Legal Resources
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Displaying 1 - 37 of 37
June 28, 2019
A one-day public workshop in Atlanta focused on truth-in-advertising basics and data security compliance. Designed for business owners, advertising and marketing executives, and attorneys, the program features a roster of experts discussing established consumer protection and antitrust principles,...
April 4, 2019
The staff of the Federal Trade Commission examined consumer protection issues related to video game loot boxes at a public workshop on August 7, 2019, in Washington, DC. Loot boxes are in-game rewards that contain a random assortment of virtual items (loot) to assist a player advance in the online...
Public Event: Online Event Tickets Workshop
March 27, 2019
The workshop, first announced in October, was originally set to take place in March, but was rescheduled due to the extended government shutdown. It was live tweeted using the hashtag #FTCticket. The workshop explored consumer protection issues in the online ticket marketplace for events, such as...
Public Event: Cross-Device Tracking
November 16, 2015
Not long ago, consumers accessed the Internet primarily through the browser on their desktop or laptop PC. While the PC remains a fixture for many, today’s typical consumer relies on a variety of different connected devices to navigate their daily lives. Examples include consulting a traffic app on...
Public Event: Mobile Security: Potential Threats and Solutions
June 4, 2013
On June 4, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission hosted a public forum to examine the state of mobile security. Mobile technologies, such as smartphones and tablets, provide consumers with an always-connected and convenient means of engaging in their daily activities, including email, shopping,...
Public Event: The Big Picture: Comprehensive Online Data Collection
December 6, 2012
Archived Webcast - segment 1/4 Archived Webcast - segment 2/4 Archived Webcast - segment 3/4 Archived Webcast - segment 4/4 Consumer protection organizations, academics, business and industry representatives, privacy professionals, and others examined the technological landscape, benefits and risks...
May 30, 2012
The Federal Trade Commission hosted a one-day public workshop to consider the need for new guidance concerning advertising and privacy disclosures in today's online and mobile environments. The workshop addressed online disclosure challenges, including making clear and conspicuous disclosures in...
Public Event: The Economics of Drip Pricing
May 21, 2012
Drip pricing is a pricing technique in which firms advertise only part of a product’s price and reveal other charges later as the customer goes through the buying process. The additional charges can be mandatory charges, such as hotel resort fees, or fees for optional upgrades and add-ons. Drip...
April 26, 2012
The Federal Trade Commission hosted a workshop to examine the use of mobile payments in the marketplace and how this emerging technology impacts consumers. This event brought together consumer advocates, industry representatives, government regulators, technologists, and academics to examine a wide...
Public Event: Digital Rights Management
March 25, 2009
The Federal Trade Commission and the Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic at the University of Washington School of Law will host a conference on the use of digital rights management technologies, a widespread practice that is expected to become increasingly prevalent in the U.S. marketplace in...
Public Event: Ad It Up! Kids in a Commercial World
March 12, 2009
The Federal Trade Commission staff will host a forum on March 12, 2009 to gather input for its advertising literacy initiative, which will educate and empower tweens to be better informed consumers of information. At the forum, experts on advertising and marketing to kids will discuss a range of...
Public Event: Fraud Forum
February 25, 2009
The Federal Trade Commission will host a free two-day Fraud Forum on February 25 and 26, 2009, in Washington, DC. The Forum will examine how the FTC can more effectively protect consumers from fraudulent schemes. The first day of the Forum will be open to the public and will provide an opportunity...
Public Event: Beyond Voice: Mapping the Mobile Marketplace
May 6, 2008
The Federal Trade Commission will host a Town Hall meeting on May 6-7, 2008, to explore the evolving mobile commerce (M-commerce) marketplace and its implications for consumer protection policy. This Town Hall, titled “Beyond Voice: Mapping the Mobile Marketplace,” follows up on the FTC’s November...
November 1, 2007
The FTC hosted a Town Hall that brought together consumer advocates, industry representatives, technology experts, and academics to address consumer protection issues raised by the practice of tracking consumers' activities online to target advertising - or "behavioral advertising." The Town Hall...
July 11, 2007
The FTC hosted a summit that brought together experts from the business, government, and technology sectors, consumer advocates, and academics to explore consumer protection issues surrounding spam, phishing, and malware.
Public Event: The Rebate Debate
April 27, 2007
The FTC hosted a public workshop that gathered consumer advocates, government officials, business people, and other parties involved in the rebate process. The workshop provided an opportunity to discuss consumers' perspectives on rebates and challenges businesses face when they offer rebates, and...
Public Event: Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy
February 13, 2007
The FTC hosted a public workshop on that brought together experts from business, government, and the technology sector, consumer advocates, and academics to explore competition and consumer protection issues relating to broadband Internet access, including so-called "network neutrality." The...
