This week has seen several significant changes at the Commission level at both the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). CPSC After several months of stasis, the Senate voted to confirm Peter Feldman as a Commissioner on the CPSC, with a term expiring October 26, 2019. Feldman takes the place… Continue Reading
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FTC Approves ESRB’s Updated COPPA Safe Harbor Program
Posted in Data Security, PrivacyThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved modifications to the video game industry’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) program. Earlier this year, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) proposed several substantive changes intended to take account of recent FTC COPPA rules and guidance. To receive FTC approval, COPPA safe harbor programs must “implement substantially similar… Continue Reading
23 California DAs Obtain $1.5 Million Settlement for Deceptive Biodegradable Claims
Posted in LitigationEnvironmentally conscious consumers often look for products advertised as “green.” But labeling plastic products as “biodegradable” may land you on the legal compost heap if you can’t meet federal and state regulations governing green marketing. Amazon was just the latest company to find itself in the crosshairs when 23 California district attorneys charged that it… Continue Reading
California Company Settles with FTC over Alleged Privacy Shield Misrepresentations
Posted in Data Security, PrivacyIf a company claims to be certified under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework when it hasn’t even completed the paperwork, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) isn’t likely to let it slide. ReadyTech, a California-based online training services company, made such a claim on its website, in violation of the FTC Act’s prohibition against deceptive acts… Continue Reading
Online Talent Company Settles with FTC Over Alleged COPPA Violations
Posted in Data Security, PrivacyOnline talent search company Explore Talent just landed in the spotlight of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Vegas-based company was charged with violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires that companies collecting information online must obtain informed, verifiable parental consent before collecting any information from a child under 13. The company… Continue Reading
Senate Bill Would Give FTC Enforcement Power Over Credit Bureaus
Posted in Data SecurityIn response to the Equifax data breach last September, when hackers gained access to the personal information of 143 million consumers, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) have introduced a bill, The Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act of 2018, that would ultimately impose security obligations on credit reporting agencies (CRAs). The bill… Continue Reading
FTC and FCC Enter into MOU For Broadband Enforcement
Posted in UncategorizedIn furtherance of the Restoring Internet Freedom Order that was adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on December 14, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and FCC have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that lays out how the agencies will coordinate consumer protection efforts and manage enforcement actions. The MOU will take… Continue Reading
Sears Seeks to Modify FTC Order on Online Tracking
Posted in CybersecurityIn 2009, Sears Holding Management settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations that the company’s online tracking activity exceeded what they told consumers. Now, Sears has submitted a petition requesting that the FTC reopen and modify its settlement order, arguing that changing technology since 2009 has made the order’s definition of “tracking applications”… Continue Reading
FTC Streamlines its Fur, Textile and Wool Labeling Filing Process
Posted in Labeling, RegulationsContinuing Acting Chair Maureen K. Ohlhausen’s regulatory reform agenda, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has updated its website at RN.FTC.GOV to allow real-time electronic filings of requests to obtain, update, or cancel registered identification numbers (RN) under the Fur, Textile and Wool Labeling Rules. The new web-based process is intended to streamline applications from businesses… Continue Reading
First FTC Complaint Against Social Media Influencers Settles
Posted in RegulationsWhen two celebrity gamers endorsed an online lotto service, they didn’t gamble on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) insistence they tell their fans they actually owned the business they were promoting. Now, Trevor Martin and Thomas Cassell, and their company, CSGO Lotto, Inc., have settled charges of deceptive advertising. This is the first case the… Continue Reading
Dietary Supplement Company and its Endorsers Settle with FTC Over Deceptive Marketing Claims
Posted in AdvertisingRemember those ads from the 80s where an actor would start a medicine endorsement with the disclaimer: “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV”? A recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlement order relating to the marketing of the dietary supplements CogniPrin and FlexiPrin is a good reminder about the importance of using… Continue Reading
FTC Green Lights TRUSTe’s Proposed Safe Harbor Program Modifications
Posted in Data SecurityThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved changes TRUSTe proposed to its safe harbor program several months ago under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule. The approved modifications include a new requirement that program participants conduct an annual internal assessment of third-parties’ collection of personal information from children on their websites or online… Continue Reading
