Washington news and trends

WA Man Charged With Seeking $1.5M In PPP Loans For Fake Companies
Security & Fraud // May 25, 2020

A 35-year-old Washington State resident is charged with allegedly attempting to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by requesting loans for companies and employees that didn’t exist. Baoke Zhang, a software engineer, reportedly attempted this crime multiple times, according to a press release from the...

In Europe, Taxes In Focus For Tech Giants
Regulation Roundup // March 16, 2020

Big Tech firms – Google and Amazon among them – are increasingly in the taxman’s crosshairs. In the United Kingdom, for instance, lawmakers are reportedly introducing a digital services tax of as much as 2 percent of revenues tied to business activities in the country....

DOJ Officials, State AGs To Meet Tuesday On Google Antitrust Probe
Google // February 04, 2020

On Tuesday (Feb. 4), according to sources, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will meet with state attorneys general representatives to review collective investigations of Google. Officials from as many as seven states — Texas included — will be at an afternoon meeting...

Zuckerberg ‘Charms’ Lawmakers, But Privacy Push Continues
Facebook // September 20, 2019

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent a third day in Washington, D.C. meeting with lawmakers, according to a report by Bloomberg. The move comes as the social media giant is battling accusations of antitrust impropriety and a lack of proper preparation against misinformation ahead of the...

Interviews & Exclusives
Is Seattle’s Minimum Wage Hike A Job Killer?

July 04, 2017
Three years ago, the city of Seattle decided to raise the minimum wage to $15 in an effort to close what they called the local wealth gap. New data out of the University of Washington suggests that it did just the opposite. Now, economists on both sides are duking it out, as the future of minimum wage and the retail jobs that go along with them, hang in the balance.

Quick Reads
Citing Racial Profiling, IBM Will No Longer Sell Face Recognition Software

June 09, 2020
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is getting out of the facial recognition business, citing its misuse by law enforcement. In a letter to Congress, IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna said the company will stop offering facial recognition software and opposes use of the technology for racial profiling and surveillance. “IBM firmly opposes and will not condone […]

WA Man Charged With Seeking $1.5M In PPP Loans For Fake Companies

May 25, 2020
A 35-year-old Washington State resident is charged with allegedly attempting to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by requesting loans for companies and employees that didn’t exist. Baoke Zhang, a...

DOJ Officials, State AGs To Meet Tuesday On Google Antitrust Probe

February 04, 2020
On Tuesday (Feb. 4), according to sources, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will meet with state attorneys general representatives to review collective investigations of Google. Officials from...

Zuckerberg ‘Charms’ Lawmakers, But Privacy Push Continues

September 20, 2019
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent a third day in Washington, D.C. meeting with lawmakers, according to a report by Bloomberg. The move comes as the social media giant is battling...