FTC
BetterHelp owes customers $7.8M after FTC alleges data mishandling
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is requiring online therapy company BetterHelp to pay $7.8 million to consumers in a settlement over alleged data mishandling between 2017 and 2020. This marks…
The FTC, fresh off announcing a whole new division taking on “snake oil” in tech, has sent another shot across the bows of the over-eager industry with a sassy warning…
FTC’s new Office of Technology will help mop up tech ‘oozing with snake oil’
The FTC is embracing change with the establishment of an Office of Technology (OT) that will help it effectively regulate the fast-moving tech world. Citing “systemic concerns” relating to tech…
After an antitrust lawsuit with the FTC, Meta has officially closed the deal to acquire Within, the VR developer behind fitness app Supernatural. It has taken more than a year…
Report: Meta wins ruling against FTC to move forward with purchase of VR startup Within
Meta can move forward with its acquisition of virtual reality startup Within, a report from Bloomberg says. According to the report, Judge Edward Davila submitted a sealed decision that denied…
Senate questions Live Nation president amid Taylor Swift ticketing debacle
“May I suggest respectfully that Ticketmaster ought to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the problem, it’s me,’” Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said on the Senate floor Tuesday, referencing…
The FTC orders HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2M for lying about lead quality and other matters
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has ordered home services marketplace HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2 million for its use of deceptive and misleading tactics in selling home improvement project…
Biden’s call to ‘unite against big tech abuses’ sure sounds familiar
President Biden published an op-ed yesterday in the Wall Street Journal putting Big Tech on notice that his administration was working — in fact, has been working — to rein…
The Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule on Thursday that would block employers from using noncompete agreements to restrict workers from pursuing employment with competitors. In its push to throw…
FTC puts Zuckerberg on the stand over Meta’s plan to acquire Within
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand on Tuesday in a hearing about Meta’s acquisition of Within, the VR company that makes the fitness app Supernatural. In July,…
FTC fines Fortnite maker Epic Games $520M over children’s privacy and item shop charges
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Monday morning it will charge Epic Games with a $520 million settlement over charges related to children’s privacy. Epic Games, which makes popular all-ages…
Google/iHeartMedia will pay $9.4M to settle FTC charges for ‘deceptive’ Pixel 4 radio ads
The Federal Trade Commission this week announced that it has settled lawsuits against Google and iHeartMedia relating to “deceptive endorsements” of the Pixel 4 phone. According to a statement issued…
Musk’s lawyer tells Twitter staff they won’t be liable if company violates FTC consent decree
Following a warning shot from the FTC to Twitter yesterday, TechCrunch has obtained an internal email sent by Elon Musk’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, to all remaining employees — in which…
Featured Article
FTC warns ‘no CEO or company is above the law’ if Twitter shirks privacy order
The FTC has telegraphed what appears to be a now-inevitable investigation into Twitter’s internal data handling practices, as the company continues to shed important staff and improvise new features. “No CEO or company is above the law,” the agency said in a statement — and if Elon Musk’s Twitter continues its current spree, they may…
FTC schools edtech giant Chegg over ‘careless’ cybersecurity practices
The Federal Trade Commission has accused U.S. education technology giant Chegg of “careless” cybersecurity practices that led to the exposure of sensitive information about tens of millions of its customers…
A new letter penned by Senate and House Democrats accuses Amazon of “anticompetitive” practices in its bid to purchase Roomba-maker, iRobot, for $1.7 billion. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is leading…
FTC sets its sights on ‘unfair, deceptive, and anticompetitive practices’ in gig economy
The Federal Trade Commission is looking into the complex and potentially unfair economics and policies of the gig economy for “deceptive, unfair, and otherwise unlawful acts and practices.” Whether it’s…
Twitter whistleblower says platform was unable to guard against insider threats on January 6
Among the many damning allegations in the newly released Twitter whistleblower complaint, is the disquieting revelation that Twitter was unable to seal its production environment to guard against any potential…
FTC sets the wheels in motion for a major data privacy ruling
The Federal Trade Commission is warming up for a major ruling on data privacy and digital surveillance, a domain it has long enforced case by case but which has reached…
FTC slams Opendoor with $62M settlement over false advertising claims
Opendoor has agreed to pay $62 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission, which says the company’s claims that it helps people make more money by selling their…
This Week in Apps: Google battles KakaoTalk, Twitter deal in jeopardy, FTC asked to investigate TikTok
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry continues…
FTC hammers Walmart over years of ‘facilitating’ money transfer scams
The Federal Trade Commission is suing Walmart for sitting by while scammers bilked customers out of more than $197 million, the agency alleged in a statement on Tuesday. It’s seeking…
Twitter agrees to pay $150M for breaking privacy promises
Twitter has agreed to pay $150 million as part of a settlement with regulators over allegations that the social media company misrepresented the “security and privacy” of user data over…
FTC orders online shop to pay $4M for hiding reviews below 4 stars
We all know online reviews must be taken with a grain of salt, but generally you’d like to think that a product with a 4.5-star average is better than one…
FTC sues to block Lockheed Martin’s $4.4B deal to buy Aerojet Rocketdyne
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed suit to block the pending deal defense and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has on the table to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne. The proposed…
FTC challenges consolidation in tech with review of merger guidelines
It’s a sign of the times that on the very same morning, the FTC and Justice Department announced a thorough review of corporate merger policies with an eye to preventing…
FTC may consider rule curbing algorithmic discrimination and ‘commercial surveillance’
The Federal Trade Commission appears to be preparing to consider a rule aimed at digital platforms that either invasively track their users or allow others to do so. The “Trade…
FTC bans spyware maker SpyFone, and orders it to notify hacked victims
The Federal Trade Commission has unanimously voted to ban the spyware maker SpyFone and its chief executive Scott Zuckerman from the surveillance industry, the first order of its kind, after…
FTC puts hardware makers on warning for potential ‘unlawful repair restrictions’
As phones and other consumer devices have gained feature after feature, they have also declined in how easily they can be repaired, with Apple at the head of this ignoble…
Facebook is shook, asks for removal of FTC Chair Khan from antitrust cases against it
Facebook has joined Amazon in a show of alarm at the sudden rise of antitrust hawk Lina Khan to the position of FTC Chair by asking that she be recused…
