Phil Mattera
@philmattera.bsky.social
Project Director for Violation Tracker, Violation Tracker Global and Violation Tracker UK at Good Jobs First. Author of the Dirt Diggers Digest, a weekly Substack/blog.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has been crippled under Trump, is in one case acting like the watchdog it used to be. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/81601
A Surprising Move by the CFPB - Dirt Diggers Digest
Most of the time, the Trump Administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau appears to be a defunct agency. Yet, now and then, it stirs back to life. This may happen when the administration want...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The latest update to Violation Tracker Global includes a EUR 403 million fine imposed on Google by Ireland's Data Protection Commission for improper processing of user location data. violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
Violation Tracker Global
Violation Tracker Global, produced by the Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First, is a wide-ranging database on misconduct by large corporations throughout the world.
violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
Trump's SEC is seeking to undermine a key tool used by shareholder activists in trying to change harmful corporate practices. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/81597
Another Assault on Democracy - Dirt Diggers Digest
Defenders of big business have long claimed that large publicly traded companies are democratic institutions, since shareholders are able to vote on issues of corporate policy. Activist groups, in tur...
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It is baffling to see AI industry leaders endorse the idea that their products could lead to catastrophic consequences. What are their real intentions? dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/81592
What Are the AI Giants Really Up to? - Dirt Diggers Digest
There is something quite bizarre about the current debate on artificial intelligence. Never before have the heads of major corporations come out with warnings that their own products could threaten th...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
More and more federal agencies are joining in the attacks on Trump's perceived enemies and culture war targets, but one is still finding time to carry out its traditional enforcement role. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/81589
Regulators and the Anti-DEI Witch Hunt - Dirt Diggers Digest
During the second Trump Administration, many federal regulatory agencies seem to think their mission is to attack Donald Trump’s perceived enemies, often under the guise of investigating companies and...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The latest update to Violation Tracker Global includes an 824 million euro fine imposed on Uber by the Dutch Data Protection Authority and a penalty equal to US$730 million on Trip .com for anti-competitive practices in China. violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
Violation Tracker Global
Violation Tracker Global, produced by the Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First, is a wide-ranging database on misconduct by large corporations throughout the world.
violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
The $17 billion Meta settlement may not completely eliminate social media addiction, but it shows how the states can take significant action against a corporate abuse at a time when federal oversight is so feeble. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/81583
The States Hold Meta to Account - Dirt Diggers Digest
The settlement between Meta Platforms and nearly all state governments to resolve litigation concerning the harms to young people caused by its social media apps is a landmark in corporate accountabil...
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The dispute between Disney/ABC and the FCC is a rare instance in which we should be supporting the corporation rather than the regulator. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/81580
For Once a Corporation is in the Right - Dirt Diggers Digest
The Dirt Diggers Digest is normally in the business of cheering on regulators and prosecutors as they go after rogue corporations. I tend to be skeptical of claims of government overreach made by busi...
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A new book by a veteran campaigner explains everything you need to know about how to get corporations to change harmful practices. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8162
dirtdiggersdigest.org
Trump’s new tariffs are purportedly designed to deter forced labor, but they will likely undermine the movement against labor exploitation. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8157
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The latest update to Violation Tracker Global includes EU fines of $1 billion against Google for violations of the Digital Markets Act and $629 million against Alibaba for violating the Digital Services Act. violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
Violation Tracker Global
Violation Tracker Global, produced by the Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First, is a wide-ranging database on misconduct by large corporations throughout the world.
violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
The $5 billion J&J ovarian cancer settlement is the latest indication that trial lawyers are doing much more than federal prosecutors in fighting corporate crime. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8150
Trial Lawyers Outshine Federal Prosecutors - Dirt Diggers Digest
Johnson & Johnson has just agreed to pay at least $5.5 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims that its talcum powder products cause ovarian cancer. A federal court recently gave final approval ...
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From the DOJ to the EEOC to the EPA, the Trump Administration is abandoning serious enforcement of laws relating to corporate misconduct. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8146
The Big Retreat from Enforcement - Dirt Diggers Digest
Tech barons have long dreamed of creating a libertarian territory free of all regulation and taxation. They have not yet succeeded in that self-serving effort, but the Trump Administration is increasi...
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After taking a variety of positions on inflation, the Trump Administration now claims it is getting tough on corporations that conspire to manipulate prices. Is this serious or just more posturing? dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8127
Is the Price-Fixing Crackdown for Real? - Dirt Diggers Digest
Throughout his second term, Donald Trump has struggled to find an effective message on the issue of inflation. For a time, he tried to deny the problem existed, choosing to depict the affordability cr...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
Trump is on the warpath against socialism at the same time his administration is taking over chunks of dozens of corporations. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8119
Trump’s Interventionist Power Trip - Dirt Diggers Digest
Donald Trump may have thought that giving a 250th Independence Day speech at Mount Rushmore would help his shameless effort to have his image added to those of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevel...
