Blog

At the Monterey Pop Festival, the legendary Jimi Hendrix reportedly one-upped The Who by setting fire to his guitar and his amplifier. The legendary – but fictional – Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap boasted of having an amp that “goes to 11.” Of course, those aren’t the kind of amps covered by the FTC’s Amplifier Rule. But industry members and home audiophiles will want to take note as the FTC’s ongoing regulatory review process tunes in to the future...

“It’s the Wild West out there!” How often have you heard that statement made about health claims for products containing CBD? But here’s the thing: It’s not the Wild West. In fact, health-related representations for CBD products are subject to the same established requirements of scientific substantiation the FTC has applied for decades to any advertised health claim. That’s the message of Operation CBDeceit, a law enforcement sweep challenging...

To meet the needs of consumers who are injured or face a medical emergency while traveling, Scottsdale-based SkyMed International sells air evacuation plans and other services. The FTC’s action against SkyMed also involves consumer injury, but not of the fractured-femur-in-France variety. According to the FTC, SkyMed put consumers’ sensitive information at risk of compromise by failing to employ a robust data security program. SkyMed’s...

It’s an annual celebration of the innovative, the audacious, and the avant garde. The Met Gala? Not quite. It’s the FTC’s sixth PrivacyCon, scheduled to convene virtually on July 27, 2021. PrivacyCon brings together researchers, academics, consumer advocates, industry members, and law enforcers to discuss what’s new and noteworthy in data security and consumer privacy. Interested in showcasing your research at PrivacyCon? The FTC just issued a...

To quote studio head Samuel Goldwyn’s famous malaprop, an oral contract isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. The same can be said of a written security policy if a company doesn’t carry out its provisions. A proposed FTC settlement with a Texas technology firm alleges the company created a written “Third Party Vendor Risk Management” policy as part of its obligations under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Safeguards Rule, but didn’t follow through to...

One digit can make a lot of difference. Would the Proclaimers have walked 501 miles? How effective was Love Potion #10? Did the Beatles ask would you still need me, would you still feed me when I’m 65? With so much attention on Section 5 of the FTC Act, some may overlook another important provision of the statute: Section 6(b). The FTC has issued 6(b) orders to nine well-known social media and video streaming platforms seeking information about...

There’s a standard movie trope of a group stranded in the desert. Parched and burned, their spirits soar when they see an oasis on the horizon. With their last ounce of energy, they crawl toward the lush palms and beckoning pool. But as they dip their hands in the water, they realize it was just a mirage. For consumers looking to supplement their income and gain financial independence, promoters’ promises may seem like that oasis on the horizon...

Imagine turning on your computer one morning to discover you and your employees are locked out of your system. A threatening message appears on the screen demanding a ransom if you ever want to see your data again. You check your backups and they’ve been destroyed. Your business is at a standstill, losing money with every passing minute. It may sound like a nightmare, but for many companies, a ransomware attack is all too real. And even more...

If you haven’t been following The 12 Days of Consumer Protection on the FTC’s Consumer Blog, you’re in for a treat. The puns are terrific, the visuals are sharable on social media, and the holiday-themed tips are a thoughtful way to let far-flung friends and family know you’re thinking of them. Searching the internet for that perfect gift? Hawking in a winter wonderland offers advice about online shopping. If someone you know is in a career...

When the job market is tough, scammers target people who are looking for work or trying to bring in extra income. Economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have created ideal conditions for these scams to proliferate. In fact, the volume of reports to the FTC about income scams reached the highest levels on record in the second quarter of 2020. 1 These income scams take many forms. Looming large are phony job offers involving fake...