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Netflix Faces Congressional Scrutiny Over Content, Addresses Merger Concerns; X Office Raided in France
Washington, D.C. – Netflix faced scrutiny from Republican senators on Capitol Hill, with one senator accusing the streaming giant of creating the "wokest content in the history of the world," according to The Verge. The hearing, held by the US Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, also addressed concerns about the potential impact of a proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
During the hearing, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed fears that a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery would lead to higher prices for consumers due to reduced competition. Sarandos suggested the merger could have the opposite effect, according to Ars Technica. He also noted that users could cancel their service if the combined offering became too expensive, Ars Technica reported. The hearing was titled "Examining the Competitive Impact of the Proposed Netflix-Warner Brothers Transaction."
In separate news, X's Paris office was raided by French law enforcement authorities as part of an investigation into illegal content, Ars Technica reported. Elon Musk was also summoned for questioning. The Paris public prosecutors office stated that the yearlong probe was recently expanded because the Grok chatbot was allegedly disseminating Holocaust-denial claims and sexually explicit deepfakes. Europol is assisting French authorities in the investigation, which concerns a range of suspected criminal offenses linked to the platform's functioning and use, including the dissemination of illegal content and other forms of online criminal activity, according to Ars Technica.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, the aftermath of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents on January 24 continued to draw attention, Wired reported. The focus is on the heavily armed and masked operatives within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) who have been involved in immigration sweeps. According to Wired, the deployment in Minnesota, as well as clashes in Southern California and Illinois, involves agents from ICE's Special Response Teams (SRT), CBP's SRT, and the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC). These units are described as behaving like special forces rather than local police.
In other news, ahead of the Super Bowl, discounts are available on Roku streaming devices, Wired reported. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is currently marked down on Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy.
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