(Westlaw) Meta faces trial for alleged anticompetive activity, while Elon Musk’s unprecedented access to sensitive government data continues to raise alarms.
Here’s a roundup of recent events in the world of Big Tech.
Zuckerberg takes the stand
Despite Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to lobby President Donald Trump to settle the government’s antitrust case against Meta Platforms Inc., the tech titan found himself on the witness stand facing the Federal Trade Commission’s questions April 14. According to the FTC, Meta engaged in anticompetitive behavior when it bought Instagram and WhatsApp to ward off competitors. A ruling against Meta could result in a forced divestiture of the two apps. Federal Trade Commission v. Meta Platforms Inc., No. 20-cv-3590 (D.D.C.).
DOGE data access, alleged breach
Two recently fired Democratic FTC commissioners are questioning exactly what FTC data Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has access to and who is looking at it, Reuters reports. Former Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya made a statement expressing concerns that nonpublic financial data and company data such as that reported by Musk’s business rivals is not being handled securely, noting that “this data can move markets.” Slaughter and Bedoya are also suing over their dismissals.
An information technology worker at the National Labor Relations Board has notified nonprofit Whistleblower Aid that a “significant cybersecurity breach” may have occurred at the agency. Whistleblower Aid used the insider info to file a complaint to the Senate Intelligence Committee alleging that DOGE team members tampered with user protocols and later removed a chunk of data from the NLRB’s network. According to Reuters, the staffer testified that his superiors stymied his attempt to report the alleged breach.
Banks allegedly infringing data security patents
Technology company DigitalDoors Inc., which has filed dozens of patent infringement lawsuits against financial institutions, has now targeted New York City-based Metropolitan Commercial Bank. In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the company alleges that the data security software the bank uses mimics patented systems. Like the other suits, this one alleges infringement of patents that describe processes to protect and retrieve sensitive digital information. The complaint says Metropolitan has a policy of being “willfully blind” to what patented technologies are available when it implements a data security system and instructs its employees “to not review the patents of others for clearance or to assess infringement thereof.” DigitalDoors Inc. v. Metropolitan Community Bank, No. 25-cv-2891, complaint filed, 2025 WL 1047473 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 8, 2025).
Digital hunt for protesters
Having labeled pro-Palestinian speech as “antisemitic,” the Trump administration now turns the Department of Homeland Security’s resources to trawling immigrants’ social media posts to deny or withdraw legal status based on any such speech. Human rights advocates, including some Jewish groups, have condemned the action, saying it mislabels criticism as antisemitism, according to Reuters.
Yahoo data collection alleged
Yahoo Inc. has been secretly collecting and monetizing user data from hundreds of millions of U.S. residents, according to two lawsuits filed in Manhattan federal court. Both suits say that Yahoo’s ConnectID program not only identifies users without their knowledge or consent, but also profiles them and allows the company to profit from selling the information to advertisers. Caplan v. Yahoo Inc., No. 25-cv-2943, complaint filed (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 9, 2025); Baker v. Yahoo Inc., No. 25-cv-2797, complaint filed (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 3, 2025).
Clearance vengeance
Trump has retaliated against a cybersecurity company for hiring one of his former appointees who refused to back up the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. The president canceled the security clearances of SentinelOne Inc. on April 9 after it hired Chris Krebs as its chief intelligence and public policy officer. Krebs headed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency during Trump’s first term and was fired over Twitter when he said Trump had lost the election. According to Reuters, the largest cybersecurity companies refused to comment on the move.
John Fitzgerald contributed to this article.
By Kteba Dunlap, Esq.
