FTC Votes to Ban Noncompete Agreements
Employment
FTC Votes to Ban Noncompete Agreements
2024-04-23 21:03:59
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 on Tuesday to ban noncompete agreements, a decades-old vehicle that has prevented untold millions of employees from working for a competitor or starting their own competing businesses after leaving a job. The... Read More

FTC Proposes Crackdown on Tech Companies for Surveillance of Child Users
Privacy
FTC Proposes Crackdown on Tech Companies for Surveillance of Child Users
2023-12-21 19:24:30
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed sweeping new regulations to protect children from surveillance techniques used by internet companies. The proposed rules could change how social media monetizes data they glean from children’s gaming, learning and internet... Read More

FTC Bans Rite Aid From Using AI Facial Recognition
Business
FTC Bans Rite Aid From Using AI Facial Recognition
2023-12-19 22:57:33
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON — Rite Aid, the struggling nationwide drug store chain, got more bad news Tuesday, as federal regulators tagged it for using facial recognition at its stores that led to scores of women and people of color being wrongly identified... Read More

Biden Administration Finalizes Sweeping Overhaul of Merger Rules
White House
Biden Administration Finalizes Sweeping Overhaul of Merger Rules
2023-12-18 20:47:24
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission on Monday released a new set of proposed rules aimed at cracking down on mergers and acquisitions that eliminate competition in the marketplace. The new guidelines, which President Joe Biden announced... Read More

Federal Trade Commission Offers Prize for Techniques to Control Voice Cloning
Technology
Federal Trade Commission Offers Prize for Techniques to Control Voice Cloning
2023-11-16 20:43:35
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission announced a $25,000 prize Thursday to anyone who can suggest an effective means of protecting consumers from the artificial intelligence-enabled voice cloning that plays a key role in many scams. The “Voice Cloning Challenge”... Read More

FTC Taking Dim View of Musk Action Amid Twitter Turmoil
Social Media
FTC Taking Dim View of Musk Action Amid Twitter Turmoil
2022-11-10 22:28:15
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON — A letter posted to Twitter’s Slack feed by a company lawyer, detailing the utter chaos the social media outlet has descended into since Elon Musk took control of it, has prompted a rare public rebuke from the Federal... Read More

Administrative Law Judge Dismisses Antitrust Charges Related to Cancer Detection Tests
Antitrust
Administrative Law Judge Dismisses Antitrust Charges Related to Cancer Detection Tests
2022-09-19 13:44:29
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON — An administrative law judge has dismissed an antitrust complaint brought against DNA sequencing provider Illumina, Inc. related to its proposed $7.1 billion acquisition of GRAIL, Inc., the major developer of a multi-cancer early detection test. The tests are... Read More

FTC Report Details ‘Dark Practices’ Companies Should Avoid
Regulation
FTC Report Details ‘Dark Practices’ Companies Should Avoid
2022-09-16 20:27:35
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — As the Federal Trade Commission continues to crack down on “dark practices” that are intended to trick customers, it came out with a report detailing the tactics of misleading advertisements, hard-to-cancel subscriptions, hidden terms of service and other... Read More

FTC Welcomes Debate on Data Privacy
Technology
FTC Welcomes Debate on Data Privacy
2022-09-09 21:15:16
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission heard hours of testimony Thursday on how the commission should address data privacy concerns, particularly when companies use deceptive tactics to track consumers or data breaches occur. The commissions’ five-plus hour forum and public... Read More

FTC Sues Data Broker for Sharing Sensitive Info
Technology
FTC Sues Data Broker for Sharing Sensitive Info
2022-08-30 16:16:08
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission Monday sued the data broker Kochava accusing it of selling highly personal identifiable geolocation information showing “visits to reproductive health clinics, places of worship, homeless and domestic violence shelters, and addiction recovery facilities.” “Where... Read More

FTC Sues Meta to Stop Its ‘Path Toward Dominance’
Regulation
FTC Sues Meta to Stop Its ‘Path Toward Dominance’
2022-07-27 20:18:34
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission is attempting to block Meta, formerly known as Facebook, from purchasing a virtual reality fitness application in what the commission says is the company’s quest to buy its way to the top. “Instead of... Read More

FTC to Overhaul Guidance on Digital Advertising
Technology
FTC to Overhaul Guidance on Digital Advertising
2022-06-06 16:00:23
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission on Friday began the first major overhaul of its guidance for digital advertisers in nearly a decade. Last updated in March 2013, the guidance entitled “How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising,” established... Read More

Twitter Fined $150M for Using Emails, Phone Numbers for Targeted Advertising
Social Media
Twitter Fined $150M for Using Emails, Phone Numbers for Targeted Advertising
2022-05-26 20:28:10
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — Twitter has agreed to pay a $150 million fine in a settlement reached with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission for improperly using users’ email addresses and phone numbers for targeted advertising, according to a... Read More

FTC to Increase Efforts to Protect Children’s Privacy
Technology
FTC to Increase Efforts to Protect Children's Privacy
2022-05-20 18:10:13
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — Parents will no longer have to choose between their children’s data privacy and online learning as the Federal Trade Commission steps up its enforcement of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. “Students must be able to do their... Read More

FTC Reaches Settlement With Internet Company for Slow Speeds
Telecom
FTC Reaches Settlement With Internet Company for Slow Speeds
2022-05-05 21:12:18
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — The Connecticut-based internet provider Frontier Communications must increase its speeds or allow customers to cancel service without associated fees, according to an order from the Federal Trade Commission.  “Frontier lied about its speeds and ripped off customers by... Read More

