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Official posts from Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Twitter’s privacy policy governs here. Retweets, Follows and Likes ≠ Endorsements.
Washington, D.C.ftc.govJoined September 2010
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Epic Games creator of the video game Fortnite, to pay a total of $520 million over FTC allegations Epic violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and deployed dark patterns to dupe millions of players into making unintentional purchases:
ftc.gov
Fortnite Video Game Maker Epic Games to Pay More Than Half a Billion Dollars over FTC Allegations...
The Federal Trade Commission has secured agreements requiring Epic Games, Inc., creator of the popular video game Fortnite, to pay a total of $520 million in relief over allegations the company vio
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In the Sunday Riley case, FTC alleges that btwn Nov. 2015 - Aug. 2017, Sunday Riley Skincare managers, incl Ms. Riley herself, posted reviews of their branded products on the Sephora site using fake accts created to hide their identity & requested other employees to do the same.
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FTC says Ring employees illegally surveilled customers, failed to stop hackers from taking control of users' cameras. Under proposed order, Ring will be prohibited from profiting from unlawfully collected consumer videos, pay $5.8M in consumer refunds: bit.ly/3qm0J4A /1
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FTC Says Ring Employees Illegally Surveilled Customers, Failed to Stop Hackers from Taking Control...
The Federal Trade Commission charged home security camera company Ring with compromising its customers’ privacy by allowing any employee or contractor to access consumers’ private
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Yes, it is an ad - if they send it to you because you’re an influencer or for you to review it. #Influencers101
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Q21: A company sends something for free. No demand to post & no pay. If you post bc you like it & use it, is that an #ad? #Influencers101
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Agency notes that Microsoft decided to make several of Bethesda's titles including Starfield and Redfall Microsoft exclusives despite assurances it had given to European antitrust authorities that it had no incentive to withhold games from rival consoles /5
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“Facebook lacked the business acumen and technical talent to survive the transition to mobile. After failing to compete with new innovators, Facebook illegally bought or buried them when their popularity became an existential threat,” said Holly Vedova, FTC BC Acting Dir.
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FTC is seeking comments on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule until Dec. 9. To submit an official comment for Commission consideration, follow the instruction provided here: go.usa.gov/xpCSf /1
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With control over Activision’s blockbuster franchises, Microsoft would have both the means and motive to harm competition by manipulating Activision’s pricing, degrading Activision’s game quality or player experience on rival consoles and gaming services, according to the FTC /6
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Agency alleges that maker of Xbox would gain control of top video game franchises, enabling it to harm competition in high-performance gaming consoles and subscription services by denying or degrading rivals’ access to its popular content /2
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FTC alleges the tech giant could also change the terms and timing of access to Activision’s content, or withhold content from competitors entirely, resulting in harm to consumers. /7
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FTC’s complaint notes that the $69 billion deal, Microsoft’s largest ever and the largest ever in the video gaming industry, would enable it to suppress competitors to its Xbox gaming consoles and its rapidly growing subscription content and cloud-gaming business /3
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The agency’s complaint also points to Microsoft’s record of acquiring and using valuable gaming content to suppress competition from rival consoles, including its acquisition of ZeniMax, parent company of Bethesda Softworks (a well-known game developer) /4
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Posting deceptive or inaccurate information online pollutes the e-commerce marketplace and prevents consumers from making informed purchasing decisions. With these two actions, the FTC makes it clear that it will take enforcement action against this type of illegal behavior.
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As part of a proposed federal court order (filed by DoJ for the FTC), Epic will pay a $275 million monetary penalty for violating the COPPA Rule—the largest penalty ever obtained for violating an FTC rule, and adopt strong privacy default settings for children and teens.
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Under a separate proposed administrative order, Epic will pay $245 million to refund consumers for its dark patterns and billing practices.
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Agency estimates that the new proposed rule could increase wages by nearly $300 billion per year and expand career opportunities for about 30 million Americans /2
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FTC alleged Epic violated the COPPA Rule by collecting personal information from children under 13 who played Fortnite, without notifying their parents or obtaining their parents’ consent and enabled real-time voice and text chat communications for children and teens by default.
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FTC alleged that Epic used dark patterns to trick players into making unwanted purchases and let children rack up unauthorized charges without any parental involvement.
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#Breaking: FTC announces settlement with @zoom_us requiring the company to implement a robust information security program, settling allegations it engaged in deceptive and unfair practices that undermined the security of its users: go.usa.gov/x7NaE 1/6
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FTC has issued special orders to 5 large tech firms, requiring them to provide information about prior acquisitions not reported to the antitrust agencies under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act. 2/7
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Orders require Alphabet Inc. (incl Google), Amazon.com, Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook, Inc., and Microsoft Corp. to provide info and docs on the terms, scope, structure, and purpose of transactions that each company consummated between 1/1/10 - 12/31/19. 3/7
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Fake indicators of social media influence included fake followers, subscribers, views, and likes to users of social media platforms, incl LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Vine, and SoundCloud, the FTC alleged.
