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Lauren Feiner

@laurenfeiner.bsky.social
12K followers 570 following 261 posts

Covering tech policy @theverge.com | Formerly @CNBC.com | she/her | Tips? Find me on Signal @ laurenfeiner.64 (no PR pitches via Signal please)

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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
Hayden Field @haydenfield.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NEW: Muse is Zuck’s latest bid to reinvent Meta. But can a company synonymous with safety & privacy debacles become the AI-powered voice in everyone’s ear? A deep dive from me, @miasato.bsky.social, @vicmsong.bsky.social & @laurenfeiner.bsky.social. www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
theverge.com
Can you forget how you feel about Meta?
‘Pervert glasses.’ Thousands of lawsuits. Mark Zuckerberg wants to sweep it all away with a new bid on AI.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
Victoria Song @vicmsong.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Well, it took 17 hours to get to SF for Meta Connect so y’all can have this story I wrote with @miasato.bsky.social @haydenfield.bsky.social and @laurenfeiner.bsky.social, as a treat. tinyurl.com/yu6jcy9b
tinyurl.com
Can you forget how you feel about Meta?
‘Pervert glasses.’ Thousands of lawsuits. Mark Zuckerberg wants to sweep it all away with a new bid on AI.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Took a little break from tech policy to chat the science of super shoes and the 2-hour marathon on The Vergecast! It was so fun to get to talk about this, and look out for more episodes I'm guest hosting over the next couple weeks! www.theverge.com/podcast/9916...
theverge.com
Today’s Vergecast: The tech that made a 2-hour marathon possible.
At this year’s London Marathon, two runners completed the route in under two hours, becoming the first people to ever do so on an official course. It’s a feat that Outside magazine’s Alex Hutchinson o...
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
Andrew J. Hawkins @andyjayhawk.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Run, don't walk, to read @laurenfeiner.bsky.social's incredible new feature in The Verge on Loudon County, VA, aka Data Center Alley, and what the future augurs for these hulking developments www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
theverge.com
Your future is in Virginia
If you want to know what the data center occupation looks like, there’s one place where it already arrived — 20 years ago.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The Google ad tech remedy decision is finally out (kinda). What we know for now: Google avoided another breakup attempt. www.theverge.com/policy/98831...
theverge.com
Google dodges another breakup attempt
The DOJ asked the judge to force a sale of at least one of its ad tech tools.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
The Verge @theverge.com · 02/09/2026
Massive AI infrastructure is being built out across the US, and it’s probably coming for your state. There’s one place where the data center occupation already arrived – 20 years ago. So if you want to know what it will look like... www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
The Verge @theverge.com · 02/09/2026
The Verge's @laurenfeiner.bsky.social spoke with over half a dozen Loudoun County residents about what it's like living in the data center capital of the world. Universally, this is what they want communities considering data centers to understand: Know what you’re getting into.
theverge.com
Your future is in Virginia
If you want to know what the data center occupation looks like, there’s one place where it already arrived — 20 years ago.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
What does it look like when data centers move into town? That's what a lot of Americans are wondering these days, and this VA county gives a glimpse. My @theverge.com feature on Data Center Alley is out now, with amazing visuals by @stephenvoss.bsky.social. Gift link www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
theverge.com
Your future is in Virginia
If you want to know what the data center occupation looks like, there’s one place where it already arrived — 20 years ago.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The most striking part of Meta's kids safety settlement was that it name-checked its top rivals. Snap, TikTok, and YouTube aren't technically constrained by this agreement, but Meta seems to be making a power move to pressure them into adopting similar restrictions. www.theverge.com/policy/98555...
theverge.com
If Meta’s going down, it’s taking TikTok and YouTube with it
Snap, TikTok, and YouTube are caught in the crossfire of Meta’s settlement with state AGs.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Meta reached a sweeping settlement with nearly all the US states yesterday, requiring changes to its apps for teens like default usage caps, disabled nighttime notifications, and the option to turn of personalized feeds. I joined @audiecornish.bsky.social on @cnn.com to explain what it means.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Meta agreed to a sweeping settlement with state AGs, and now it's urging competitors to put similar restrictions on themselves www.theverge.com/policy/98503...