Washington Commanders Fire Back at Financial Impropriety Allegations
Sports
Washington Commanders Fire Back at Financial Impropriety Allegations
2022-04-20 18:27:26
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — Attorneys for the Washington Commanders are challenging allegations submitted to the Federal Trade Commission that the football team's owner and top management stole ticket revenue they were supposed to share with visiting teams. The team also is accused... Read More

AHA and Congress Request Federal Investigation Into Nurse Staffing Agencies
Health
AHA and Congress Request Federal Investigation Into Nurse Staffing Agencies
2022-02-09 17:48:14
by Alexa Hornbeck

WASHINGTON — The American Hospital Association, health care organizations and nearly 200 members of Congress sent letters to White House officials in January requesting an investigation of nurse staffing agencies based on claims they’ve been exploiting staffing shortages during the... Read More

Senators Pressure FTC to Take Action to Combat COVID Scams and Price Gouging
Regulation
Senators Pressure FTC to Take Action to Combat COVID Scams and Price Gouging
2022-02-02 18:51:43
by Alexa Hornbeck

WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security met on Tuesday to discuss the rise in COVID-19 claims to federal agencies that involve price gouging, sales of fake products, email phishing schemes and... Read More

Shkreli Ordered to Return $64M, is Barred from Drug Industry
Prescription Drugs
Shkreli Ordered to Return $64M, is Barred from Drug Industry

NEW YORK (AP) — Martin Shkreli must return $64.6 million in profits he and his former company reaped from jacking up the price and monopolizing the market for a lifesaving drug, a federal judge ruled Friday while also barring the... Read More

Advocates Call for National Privacy Policy at FTC Open Meeting
Telecom
Advocates Call for National Privacy Policy at FTC Open Meeting
2021-10-22 20:19:44
by Victoria Turner

The Federal Trade Commission should work with the U.S. Congress on drafting a comprehensive federal privacy law, instead of using its rulemaking authority to do industry-specific regulation, according to three privacy policy advocates from three separate think tanks on Thursday... Read More

Alabama Dental Examiners Agree to Stop Practice Excluding Teledentistry Platforms
In The States
Alabama Dental Examiners Agree to Stop Practice Excluding Teledentistry Platforms
2021-09-29 15:07:21
by Victoria Turner

The Alabama Board of Dental Examiners will no longer require licensed dentists to supervise the scans performed on potential patient’s teeth alignment, a practice which the Federal Trade Commission found excluded cheaper online providers like SmileDirectClub, Candid Co. and SmileLove... Read More

Federalist Society Event Focuses on Competition and Antitrust Issues
Antitrust
Federalist Society Event Focuses on Competition and Antitrust Issues
2021-09-10 13:49:54
by Victoria Turner

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden’s controversial executive order on competition was the topic being discussed at a Federalist Society event held Thursday.  The July 9 Executive Order 14036 entitled, “Promoting Competition in the American Economy,” seeks to address competition issues... Read More

Federal Trade Commission Sues Facebook Claiming Unfair Monopoly Tactics
Social Media
Federal Trade Commission Sues Facebook Claiming Unfair Monopoly Tactics
2021-08-19 20:18:44
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Trade Commission submitted an amended complaint Thursday against Facebook Inc. in federal court in a case that threatens the social media giant’s multibillion dollar annual business operations. The FTC accuses Facebook of antitrust violations that give... Read More

Business Groups Push Back Against Sweeping EO Aimed At Curbing Corporate Power
White House
Business Groups Push Back Against Sweeping EO Aimed At Curbing Corporate Power
2021-07-10 15:48:16
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON - Business groups are pushing back this weekend against a sweeping executive order signed by President Joe Biden on Friday intended to curb anti-competitive practice in tech, telecom and other business sectors. Executive Order 14036, also known by its... Read More

FTC Announces Reorganization to Make Rules Against Deceptive Businesses
Business
FTC Announces Reorganization to Make Rules Against Deceptive Businesses
2021-03-30 13:26:56
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Trade Commission is organizing a new rulemaking office to coordinate its efforts against what it calls deceptive business practices. The agency’s chairwoman described the reorganization as the start of a more aggressive campaign to protect consumers... Read More

Senate Confirms 3 to Federal Election Commission, Restoring a Full Slate
Elections
Senate Confirms 3 to Federal Election Commission, Restoring a Full Slate

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed three new commissioners to the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, giving the campaign finance regulator a full slate of six members for the first time since February 2017. Senators voted 92-4 to confirm Shana M. Broussard, who will be the agency's first... Read More

Facebook Sued by US, States in Antitrust Case
Business
Facebook Sued by US, States in Antitrust Case

WASHINGTON — Facebook Inc. was sued by U.S. antitrust officials and a coalition of states that want to break up the company by unwinding its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, deals the government says was part of a campaign to illegally crush competition. The Federal Trade Commission and... Read More

Senate Told That Fraudsters Prey on Pandemic Victims
In The News
Senate Told That Fraudsters Prey on Pandemic Victims
2020-06-10 17:47:03
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON - Federal law enforcement officials pledged a vigorous crackdown Tuesday during a Senate hearing on fraudsters who are trying to make easy money off vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic. They accused con artists of selling fake vaccines and... Read More

Equifax Agrees to $700 Million Settlement After Huge Hacking Incident Hit Consumers
In The News
Equifax Agrees to $700 Million Settlement After Huge Hacking Incident Hit Consumers
2019-07-23 14:00:13
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON - Credit reporting giant Equifax Inc. signed a settlement Monday in which it agreed to pay as much as $700 million to resolve government and consumer complaints resulting from a data breach that exposed the personal financial information of... Read More

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