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5 things you can do to avoid a #Coronavirus scam: 1. Ignore offers for vaccinations and home testing kits 2. Hang up on robocalls 3. Watch out for phishing emails and text messages 4. Research before you donate 5. Stay in the know -- Go to ftc.gov/Coronavirus for more info
Tips for avoiding Coronavirus scams. Link to ftc.gov/coronavirus
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FTC alleged that Devumi, its owner/CEO used their websites Devumi[dot]com, TwitterBoost[dot]co, Buyview[dot]co, and Buyplans[dot]co to sell fake indicators of social media influence
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Evidence shows noncompete clauses also hinder innovation and business dynamism in multiple ways—from preventing would-be entrepreneurs from forming competing businesses, to inhibiting workers from bringing innovative ideas to new companies. /4
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Roses are red, Violets are blue, Romance scams are bad, And they will cost you! Last year, people reported losing $143 million to romance scams – a higher total than for any other type of scam reported to the FTC. Learn more: go.usa.gov/xEU2A #ValentinesDay
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The new click to cancel provision, along with other proposals, would go a long way to rescuing consumers from seemingly never-ending struggles to cancel unwanted subscription payment plans for everything from cosmetics to newspapers to gym memberships. /3
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Proposal seeks to make it as easy to cancel enrollment as it was to sign up /2
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He notes that while the use of AI to make predictions, recommendations, or decisions has enormous potential to improve welfare and productivity, the technology also presents risks, such as the potential for unfair or discriminatory outcomes.
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The rule would apply to independent contractors and anyone who works for an employer, whether paid or unpaid. It would also require employers to rescind existing noncompetes and actively inform workers that they are no longer in effect. /7
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There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to what is child-directed, but the blog details some factors to consider such as the subject matter, visual content, use of animated characters, types of music, age of models, the presence of child celebrities etc.
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Please note: The FTC considers several factors when deciding to seek monetary penalties for COPPA violations such as the company’s financial condition and impact a penalty can have on ability to stay in business.
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Specifically, the rule would make it illegal for an employer to: • enter into or attempt to enter into a noncompete with a worker; • maintain a noncompete with a worker; • or represent to a worker, under certain circumstances, that the worker is subject to a noncompete /6
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The complaint says that one employee over several months viewed thousands of video recordings of female users of Ring cameras that surveilled intimate spaces in their homes such as their bathrooms or bedrooms, and wasn’t stopped until another employee discovered the misconduct /4
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FTC charged home security camera company Ring with compromising customers’ privacy by allowing any employee or contractor to access customers’ private videos /2
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FTC to crack down on companies that illegally surveil children learning online. Agency issued policy statement warning that it's against the law to force parents & schools to surrender children’s privacy rights in order to access educational tools: bit.ly/3MAfyH0 #edtech
ftc.gov
FTC to Crack Down on Companies that Illegally Surveil Children Learning Online
The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it will crack down on education technology companies if they illegally surveil children when they go online to learn.
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We want to hear about what you think about the proposed rule on noncompetes. We will post a link to submit a comment when it is available. /8
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FTC issued these orders under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act, which authorizes the Commission to conduct wide-ranging studies that do not have a specific law enforcement purpose. 4/7
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FTC, state, and federal law enforcement partners announce nationwide crackdown on phantom and abusive debt collection. ‘Operation Corrupt Collector’ targets debt collectors trying to collect on non-existent debts, using illegal scare tactics: go.usa.gov/xGwfz
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FTC takes action to stop online home buying firm Opendoor Labs, Inc. from cheating potential sellers with misleading claims about its home-buying service. Company to pay $62 million and stop deceiving consumers about the supposed benefits of its service:
ftc.gov
FTC Takes Action to Stop Online Home Buying Firm Opendoor Labs, Inc. from Cheating Potential...
The Federal Trade Commission today took action against online home buying firm Opendoor Labs Inc., for cheating potential home sellers by tricking them into thinking that they could make more money
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Under the proposed order, Twitter must pay a $150 million penalty for violating a 2011 FTC order and is banned from profiting from its deceptively collected data. /3
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Proposed order will require Microsoft to bolster protections for children; makes clear that avatars generated from kids’ image and biometric and health data are protected under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) /2
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Orders require each recipient to identify acquisitions that were not reported to
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and DoJ under the HSR Act, and to provide information similar to that requested on the HSR notification and report form. 5/7
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FTC plans to use info obtained in this study to examine trends in acquisitions and structure of deals, incl whether acquisitions not subject to HSR notification might have raised competitive concerns + the nature and extent of other agreements that may restrict competition. 6/7
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It also failed to implement basic privacy and security protections which enabled hackers to take control of consumers’ accounts, cameras and videos, FTC says /3
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