ftc

Dish sued by FTC over 'Do Not Call' rules

People who've received unwanted sales calls from Dish Network may yet get some satisfaction.

The company is the target of a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission alleging that it made sales calls to millions of consumers even though they had asked not to be called again.

The calls reportedly violated the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule. According to that rule, a telemarketer cannot call someone who has asked to be taken off the company's call list, even if the person is not registered with the National Do Not Call list.

The FTC's lawsuit alleges that Dish … Read more

Google seeks recruits for privacy 'red team'

Google, which settled a privacy case with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week, is building a "red team" dedicated to solving privacy problems.

The team will be focused on tracking down and fixing privacy risks within the company's products, services, and businesses processes.

Its existence came to light after a Google posted a job advertisement seeking a "Data Privacy Engineer, Privacy Red Team".

The advertisement says:

Top candidates will have an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of modern web browsers and computer networks, enjoy analyzing software designs and implementations from both … Read more

Facebook cleared to acquire Instagram

The Federal Trade Commission has cleared Facebook's proposed purchase of mobile photo-sharing app Instagram.

FTC commissioners voted unanimously to close the agency's investigation into deal, once valued at $1 billion in cash and stock, the agency said in a statement. With Facebook's stock price at $19 a share, half of what it was when it went public, the deal is now worth about $747.1 million.

"We are pleased that the Federal Trade Commission has cleared the transaction after its careful and thorough review," a Facebook spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. Instagram representatives did not … Read more

Ex-FTC chief: Google could beat an 'unfair competition' suit

ASPEN, Colo.--The former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission predicts that an unfair competition lawsuit against Google would be an uphill battle for his former agency.

But William Kovacic, who left the commission last fall and is now a law professor at George Washington University, said here yesterday that his former agency might well try it anyway.

"If I were Mount Google or Mount Apple, I'd be really worried about being scaled today," Kovacic said during a panel discussion on antitrust at a Technology Policy Institute conference. Government attorneys get "extra credit for big cases,&… Read more

FTC settles Facebook privacy complaint sans Google-like fine

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has inked a final settlement with Facebook over the company's privacy practices.

Under terms of the settlement, Facebook has agreed to provide users with "clear and prominent notice" anytime their information is shared. But before that can happen, Facebook must obtain its users' "express consent" before sharing any information that exists outside the auspices of its privacy settings. In addition, the agency will force Facebook to maintain a "comprehensive privacy program," and subject its service to biennial privacy audits.

The FTC first announced the settlement with Facebook back in November. … Read more

FTC takes to Twitter to explain $22.5M fine against Google

The Federal Trade Commission took to social media to answer question about the $22.5 million fine it slapped against Google this morning for allegedly tracking people using Apple's Safari browser even though Safari tells users it blocks cookies by default.

The fine, while tiny for Google, amounts to the largest penalty ever for the violation of an FTC order. Read the details here.

While FTC representatives also took to Twitter and Facebook, the action took place on Twitter. The answers, however, were far from enlightening. The FTC reps sounded like they were tweeting from talking points -- should … Read more

FTC hits Google with $22.5 million fine for Safari tracking

The Federal Trade Commission has jabbed Google with a hefty fine over its alleged Safari tracking practices.

The government agency today announced that Google has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle the FTC's charges that Google "placed an advertising tracking cookie on the computers of Safari users who visited sites within Google's DoubleClick advertising network." The issue, the FTC said, is that Google had assured those users that they would be automatically opted out of the tracking because of Safari's handling of third-party cookies.

The FTC's fine is the largest ever for … Read more

FTC to fine Google $22.5M over Safari privacy, says report

Another privacy embarrassment for Google?

Reuters is reporting that the Federal Trade Commission intends to fine Google $22.5 million in civil penalties to settle charges that the company bypassed the privacy settings of Safari browser users.

The settlement will allow Google to avoid admitting liability, according to an unidentified source who spoke with Reuters.

Earlier this year, Google was accused of bypassing the privacy settings of people using Apple's Safari browser. At the time, Google downplayed the charge as a mischaracterization. As with the Street View embarrassment, Google said the Safari episode was inadvertent and that no personal … Read more

Al Franken gives thumbs-down to facial recognition tech

Minnesota Senator Al Franken is concerned about the growing use of facial recognition technology spurred by companies like Facebook, Apple, and Google. He believes that once mainstreamed, not only is privacy curbed but also law enforcement officials could potentially abuse the technology to the detriment of U.S. residents.

In a Senate hearing on facial recognition technology today, Franken, who is the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, questioned the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, and Facebook about their use of this computer science, according to The Verge.

Facebook automatically uses facial recognition software in … Read more

Trouble with Google, RIM and Nic Cage

Google, Canadians and Nic Cage. Tuesday's top tech stories are nuthin' but trouble.

Google may pay a record $22.5 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle a charge over a privacy violation made public six months ago. Google is accused of exploiting a loophole around user privacy settings in Apple's Safari browser. And the Wall Street Journal says this would be the largest penalty a single company has been asked to pay to the FTC. The Journal first brought the issue to light and exposed how Google used a code to get around privacy controls. Ad … Read more