DOJ launches an antitrust investigation of Big Tech

The U.S. Department of Justice opened a sweeping antitrust investigation of big technology companies and whether their online platforms have hurt competition, suppressed innovation or otherwise harmed consumers.

It comes as a number of lawmakers have called for stricter regulation or even breaking up the companies, which have come under scrutiny after a series of scandals that compromised users’ privacy.

President Donald Trump also has criticized the big tech companies. He frequently asserts, without evidence, that Facebook and Google are biased against conservative politicians.

The Justice Department did not name specific companies. The focus of the investigation mirrors a bipartisan probe of Big Tech undertaken by the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust. Aspirin study: Millions of people who take aspirin to prevent a heart attack may need to rethink the pill-popping, Harvard researchers reported Monday.

A daily low-dose aspirin is recommended for people who have already had a heart attack or stroke and for those diagnosed with heart disease.

But for the otherwise healthy, that advice has been overturned. Guidelines released this year ruled out routine aspirin use for many older adults who don’t have heart disease — and said it’s only for certain younger people under doctor’s orders.

“Many patients are confused about this,” said Dr. Colin O’Brien, a senior internal medicine resident at Beth Israel who led the study.