Three U.S. agencies and a group of state attorneys general have filed more than 70 civil and criminal cases against defendants offering allegedly bogus business opportunities, with some of the defendants offering to help customers set up online businesses.
Internet companies need to build consumer privacy and data controls into their online services to protect their brands, gain trust from their users, avoid civil lawsuits and prevent government probes, according to two regulators from the U.S. and Canada.
The U.S. Congress needs to pass new laws to protect smartphone customers from having their locations tracked by operating systems and applications, members of a Senate subcommittee said Thursday.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against a Canadian entrepreneur and a group of Web-based businesses that promised customers free offers, but allegedly raked in more than US$450 million by then charging for products and services they did not purchase.
A yearlong sweep targeting bogus employment and money-making schemes has resulted in more than 90 law enforcement and civil actions, including a restraining order against a company that made US$40 million by promising customers it would help them build Web-based businesses, U.S. agencies announced Wednesday.