Responding to news reports that journalists were able to purchase advertising on Facebook targeted to ethnic groups, Facebook announced several new changes to the company’s advertising products. The move highlights heightened scrutiny of advertising practices surrounding the increasing use of big data in many aspects of marketing and advertising. Facebook’s response grew out of a … Continue Reading
Wages may be stagnant in the United States, but one thing on the rise is the price of getting on the wrong side of the Federal Trade Commission. Effective August 1, 2016, the maximum civil penalty dollar amount for violating section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, or failing to comply with COPPA or … Continue Reading
Initial comments are due on May 27, 2016 regarding the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) released last month by the FCC in its broadband privacy proceeding. The rules proposed in the NPRM have already been the subject of contentious discussions throughout the federal government and the communications industry. Those discussions included a hearing earlier this month … Continue Reading
In December 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settled a drawn-out civil action it brought against Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (Wyndham) for multiple data breaches involving cardholder data (i.e., information on credit and debit cards). In a departure from dozens of prior FTC settlements that mandated broad security measures for all consumer data, the Wyndham consent … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission is currently the most aggressive enforcement agency on privacy and data security. The agency kicked off 2016 with PrivacyCon on January 14, which put the spotlight on academic research on consumer privacy and security. The conference, which drew 400 attendees to Southwest D.C. and 1,500 more streaming online, showcased 19 papers … Continue Reading
The FTC unveiled a lengthy report, Big Data: A Tool for Inclusion or Exclusion? Understanding the Issues, warning companies about commercial uses of big data and the discriminatory impact it may have on low-income and underserved populations. “Big data” refers to the ubiquitous collection of massive amounts of consumer information by companies, which may be … Continue Reading
As publishers increasingly rely on more modern methods of native advertising – that is, ads designed to look and feel similar to a platform’s editorial content – as a source of revenue, the FTC has taken steps to clarify when native advertising may cross the line and become deceptive to consumers. Recently, the FTC published … Continue Reading
In a landmark decision, an administrative law judge dismissed the FTC’s long-running data security lawsuit against Atlanta-based cancer screening laboratory, LabMD Inc., following an alleged data breach. Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell (the “ALJ”) ruled in his Initial Decision that the FTC had failed to prove that the laboratory’s alleged conduct harmed, or … Continue Reading
With the onslaught of smart watches, smart thermostats, and even smart refrigerators that allow you to Tweet hangry messages to your followers, it’s only natural that a “smart city” would follow. This week, San Francisco city officials agreed to run a one-year pilot project with Sigfox – an FCC certified French start-up that builds low-power … Continue Reading
On August 24, 2015, the Third Circuit, in a highly anticipated ruling, upheld a 2014 New Jersey District Court decision that the FTC has authority under section 5 of the FTC Act to regulate “unfair” data security practices without engaging in formal rulemaking. As we have previously discussed, the implications of the lower court ruling, … Continue Reading
When I had Orioles season tickets, I was glad to have access to an electronic platform that would allow me to get rid of most of my unwanted tickets. Over the course of a season, I could get the seats for the games I did want, hedge my bet for playoff tickets, and subsidize those … Continue Reading
On September 15, the Federal Trade Commission held a workshop entitled “Big Data: A Tool for Inclusion or Exclusion?” FTC Commissioner Julie Brill took the opportunity to discuss an industry that she has consistently maintained requires more regulation and scrutiny: data brokers. Commissioner Brill stressed first that the FTC is very focused on entities regulated … Continue Reading
Businesses that think they know what privacy issues are on the minds of the state attorneys general (AGs) should be aware that AGs are being urged to take action, either on their own, or in concert with the FTC, on key cutting edge privacy issues. At a major meeting of state AGs this week at … Continue Reading
Last Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that messaging app Snapchat agreed to settle charges that it deceived consumers with promises about the disappearing nature of messages sent through the app. The FTC case also alleged that the company deceived consumers over the amount of personal data the app collected, and the security measures … Continue Reading
A New Jersey federal court is allowing the FTC’s case against Wyndham Worldwide Corporation to go forward, denying Wyndham’s Motion to Dismiss on both the unfairness and deception counts. In this closely watched case, the court emphasized that in denying Wyndham’s request for dismissal, it was not providing the FTC with a “blank check to … Continue Reading
At the beginning of March, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit. The memorandum is aimed at increasing cooperation between the agencies, with UK Information Commissioner Graham stating that the arrangement would be “to the benefit of … Continue Reading
In June 2013, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Ireland’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a mutual assistance and information exchange program to secure compliance with data protection and privacy laws on both sides of the Atlantic. The privacy and data protection laws between Ireland and the United … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Frederick Lah. Earlier this year, we wrote about the FTC’s plan to hold a November 2013 public workshop over concerns with the “Internet of Things,” the dramatically growing capacity of smart devices to communicate information through the Internet. In advance of the workshop, the FTC has entered into a consent … Continue Reading
By Paul Bond and Christine Nielsen Czuprynski on Posted in Big Data,Regulatory
While the national conversation on data collection in the United States has been dominated recently by issues of national security, the FTC remains determined to push consumer privacy. In her keynote address at the recent Computers Freedom and Privacy Conference, Commissioner Julie Brill reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to address so-called data brokers in a systematic … Continue Reading
Refrigerators automatically doing grocery shopping for you on your drive home from work and cell phone attachments measuring glucose levels don’t necessarily seem like bad things. But with the explosion of cutting-edge smart devices and applications comes the mounting data privacy concerns of the so-called “Internet of Things.” The “Internet of Things” refers to the … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Caroline Klocko. Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued Frequently Asked Questions for complying with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The FAQs are intended as a supplement to the already issued compliance materials. As we previously reported, the revised COPPA Rule is set to go into … Continue Reading
Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill, in a speech Monday at the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Presidential Initiative Summit, urged the states to take a more active role in investigating and holding accountable data brokers for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA regulates the use of credit report information for … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Frederick Lah. On February 1, the FTC released its Mobile Privacy Disclosures Guidance (the Guidance) setting forth best practice recommendations for platforms, app developers, third parties such as ad networks and analytics companies, and app trade associations. We previously wrote about the Guidance when it was issued. On February 15, Assistant … Continue Reading
This post was written by Keri S. Bruce. The deadline to provide comments to aid the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in its review of the Fred Meyer Guides (Guides) was reopened and extended until March 4, 2013. The Guides clarify the Robinson-Patman Act (Act) by explaining how manufacturers and wholesalers can provide advertising allowances and … Continue Reading
