.9.16
Federal prosecutors are asking the court to shut down a Liberty Tax Service franchise in South Carolina, alleging that these locations have deliberately prepared false and inflated federal tax refunds by giving them income from fictional jobs and claiming children that don’t exist. [More]
Wells Fargo To Pay $1.2 Billion To Settle Govt. Lawsuit Over “Reckless” Mortgages
By 2.3.16
In Oct. 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Wells Fargo, alleging that the mega-bank had defrauded taxpayers by issuing “reckless” mortgages then misleading the Federal Housing Administration about the quality of those loans. Today, Wells revealed that has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to close the book on this issue. [More]
Chicken Of The Sea, Bumble Bee Abandon Plan To Unite As One Giant Can Of Tuna After DOJ Objects
By 12.4.15
Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee will be leaving their underwater wedding separately despite going steady since 2014: the two tuna companies won’t be merging into one giant can of fish after the U.S. Justice Department put the kibosh on their planned union. [More]
Justice Department Investigating Comcast’s Influence On Cable TV Ads
By 11.24.15
You know when you’re watching national prime-time TV and, after a bunch of ads for big-name brands you’ll suddenly be treated with a commercial for some local car dealer? Those are called “spot” ads and Comcast is being investigated for possibly having too much control over their sales. [More]
Feds File Criminal, Civil Cases Against More Than 100 Supplement Companies
By 11.17.15
A sweeping multi-agency federal investigation has resulted in a slew of criminal and civil charges being brought against more than 100 companies that either make or market supposed dietary supplements for selling products that allegedly contain ingredients other than those listed on the label, or products that make unsubstantiated health or disease-treatment claims. [More]
Man Who Sold Industrial Chemical As “Miracle Mineral Solution” Sentenced To 51 Months In Jail
By 10.28.15
There are plenty of people out there peddling “miracle” cleanses, juices, and elixirs that don’t really do anything, but that will usually just get them a slap on the wrist and some fines for false advertising. But if the “Miracle Mineral Solution” is really nothing more than an industrial chemical that can’t be sold for human consumption, then you’ll probably end up in jail for a few years. [More]
FBI Investigating Business Model Of DraftKings, FanDuel
By 10.15.15
Daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel operate under a “games of skill” exemption to a federal law that prohibits banks from transferring money to most online gambling operations. But the Department of Justice is reportedly taking a closer look at how these companies actually work to see if their business models cross a legal line. [More]
Justice Dept. Considering Criminal Charges Against Volkswagen
By 9.21.15
Many people who heard about last week’s recall of 500,000 Volkswagen diesel vehicles because the carmaker installed software that tricked emissions tests have asked, “Isn’t this a crime?” That’s a good question, and one the Dept. of Justice is reportedly looking into. [More]
Justice Department Says It’s Not Illegal To Sleep Outside
By 8.13.15
If I want to sleep in my backyard, no one is going to hassle me (except maybe a few birds and the odd possum), but if I want to take a nap in a public park I may be violating some city ordinance and find myself fined or arrested. But lawyers for the U.S. Dept. of Justice say that laws barring people from sleeping in public spaces are unconstitutional. [More]
Santander’s Auto Loan Business Under Federal Investigation
By 8.11.15
Each year, Santander writes or services billions of dollars worth of auto loans and leases in the U.S., making it one of the nation’s largest providers of automobile financing. Yesterday, the company revealed that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking into whether Santander violated federal fair-lending laws. [More]
DOJ Sues Supplement Makers Over Mislabeling, Failure To Follow Good Manufacturing Processes
By 8.3.15
When people buy dietary supplements, they do so assuming that the product in the pill, powder, or liquid actually is what it claims to be, and that the amount you’re taking is correct. The U.S. Department of Justice has accused three supplement makers of being careless with what went into their products –– or, in bureaucrat-speak, “misbranding” and “not complying with the FDA’s current good manufacturing practices.” [More]
Oscar-Winning Director Of Snowden Documentary Trying To Find Out Why She’s Been Detained At Airports So Much
By 7.13.15
Laura Poitras recently won the Academy Award for CITIZENFOUR, her documentary on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, but the director claims that she’s long been hassled by U.S. federal authorities for years, resulting in multiple unmerited airport detentions. Now she’s suing the government to find out exactly why. [More]
