The Federal Trade Commission has issued warning letters to 28 companies that claim certified participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative’s Cross-Border Privacy Rules system on their websites but do not appear to have met the requirements to make that claim. The APEC privacy system is a self-regulatory initiative to enhance the protection of consumer data […]
Monthly Archives: July 2016
Lead Generator Defendants in Tech-Support Scam Agree to Settlement With FTC and the State of Florida
A group of lead generator defendants who participated in a massive technical support scam that was shut down by the Federal Trade Commission and the State of Florida, will be required to perform due diligence on businesses before they generate and sell leads to those entities and pay $258,000 under the terms of a settlement […]
Officials from U.S. and Japan Participate in 35th Bilateral Meeting in Washington to Discuss Antitrust Enforcement
The heads of the antitrust agencies of the United States and Japan met today in Washington for their 35th Bilateral Competition Consultation. Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division Renata Hesse participated in high-level meetings with Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) Chairman […]
FTC Approves Four Final Orders Barring Companies from Making False All-Natural Claims
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved four final consent orders against companies that allegedly misrepresented their personal care products as “All-Natural” or “100% Natural,” despite the fact that they contain man-made ingredients. According to the FTC’s complaints, announced in April 2016, the companies, Trans-India Products, Inc., doing business as ShiKai, […]
Statement of FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez Following the European Commission’s Approval of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework
Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez issued the enclosed statement following the European Commission’s approval of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework in Brussels, Belgium today. “I welcome the European Commission’s approval of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. The FTC has a strong track record of protecting consumer privacy, and we will remain vigilant as we […]
Funeral Home Settles FTC Charges it Violated Funeral Rule
A Montgomery, Alabama, funeral home has agreed to settle FTC charges that it violated the Funeral Rule. The Rule requires funeral providers to give consumers pricing and other important information when discussing funeral arrangements. The FTC conducts annual undercover inspections of funeral homes to monitor compliance with the Funeral Rule’s disclosure requirements. These requirements include […]
Warner Bros. Settles FTC Charges It Failed to Adequately Disclose It Paid Online Influencers to Post Gameplay Videos
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc. has settled Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers during a marketing campaign for the video game Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, by failing to adequately disclose that it paid online “influencers,” including the wildly popular “PewDiePie,” thousands of dollars to post positive gameplay videos on YouTube and social […]
FTC and Florida Charge Tech Support Operation with Tricking Consumers Into Paying Millions for Bogus Services
The FTC and State of Florida have taken action against defendants who ran an international tech support operation and allegedly misrepresented to consumers that malware or hackers had compromised their computers and that the operation was associated with or certified by Microsoft and Apple to fix their computers. A federal court has temporarily shut down […]
FTC Mobile-Friendly Videos Help Consumers Shop for Cars
New or used, cars are big-ticket items. Four new 60-second videos from the Federal Trade Commission can help buyers shop with confidence. The mobile-friendly videos, in English and Spanish, offer important information for every stage of the car-buying process. Spotting Deceptive Car Ads warns that some car ads promise low payments, no interest, or zero […]
FTC Requests Public Comment on American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc.’s Application to Approve Divestiture of Assets to Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc.
The Federal Trade Commission is currently accepting public comments on an application by American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc. to sell some of its assets to Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc., a Delaware-based subsidiary of Taiyo Nippon Sаnso Corporation of Japan. The divestiture is required by the FTC’s May 2016 proposed order settling charges that the $13.4 billion […]