“Click to Cancel” Coming Soon
If you’ve ever had to suffer through a call tree and a 9,000 hour wait on hold to cancel a subscription, we have good news for you if you live …read more Continue reading “Click to Cancel” Coming Soon
Category Archives: Federal Trade Commission
Supercon 2023: [Cory Doctorow] with an Audacious Plan to Halt the Internet’s Enshittification and Throw It Into Reverse
Those of us old enough to remember BBS servers or even rainbow banners often go down the nostalgia hole about how the internet was better “back in the day” than …read more Continue reading Supercon 2023: [Cory Doctorow] with an Audacious Plan to Halt the Internet’s Enshittification and Throw It Into Reverse
Senators Urge FTC to Probe ID.me Over Selfie Data
Some of more tech-savvy Democrats in the U.S. Senate are asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate identity-proofing company ID.me for “deceptive statements” the company and its founder allegedly made over how they handle facial recognition data collected on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service, which until recently required anyone seeking a new IRS account online to provide a live video selfie to ID.me. Continue reading Senators Urge FTC to Probe ID.me Over Selfie Data
Zoom settles charges with FTC over deceptive security practices
Zoom reached a deal with the Federal Trade Commission to settle allegations it misrepresented its security and privacy protections for users, the FTC announced Monday. In its action against Zoom, the FTC alleged Zoom “engaged in a series of deceptive and unfair practices that undermined the security of its users.” The FTC alleged that Zoom misled users when it claimed it offered end-to-end encryption — intended to protect user communications from external, unintended eavesdroppers — when Zoom actually didn’t offer that level of security, according to the complaint. The FTC also alleged Zoom informed users it would store recordings of Zoom meetings in an encrypted format, when in reality they were kept unencrypted up to 60 days, and eventually were encrypted later. Zoom compromised users’ security when it secretly installed ZoomOpener, software intended to help users join meetings more seamlessly, but which actually made users vulnerable to malware, according to the FTC. The FTC alleges […]
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Twitter Could Face $250M FTC Fine Over Improper Data Use
The potential FTC fine comes after Twitter last year acknowledged that user emails and phone numbers were being used for targeted advertising. Continue reading Twitter Could Face $250M FTC Fine Over Improper Data Use
Lawmakers call for FTC investigation of data brokers enabled by online ad industry
A group of 10 U.S. lawmakers on Friday asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate companies that sell Americans’ personal data by exploiting online advertising, calling for any lawbreaking firms to be shut down. The lawmakers, including Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., decried the data-selling practices as an “outrageous privacy violation,” citing reports that Mobilewalla, a data broker, compiled data from Black Lives Matter protestors for marketing purposes. The broader market for consumers’ personal data is lucrative, and includes a bidding process for online ads that include code for gobbling up information on users’ locations and personal devices. The lawmakers want the FTC to use its investigative power to determine if data brokers have broken a federal law that prohibits “unfair and deceptive” business practices. An FTC spokesperson declined to comment. “[T]here is no effective way to control these tools absent intervention by regulators and Congress,” the lawmakers wrote to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons. “Technological […]
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United States Federal Trade Commission Hosts PrivacyCon 2020
Image Courtesy of The United States Federal Trade Commission
via the United States Federal Trade Commission comes PrivacyCon 2020 – a veritable cornucopia of all things privacy! Slated for online participation on July 21st 2020, and at no charge! Wha… Continue reading United States Federal Trade Commission Hosts PrivacyCon 2020
Facebook’s FTC-Mandated Privacy Committee Now in Effect
Facebook will report its privacy practices to both the committee, the FTC, and to a third-party assessor. Continue reading Facebook’s FTC-Mandated Privacy Committee Now in Effect
FTC Slams Children’s App Developer for COPPA Violations
Children’s app developer HyperBeard must pay $150,000 after the FTC claimed it violated privacy laws. Continue reading FTC Slams Children’s App Developer for COPPA Violations
Phone carriers may soon be forced to adopt anti-robocall tech
US carriers haven’t been doing enough to block robocalls voluntarily. The Federal Communications Commission’s response? Fine – we’ll make you. Continue reading Phone carriers may soon be forced to adopt anti-robocall tech