On April 29, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will host a virtual public workshop to examine the nature and effects of “dark patterns” on online user behavior. “Bringing Dark Patterns to Light: An FTC Workshop” is expected to explore ways in which user interfaces can have the effect, intentionally or unintentionally, of obscuring, subverting,
Tracy Marshall
Tracy Marshall counsels international and domestic for-profit and non-profit clients on a range of privacy, data security, advertising, promotions, and intellectual property matters. She also advises on general corporate and transactional matters.
Tracy assists clients with compliance and advocates on their behalf. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and helps clients implement privacy, data security, and security breach response programs, develop internal and public-facing privacy policies to comply with applicable laws, respond to cyber and data security incidents, and manage relationships with service providers and third parties. Tracy advises on structuring and conducting email and text messaging campaigns, sweepstakes, contests, and other promotions, and she helps clients protect and enforce their intellectual property rights.
In addition, Tracy counsels clients on corporate matters and assists with structuring and negotiating a variety of transactions, including licensing, marketing, and outsourcing arrangements.
Tracy is frequently invited to speak at privacy, data security, telecommunications, and advertising conferences and is a contributor to Keller and Heckman’s Consumer Protection Connection blog and Beyond Telecom Law Blog.
FTC Settles Facial Recognition Data Misuse Allegations with App Developer
The proliferation of mobile devices and digital media allows consumers to take, post, and store more photos and videos than ever before. Since 2015, app developer Everalbum has operated the mobile app, Ever, which offers a means for users to store photos and videos on the company’s cloud servers. Everalbum told users they could deactivate…
Mobile Ad Company Settles FTC Charges Over Misleading In-Game Rewards
Tapjoy, Inc., the operator of a mobile advertising platform that appears in certain mobile gaming applications, has settled Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allegations that the company deceived consumers by failing to provide them with promised rewards. Tapjoy’s platform allows mobile app users to interact with third-party advertisers and gain rewards, such as virtual currency, for…
Data Analytics Company Settles with FTC Over Alleged Data Security Violations
Third-party service providers are vital to many companies and they handle a wide range of business activities essential for companies to deliver their own offerings. But a company is not adequately protecting consumers if it fails to perform proper due diligence on service providers and contractually require them to employ appropriate security measures to protect…
FTC Finalizes Settlement with Sunday Riley Skincare Over Alleged Fake Reviews
Online opinions – and not just from celebrities – are big business. Consumer reviews can be highly influential in convincing other shoppers to buy a product. In fact, the founder and CEO of Sunday Riley Modern Skincare LLC (Sunday Riley Skincare) was so convinced about the power of those starred reviews on cosmetics chain Sephora’s…
FTC Finalizes Settlement with Service Provider over Alleged Privacy Shield Misrepresentations
The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, which provided a mechanism to legally transfer personal information from the EU to the United States, was invalidated on July 16, 2020, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has made it clear that companies that claimed to be participants must still make good on their word. A case in point…
FTC Targets Negative Option Schemes in Two Multimillion Dollar Settlements
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced settlements with two online companies for allegedly misleading customers about automatic membership renewal costs. On September 2, 2020, the FTC announced that Age of Learning, Inc., d/b/a ABCmouse, will pay $10 million to settle charges that the company enrolled thousands of consumers in a negative option scheme to…
FTC Staff Perspective Paper Offers Key Takeaways on Loot Box Workshop
More than 160 million Americans play video games. Originally designed as single-use purchases for consoles or computers, video games are now downloadable, making them more accessible to consumers than ever. One important development for the video game industry has been the creation of “micro purchases” – in-game transactions such as “loot boxes” that players can…
Washington State AG Settles with Online Platform Over Alleged COPPA Violations
Protecting the online privacy of children by enforcing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) continues to be of paramount importance to federal and state regulators. In addition to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), several state attorneys general (AGs) have brought COPPA actions recently, including the New Mexico and California AGs, and, most notably, the…
FTC COPPA Settlement with App Developer Highlights Penalty Policy Considerations
A recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlement with an online game company that allegedly tracked children illegally highlights some important questions, namely, how should the FTC assess the penalties it imposes for privacy violations, and what is the most effective way to both deter and punish companies for such violations?
The complaint in question was…