Attorney General | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 11 Nov 2015 12:47:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Attorney General | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Daily fantasy sports sites declared illegal in New York https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/daily-fantasy-sports-sites-declared-illegal-in-new-york/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/daily-fantasy-sports-sites-declared-illegal-in-new-york/#respond Wed, 11 Nov 2015 09:23:49 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=274819 Sports are a major part of many people's lives, with some living and dying by the results of their favourite teams. For those that aren't hardcore fans of any one entity though, fantasy sports can be a fun way to imagine how you'd do as a team manager, or a quick way to make some …

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Sports are a major part of many people's lives, with some living and dying by the results of their favourite teams. For those that aren't hardcore fans of any one entity though, fantasy sports can be a fun way to imagine how you'd do as a team manager, or a quick way to make some money competing against friends. According to the New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman though, online daily fantasy sports sites constitute illegal gambling and he's sent a cease and desist to two major sites: Draft Kings and FanDuel.

In it, Schneiderman demanded that both sites stop taking “wagers,” from residents within New York. However he did not go so far as to demand that they halt operations entirely.

The reasoning for the classification as gambling sites comes from the attorney general's belief that daily fantasy sports involve too many unknown actions, that they are gambling sites and therefore not protected by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which DraftKings and others had previously cited, since it specifically excludes fantasy sports websites.

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The sites do often highlight that they pay out billions to players each year

FanDuel's response was to deny that it was involved in gamling: “fantasy sports is a game of skill legal under New York State law,” it said. “This is a politician telling hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers they are not allowed to play a game they love and share with friends, family, coworkers and players across the country.”

It even went so far as to suggest that the attorney general was merely trying to drum up publicity for himself with this move. DraftKings also disagreed with his actions, stating (via ESPN) that “We strongly disagree with the reasoning in his opinion and will examine and vigorously pursue all legal options available to ensure our over half a million customers in New York State can continue to play the fantasy sports games they love.”

Schneiderman however clarified in a further statement that he wasn't interested in stopping fantasy sports, just ‘daily fantasy sports,' which is different, he said. According to he and letters he claims to have received from some companies and individuals, daily fantasy sports can have the same impact as gambling on communities.

If he does pursue this way of thinking, New York wouldn't be the first state to do so. Nevada previously ruled daily fantasy sports as sports gambling and therefore requiring of a license to operate.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Considering America has a presidential candidate who made a killing on casinos, it seems bizarre that anyone has a problem with online gambling, even if you do classify daily fantasy sports sites as such.

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Former US attorney general claims deal with Snowden possible https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/former-us-attorney-general-claims-deal-with-snowden-possible/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/former-us-attorney-general-claims-deal-with-snowden-possible/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2015 09:22:42 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=258004 When Edward Snowden fled the US to China and ultimately Russia in 2013, after releasing documents to publications like The Guardian and The Intercept, it seemed likely that he would never be able to return home. Branded as a traitor by the Obama administration and various international intelligence agencies, his bridges home were smouldering ruins. …

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When Edward Snowden fled the US to China and ultimately Russia in 2013, after releasing documents to publications like The Guardian and The Intercept, it seemed likely that he would never be able to return home. Branded as a traitor by the Obama administration and various international intelligence agencies, his bridges home were smouldering ruins. However perhaps today things are different, as ex-attorney general Eric Holder has suggested that a deal could be struck with the former NSA contractor.

“We are in a different place as a result of the Snowden disclosures,” Holden said by way of explanation for his statement, in a chat with Yahoo news. “His actions spurred a necessary debate.” This is a reference to the recent overhaul of US phone tapping which was allowed under certain sections of the Patriot act, but was effectively repealed after the introduction of the USA Freedom Act 2015 earlier this year.

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Unfortunately Holder wouldn't be drawn on specifics, perhaps because he is no longer in an appointed position that could aid such a resolution. However, it could also be the case that since he's no longer a major component in the US government, he doesn't have the same political pressure to toe the party line.

However Holder has always held a more liberal opinion on the potential for Snowden to return to his home country. In early 2014 he said in an interview that the US would be willing to discuss terms of a potential home coming for Snowden, although he did rule out letting him off the hook.

