Federal Trade Commission

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FTC Doling Out $126M in Refunds to Fortnite Players

Agency says payouts are for consumers 'tricked' into making unwanted purchases

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission is sending out the latest round of refunds to consumers it says were "tricked" into purchases they didn't want from Fortnite maker Epic Games, as well as to eligible players who haven't been compensated yet still have time to apply. The FTC said...

Platforms Will Have 48 Hours to Remove Flagged Revenge Porn

Congress passes Take It Down Act, which Trump has promised to sign

(Newser) - A bill targeting revenge porn and "deepfake" nudes, supported by first lady Melania Trump, passed the House in a 409-2 vote on Monday after unanimously passing the Senate in February and is now expected to receive the president's signature. What you need to know about the bipartisan Take...

Meta's Empire Could Crumble in FTC Showdown
New Court Fight
Has Huge Stakes
for Zuckerberg
the rundown
Apr 14, 2025 9:45 AM CDT

New Court Fight Has Huge Stakes for Zuckerberg

Meta's antitrust trial begins Monday in Washington

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission is taking Meta to court. In a trial beginning Monday, the US government will argue that the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp broke competition laws in acquiring the latter two apps in 2012 and 2014, respectively. More:
  • The case: It began in December 2020 during
...

Fired FTC Commissioner: 'This Is Corruption'

2 Democrats say they were illegally fired by Trump

(Newser) - Markets "should be very concerned" by President Trump's actions at the Federal Trade Commission, says one of two Democratic commissioners fired on Tuesday. Rebecca Kelly Slaughter says she was "illegally fired" by Trump, who violated "the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent,...

FTC: 3 Companies Massively Jacked Cost of Lifesaving Drugs

Report on pharmacy benefit managers doesn't do UnitedHealth Group, Cigna, CVS any favors

(Newser) - The Big 3 companies acting as intermediaries between drugmakers and insurance providers made billions by needlessly jacking up the prices of lifesaving drugs, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In its second interim staff report on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), released Tuesday, the FTC said CVS Health's Caremark Rx,...

FTC Bans Hidden Fees on Tickets, Short-Term Stays

Companies must post total prices, including all fees, up front under new rule

(Newser) - Companies from Ticketmaster to Airbnb will be forced to post total prices charged to consumers, including all fees, under a new FTC rule against "junk fees." The Federal Trade Commission announced Tuesday that it has finalized a rule requiring businesses to prominently display the total price for live...

Trump Names Guilfoyle as His Ambassador to Greece

He says his FTC pick will be 'most pro-innovation' in history

(Newser) - President-elect Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission. It was one of several evening announcements Trump made via Truth Social , including that he was naming Kimberly Guilfoyle as ambassador to Greece and former inaugural chairman Tom Barrack as ambassador to Turkey.
  • Ferguson.
...

New FTC Rule Bans Noncompete Agreements

Agency says clauses 'keep wages low' and 'suppress new ideas'

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission has voted 3-2 to ban noncompete agreements for most workers, meaning millions more people will soon be free to leave their jobs to work for competitors or start their own businesses. The FTC says around a fifth of the US workforce, about 30 million people, is...

Man Pardoned by Trump Fined $20M
Man Pardoned
by Trump Fined $20M
Feb 7, 2024 6:20 PM CST

Man Pardoned by Trump Fined $20M

Authorities say Jonathan Braun ran network of predatory lenders

(Newser) - Drug smuggler-turned-loan shark Jonathan Braun was pardoned by Donald Trump for the drug smuggling but he hasn't gotten off scot-free for running what authorities say was a network of predatory lenders. Braun was fined $20 million on Tuesday, almost double what a jury had recommended, by a federal judge...

Grand Canyon University Misled Students: FTC Suit

Filing also points out school isn't a nonprofit

(Newser) - Grand Canyon University again is facing a federal complaint accusing the school of deceptive practices. A lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission calls out advertising practices and illegal telemarketing, the Hill reports. An FTC statement said Grand Canyon misrepresented "the costs and number of courses required to...

Rite Aid Banned From Using Facial Recognition Tech

For the next 5 years, at least

(Newser) - Due to what the Federal Trade Commission calls Rite Aid's "reckless" use of facial recognition technology in hundreds of stores from 2012 to 2020, the drugstore chain is now prohibited from using it for five years. The ban is part of Rite Aid's settlement with the FTC...

Undisclosed Algorithm Helped Amazon Raise Prices: FTC

Company says 'Project Nessie' is misunderstood

(Newser) - Amazon relied on an undisclosed algorithm to help it increase what it charged buyers without risking the company ending up alone at higher price points, a government lawsuit says—the idea was to pull competitors along. "Project Nessie" helped Amazon leverage its market clout, the Federal Trade Commission's...

Microsoft's $69B Activision Deal Gets a Breather

Deadline to close acquisition with game maker is extended until Oct. 18

(Newser) - The deadline for Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard has been extended as the companies seek to close a deal that has been vexed by US regulators, as well as by UK's Competition and Markets Authority. Microsoft believes that pushing back the deadline to...

Judge Rejects FTC Move to Halt $69B Microsoft-Activision Deal

With clock ticking to get the deal closed, court hands Microsoft a major victory

(Newser) - A federal judge has handed Microsoft a major victory by declining to block its looming $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said in a ruling that the Federal Trade Commission "has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its...

FTC Wants a Steep Crackdown on Phony Online Reviews

Proposed new rules include steep fines

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission says it wants to "level the playing field for honest companies" with a crackdown on fake online reviews. The FTC has proposed new rules that include heavy penalties for companies using dodgy reviews to boost their products, the Washington Post reports. Offenders could be fined...

FTC: 'Manipulative' Amazon Tricked Millions Into Prime

Company 'knowingly complicated the cancellation process,' to boot, agency says

(Newser) - The FTC isn't letting up on Amazon , alleging in a new lawsuit that the world's largest online retailer knowingly tricked "millions of consumers" into signing up for its paid Prime service, then made them jump through hoops in order to cancel . The company "trapped people into...

FTC Sues to Block Microsoft's $69B Activision Takeover
FTC Sues to Block
Massive Tech Deal
Jun 12, 2023 5:11 PM CDT

FTC Sues to Block Massive Tech Deal

Agency seeks injunction to stop Microsoft's $69B Activision takeover

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block Microsoft from completing its deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard, the latest antitrust challenge to the proposed merger but one that could hasten its conclusion. The FTC's Monday filing in a federal court in San Francisco seeks a restraining...

FTC Warns of 'Terrifying' Phone Scam Driven by AI

Agency says voice cloning can make caller sound like a loved one begging for money

(Newser) - Many of us have heard of the old hoax in which victims receive phone calls from "police" or a "doctor" (actually scammers) saying that a loved one is in trouble and needs money sent stat. Now, in what NPR says "sounds like a plot from a science...

Egg Producers' 'Egregious Profits' Raising Some Eyebrows

Farm Action wants Cal-Maine investigated over possible price gouging

(Newser) - A US senator has joined farmers in calling for an investigation to crack the problem of soaring egg prices . Government data shows the national average retail price for a dozen eggs reached $4.25 in December, for a 138% increase from the $1.79 average a year earlier, though the...

'Pharma Bro' Is Making Headlines Again

FTC wants Martin Shkreli held in contempt for impeding probe into ban on working in industry

(Newser) - It's been awhile since Martin Shkreli dominated the headlines, but he appears to be making somewhat of a comeback after his release from prison last year. In January 2022, the former pharmaceuticals executive deemed "Pharma Bro" by the media was ordered by a federal judge to return nearly...

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