Blog Posts Tagged with Tech

Here’s the story of a database of sensitive consumer information – names, addresses, phone numbers, email, and payment information – posted on a site frequented by (among others) hackers. It took just minutes before identity thieves tried to make unauthorized use of the information. But this tale of stolen credentials is full of surprises, including who posted the data.

It’s wise to maintain a reasonable speed: 1) when you’re behind the wheel; or 2) when you’re preparing your public comments for the June 28, 2017, workshop on connected cars hosted by the FTC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s why we’re extending the deadline for your feedback to Monday, May 1st.

Financial technology remains a hot topic for consumers, offering the possibilities of increased convenience and access to financial services at a lower cost. As part of its FinTech Forum series, the FTC continues to promote public discussion of the ways in which innovative FinTech services – many provided by non-banks and technology companies within the FTC’s jurisdiction – can benefit consumers and the potential issues for stakeholders to keep in mind.

We recently saw a fellow diner reach across the cafeteria soup station until splat! His phone fell out of his shirt pocket and into the minestrone. But even before he ladled out his soup-logged smartphone, he reached into his bag and took out his tablet. As consumers have come to rely on multiple devices, companies are using technologies to connect a consumer’s activity across those devices – smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, and more.

Thanks to the Internet of Things, consumers can easily share a photo with family or watch from the office what’s going on at home. But share a tax return with a hacker, have some creep silently gaze at the live feed from your family room, or have your personal conversations remotely recorded?

So you’ve taken every precaution against a zombie attack. You’ve sealed the windows, stockpiled kerosene, and keep a machete or two handy. But despite your best efforts, The Undead still manage to reanimate themselves and stalk their unsuspecting prey. We hate when that happens. But this time it’s not an episode of The Walking Dead.

“What do your TV viewing habits say about you?”

Ransomware has emerged as one of the most serious online threats facing businesses. The FTC examined this issue at a September 7th workshop kicking off the Fall Technology Series, the first of three events looking at new and evolving technologies that raise critical consumer protection issues.

They’re overhead, on consumers’ minds, and under consideration this afternoon at the latest installment of the FTC’s Fall Technology Series. The topic is drones and experts on drone technology are gathering at the FTC right now to talk over the implications for consumer privacy. The event, which is free and open to the public, takes flight at 1:00 ET at the FTC’s Constitution Center conference facility, 400 7th Street, S.W., in Washington.