theverge.com
Meta agrees to heavy restrictions on teen users in major lawsuit settlement
It agreed to pay $17.1 billion, but some of that is contingent on getting YouTube and TikTok on board.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
It was great to join @audiecornish.bsky.social on @cnn.com to break down why the latest kids online safety trial against Meta could be its most significant. State AGs bringing this case could seek $200 billion in damages, and — perhaps more importantly — sweeping changes to Meta's apps.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
New: Flock is rolling out a series of policy changes addressing police abuse of data it collects through roadside cameras. In an interview, the CEO Garrett Langley told me why he's come around to to mandating new guardrails on the platform, even before laws catch up. www.theverge.com/policy/97933...
theverge.com
Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’
Garrett Langley has changed his mind on the company’s policy approach.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Support for bell-to-bell cellphone bans is growing, and more than three-quarters of American adults support in-class bans. www.theverge.com/policy/97260...
theverge.com
Full school day cellphone bans are more popular than ever
Most adults across age groups support an in-class ban.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
New York's AG just laid out how a law banning "addictive" feeds for teens will work. Social media platforms will need to make sure users are adults before offering them access to algorithmically curated feeds, or nighttime notifications, beginning early next year. www.theverge.com/policy/97200...
theverge.com
New Yorkers will soon need to verify their age to access algorithmic feeds
Platforms must give users an option besides uploading their government ID.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Apple's parental controls announcement at WWDC hits on a key part of the policy debate about who should be responsible for protecting kids online. www.theverge.com/policy/94633...
theverge.com
Apple’s new parental controls are for keeping Apple out of trouble
Apple may be reading the writing on the wall.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
The Verge @theverge.com · 04/06/2026
In the face of widespread backlash to the AI data center buildout throughout the US, Google is touting its efforts to minimize the environmental impact by actually increasing water for local communities. Read more from @laurenfeiner.bsky.social:
theverge.com
AI has a water problem — Google thinks it has a fix
Environmental concerns are a big driver behind Americans’ opposition to data centers.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
The next big social media trial that was slated for June is off after the Kentucky school district plaintiff settled with Meta, YouTube, Snap, and TikTok. It's still just one of many. Next state case is up in July, and the first federal one now in January. www.theverge.com/policy/93555...
theverge.com
One of Meta’s big legal reckonings just ended in a settlement
YouTube, Snap, and TikTok also settled, but there’s still thousands of cases on deck.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
The Verge @theverge.com · 21/05/2026
Hundreds of thousands of workplaces use software to monitor employees. Now, a new study has found that many of these tools share data not just with employers, but with digital advertising platforms and data brokers as well. Read more from @laurenfeiner.bsky.social:
theverge.com
Meta and Google get data from the app your boss uses to track you
Workers are often even more vulnerable than consumers, the researchers say.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
Knight First Amendment Institute @knightcolumbia.org · 18/05/2026
@laurenfeiner.bsky.social reports for @theverge.com on the lawsuit we and @protectdemocracy.org brought on behalf of @thecoalition.bsky.social. The case challenges a U.S. immigration policy targeting noncitizen researchers for their work studying social media. Read: www.theverge.com/policy/93017...
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
The jury has spoken www.theverge.com/policy/91268...
theverge.com
Ticketmaster is an illegal monopoly, jury rules
The DOJ settled, but more than 30 states kept litigating against Ticketmaster anyway.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
And now we wait... www.theverge.com/policy/90919...
theverge.com
A jury is about to decide the fate of Ticketmaster
A win for the states could eventually lead to  a breakup.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Pinterest fired two engineers accused of writing a custom script that exposed their recently laid-off colleagues. One of those fired workers is going public for the first time, saying Pinterest mischaracterized the events leading up to his firing. (Gift link) www.theverge.com/policy/90612...
