FTC
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Fired FTC commissioner warns of the ‘corrupting influence of billionaires’
President Donald Trump’s sudden and unlawful firing of the Federal Trade Commission’s two remaining Democrats will serve the tech billionaires who backed him, not the American people, warned one of the ousted officials today. “I think we need to be focused on the billionaires over President Trump’s shoulder at his inauguration and what this attempt will do for them,” Commissioner…
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Microsoft faces FTC antitrust probe over AI and licensing practices – Computerworld
“The FTC’s antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s cloud services and AI partnerships could definitely lead to regulatory interventions affecting licensing terms, pricing models, and competition in the enterprise AI and cloud services market,” said Mukesh Ranjan, vice president at Everest Group. “Enterprises relying on Microsoft may face disruptions or increased costs as licensing agreements are revised.” Heightened regulatory scrutiny of Microsoft’s…
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Is Microsoft in Hot Water With The FTC Over AI Operations Antitrust Issues?
FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson on CNBC. Source: YouTube The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will move ahead with a wide-ranging antitrust probe into Microsoft’s AI operations. Announced in the final days of the Biden administration, the Trump administration’s new FTC chair Andrew Ferguson will lead the probe. The FTC sent Microsoft a civil investigative demand late last years asking it to…
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FTC will send $25.5 million to victims of tech support scams
Later this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will start distributing over $25.5 million in refunds to those misled by tech support companies Restoro and Reimage’s scare tactics. The FTC will send 736,375 PayPal payments starting March 13 to consumers tricked into paying for unnecessary computer repair services. Between now and March 13, those eligible for a refund will receive…
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FTC orders GM to stop collecting and selling driver’s data
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking action against General Motors (GM) and its subsidiary, OnStar, for unlawful collection and selling drivers’ precise geolocation and driving behavior data from millions of vehicles. The U.S. government organization proposes a settlement in which the automotive giant will be barred from sharing drivers’ sensitive data for five years. The car maker also has…
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Genshin Impact’s developer to pay $20 million fine to settle FTC charges
The Federal Trade Commission announced on Friday that Genshin Impact developer Cognosphere has agreed to a $20 million settlement and several restrictions on how it sells its loot boxes and manages children’s personal data. According to the FTC, the company “actively marketed” its loot boxes to children and misled players about their odds of winning prizes. Cognosphere allegedly also “deceived…
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FTC cracks down on Genshin Impact gacha loot box practices
Genshin Impact developer Cognosphere (aka Hoyoverse) has agreed to a $20 million settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its gacha loot box monetization and is now banned from selling them to teens under the age of sixteen without parental consent. This comes after the FTC referred a complaint to the Department of Justice over the company’s unfair marketing of loot…
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FTC orders Marriott and Starwood to implement strict data security
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered Marriott International and Starwood Hotels to define and implement a robust customer data security scheme following failures that led to massive data breaches. After acquiring Starwood in 2016 and failing to implement “reasonable data security,” Marriott International suffered three major data breaches impacting 344 million customers globally. Order for stronger measures Now, the FTC has…
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The FTC orders Marriott and Starwood to beef up their data security
The Federal Trade Commission announced on Friday it finalized an order (pdf) requiring Marriott International and subsidiary Starwood Hotels to improve their digital security, reports BleepingComputer. The FTC charged the companies with lax security practices that resulted in three big breaches detected in 2015, 2018, and 2020, “affecting more than 344 million customers worldwide,” leaking passport details, payment cards, and…
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FTC warns of online task job scams hooking victims like gambling
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns about a significant rise in gambling-like online job scams, known as “task scams,” that draw people into earning cash through repetitive tasks, with the promises of earning more if they deposit their own money. Although this type of scam was nearly non-existent in 2020, with the FTC receiving zero reports, the agency documented 5,000…
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