January 25, 2007
The FTC hosted a workshop to analyze the marketing of goods and services through offers with negative option features. The workshop, which brought together consumer representatives, academics, and industry leaders, addressed the pros and cons of such offers, discuss online marketing of such offers...
Public Event: Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade
November 6, 2006
The FTC held public hearings to bring together experts from the business, government, and technology sectors, consumer advocates, academicians, and law enforcement officials to explore the ways in which convergence and the globalization of commerce impact consumer protection. The hearings provided...
Public Event: New York Hispanic Fraud Prevention Forum
September 27, 2006
The FTC, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, and the Manhattan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosted a forum that gathered law enforcement and community leaders, provided an opportunity to learn about the nature and extent of...
December 15, 2004
The workshop is the latest in a series of efforts to assess the impact of new and significant technologies on consumers and businesses. P2P file-sharing technology enables individuals to share files, including music, video, or software. Because the files do not reside in a central location - they...
Public Event: Email Authentication Summit
November 9, 2004
The FTC and the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology hosted a summit that brought together technologists and other interested parties to discuss the market's development, testing, evaluation, and deployment of domain-level authentication systems. The Summit...
Public Event: Hispanic Consumer Outreach Forum
May 12, 2004
The FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime hosted a workshop on strategies for effective and high-impact education and enforcement to protect Hispanic consumers from fraud. The Consumer Outreach Forum provided the opportunity to learn about the U.S. Hispanic market and...
April 19, 2004
The FTC hosted a public workshop to explore the issues associated with the distribution and effects of software that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge and which may send such information to another entity without the consumer's consent, or asserts...
Public Event: Information Flows: Costs and Benefits Related To the Collection and Use of Consumer Information
June 18, 2003
The FTC hosted a public workshop to examine the costs and benefits to consumers and businesses of the collection and use of consumer information. In order to facilitate closer examination of the issues, the workshop focused on the collection and use of consumer information for particular commercial...
Public Event: FTC Spam Forum
April 30, 2003
The FTC hosted a public forum to explore the issues regarding the proliferation of and potential solutions to unsolicited commercial email ("UCE" or "spam"). The forum also looked at how the unique qualities of spam contribute to and hinder both fraud and its prosecution.
Public Event: Public/Private Partnerships to Combat Cross-Border Fraud
February 19, 2003
The FTC held a public workshop on how to build public/private partnerships to combat cross-border fraud against consumers. The workshop explored how the private and public sectors can work together to identify, stop, and bring effective enforcement actions against cross-border fraud operators; any...
May 22, 2001
The FTC and the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus held a public workshop to explore how marketers comply with "clear and conspicuous" disclosure requirements in truth-in-advertising laws.
May 7, 2001
The FTC held a public workshop to examine selected issues of competition policy that arise in connection with business-to-business ("B2B") and business-to-consumer (B2C) electronic marketplaces.
March 13, 2001
The FTC hosted a public workshop that explored how businesses merge and exchange detailed consumer information and how such information is used commercially. The FTC explored how detailed consumer profiles -- i.e., compilations of identifying information, preference information, purchasing habits,...
February 6, 2001
The FTC held a roundtable discussion to discuss: 1) recommendations by business and consumer groups regarding the use of alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") for online consumer disputes; and 2) a proposed provision in the Preliminary Draft Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments...
Public Event: Etail dEtails: Seminar on Internet Marketing
January 30, 2001
The FTC and the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) presented a seminar for Internet retailers, marketers and suppliers on applying offline rules and regulations online. The seminar, led by FTC staff, was designed to ensure e-tailers understand and comply with the FTC rules regarding e-tailing.
Public Event: The Mobile Wireless Web, Data Services and Beyond: Emerging Technologies and Consumer Issues
December 11, 2000
The FTC hosted a public workshop to examine emerging wireless Internet and data technologies and the privacy, security, and consumer protection issues they raise.
Public Event: Online Profiling Public Workshop
November 8, 1999
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration ("NTIA") of the United States Department of Commerce and the Federal Trade Commission held a public workshop on "online profiling," the practice of aggregating information about consumers' preferences and interests, gathered primarily...
June 8, 1999
The workshop explored various issues that online consumers confront as they buy goods or services from foreign businesses. These issues concern questions of what laws apply to direct, international business-to-consumer transactions, where disputes are heard, and which governments have authority to...
Public Event: Interpretation of Rules and Guides for Electronic Media
May 14, 1999
The conference explored how the Commission's rules and guides apply to electronic media, including the Internet, e-mail and CD-ROMs.
June 4, 1996
The workshop was part of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection's Consumer Privacy Initiative, an ongoing effort to bring consumers and businesses together to address consumer privacy issues posed by the emerging online marketplace.
