Items tagged with FTC
Are you familiar with the concept of "negative option marketing"? It refers to a class of customer interaction where a customer's failure to take an affirmative action, such as denying an offer, is taken as assent to be charged for services or goods. It's like if I came by and shouted "cut your grass for a thousand...
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A new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff report accuses social media and video streaming sites of engaging in vast surveillance of consumers in order to monetize personal information, while failing to adequately protect children and teens.
The government’s battle with social media is nothing new. The US Senate...
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The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning consumers of a "massive" surge in Bitcoin ATM scams (add it to the list of cryptocurrency scams). According to the FTC, consumers posted collective losses totaling $110 million in 2023, which is a tenfold increase versus 2020. And in the first half of this...
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In the emerging era of artificial intelligence (AI), it's getting increasingly difficult to tell the difference between human-generated and AI-generated content. Scammers are using this to their advantage by posting fake reviews of products, and it has caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission, which has...
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Pretty much any new car sold these days offers a connection to the internet in some form for fashion. This is to power smart capabilities, like onboard navigation and a plethora of other functions. However, some automakers are allegedly selling driver data to third parties at incredibly low prices, and it's not always...
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Gamers disgruntled by Microsoft's price hikes to its Xbox Game Pass service are not the only ones taking issue with the company's latest move. So is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which raked Microsoft over the coals in a scathing letter to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, both for the price...
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is cracking down on warranty policies that run afoul of the right-to-repair movement. As part of the crackdown, the FTC sent warning letters to eight companies detailing warranty term violations. In three of those letters, which were sent out to ASRock, Gigabyte, and Zotac, the FTC...
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Adobe finds itself in hot water with the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its handling of subscription plans for software services like Photoshop. In a federal lawsuit that's been in the process of being filed for months, the FTC alleges that Adobe pushes towards its annual paid monthly subscription...
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Remember when Razer was selling an RGB face mask during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic? The peripheral maker raked in more than $1 million in sales from what was initially pitched as a mask with "replaceable N95 grade filters" but all that money must now be refunded to customers to settle a complaint by the...
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The Federal Trade Commission is warning the American people to be on guard as threat actors are making use of business and government impersonation scams to do serious damage. The agency is reporting a combined loss of over $1.1 billion in 2023 due to these types of fraud, which is three times as much as what the...
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A rough week for team Xbox just got a bit tougher as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has officially filed a complaint in a federal appeals court in regard to its decision to lay off 1,900 employees last month. The FTC is continuing to probe Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard on anti-trust...
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The United States Federal Trade Commission is dropping the ban hammer on Rite Aid after finding the company’s use of AI facial recognition technology, which was used in hundreds of its stores, was harmful to consumers. The retailer will not be able to use this technology for five years while it settles the charges...
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in a recent filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Adobe disclosed that it has been cooperating with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as the agency investigates the software maker's subscription cancellation policy. If the FTC finds that Adobe violated the Restore Online Shoppers'...
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The United States Federal Trade Commission is issuing a new warning to Americans regarding the malicious use of QR codes. This is important information because QR codes are being used more and more as a convenient way of setting up devices or sending someone to a specific website. However, bad actors are now seeing it as an opportunity to
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Despite consumers complaining that Apple devices are a pain in the neck to repair, Apple has announced that it will back a US right-to-repair bill. The bill is part of President Biden's attempt to promote competition and end "junk fees" and other actions that increase the price of products for customers.
Apple's...
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 state attorney generals are taking a big swing at Amazon with a 172-page lawsuit alleging an "ongoing pattern of illegal conduct" to block competition. According to the lawsuit, Amazon's list of infractions includes things like inflating prices and putting the squeeze on...
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cleared the way for anyone charged for unwanted purchases in Fortnite to possibly get some of their money back. Those who feel they were charged unnecessarily can now apply for a refund as part of a $245 million agreement between the FTC and Epic Games.
The formal complaint by...
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The Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into OpenAI in regard to whether or not the Microsoft-backed company has engaged in unfair or deceptive privacy or data security practices. The FTC sent a letter to OpenAI, stating the AI company as soon as possible to schedule a telephonic meeting to discuss...
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Microsoft's attempt to acquire Activision-Blizzard-King reaches a new height of drama as the deal faces the scrutiny of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in court. The first day of the hearing was filled with a jaw-dropping email and Microsoft declaring it had already lost the console battle.
Sony has been the...
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Who could have expected that it would be rather difficult to spend $69 billion to acquire another company? Despite the green light from the European Union for Microsoft to acquire Activision-Blizzard last month, the Redmond-based company has hit yet another roadblock. The FTC has elected to go after a temporary...
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a new rule that would make canceling a recurring subscription and/or membership as easy as signing up. The "click to cancel" provision is one of several updates the FTC is suggesting in regards to subscriptions and recurring payments.
Anyone that has ever signed up...
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized an order that requires Epic Games to pay $245 million to consumers. The settlement is in regard to accusations that the company "used dark patterns to trick players into making unwanted purchases" in the highly popular Fortnite game.
The formal complaint was made known...
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