Internal Reforms Announced for FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection
Posted in PrivacyThe Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection is about to undergo reform, according to FTC Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen. In a press release issued on July 17, the FTC stated that the changes are part of an ongoing initiative to simplify information requests and improve transparency that began last April, when Ohlhausen announced new… Continue Reading
Regulatory Reforms Afoot at the FTC: Now’s Your Chance to Weigh in
Posted in RegulationsAs part of Acting Chair Maureen K. Ohlhausen’s regulatory reform initiative, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is asking for the public’s input on the Picture Tube, Textile, Energy Labeling, and CAN-SPAM Rules. The comments will inform the Commission’s decision on whether to update these rules. The Textile Rule obliges marketers of textiles to label their goods properly… Continue Reading
FTC Seeks Comments on Proposed Changes to TRUSTE’s COPPA Safe Harbor Program
Posted in PrivacyIn a Federal Register notice, the FTC has asked for comments on intended changes to TRUSTe’s existing safe harbor program under the Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). TRUSTe proposed the changes following its settlement earlier this month with the New York Attorney General over allegations that the compliance and security company did not adequately… Continue Reading
FTC Warns Influencers to be Clear About Endorsements on Social Media
Posted in AdvertisingEveryone who is anyone is on Instagram these days, apparently. But not all posts on the photo-sharing platform are purely organic; some result from material connections between influencer or celebrity posters and the brands or products they are endorsing. This connection is not always made clear to viewers, however, according to the Federal Trade Commission… Continue Reading
FTC Takes on “Made in the USA” Claim for Second Time This Year
Posted in Advertising“Made in the USA” is an attractive selling point for many consumers who want to support homegrown industry, so it is the topic of many advertising claims for a variety of products. But to establish that a product is American-made, manufacturers have to show all its key parts were made here. And if steel tags… Continue Reading
FCC Takes Initial Step to Give Privacy, Security Authority Back to FTC
Posted in PrivacyOn March 1, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a temporary stay of one of the broadband privacy rules adopted in October of last year. That rule, which pertains to data security, would otherwise take effect on March 2. Newly installed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen issued… Continue Reading
Sealed: Three IT Companies Settle FTC Deceptive APEC Privacy Claims
Posted in Advertising, PrivacyIf a business advertises it is a member of a privacy program, even a voluntary one, it had better be, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In separate but related complaints, the FTC alleged that three businesses – software provider Sentinel Labs Inc., private messaging app developer SpyChatter Inc., and cybersecurity software company Vir2us… Continue Reading
FTC Finds Water Company Claims Are All Washed Up
Posted in AdvertisingThe push to “Buy American” aims to encourage consumers and businesses to support homegrown industry. So, when a water filter maker’s claims of “buil[t] in the U.S.” didn’t hold water, the company quickly found itself in a sea of trouble with the FTC. Georgia-based iSpring advertised and sold its water filter to consumers on its… Continue Reading
Smart TV Tracking Without Permission? Not So Clever
Posted in PrivacyHave you ever had the niggling suspicion your television was watching you? Apparently, if it was made by smart technology manufacturer VIZIO, it very well may have been. In a $2.2 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the New Jersey Attorney General, VIZIO acknowledged that it collected and sold data from 11… Continue Reading
Turn, Inc. Settles with FTC Over Deceptive Consumer Tracking
Posted in PrivacyIn 2015, Verizon found itself in hot water over charges it was using a “super cookie” that continued to operate even when users believed they had opted out of mobile phone data tracking. Verizon allegedly then sent the data obtained to a third party for targeted advertising purposes without its customers’ consent. Verizon settled with… Continue Reading
Avoid Being Held Hostage: FTC Releases Ransomware Guidance
Posted in CybersecurityNew research from security company Kaspersky Labs suggests that the use of ransomware is now so widespread that nearly every moment, a ransomware attack is being launched somewhere in the world on businesses and consumers. Ransomware, or malicious software that infiltrates computer systems and uses tools like encryption to deny access or hold data “hostage”… Continue Reading
Another State AG Weighs in on Children’s Privacy
Posted in PrivacyTexas Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton announced a settlement with an app developer over concerns that the developer’s apps infringed children’s privacy. The developer, Juxta Labs, Inc., offers a range of mobile apps and games. According to the AG’s press release, the company’s apps and social media were easy for children of any age to… Continue Reading
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