FTCWatch
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January 16, 2024
FTC bars data broker X-Mode Social from selling sensitive location data
The Federal Trade Commission barred data broker X-Mode Social from selling “sensitive” location data and restricted its use of more general location information in a first-of-its-kind settlement unanimously approved by the commission's three members.
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January 16, 2024
Calendar
Jan. 25 — The Federal Trade Commission is holding a virtual summit on artificial intelligence. It will focus on topics such as the state of technology, emerging market trends and real-world impacts of AI. It will be held from noon to 4:30 p.m. For more information, go to: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events/2024/01/ftc-tech-summit.
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January 16, 2024
Merger enforcement cases at two-decade high, report finds
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice brought 50 merger enforcement actions in fiscal 2022 — the highest number in more than 20 years, the agencies said in a report.
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January 16, 2024
Kohl had big impact on antitrust at helm of Senate panel
The late Senator Herbert Kohl was a neo-Brandeisian before the phrase was even coined.
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January 16, 2024
Trade groups, others to oppose click-to-cancel rule
The Federal Trade Commission is set to hear opposition to its amendments to the Negative Option Rule at an informal virtual hearing, with most speakers expected to criticize the proposal for being overly broad.
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January 16, 2024
People
Ohlhausen jumps to Wilson Sonsini
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January 16, 2024
Privacy Corner: Whistleblower Haugen eager to see Meta lawsuits play out
Frances Haugen never set out for anyone to know her name when she began gathering documents that led to Meta Platforms — then known solely as Facebook — getting hit with hundreds of lawsuits for allegedly harming its youngest users for big profits.
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January 16, 2024
Senator Hawley’s block on Republican FTC nominee hurts agency’s political legitimacy
Andrew Ferguson, nominee for the Republican commissioner spot on the Federal Trade Commission, is grappling with a delay to his confirmation as Senator Josh Hawley has called into question his bonafides — but it’s only hurting the agency, which has been missing a Republican voice on critical antitrust and privacy policymaking for nearly a year now.
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January 16, 2024
AI copyright concerns draw FTC scrutiny
The Federal Trade Commission said its enforcement against unfair and deceptive practices applies to artificial intelligence products even if they are permitted under copyright law.
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January 16, 2024
FTC launches voice cloning challenge
The Federal Trade Commission has called on innovators to develop solutions that protect consumers from the potential harms of voice cloning. The winner of the FTC’s “Voice Cloning Challenge” will be granted a $25,000 prize.
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January 16, 2024
Neil Averitt commentary: College football, antitrust law, and unforeseen consequences
What is happening to the game of college football, and can we blame the antitrust lawyers?
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January 16, 2024
On the Shelf: A top economist’s life and work
The impact of Milton Friedman’s work on economics and other aspects of public policy has been profound, as even his ideological foes will concede. He was for many years both a prominent scholar of and public advocate for free market economics and an array of other conservative causes, including tightening the relationship between law and economics.
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December 19, 2023
Wilson mobilizes antitrust community in fight against sexual harassment
The US antitrust community has rallied behind Elyse Dorsey and Angela Landry, two Washington, DC, private practitioners who accused former Federal Trade Commissioner Joshua Wright of sexually harassing them for years. And no voice of support has been louder than that of another former commissioner — Christine Wilson.
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December 19, 2023
FTC declines to specify social media companies’ response times for customer complaints
The Federal Trade Commission denied a citizen’s petition to require social media companies to respond to customer complaints within a certain time frame.
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December 19, 2023
Calendar
Jan. 16 — The Federal Trade Commission is holding a virtual informal hearing on the proposed amendments to the Negative Option Rule. It will be held at 10 a.m. ET. For more information, go to: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/12/ftc-hold-virtual-informal-hearing-january-2024-part-its-review-proposed-click-cancel-rulemaking?utm_source=govdelivery.
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December 19, 2023
People
Stein joins Davis Wright Tremaine
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December 19, 2023
Neil Averitt commentary: A look back at 2023
2023 is almost at an end, and we are sorry to see it go. How can you not love a year that has brought us new merger guidelines, new price-fixing mechanisms that use computers to do the dirty work, and new weight-loss drugs that make so much money that they practically invite litigation?
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December 19, 2023
Beware of QR code scams, FTC says
The Federal Trade Commission warned mobile phone users that scammers hide harmful links in QR codes to steal personal information. For example, some scammers may cover up QR codes on parking meters with their own or send a QR code via text or email to trick a person to scan it.
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December 19, 2023
AI toys come with privacy warning this holiday season
Nowadays kids’ holiday wish lists are filled with smart toys: stuffed animals that talk and listen, games that require online accounts, and even soccer balls that require players to download an app.
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December 19, 2023
Military contractors sentenced over procurement fraud scheme
Three military contractors convicted of conspiring to defraud the US government with sham quotes and fraudulently prepared procurement documents have been sentenced by a Georgia federal judge, the Department of Justice said.
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December 19, 2023
Court remands Illumina-Grail deal for FTC reconsideration but finds merger would lessen competition
The Federal Trade Commission had substantial evidence that Illumina’s acquisition of Grail created a significant incentive to crowd out competition, but an appeals court remanded the case for reconsideration, saying the FTC applied an erroneous legal standard.
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December 19, 2023
Bedoya wants FTC to ‘reinvigorate’ Robinson-Patman Act
Federal Trade Commission member Alvaro Bedoya, a former Georgetown University professor, said he’s concerned about the real-world effects — not academic effects — of antitrust law.
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December 19, 2023
On the Shelf: Notable books of the year
So many books, so little time. With thousands of new titles every year — though much fewer in antitrust and privacy — there’s no shortage of choices for readers hoping to dive into these topics. To help narrow your selection, here are some of the best books FTCWatch reviewed in 2023.
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December 19, 2023
O’Connor influenced key antitrust case
Although the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wasn’t a leader on antitrust matters, a concurring opinion she wrote in one case was adopted by a subsequent court.
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December 19, 2023
FTC tightens rules on auto dealer disclosures
The Federal Trade Commission has issued a final rule aimed at curbing hidden fees levied by car dealers while House Republicans are investigating how the rule was drafted.