theverge.com
Pinterest said he violated laid-off colleagues’ privacy. Now he’s going public
The fired engineer says there’s more to the story.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Had a great time joining Decoder with @reckless.bsky.social and @caseynewton.bsky.social to dissect the really tricky question of what happens now that Meta's lost two jury trials over its product design.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
At the beginning of Trump's second term, many in the odd coalition of antitrust populists still had hope that aggressive enforcement would continue, albeit with changes. At the antitrust bar's annual convening in DC last week, that hope seemed deflated www.theverge.com/policy/90522...
theverge.com
The Trump administration’s antitrust honeymoon is over
Don’t expect aggressive enforcement in the next three years, a fired Trump administration official said.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Huge result here - the idea that social platforms can be defective products that cause harm is going to send shockwaves through an industry that has claimed essentially blanket protection from liability by saying everything is speech
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
The Verge @theverge.com · 25/03/2026
The jury found the companies’ negligence was a substantial factor in harms like the mental health issues sustained by a now 20-year-old woman Kaley G.M., who used Instagram and YouTube. Read more from @laurenfeiner.bsky.social:
theverge.com
Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction case
It’s the first of several bellwether cases to test such claims.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Wow - huge win across the board for plaintiff Kaley G.M. in the landmark social media addiction case against Meta and YouTube. On the heels of Meta's loss in New Mexico just the day before. www.theverge.com/policy/90065...
theverge.com
Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction case
It’s the first of several bellwether cases to test such claims.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
The first landmark verdict in a product safety case against Meta just came down in New Mexico. The jury answered in favor of the state on every question it was asked to decide, and awarded a $375 million penalty, though that's short of the $2 billion the state sought www.theverge.com/policy/89991...
theverge.com
Meta misled users about its products’ safety, jury decides
The jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in penalties.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
Bobby Allyn @bobbyallyn.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
At social media addiction trial, after seven days of deliberating, the jury says they are having difficulty coming to a consensus on one defendant, and they ask how to move forward. The judge read them instructions to keep deliberating.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
"Section 230 is not one of the Ten Commandments,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said. www.theverge.com/policy/89710...
theverge.com
Congress considers blowing up internet law
One senator noted “the door swings both ways” when it comes to jawboning.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
The Verge @theverge.com · 17/03/2026
After a chaotic week following the Justice Department’s mid-trial settlement with Live Nation-Ticketmaster, the antitrust trial picked back up surprisingly smoothly — this time, with dozens of states leading the case. Read more from @laurenfeiner.bsky.social:
theverge.com
The Live Nation trial restarts with a ‘velvet hammer’
It was a relatively smooth restart after a chaotic week.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
States got the Live Nation trial back up and running today www.theverge.com/policy/89577...
theverge.com
The Live Nation trial restarts with a ‘velvet hammer’
It was a relatively smooth restart after a chaotic week.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
It’s so back www.theverge.com/policy/89485...
theverge.com
States’ anti-monopoly case against Live Nation continues Monday
The DOJ settled its claims in the case.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
While Mark Zuckerberg was testifying in an LA courtroom last month about whether Meta's products addict teens, I spent most of the day talking with parents who didn't get a seat in the courtroom about why they came so far, just for a glimpse at the CEO (gift link) www.theverge.com/policy/89393...
theverge.com
What it was like to watch grieving parents stare down Mark Zuckerberg in court
The most coveted ticket in LA was for a downtown courthouse.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
Captain Corbin Laden @ricknashtag.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Very important made in here - even if this LN/TM settlement falls apart, and the case goes forward, and LV/TM end up completely separated - it STILL doesnt mean ticket prices will be significantly lower, or easier to get. The main problem with ticket prices is a low supply / high demand problem.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
The Verge @theverge.com · 12/03/2026
“The theme today in the discussions I’ve had with partner organizations and members has been this: Who asked for this?” Read more from @laurenfeiner.bsky.social:
theverge.com
The Live Nation settlement has industry insiders baffled
Live Nation-Ticketmaster critics are still pushing for a breakup.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
We'll hear by Friday afternoon what the status of the states' settlement talks with Live Nation is, and whether they'll be back at trial Monday. In the meantime, here's what some industry stakeholders and experts are saying about the DOJ settlement: www.theverge.com/policy/89327...
theverge.com
The Live Nation settlement has industry insiders baffled
Live Nation-Ticketmaster critics are still pushing for a breakup.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
It's not over 'til it's over. www.theverge.com/policy/89235...
theverge.com
States’ trial against Live Nation could move forward as soon as next week
“You will remain here,” he ordered top executives and attorneys.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
It was an eventful morning in court at US v. Live Nation. DOJ reached a settlement, 28 AGs are filing for mistrial and pushing forward, and the judge said he should have been informed about all this much earlier. More here: www.theverge.com/policy/89137...
theverge.com
Live Nation settles government antitrust suit — that probably doesn’t include a breakup
Will Swifties sign off on the settlement?