While Holder might have suggested some sort of positive outcome from the Snowden revelations, many others are just as happy to decry them. Current presidential candidate and brother of former president, Jeb Bush recently stated that he would see no clemency given to Snowden for his actions.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I don't think Snowden is coming home any time soon, especially in the lead up to an election. No politician is going to want to seem soft on someone that many people still consider a traitor to America.

Image source: North Charleston/Flickr

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Apple Music under investigation for anti-trust practices https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/apple-music-under-investigation-for-anti-trust-practices/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/apple-music-under-investigation-for-anti-trust-practices/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2015 11:06:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=253704 Apple Music is barely off of the ground and already it's under investigation by the attorney generals of two separate US states, for potential anti-trust practices. Both New York and Connecticut are looking into Apple's affairs, to see if it offered incentives or threatened music labels into supporting its new music consumption platform. The worry …

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Apple Music is barely off of the ground and already it's under investigation by the attorney generals of two separate US states, for potential anti-trust practices. Both New York and Connecticut are looking into Apple's affairs, to see if it offered incentives or threatened music labels into supporting its new music consumption platform. The worry is that any sort of under-the-table deals could make the music streaming industry weighted in Apple's favour, undermining the commercial efforts of competitors like Spotify and Tidal.

This comes just a few days after Apple launched the service, which is now available for users based on a $10 per month subscription. In response to the investigation, Universal issued a statement to the New York attorney general, stating that it had no specific deal with Apple and was free to continue making its music available on other platforms and services, whether they are ad-supported or subscription based.

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While neither attorney general has released a statement on the investigation, a spokesperson did say that the reason for it was to make sure that the new developments in the music industry didn't lead to a restriction in availability or competitiveness, which would hamper the new ways in which consumers are able to access and consume music and other media.

Universal's statement has also been accepted by both offices, but it is just the first of many that are expected to be made in the coming weeks.

While there is no obvious evidence that Apple has been colluding with music labels, there is some historic precedent for it taking part in anti-trust activities. Back in 2013, a federal judge found Apple guilty of price fixing with book publishers in an attempt to raise the average price of digital books above $10, as per NYT.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Anyone up for some speculation on a Wednesday? Do you think Apple might have any secretive deals with music labels to try and shut out Spotify or similar?

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Kim Dotcom lays down $500 prize: film US envoy https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/kim-dotcom-lays-down-500-prize-film-us-envoy/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/kim-dotcom-lays-down-500-prize-film-us-envoy/#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:41:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=133397 It's all about Kim Dotcom today isn't it? First it was asking whether New Zealanders actually liked the chap and now we're talking about the media mogul's latest twitter competition. This one though has the potential to get interesting, as he's asking New Zealanders to film the US attorney general, Eric Holder (or Joe Biden) …

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It's all about Kim Dotcom today isn't it? First it was asking whether New Zealanders actually liked the chap and now we're talking about the media mogul's latest twitter competition. This one though has the potential to get interesting, as he's asking New Zealanders to film the US attorney general, Eric Holder (or Joe Biden) while they visit New Zealand.

According to Dotcom, Holder is responsible for letting off US banks that caused the financial crisis, because he believes they are too big too fail. On top of that, Dotcom claims it was Holder's Department of Justice, that allowed Megaupload to be seized in the first place, by meddling with the law.

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To get back at him for this, Dotcom is now offering $500 (presumably New Zealand) for anyone that is able to film Holden or vice president Joe Biden (who Dotcom also believes was involved in the Megaupload shutdown) while the Megaupload song plays. That particular song was released in late 2011, mere weeks before Dotcom was arrested and his cloud file locker website Megaupload was taken down. The song received millions upon millions of views and helped catapult Megaupload from a popular internet service, into a mainstream, household name.

If you fancy having a crack at this competition – look out for security around these gentlemen, as you don't want to be perceived as a threat to these high ranking individuals – Holder will be in New Zealand next week to meet with attorney generals from several other countries, including: Australia, United States, Canada, England/Wales and Northern Ireland.

KitGuru Says: This sounds like the kind of competition that is going to get people arrested. If you do attempt it, please be careful. 

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