LabMD litigation against FTC lingers
Although the Federal Trade Commission won its effort to quash a lawsuit over its probe of LabMD, the now-defunct medical laboratory is still trying to sue three agency employees.
The pushback on convenience, resort and junk fees
Unexpected, surreptitious fees in retail transactions — additions like “convenience fees” and “resort fees” — have proliferated wildly over the past 30 years. When they aren’t clearly disclosed at the start of a transaction, their omission can deceive consumers and distort the purchase decision....
Current Issue: 954
Bitterly divided FTC approves Staples-Essendant merger
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joe Simons’ goal of building a new consensus on antitrust or confirming the old one isn’t going to be easy to achieve.
Tech giants up lobbying spending amid outcry over privacy threats
As lawmakers prepare to beef up privacy laws, they face an onslaught of lobbying and campaign spending by technology companies amid increased public support for getting tough on those firms.
Advocates aggressively push for new agency — a CFPB for privacy
It’s easy to dismiss the efforts of consumer advocacy groups that are pushing for a new federal data privacy agency to displace the Federal Trade Commission.
Facebook in hot seat again over ‘friendly fraud,’ kids app
Facebook earned record-breaking profits last year despite a string of privacy scandals, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg went on an apology tour, vowing that his company would do better.
Sack the NFL’s antitrust exemption, lawmaker urges
When fans don’t like a referee’s or umpire’s call, they rant, Tweet or drown their sorrows with liquid refreshment. US Representative Cedric Richmond has more forceful options.
When love’s in the air, romance scams are in the inbox, FTC says
Valentine’s Day means red roses and candlelight dinners for some, but lonely hearts are increasingly falling prey to online dating and romance scams robbing them of millions of dollars as well as...