FTCWatch

  • May 12, 2026

    Suing data broker Kochava helped FTC set legal precedent

    In the summer of 2022, the Federal Trade Commission set out to see how easy it was to buy Americans’ geolocation data. 

  • May 12, 2026

    Calendar

    May 14-15 — The Federal Trade Commission and George Mason University Law School’s Institute for Consumer Financial Choice are co-hosting a workshop on developments in the financial services marketplace. It will be held at the school’s campus in Arlington, Va. For more information, go to: https://www.ftc.gov/.

  • May 12, 2026

    Restaurateurs say Sysco-Jetro deal threatens stability of food system

    Restaurateurs across the US — from California to the Midwest to New York — are clamoring after Sysco, the nation’s largest food distributor, announced its intent to acquire Jetro Restaurant Depot, a cash-and-carry wholesaler.

  • May 12, 2026

    Khan launches new research center at Columbia

    Unlike other former Federal Trade Commission chairs, Lina Khan has kept a high profile, and she just launched a think tank to help further her goals.

  • May 12, 2026

    FTC settlement highlights broad scrutiny of 365 Retail serial acquisitions

    The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed remedy in the 365 Retail Markets matter underscores the agency’s increasing focus on serial acquisitions and its willingness to assess a company’s broader course of conduct, not just the competitive effects of a single deal, when reviewing mergers.

  • May 12, 2026

    Social media emerges as costliest source of scams

    Federal Trade Commission figures show more than $2 billion in reported losses originated from scams started on social media sites — nearly twice as much as any other contact method. 

  • May 12, 2026

    News sector emerges as growing US antitrust concern

    Federal and state antitrust law enforcers have ramped up their policing in recent years of alleged threats to either quantity, quality or variety of competition within the rapidly shrinking and consolidating journalism sector.

  • May 12, 2026

    People — Wood exits DOJ, returns to private practice

    Julia Tarver Wood, a key member of the Department of Justice’s trial team in the Google ad tech case, has returned to private practice as a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

  • May 12, 2026

    On the Shelf: Decoding the world of kid influencers

    The world of kid influencers is fascinating and scary, as well as a bit of a mystery for those who don’t follow or engage with them. The industry, raking in billions, also raises issues of privacy, child exploitation and free speech.

  • May 12, 2026

    Stop ABA’s monopoly on accreditation, agencies tell Tennessee

    The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice urged the Tennessee Supreme Court against relying exclusively on the American Bar Association’s accreditation of state law schools.

  • May 12, 2026

    Neil Averitt commentary: Finding GOP populism in consumer protection cases

    People have been looking for signs of Republican populism in the Trump era and not finding them. But at least some political populism has actually been hiding in plain sight, surfacing in the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer protection efforts rather than its antitrust agenda. 

  • May 12, 2026

    Cantwell bill includes FTC unit to monitor fuel markets

    Senator Maria Cantwell reintroduced legislation to require the Federal Trade Commission to monitor the transportation fuel market as gas prices surged above $4.30 per gallon nationwide at the start of May.

  • May 12, 2026

    Booker proposes legislation to break up certain mergers

    Senator Cory Booker introduced a measure to unwind certain mergers agreed to during the second Trump administration. The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee cited “political influence” on deals.

  • April 28, 2026

    Calendar

    May 20 — The Federal Trade Commission is hosting a workshop on “Eleventh-Hour Antitrust Remedy Proposals and Litigating the Fix.” It will be held at 9 a.m. at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC. For more information, go to: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/05/ftc-host-workshop-litigate-fix-merger-remedy-proposals.

  • April 28, 2026

    People — Brill moves to Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

    Former Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill has joined the Boston office of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. The move represents a professional homecoming of sorts for Brill, who spent decades working in New England at the Vermont attorney general’s office.

  • April 28, 2026

    Feds halt debt relief scammers targeting students

    The Federal Trade Commission shut down an operation that lured student loan borrowers with bogus promises of debt relief. The scheme resulted in an $8.8 million loss for consumers.

  • April 28, 2026

    Antitrust agencies extend comment period for guidance on collaborations

    The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have extended the public comment period for considering guidance on collaborations among competitors, pushing the deadline from April 24 to May 21.

  • April 28, 2026

    FTC steps up enforcement of ‘Made in USA’ Labeling Rule

    An electronic dartboard maker missed the mark when it came to “Made in the USA” claims on its advertisements, the Federal Trade Commission alleged in an April complaint, one of several the agency brought this month.

  • April 28, 2026

    Operator of timeshare exit scheme must pay $140 million

    Christopher Carroll, a key operator of a timeshare exit scheme, must pay $140 million for allegedly defrauding consumers out of more than $90 million.

  • April 28, 2026

    FTC takes aim at food delivery app tactics

    The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public feedback over whether it should issue rules targeting grocery and restaurant delivery fees.

  • April 28, 2026

    House Republicans unveil new comprehensive privacy framework

    House Republicans unveiled a new federal comprehensive privacy framework on Wednesday that would create one national standard for consumers across the US.

  • April 28, 2026

    Proposed housing ad rule gets mixed views

    Enforcers, consumer groups and housing industry executives weighed in on the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to crack down on deceptive practices in rent advertising. 

  • April 28, 2026

    Senate bill would boost FTC authority to return money from scams

    The Senate Commerce Committee’s top Democrat found common ground at an oversight hearing with two Republican Federal Trade Commissioners on utilizing court action to return money to defrauded consumers through Section 13(b) of the FTC Act.

  • April 28, 2026

    On the Shelf: How mergers & acquisitions sometimes work

    One factor many progressives want enforcers to consider when reviewing proposed mergers is their impact on employees.

  • April 28, 2026

    States turn tougher antitrust rhetoric into courtroom wins

    Recent court wins in antitrust cases show that states’ more assertive enforcement rhetoric is translating into tangible results, while underscoring growing risks for deals such as the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.