The Internet of Things (IoT) segment has grown, and with it have come many examples of vulnerable products, from babycams whose feeds could be viewed by strangers online to hackable implantable cardiac devices. There are also infamous examples of botnets (i.e., clusters of hacked devices) featuring millions of IoT devices with one common trait: weak
The 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
On April 22, 2016, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added styrene to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens. OEHHA maintains a list of chemicals required under Proposition 65 (formally, the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act) that are “known to the state” to be reproductive toxicants or carcinogens based on
At its Open Meeting yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would apply the privacy protections in Section 222 of the Communications Act to broadband Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The text of the NPRM, which reportedly seeks public comment on more than 500 questions relating to privacy and
On the heels of the Open Internet Order adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has circulated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to fellow Commissioners that would apply the privacy protections of the Communications Act to
Members of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are set to vote on a final rule to allow the staff not only to participate on the committees that develop voluntary standards, but to vote as members of the committees and even lead them (provided the Executive Director gives prior approval). If the Commission approves
Selling to consumers is generally a beneficial enterprise for all involved, but occasionally businesses will need to recall products, for a myriad of reasons. When that happens, different sets of rules apply depending on the type of product that is impacted. If your product falls under the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) jurisdiction, one
For the consumer products industry, there is little question that state green chemistry laws are becoming increasingly complex and challenging. Laws are in place from California to Maine, and proposals are bubbling up around the country. States as diverse as Connecticut, New York, Florida, Oregon, and even Mississippi are considering their own green chemistry laws.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is proposing updates to its labeling and packaging requirements under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA), including deleting specific requirements for commodities advertised using terms such as “introductory offer,” “cents off,” and “economy size.” The proposed changes would also modernize place-of-business requirements,
On November 25, 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released final regulations implementing nutrition labeling requirements for retail food establishments. The regulations implement Section 4205 from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which requires chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments to provide consumers with more nutrition information. From an advertising perspective, the
