U.S. Federal Trade Commission - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Apple's ResearchKit is here, now open your iPhone and say 'ah'

  An Apple a day keeps the doctor away, unless that doctor is now gathering your health data through your Apple iPhone.

• ICANN seeks opinion on legality of '.sucks' registration process

  The body that manages the Internet domain name system has asked regulators in the U.S. and Canada to comment on the legality of the high prices and procedures used by Vox Populi Registry for registrations of '.sucks' domain names by trademark owners.

• AT&T's data breach settlement called a 'slap on the wrist'

  The punishment AT&T received this week from the U.S. government for its sloppy protection of customer data is peanuts and won't scare other companies into taking stronger security measures, some cybersecurity experts said.

• The FTC is worried about algorithmic transparency, and you should be too

  It's no secret that algorithms power much of the technology we interact with every day, whether it's to search for information on Google or to browse through a Facebook news feed. What's less widely known is that algorithms also play a role when we apply for a loan, for example, or receive a special marketing offer.

• Complaint alleges YouTube Kids pushes advertising content

  The six-week-old YouTube Kids service is a "hyper-commercialized" environment that intermixes advertising and other programming in a way that deceives its target audience, a coalition of privacy and children's advocacy groups said in a complaint to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

• FTC says it did not go easy on Google in search probe

  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said its decision not to prosecute Google over its search practices was in line with the recommendations of its staff.

• The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, March 20

  FTC staff pushed for Google antitrust suit...Target may pay $10 million to breach victims...Tesla update adding self-drive to cars

• Proposed US data breach notification bill criticized as too weak

  Proposed legislation that would require U.S. businesses to notify affected customers after data breaches is too weak because it would preempt stronger breach notification laws in several states and it wouldn't cover several classes of data, including geolocation and health information, critics told lawmakers.

• Lawmakers target data brokers in privacy bill

  Four U.S. senators have resurrected legislation that would allow consumers to see and correct personal information held by data brokers and tell those businesses to stop sharing or selling it for marketing purposes.

• Privacy advocates find Obama proposal lacking

  A consumer privacy proposal from U.S. President Barack Obama's administration gives people too little control over their personal data and companies too much latitude to use that information, a coalition of 14 privacy and digital rights groups said.

• White House privacy proposal aims to give consumers control over data

  U.S. businesses that collect personal data would be required to describe their privacy and security practices and give consumers control over their personal information under a proposed privacy bill of rights released Friday by President Barack Obama's administration.

• Samsung faces complaint in US FTC over Smart TV 'surveillance'

  A complaint filed by a privacy group to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission charged that Samsung's Smart TVs intercept and record private communications of consumers in their homes, violating a number of rules including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

• Privacy groups want investigation of big data acquisitions

  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission should launch an investigation into the growing consolidation of big data analytics firms and digital marketing companies, a coalition of four privacy groups said Friday.

• Lawmakers call for investigation of Verizon supercookies

  Government agencies should investigate whether Verizon Wireless' use of so-called supercookies to track the online activities of its subscribers amount to privacy violations, three U.S. senators said Friday.

• US targets mobile operator for deceptive data promises

  TracFone Wireless, the largest prepaid mobile provider in the U.S., has agreed to refund US$40 million to customers to settle charges that it throttled bandwidth or cut off consumer data connections, despite promising "unlimited" data service as a marketing tool.