The Next Web: FTC might put the brakes on Facebook’s plans to merge messaging apps. “A new report suggests the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) might file an injunction against Facebook, to keep it from integrating its messaging apps together. Doing so might make it harder to break up the company — which the FTC is reportedly considering.”
FTC
FTC: Robocaller could be fined $10 million
CNET: Robocaller could be fined $10 million. “The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has suggested a robocall telemarketer be fined almost $10 million, after an investigation found he spoofed a competitor’s phone number to spread misinformation about a candidate during California’s 2018 primary election.”
Tubefilter: YouTube Asks The FTC To Give Creators Clearer COPPA Guidelines Ahead Of Jan. 1 Enforcement
Tubefilter: YouTube Asks The FTC To Give Creators Clearer COPPA Guidelines Ahead Of Jan. 1 Enforcement. “YouTube has contacted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in an apparent attempt to mitigate the potential income losses and legal trouble creators could suffer if a COPPAcalypse comes to pass. What’s a COPPAcalypse? Well, it all stems from YouTube’s recent $170 million settlement with the FTC, where the agency determined there is an unknown number of children under the age of 13 watching content on YouTube with accounts that appear to belong to users over 13. This means they’re being treated as if they’re over 13 — so, their personal data is being collected and then (primarily) used to deliver personalized ads, which is a blatant violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, aka COPPA.”
The Verge: FTC officially rules that Cambridge Analytica deceived Facebook users
The Verge: FTC officially rules that Cambridge Analytica deceived Facebook users. “In July, the FTC accused the consulting company, as well as CEO Alexander Nix and app developer Aleksandr Kogan, of collecting data on tens of millions of Facebook users through a personality-testing app. The news, first revealed in 2018, upended Facebook and led to a congressional appearance by Mark Zuckerberg. The FTC previously settled the case with Nix and Kogan, and today voted unanimously to formally call the company’s practices deceptive.”
FTC: FTC Issues Rules For Disclosure Of Ads By Social Media Influencers
FTC: FTC Issues Rules For Disclosure Of Ads By Social Media Influencers. “Open up Instagram, and there’s a big chance you’ll come across a post about an influencer’s experience with a new lotion or a fancy restaurant. At the very bottom of the post, there’s a hashtag, #ad, to divulge that you just read a paid endorsement. That’s not enough, the Federal Trade Commission says, in a publication released Tuesday.”
The Register: Top American watchdog refuses to release infamous 2012 dossier into Google’s anti-competitive behavior
The Register: Top American watchdog refuses to release infamous 2012 dossier into Google’s anti-competitive behavior . “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has refused to release an infamous report into Google’s anti-competitive behavior, claiming that staff reports are exempt from America’s Freedom of Information Act.”
New York Times: The Government Protects Our Food and Cars. Why Not Our Data?
New York Times: The Government Protects Our Food and Cars. Why Not Our Data?. “…the United States is virtually the only developed nation without a comprehensive consumer data protection law and an independent agency to enforce it. Instead, Americans have to rely on the Federal Trade Commission, an overstretched agency with limited powers, to police privacy as a side hustle. The regulatory void has left Americans at the mercy of digital services that have every reason to exploit our personal information and little incentive to safeguard it.”
