Tag Archives: FTC

Courthouse News reports: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit on Monday against Uber, accusing the ride-share giant of enrolling users in its Uber One subscription service without consent, failing to honor promised savings and creating a labyrinthine cancellation process in violation of federal consumer protection laws. In the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern …

The Hill reports: Two Federal Trade Commission (FTC) members fired by President Trump sued him Thursday, setting up another major test of his administration’s expansionist view of presidential authority over independent agencies. Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya’s lawsuit seeks backpay and reinstatement under the Supreme Court’s 90-year-old precedent that has enabled for-cause removal protections for independent agency leaders. Like …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump fired two Democratic commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, in another major test of the independence of regulatory agencies. A White House official confirmed the firings of Democratic Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, but had no additional comment. The firings drew sharp criticism from Democratic senators and antimonopoly groups concerned …

CNBC reports: The Federal Trade Commission asked a judge in Seattle to delay the start of its trial accusing Amazon of duping consumers into signing up for its Prime program, citing resource constraints. Attorneys for the FTC made the request during a status hearing on Wednesday before Judge John Chun in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of …

Axios reports: Grubhub will pay a $25 million settlement after an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission alleged deceptive and unlawful business practices. The settlement will require the company to make major changes and is a part of the FTC’s ongoing targeting of junk fees. The complaint alleges that Grubhub deceived users about delivery costs, deceived workers about how much …

CBS News reports: Ever booked a hotel room for $200 only to be surprised by an extra $40 “resort fee” at checkout? A new Federal Trade Commission rule aims to put a stop to such surprise charges by banning so-called junk fees on short-term lodging as well as on tickets to live events. The rule bans businesses from using such …

Reuters reports: An industry group representing cable and internet providers sued along with two others on Wednesday to block a U.S. Federal Trade Commission rule that requires companies to offer simple cancellation mechanisms for subscriptions. NCTA – The Internet & Television Association and groups representing the home security and online advertising industries said in papers filed with the 5th U.S. …

NBC News reports: Employment scams surged last year, as criminals leveraged artificial intelligence to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting job seekers, experts said. Consumer reports of job scams jumped 118% in 2023 from the prior year, according to a recent report by the Identity Theft Resource Center. Thieves generally pose as recruiters and post fake job listings to …

Reuters reports: The U.S. government sued Adobe on Monday, accusing the Photoshop and Acrobat maker of harming consumers by concealing hefty termination fees in its most popular subscription plan, and making it difficult to cancel subscriptions. In a complaint filed in the San Jose, California, federal court, the Federal Trade Commission said Adobe buries the fees, which sometimes reach hundreds …

The Associated Press reports: Home products retailer Williams-Sonoma will have to pay almost $3.2 million for violating a Federal Trade Commission “Made in USA” order. Williams-Sonoma was charged with advertising multiple products as being “Made in USA” when they were in fact manufactured in other countries, including China. That violated a 2020 commission order requiring the San Francisco-based company to …

CBS News reports: The Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying the $24.6 billion deal could result in higher prices for millions of American consumers. The FTC filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oregon, alleging that the deal is anticompetitive and could harm shoppers by boosting prices …

Axios reports: Federal regulators are poised to ban the impersonation of anyone, aiming to thwart scams in an AI-driven world. An imminent onslaught of deepfake video and audio is creating a sense of urgency to protect consumers. The FTC announced Thursday that it’s proposing to modify a rule that already prevents the impersonation of government and businesses to include the …

The City reports: The makers of the “Invisible Mask” — which New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda [photo] touted as a shield against COVID-19 in the weeks before Mayor Eric Adams brought him into the administration — have agreed to a $150,000 settlement following a FTC complaint that charged them with making a host of “deceptive claims.” Gary Kong, a …

The Washington Post reports: The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Amazon Tuesday, a long-awaited move that seeks to bar the company from allegedly abusing its powers to raise prices for shoppers and levy high fees against businesses that sell on its platform. The FTC alleges that Amazon engages in illegal behavior …

Reuters reports: Twitter, which has asked a court to terminate a consent order struck last year with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) related to data breaches, said in a court filing on Thursday that it planned to subpoena Senator Elizabeth Warren in connection with the fight. Twitter asked last week for the consent order to be scrapped, accusing the FTC …

The Washington Post reports: Fake reviews are ruining the web. But there’s some new hope to fight them. The Federal Trade Commission on Friday proposed new rules to take aim at businesses that buy, sell and manipulate online reviews. If the rules are approved, they’ll carry a big stick: a fine of up to $50,000 for each fake review, for …

CNBC reports: The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday sued Amazon, alleging the nation’s dominant online retailer intentionally duped millions of consumers into signing up for its mainstay Prime program and “sabotaged” their attempts to cancel. The agency claims Amazon violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act by using so-called dark patterns, or deceptive design tactics meant …

Axios reports: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is teaming up with House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to investigate the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, Axios has learned. Republicans in both congressional chambers now will throw their muscle into investigating FTC actions and defending Musk. Cruz is the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee. The “FTC’s …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Federal Trade Commission is preparing a potential antitrust lawsuit against Amazon that in the coming months could challenge an array of the tech giant’s business practices as anticompetitive, according to people familiar with the matter. The commission in recent years has been examining Amazon practices including whether it favors its own products over competitors’ …

CNBC reports: The Federal Trade Commission on Friday asked that notorious “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli be held in contempt of court for forming a new drug company in violation of a judge’s ban on the convicted fraudster from working in the pharmaceuticals industry. Shkreli, who was released from prison last year, in February was banned “for life from directly or indirectly participating in any manner in the …