#federal-trade-commission
#federal-trade-commission

FTC Bars X-Mode from Selling Sensitive Location Data

Phone app location data brokers pose a threat to privacy and safety by selling our location data to advertisers and even police.

The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against X-Mode Social for collecting and selling raw location data to marketers and government contractors. [ more ]

Truthout

In Win for Reproductive Rights, FTC Bans Data Brokers From Selling Location Data

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a ban on the sale of individuals' medical location data in a groundbreaking move to protect the privacy of people seeking abortion in the U.S.

The ban follows the conclusion of the FTC's investigation into Outlogic (formerly X-Mode Social), a smartphone surveillance company that tracks people through more than 100 smartphone apps.

Outlogic is now prohibited from selling or sharing any person's private location data that could be used to track someone to a health care facility, domestic abuse shelter, or place of worship. [ more ]

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Federal Trade Commission

Engadget

Meta sues FTC to block new restrictions on monetizing kids' data

Meta is suing the FTC to prevent the reopening of a $5 billion privacy settlement from 2020 and to continue monetizing kids' data across its apps.

The FTC accuses Meta of repeatedly violating user privacy terms and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The FTC aims to impose new restrictions on Meta's use of facial recognition and a moratorium on new products until a privacy audit is completed. [ more ]

Ars Technica

Meta sues FTC, hoping to block ban on monetizing kids' Facebook data

Meta files lawsuit against the FTC challenging its authority to impose new privacy obligations on the social media company.

Meta argues that the FTC's administrative proceedings are unconstitutional and violate the Due Process Clause. [ more ]

Nextgov.com

FTC votes to streamline investigations into AI products

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a resolution granting the agency easier access to information in nonpublic investigations related to artificial intelligence (AI) products and services.

The resolution allows FTC staff to issue civil investigative demands, similar to subpoenas, to investigate unlawful market behavior involving AI products without requiring a full Commission vote.

The resolution aims to protect consumers and address concerns about fraud, privacy infringement, unfair practices, and competition issues related to AI. [ more ]

Iapp

Judge says X Corp. must follow FTC privacy program order

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled it lacked the authority to lift the FTC's consent order on X Corp.

Twitter allegedly used users' personal information for advertisement targeting according to the FTC. [ more ]

The Mercury News

moreFederal Trade Commission

Elon Musk and X can't escape government oversight, judge rules

Federal judge denies X's attempt to invalidate privacy settlement with the FTC, allowing the agency's investigation of the company to continue.

The judge's decision means Elon Musk may be compelled to cooperate with federal investigators and could be deposed as part of the probe.

The privacy settlement with the FTC is central to the government's scrutiny of X and allegations of non-compliance have arisen since Musk's takeover of the company. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

2 weeks ago

JavaScript

Opinion | The Mostly Persuasive Logic Behind the New Ban on Noncompetes

The F.T.C. banned noncompete agreements for most workers due to coercive practices, exempting senior executives due to their negotiation power. [ more ]

Fast Company

3 weeks ago

Ring customers, you might get a PayPal refund from the FTC after a privacy lawsuit was settled

FTC issues refunds over $5.6 million to Ring customers due to privacy and security breaches. [ more ]

Nextgov.com

Congress tries again for comprehensive data privacy bill

The American Privacy Rights Act aims to establish nationwide data security practices and hold companies accountable for protecting personal data.

The bill empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce legislation and requires large data holders to conduct privacy impact assessments regularly. [ more ]

The Verge

Lawmakers unveil new bipartisan digital privacy bill after years of impasse

Senator Cantwell and Representative McMorris Rodgers introduced the American Privacy Rights Act, a major data privacy proposal.

The bill grants consumers new rights over their data, including the ability to sue for violations and opt-out of certain data uses. [ more ]

AdExchanger

The Ad Industry Urgently Needs Consistent Privacy Standards | AdExchanger

Standardization in privacy compliance is crucial due to the increasing regulations at both state and federal levels.

Regulators are emphasizing the need for proactive compliance and swift enforcement in the realm of data privacy. [ more ]

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Tell the FTC: It's Time to Act on the Right to Repair

You should be able to fix and modify the things you own.

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments on the right to repair. [ more ]

Washington Post

Regulators crack down on company selling detailed location data

Federal regulators are cracking down on companies that profit off people's sensitive personal information.

The FTC has settled with two companies, InMarket Media and Outlogic (formerly X-Mode Social), to prohibit the sale of users' sensitive location data. [ more ]

www.npr.org

The government announced winners of a contest to tell real voices from deepfake audio

Federal Trade Commission awards prizes to organizations for developing technologies to detect audio deepfakes.

Organizations are using innovative methods, such as sensors and data injection, to distinguish between authentic human speech and AI-generated audio. [ more ]

Digiday

AI Briefing: FTC and Congress put pressure on AI giants as GenAI misinformation spreads

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry into five major AI players, including Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, and OpenAI, to investigate the impact of their investments and partnerships on competition.

The FTC is looking for information about investment and partnership agreements, their rationale, and the implications for competition, sales, resources, and product rollouts. [ more ]

Patently-O

The FTC's Misguided Comments on Copyright Office Generative AI Questions

The U.S. Copyright Office is seeking comments on the copyright implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and its use of in-copyright works for training data.

The office received approximately 10,000 comments on the matter and experts in copyright law have submitted their own comments and replies to the comments of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). [ more ]

The New Yorker

Left-wing politics

Why the Biden Administration Is Suing Apple and Investigating Big Grocers

The Department of Justice sued Apple for monopolizing the smartphone market.

The Federal Trade Commission released a report on grocery industry concentration and price hikes during the pandemic. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

Medicine

U.S. Agencies Open Inquiry Into Generic Drug Shortages

The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services will investigate the causes of generic drug shortages and the role of middlemen in the supply chain.

The inquiry is focused on group purchasing organizations and drug distributors that may have pressured pricing and manufacturing, leading to drug shortages. [ more ]

www.theguardian.com

Environment

Certified natural gas is dangerous greenwashing scheme', US senators say

Certified natural gas is seen as a greenwashing scheme by progressive senators, who argue that it allows the oil and gas industry to justify the continued use of methane gas.

Gas certification programs may face stricter regulations under the updated Green Guides from the Federal Trade Commission, strengthening legal cases against polluters. [ more ]

www.vice.com

Law

U.S. Corporations Are Openly Trying to Destroy Core Public Institutions. We Should All Be Worried.

Trader Joe's and SpaceX have filed lawsuits against the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for being unconstitutional, following Meta's ongoing lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

These companies are taking advantage of a perceived conservative-leaning Supreme Court to protect their interests by challenging public institutions. [ more ]

The Conversation

Data brokers know everything about you - what FTC case against ad tech giant Kochava reveals

Kochava is involved in a legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission over its data acquisition and AI-aided analytics practices

The FTC is also cracking down on data brokers, recently reaching a settlement with Outlogic that includes a ban on the use and sale of sensitive location data [ more ]

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