The federal government for years has recommended that companies do not pay criminals during ransomware attacks, but the feds have a consolation for those who do pay: the ransoms may be tax deductible.
Why it matters: The IRS offers no formal guidance on ransomware payments. But multiple tax experts interviewed by AP said deductions are usually allowed under law and established guidance.
Sony wants cross-platform multiplayer, or cross-play, in more games, PlayStation chief Jim Ryan told Axios in a recent interview.
Why it matters: Times have changed. Market-leading PlayStation notoriously dragged its feet in allowing multiplayer games to connect PlayStation fans with players on other devices.
Microsoft wasn't the target of House lawmakers' Big Tech antitrust investigation, but the company may still find itself ensnared by the resulting legislation.
Why it matters: Whether Microsoft, or other large platforms, would be subject to the bipartisan House bills provides an early look at the thorny questions the conditions of the legislation will pose for antitrust enforcers.
On the heels of the new House bills and Lina Khan's ascent to the head of the FTC, new polling from left-leaning polling firm Data for Progress shared exclusively with Axios shows support for stricter regulation of technology platforms.
Context: The poll comes as members of Congress have introduced new antitrust proposals and the Biden administration appointed a new chair for the Federal Trade Commission known for backing stronger enforcement.
Recent revelations about Trump-era data grabs by federal authorities have put the U.S. in a tricky spot as it competes with China to lead the digital age.
The assumption in the West is that U.S. tech companies only provide the government with data when it follows the rules and goes after specific suspects — while, in China, tech companies are forced to share everything with the government.
