Federal Trade Commission
FTC Announces Agenda for October 21 Open Commission Meeting
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan announced that an open meeting of the FTC will be held virtually on Thursday, October 21, 2021. The open meeting will begin at 1 pm EST and will be followed by a time for members of the public to address the FTC. Staff will present some findings from evidence gathered pursuant to the 2019 6(b) orders issued to six Internet service providers and three of their advertising affiliates in regards to their privacy practices. The public release of the report is subject to commission vote.
FTC Puts Hundreds of Businesses on Notice about Fake Reviews and Other Misleading Endorsements (Federal Trade Commission)
Submitted by grace@benton.org on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 15:15Spot the pandemic scam: Emergency Broadband Benefit program impersonators (Federal Trade Commission)
Submitted by grace@benton.org on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 17:02
FTC Releases Report to Congress on Privacy and Security
This report was compiled in response to a directive for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to “conduct a comprehensive internal assessment measuring the agency’s current efforts related to data privacy and security while separately identifying all resource-based needs of the FTC to improve in these areas." First, the report provides an overview of the FTC’s authority related to privacy and security, highlighting certain recent efforts in those areas. Second, it discusses priorities for improving the effectiveness of our efforts to protect Americans’ privacy.
FTC Chair Lina M. Khan Appoints Directors of Bureau of Competition and Bureau of Consumer Protection
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan appointed Holly Vedova as Director of the agency’s Bureau of Competition and Samuel A.A. Levine as Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Vedova and Levine have been serving in their roles in an acting capacity since June 2021.
FTC Chair Lina Khan Outlines New Vision for the Agency
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan laid out her strategic approach and vision in a memo to FTC staff. Khan's five principles stated the FTC needs to:
Federal Trade Commission Withdraws Vertical Merger Guidelines and Commentary
The Federal Trade Commission voted to withdraw its approval of the Vertical Merger Guidelines, issued jointly with the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the FTC’s Vertical Merger Commentary. The guidance documents, which were published in 2020, include unsound economic theories that are unsupported by the law or market realities. The FTC is withdrawing its approval in order to prevent industry or judicial reliance on a flawed approach. In voting to withdraw, the FTC reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the DOJ to review and update the agencies’ merger guidance.