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The SCOTUS ruling ending the independence of regulatory agencies is bad news for now but it could enhance corporate accountability if we ever elect a progressive president. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8115
Presidential Capture - Dirt Diggers Digest
For many years, the U.S. regulatory system has been hampered by the excessive influence large corporations and trade associations exercise over the agencies. Critics call this regulatory capture. With...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The latest update to Violation Tracker Global includes a US$818m fine in Romania against a group of European banks for collusion in setting an interest rate benchmark and a $24m fine against HSBC in Australia for failing to protect customers from scams. violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
Violation Tracker Global
Violation Tracker Global, produced by the Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First, is a wide-ranging database on misconduct by large corporations throughout the world.
violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
A SCOTUS ruling and a DOJ memo are signs of a growing effort to prevent citizen groups from using the courts to challenge corporate abuses. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8112
Thrown Out of Court - Dirt Diggers Digest
The conservatives on the Supreme Court are fervent in the promotion of religious freedom, but they seem to be even more ardent in their efforts to protect corporate power. This is once again clear in ...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been brought back from the dead as a tentacle of Trump's anti-DEI and anti-immigrant crusades. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8106
Zombie CFPB - Dirt Diggers Digest
Until recently, it appeared that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was all but defunct. Soon after Trump returned to office last year, his administration removed Rohit Chopra as director of the...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The Trump Administration is enlisting the CFPB and other federal agencies in the effort to freeze non-citizens out of the banking system. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8102
The ICE-ification of Financial Regulation - Dirt Diggers Digest
For more than half a century following the passage of the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, financial institutions have been required to monitor certain customer transactions to thwart money laundering. The U...
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Banking regulators are helping Trump rewrite the history of January 6 and its aftermath. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8098
Reputation Be Damned - Dirt Diggers Digest
Federal bank regulators are normally concerned with getting financial institutions to reduce their risk level, but the Trump Administration has a different idea. The major agencies—the Federal Reserve...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The latest update to Violation Tracker Global includes a US$500 million price-fixing fine imposed on flour milling companies in South Korea and a US$73 million fine against steel giant ArcelorMittal for water pollution in Quebec. violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
Violation Tracker Global
Violation Tracker Global, produced by the Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First, is a wide-ranging database on misconduct by large corporations throughout the world.
violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
The DOJ’s slush fund for purported victims of the Biden Administration is likely to be used as a precedent for future demands for compensation from corporations currently being harassed by the Trump Administration. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8094
Slush Fund Time Bomb - Dirt Diggers Digest
Among the many unorthodox features of the slush fund being created by the Justice Department is the fact that the beneficiaries are limited to the supposed victims of the Biden Administration. Nothing...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The Trump Administration's Commodity Futures Trading Commission is fighting for the right to regulate prediction markets lightly. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8089
Who Will Regulate the Prediction Markets? - Dirt Diggers Digest
A controversial new form of financial activity is on the rise, and a federal regulatory agency is aggressively asserting its oversight role. That sounds good, except for the fact that the head of the ...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
A Florida utility company has just agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle its role in a lawsuit alleging that nuclear power plant operators around the country engaged in wage-fixing. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8085
The Fix is In - Dirt Diggers Digest
Conventional economics teaches that wages are determined by labor supply and demand. There is, in fact, a lot more at play—and not all of it is legal. Growing evidence has emerged of a practice that h...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
Apple's exorbitant prices are supposedly based on the high quality of its devices, but a series of lawsuits tell a different story. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8081
Worms in the Apple - Dirt Diggers Digest
For years, Apple has commanded top prices based on the idea that its devices were of the highest quality. That mystique has persevered despite a series of major lawsuits alleging that the company dece...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The latest update to Violation Tracker Global includes a fine of US$165 million imposed on PricewaterhouseCoopers by authorities in Hong Kong for misconduct related to the auditing of the failed real estate firm China Evergrande. violationtrackerglobal.goodjobsfirst.org
Trump insists he is not a king, but the capricious attacks on perceived foes make him look increasingly like another monarch. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8078
Today’s Queen of Hearts - Dirt Diggers Digest
During her interview with Donald Trump, Norah O’Donnell of 60 Minutes mentioned that the man accused of trying to assassinate him had attended a No Kings rally. Trump responded: “I’m not a king…If I w...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
The California Attorney General has amassed evidence suggesting that Amazon has been pressuring its suppliers to make sure their products are not being sold at lower prices on competing retail platforms. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8073
Coercive Price Fixing - Dirt Diggers Digest
In its early days, Amazon.com cultivated a reputation for low prices, which helped put a lot of small booksellers out of business. That eventually gave way to a business model based on a wide product ...
dirtdiggersdigest.org
Trump's DOJ accused IBM of contractor fraud because the company sought to enhance the diversity of its workforce. dirtdiggersdigest.org/archives/8068
Bizarro World at the Justice Department - Dirt Diggers Digest
Normally, my colleagues and I are happy to include a new multi-million-dollar penalty paid by a Fortune 100 company to the Justice Department in our Violation Tracker updates. This month, however, we ...
dirtdiggersdigest.org