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Cut off the left arm, and the right arm will swing back. That's how two concert venue execs described Live Nation-Ticketmaster's tactics. When the venues considered switching from Ticketmaster, they said, the ticketer threatened they'd lose Live Nation shows www.theverge.com/policy/88972...
theverge.com
Did Live Nation punish a venue by taking Billie Eilish away?
The DOJ played a recording of a tense call with the Live Nation CEO in court.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
“Saying you’re better is not a THREAT!” says Live Nation in its defense against the government's claims that it monopolized parts of the concert industry. www.theverge.com/policy/88877...
theverge.com
Does Ticketmaster have a stranglehold on concert ticketing — or is it just ‘bringing joy’?
The entertainment company says it aims to spread joy.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Today, the jury in the LA social media trial heard from former Meta executive Brian Boland, who helped build the company’s ad business, and then became one of its biggest critics. www.theverge.com/policy/88170...
theverge.com
The executive that helped build Meta’s ad machine is trying to expose it
“The priorities were on winning growth and engagement.”
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Mark Zuckerberg went through the same security screening as the rest of us at the LA courthouse today, and walked past a crowd of reporters and parent advocates to reach his seat in the witness box. Here's what he told us. www.theverge.com/policy/88121...
theverge.com
Mark Zuckerberg and his Ray-Ban entourage have their day in court
Some Meta employees expressed concern about the feature.
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Reposted by Lauren Feiner
The Verge @theverge.com · 18/02/2026
The way that Meta and YouTube designed their products — allegedly luring users into a nonstop loop of taps and scrolling — is at the heart of this month’s bellwether social media trial, which sets the stage for thousands of similar lawsuits. Read more from @laurenfeiner.bsky.social: buff.ly/ndKT7WQ
Verge headline: Mark Zuckerberg is taking the stand as social media goes on trial
by Lauren Feiner

Photo illustration depicts Mark Zuckberberg set against a field of Meta logos
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
While we waited to hear who would get one of the 15 public lottery seats to see Zuckerberg testify, parent advocates cheered when one of their own got a seat. Here’s what they told me about why it’s so important that the Meta CEO sees them there www.theverge.com/policy/88037...
theverge.com
Mark Zuckerberg is taking the stand as social media goes on trial
Several parents camped out overnight to see Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri last week.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
It was great joining @audiecornish.bsky.social this morning on @cnn.com to discuss the social media addiction trials underway, and what's going on with doorbell camera surveillance
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
The Justice Department's top antitrust enforcer is out just weeks before it's set to go to trial against Live Nation over its alleged entertainment monopoly. Semafor recently reported that Slater had been sidelined in negotiations over the case. www.theverge.com/policy/87816...
theverge.com
Top DOJ antitrust enforcer is out weeks before Live Nation trial
The agency is in charge of monopoly cases against Apple and Google, too.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
"[A]ge checks, not thoughtful design, are becoming platforms’ standard response to pressure from around the globe." via @emroth08.bsky.social www.theverge.com/policy/87613...
theverge.com
Discord’s age verification mandate is a leap toward a gated internet
Age verification is seeping across the web.
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Lauren Feiner @laurenfeiner.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Day 1 of New Mexico's case against Meta previewed some disturbing evidence about child predators allegedly engaging on the platform. Meta's attorney warned the jury not to get "distracted" because what the state really needs to prove is whether it told the truth. www.theverge.com/policy/87616...
theverge.com
New Mexico goes to trial to accuse Meta of facilitating child predators
A New Mexico jury will decide: did Meta lie?
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