FTC asked to implement and enforce clearer rules on digital product ownership
Califonia has already codified it at the state level
FTC settlement bans GM from sharing driver location data for five years
Insurance companies exploited shared data to increase rates
Razer Zephyr mask buyers will soon receive over $1 million in refunds following FTC settlement
6,764 consumers will be getting their money back
Microsoft faces FTC scrutiny over alleged antitrust practices in federal cybersecurity deals
Using free trials to lock government and military into expensive subscriptions?
In brief: The US Federal Trade Commission has spent weeks investigating Microsoft's cybersecurity deals with the federal government. Although the case's fate under the incoming Trump administration remains uncertain, the Commission continues to pursue it, illuminating the tech giant's alleged strategy of locking government customers into its products to block competition.
Scammers use gamified tactics to prey on job seekers, FTC reports $220M in losses
Never pay someone offering you a job - is a good rule of thumb
FTC: Most smart device makers are breaking the law by not informing consumers of software support terms
Companies would rather drop support on old products and then sell you a new one
FTC set to probe Microsoft over alleged anticompetitive cloud business practices
The final bequest of Biden Administration to the federal antitrust agency
Big Cable and others file multiple lawsuits to block the FTC's Click-to-Cancel regulation
Are we supposed to be surprised?
FTC "Click-to-Cancel" mandate targets annoying subscription traps
Businesses say that switching to a easy method to unsubscribe will increase "accidental cancellations"
Amazon partially prevails in FTC antitrust lawsuit, but the battle continues
The trial will be split into two parts, a decision Amazon opposed
Lawmakers ask FTC to determine if AI generated article summaries are anti-competitive
Data collection has never been as powerful or lucrative as it is right now
A hot potato: Currently, the AI industry is the Wild West. There are very few laws on the books that govern the market. This lack of formal regulation has led to AI firms operating on the honor system, promising to effectively self-regulate, but democrats in the US Senate believe the self-regulation experiment has failed. They're now asking trade regulators to see if they can find any antitrust violations, especially in AI-generated content summaries.
White House wants to make canceling subscriptions as easy as signing up
Easing pain points when dealing with businesses
FTC targets Mastercard in major investigation into AI-based surveillance pricing
You could be paying more than your neighbor for the same product from the same vendor
Microsoft claims new Game Pass pricing offers better value, fires back at FTC's "degraded" label
Microsoft has also accused FTC of moving goalposts
FTC study reveals widespread use of dark patterns by subscription websites and apps
"Are you really, really sure you want to unsubscribe?"
FTC warns PC manufacturers Asrock, Zotac, and Gigabyte that consumers have the right to repair
Those stickers that say "warranty void if removed" are illegal
US government sues Adobe over hidden subscription termination fees and difficult cancellation process
The company has been under investigation for a while
Razer to refund over $1 million for misleading "N95-grade" claims on its Zephyr masks
Maybe stick to gaming products, Razer?
FTC votes to ban most noncompete agreements nationwide, a common practice among big tech corporations
The big picture: Many companies, including those in the tech sector, often use noncompete agreements to prevent employee poaching. However, the US Federal Trade Commission now deems this practice unfair, asserting that companies have alternative methods to safeguard their intellectual property. The commission anticipates that banning nearly all noncompete agreements will enhance working conditions and foster innovation.
FTC denies rating board's suggestion for age verification system
Editor's take: The ESRB has one job: rate games by maturity level based on content. So why did it involve itself in a proposal to add a new age verification system for parents to use to provide consent for data collection on their children? All that did was confuse the public about what facial age estimation is and how it would be used, leading to it getting shot down by the FTC.
As Reddit prepares for IPO, sale of user generated content draws FTC's attention
The content will be licensed to Google for AI training
Avast fined $16.5 million by FTC for selling user browsing data to advertisers
Avast harvested customers' data while promising them privacy
TurboTax deceived consumers with its "free" offering, the FTC rules
Software developer Intuit must stop advertising free service or products that many cannot access