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FTC Act

Updates to Autorenewal Regulations and Enforcement

In the age of online consumerism, many companies utilize automatic renewal programs to deliver their products and services to customers on a recurring basis for a monthly or annual charge. Recently, autorenewal programs have seen an increase in consumer protection through legislation at both the state and federal level along with enforcement actions brought by private plaintiffs, state attorney generals, and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). Organizations that utilize automatic renewal should be aware of the uptick in autorenewal program enforcement and look to strengthen and update their policies where appropriate.

Federal Trade Commission: Who is Protecting Your Personal Information in the Digital Age

 As our society evolves over to a more digital world, it is important to take a step back and review what we are putting online. Recently, data breaches have become a common occurrence in our day-to-day lives. In 2016, personal information from about 25 million Uber customers and drivers in the United States. The notorious website for individuals seeking extra marital affairs, Ashley Madison, has itself fallen victim to a data breach. The hacker dumped 9.7 gigabytes of data into/onto the dark web. The data released in the Ashley Madison breach included names, passwords, addresses, and telephone numbers of users who created an account on the site. When data breaches like these happen, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) steps in to protect the United States consumers by investigating the source of data breaches and prosecuting hackers.

Virtual Influencers Leave Unanswered Questions on FTC Act Compliance

Thanks to the continued prominence of social media in people’s daily lives, it is no surprise that more familiar marketing strategies such as celebrity product endorsements would update for the current era. Recently, social media advertising has practically entered the realm of science fiction with the introduction of computer-generated influencers. These avatars are created to sell, but who is responsible if they fail to comply with advertising laws?

Joint Guidance Confirms the Sharing of Health Information Subject to FTC Regulations, Not Only HIPAA

Logan Parker Privacy Editor Loyola University Chicago School of Law, LL.M. in Health Law 2017   On October 22, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) in collaboration and conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released new guidance on key privacy and security considerations for organizations handling health …
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