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Does your company make online games, products, or services for children? Take note: the FTC is serious about children’s privacy. For proof, look no further than today’s settlement with Apitor Technology Co., Ltd. (“Apitor”), a Chinese toymaker, for allegations that the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (“COPPA”).

It’s a common trope that joining a gym is easy, going to the gym is hard, and cancelling a gym membership is often…well, not easy. According to the FTC’s recent case against the operators of LA Fitness, “not easy” is an understatement for consumers seeking to cancel their LA Fitness memberships or related services.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, or you’re someone tuned in to how financial institutions are required to maintain safeguards to protect their customers’ information, you might already know about the FTC’s Safeguards Rule and what businesses need to know. Those in the know know that the Safeguards Rule generally applies to any financial institutions under the FTC’s jurisdiction. But auto dealers are the only financial institutions who also fall under the FTC’s Privacy Rule. The FTC recently released a set of Frequently Asked Questions to help auto dealers comply with the FTC’s amended Safeguards Rule.

Are you a collector of lead data, a seller of leads, or a purchaser of leads? There’s something for you in today’s FTC settlement with MediaAlpha. The FTC alleges that the online lead generation company misled consumers interested in health insurance into sharing personal information MediaAlpha then sold to telemarketers. As a result, consumers were allegedly bombarded with millions of illegal robocalls, live telemarketing calls, and other unlawful sales tactics.

The Rule of 7 in marketing says people need to hear a message at least seven times before they act on it. The latest Data Spotlight from the FTC, “False alarm, real scam” has some messaging to share (repeatedly) with your staff and colleagues. Share it in your company newsletter, email signature block, or posted in the office pantry, bulletin board, water cooler, or internal website. Because the last thing you want are team members who have to face the disastrous loss of their own life savings — or a family member’s retirement.

Reports to the FTC show a growing wave of scams aimed squarely at retirees’ life savings. These scammers pretend to be from known and trusted government agencies and businesses. And, in an ironic twist, recent scams use fake security alerts and other false alarms to prey on older adults’ vigilance about protecting their money and identity to steal from them. [1] Some people 60+ have reported emptying their bank accounts and even clearing out...

After a careful search, you hired the perfect employee. You can’t wait to share the good news on your business’s website and social media. Go ahead and shout it from the virtual rooftop, but know that it’s not only potential clients and competitors who’ll get the alert. Scammers are watching, too — and they might use the update to target your new employee.

We are excited to announce the publication of the first peer-reviewed journal article coming out of the FTC’s Physician 6(b) study. The paper, published in the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs Scholar, provides an overview of the merger activity within 15 states between 2015 and 2020 (inclusive). The study identifies approximately 2,000 physician mergers during that period and characterizes the mergers in several ways, including: 38% of doctors...

The FTC is cracking down on companies attempting to deceive people seeking treatment for addiction. An example of this effort is the FTC’s recently filed settlement to resolve allegations that Evoke Wellness and two of its executives used illegal tactics to trick people seeking substance use disorder treatment services.

If you prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses, you must give patients copies of their prescriptions any time you perform a refraction exam. Even if the patient doesn’t ask for it. At no extra charge.