Category: FTC

Weaponization of Government Panel Says FTC Orchestrated ‘Aggressive Campaign to Harass Twitter’

The House panel investigating the weaponization of the federal government said Tuesday the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has orchestrated “an aggressive campaign to harass Twitter” as part of its “unusual response” to Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social network. The Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government…


FTC Warns Tech Companies to Keep AI Claims in Check

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning to tech companies on Feb. 27, telling them to “keep your AI claims in check,” as the agency intends to crack down on overstated artificial intelligence (AI) claims. Michael Atleson, an attorney for the FTC division of advertising practices, wrote in a blog post that the term…


Consumers Lost Nearly $8.8 Billion to Scams in 2022: FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released data on Feb. 23 that shows consumers reported losing nearly $8.8 billion nationally to fraud in 2022, a surge of more than 30 percent compared to previous year. According to the FTC’s data, consumers lost the most money to investment scams, at more than $3.8 billion, accounting for more…


Nutritional Supplement Company Settles With FTC Over Ratings Manipulation Allegation

The Bountiful Company (Bountiful), a nutritional supplement company, will pay $600,000 to settle a case with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over an allegation of inflating ratings on Amazon.com. Besides the payment, Bountiful will be prohibited from “making any misrepresentation about or through the ratings, reviews, badges, or endorsements of any of its products or…


Republicans Confront FTC Over Proposed Non-Compete Ban

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are challenging the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent proposal of a national ban on non-compete agreements. In a Feb. 14 letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan and other commissioners, Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) argued that…


Last Remaining GOP Federal Trade Commissioner Resigns, Accuses Chair of Abusing Power

Christine Wilson, the only remaining Republican on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced Tuesday that she will resign over her opposition to the agency’s progressive leadership. In an opinion published in the Wall Street Journal, Wilson listed reasons why she could no longer work with the Democratic majority. She specifically accused FTC chair Lina Khan…


Farmers’ Fight for ‘Right to Repair’ Own Equipment Builds as More States Advance Supporting Legislation

U.S. farmers’ “Right to Repair” movement is gaining steam as more and more states allow the practice of allowing them to fix their own equipment. The movement has faced opposition over the past several years, from manufacturers of products like medical devices, motor vehicles, and equipment, which contain software and telematics used for remote diagnosis…


NTD Business (Jan. 5): Bed Bath & Beyond Says It May Not Survive; Amazon to Lay Off More Than 18,000 Workers

Bed Bath & Beyond is warning it’s considering bankruptcy. Why is it running out of cash? Amazon is planning to lay off thousands more workers. Which units will be affected? Public schools lost over 1 million students during the pandemic. The drop coincides with a wave of school closures. At a tech show in Las Vegas,…


Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Takes Witness Stand in FTC Case

SAN JOSE, California—Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta, took the witness stand Tuesday in a trial over U.S. antitrust regulators’ effort to stop the tech giant from buying a virtual reality startup called Within Unlimited. At issue is whether Meta’s acquisition of the small company that makes a VR fitness app called…


FTC Sues to Block $68 Billion Microsoft-Activision Merger, Alleges Anti-Competitive Actions

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against the planned merger of tech giant Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, one of the largest videogaming corporations. The federal agency argued the acquisition should be stopped because Microsoft has a record of anti-competitive behavior in the gaming industry, withholding games from other platforms to the benefit…