federal trade commission
Latest
FTC demands Amazon, Facebook and others explain their privacy practices
Twitter, Discord, TikTok owner ByteDance and YouTube are also among the subjects of a study.
Zoom agrees to bolster security following FTC settlement
“Zoom’s security practices didn’t line up with its promises, and this action will help to make sure that Zoom meetings and data about Zoom users are protected.”
Senator Wyden pushes his ‘Mind Your Own Business’ privacy act forward
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is advancing his data privacy bill. Today, he shared his "Mind Your Own Business Act" an official version of the draft legislation we saw last year. Like the draft, the official version would give the Federal Trade Commission more power, like the ability to fine tech companies for user privacy violations.
Google to settle YouTube child privacy violations for up to $200 million
Google will allegedly pay between $150 and $200 million to end the FTC investigation into whether YouTube violated a children's privacy law, Politico reported this afternoon. The FTC reportedly voted along party lines (3-2) to approve the settlement, which will now be reviewed by the Justice Department.
The FTC is reportedly investigating Juul's teen marketing tactics
Juul is facing yet another investigation. This time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking into the company's marketing practices. It will decide whether Juul used deceptive marketing, including targeting minors and using social media influences, sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. The FTC may seek monetary damages.
Facebook may have scrapped talks to buy Houseparty over antitrust concerns
The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Facebook yet again, and it's said to be delving into possible antitrust practices. Critics suggest its purchases of Instagram and WhatsApp were carried out, in part, to stave off potential competitive threats. With regulators and authorities placing Facebook's business practices under the microscope, it seems it's making changes to avoid further antitrust scrutiny.
FTC may be investigating Facebook's deals for Instagram and WhatsApp
The Federal Trade Commission is said to be looking into Facebook's purchases of other companies like Instagram and WhatsApp as part of an antitrust investigation. The agency is looking to find out whether Facebook was trying to snuff out potential competitors before they could truly challenge the social media giant, according to the Wall Street Journal.
FTC to accuse Facebook of misusing phone numbers and facial recognition
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reportedly plans to issue a complaint over Facebook's handling of phone numbers and facial recognition. According to The Washington Post, the FTC plans to allege that advertisers managed to target users who provided their phone numbers for Facebook's two-factor authentication security feature. Sources also told The Washington Post that the FTC will accuse Facebook of providing insufficient information about the ability to turn off the facial recognition tool that offers photo tag suggestions.
WSJ: Facebook reaches $5 billion FTC settlement
The inevitable has happened for Facebook. After weeks of reports that the company was working to settle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its privacy practices, the two parties have finally come to an agreement. The Wall Street Journal reports that commissioners voted to approve a $5 billion settlement -- something Facebook had already accounted for -- for the social network over its "privacy missteps," with three Republicans voting to approve the deal and two Democrats opposed.
Federal judge rules Qualcomm violated antitrust rules
Roughly five months after the Federal Trade Commission and Qualcomm entered the courtroom over charges that Qualcomm engaged in anti-competitive behavior, a federal judge has sided with the FTC. In a decision shared Tuesday night, US District Judge Lucy Koh stated that Qualcomm violated antitrust laws, The Wall Street Journal reports. In her decision, Koh said the company charged unreasonably high royalties for its patents and eliminated cell phone chip competitors.
Facebook co-founder urges FTC to break up the company
Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has joined the chorus of prominent voices calling for regulators to break up the social networking colossus. In a New York Times op-ed, he wrote that his college roommate and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had "unchecked power" and that his "influence is staggering, far beyond that of anyone else in the private sector or in government."
FTC sues 'iBackPack' founder for deceiving crowdfunding backers
After a months-long investigation into the practices of the crowdfunding campaign for iBackPack, the Federal Trade Commission announced today that it will sue the company's founder for misusing funds provided by backers. According to the agency, project creator Doug Monahan used much of the more than $800,000 raised via Indiegogo and Kickstarter for personal use, including the purchasing bitcoin, making withdrawals from ATMs and paying off credit cards.
Facebook’s FTC fine could cost it between $3 and $5 billion
Although Facebook's growth has slowed down over the past year, all the controversies it has faced in recent months haven't had an effect on its bottom line. But that may be changing. Today, during its Q1 2019 earnings report, Facebook reported a total revenue of $15.1 billion, a 26 percent year-over-year increase. The most interesting part, however, is that Facebook says it estimates spending between $3 and $5 billion as part of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into its data-sharing practices.
The FTC will hold a public workshop on loot boxes in August
The Federal Trade Commission pledged in November to investigate loot boxes, and it's set out the timeline for the first steps in the process. It will hold a public workshop on August 7th to look into consumer protection issues linked with them.
FTC fines Office Depot $25 million for bogus virus scans
Office Depot agreed this week to pay a $25 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly lying to customers in order to get them to pay for tech support. The retailer offered consumers a free virus scan, which would claim to the person's computer was infected with malware even if it wasn't. According to the FTC, Office Depot scammed customers out of millions of dollars for computer repair services between 2009 and November 2016.
FTC shuts down four major robocall operations
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced today that it shut down four separate robocall operations responsible for placing billions of illegal robocalls. The four organizations responsible for the calls agreed to settlements with the agency. Under those agreements, the companies will no longer be able to make robocalls or use automatic dialers to place calls, effectively barring them from the telemarketing business.
Facebook reportedly negotiating multibillion dollar fine with FTC
Facebook is reportedly facing a record-breaking fine for its recent privacy lapses. According to the Washington Post, the social networking giant is negotiating an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission that would result in a multibillion penalty for security failures including the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Ken Bone may have violated FTC rules with Uber tweet (updated)
Ken Bone's overnight fame looks to have already soured. As VICE reports, Bone's tweet for the UBERSelect service in St. Louis, where last Sunday's presidential debate was held, did not include any indication that the message was sponsored. This is a big no-no with the Federal Trade Commission -- just ask Kim Kardashian.
Google is refunding the $19 million your kids spent on in-app purchases
It's been three months since Google ended its row with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its in-app purchasing policies. The commission took issue with children racking up large bills on their parents' credit cards, resulting in Mountain View settling to the tune of $19 million. Now, Google is reportedly starting the laborious process of paying back those hit the hardest by purchases. According to Phandroid, Google is sending customers an email that underlines the new Play Store features aimed at preventing unauthorized purchasing and states that it's "offering refunds in certain cases in line with [its] agreement with the FTC." Those that think they're due compensation will have until December 2nd 2015 to apply for a refund.
The FTC is taking Amazon to court over its in-app purchase policies
Earlier this summer, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned Amazon that if it didn't adopt a more Apple-like policy about in-app purchases, it might wind up in court. Now, it has. Today the FTC announced that it's seeking a court order requiring the online retailer to issue refunds to parents whose children ran wild with in-app purchases -- unauthorized charges, the FTC says, that racks up into the millions. Much of the alleged blame is focused on Amazon's past. According to the FTC, Amazon had almost no protection against unwanted in-app purchases in 2011, and has only implemented adequate consent framework recently. The government's concern seems to lie squarely on customers left in the lurch: Amazon's official policy says that all in-app purchases are non-refundable, and the exceptions to that policy are "unclear and confusing."
