So You Received a CID: FAQs for Small Businesses
By: Thomas B. Pahl, Acting Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection | Jan 19, 2018 6:34PM
So you’ve received a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) from the Federal Trade Commission related to a consumer protection matter. Now what? We appreciate that it can be daunting for any company – especially a small business – and we want to be as transparent as possible about the process.
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When your privacy certification is Asia-Pacific specific
By: Lesley Fair | May 4, 2016 1:29PM
The privacy framework for transatlantic exchanges of personal data between the EU and the United States has been in the headlines lately. But are you and your clients staying on top of your obligations on the Pacific side? If your company certifies its compliance with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cross Border Privacy Rules, a proposed FTC settlement with Very Incognito Technologies serves as a reminder to honor those promises.
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2015 Privacy and Data Security Update
By: Jessica Rich, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection | Jan 28, 2016 2:54PM
At the Federal Trade Commission, we’ve been very public about how we feel about privacy: we want consumers to enjoy the benefits of innovation in the marketplace, confident that their personal information – online and offline – is being handled responsibly.
U.S.-EU Safe Harbor compliance: Don’t run aground
By: Lesley Fair | Aug 17, 2015 1:02PM
An app developer, a medical waste company, a skateboard event sponsor, a stock car racing school, and a bagel purveyor. That’s either the strangest answer to a Jeopardy! question – or a partial list of companies that just settled FTC charges that they falsely claimed they were certified members of the U.S.-EU or U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework.
Continue Reading U.S.-EU Safe Harbor compliance: Don’t run aground
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 7, 2015 11:10AM
Does your company participate in the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework? It’s a voluntary international privacy program administered by the Department of Commerce that lets companies transfer data from the EU to the U.S. in compliance with EU law. Of course, data security and privacy are everyday obligations for companies, but are you honoring one particular once-a-year provision? And what about promises you make regarding how you resolve consumer disputes?
Trans-Atlantic Privacy Protection
By: Alvaro Puig | Mar 9, 2015 10:30AM
If your company transfers consumer data from the European Union to the U.S., you’ll want to know about the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Program, a voluntary international privacy framework that lets companies transfer data from the EU to the U.S. in a way that complies with EU law.
By: Lesley Fair | Jun 27, 2014 3:03PM
Ahab hunts big fish.
Captain and whaling boat sink.
Ishmael prevails.
Sometimes you want to read all 209,117 words of Moby Dick. Other times a haiku will do. Sometimes you want an in-depth analysis of the FTC’s enforcement, rulemaking, research, education, and international efforts related to privacy and data security. Other times a summary will suffice.
Has your company taken this selfie lately?
By: Lesley Fair | May 9, 2014 12:39PM
The company name may be American Apparel, but commerce is global, especially in the fashion industry. If a business says it abides by the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor for transferring consumer data, companies have an obligation to live up to that promise. American Apparel, the popular clothing retailer, is the latest company to be the subject of FTC law enforcement for claiming it was in compliance with the framework, but failing to conduct the required annual self-cer
The best 30-second investment you’ll make all day
By: Lesley Fair | Feb 11, 2014 9:47AM
Familiar with Fantage? If you have kids, they probably are. It’s a MMORPG – a massively multiplayer online role-playing game – where millions of children customize avatars to play online games in a virtual world. According to the FTC, there are a few more initials this MMORPG will want to be mindful of in the future: the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework.
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Picture this: Honoring the certification requirements of the US-EU Safe Harbor Framework
By: Lesley Fair | Jan 21, 2014 4:13PM
Business may seem borderless these days, but it’s important that companies honor applicable legal principles. That’s especially true when it comes to privacy. The good news for U.S.
Enforceable Codes of Conduct: Protecting Consumers Across Borders
By: Keith Fentonmiller | Nov 21, 2012 10:18AM
Business has gone global, but how should consumers be protected when transactions cross borders? The FTC is hosting a forum on Thursday, November 29, 2012, to talk about the role of enforceable industry codes of conduct to protect consumers in cross-border commerce. What’s on the agenda? Systems where government entities, businesses, consumer groups, and others develop and administer voluntary procedures that govern areas outside of traditional government oversight.
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New privacy system for movement of consumer data between US & Asia-Pacific economies
By: Markus Heyder | Nov 16, 2011 12:34PM
If your company does business in the Asia-Pacific region — or if you work with clients from that part of the global economy — you’ll want to follow recent developments in the privacy arena. This week, the FTC welcomed the approval by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) of a new initiative to harmonize cross-border data privacy protection among members of APEC.
The FTC's settlement with Google: Part 3
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 11, 2011 1:21PM
As any business knows, it is indeed a small world after all. And the FTC’s recent settlement with Google related to the launch of its Google Buzz social network demonstrates why it’s important for companies to think about the global ramifications of their privacy practices.
