Federal Trade Commission

Senators urge FTC to investigate Spotify’s higher-priced bundled subscription

Apps /

Two U.S. senators have requested that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigate Spotify due to allegations that the company bundled its music streaming and audiobook services into a more expensive subscription without obtaining user consent, while also reducing royalty payments to creators in the process. On Friday, June 20, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Ben […]

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FTC bans hidden fees for live events and short-term rentals, effective May 12

Government & Policy /

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday released new documentation detailing its new “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees.” The rule, set to take effect on May 12, prohibits hidden fees for live events, hotels, and short-term rentals. It also bans practices such as “bait-and-switch pricing” and any actions that conceal or misrepresent total prices

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Grubhub to pay $25M for ‘deceptive’ practices against customers, drivers

Apps /

Grubhub will pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul over unlawful practices, including misleading customers about delivery costs, deceiving drivers about potential earnings, and listing restaurants on its platform without their permission. The agencies claim that Grubhub hid the true cost of its delivery

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FTC bans hidden junk fees in short-term lodging, live-event ticket prices

Government & Policy /

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission passed a rule on Tuesday banning hidden “junk fees” for live events, hotels, and vacation rentals. The agency says the new rule prohibits “bait-and-switch pricing,” and other practices that hide total prices and bury junk fees in the live-event ticketing and short-term lodging industries, noting that these “unfair and deceptive”

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Care.com to pay customers $8.5M in FTC settlement for deceiving caregivers, families

Government & Policy /

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is requiring Care.com, a platform for gig workers in the elder-care and childcare space, to pay $8.5 million in refunds for deceiving caregivers who were looking for jobs, and making it difficult for families to cancel their paid memberships. The agency said on Monday that the company’s marketing messages

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FTC is investigating how companies are using AI to base pricing on consumer behavior

AI /

The Federal Trade Commission announced on Tuesday that it’s ordering eight companies that offer AI-powered “surveillance service pricing” to turn over information about the potential impact these products have on privacy, competition and consumer protection.  With this investigation, the agency is seeking to learn more about how artificial intelligence and other technologies are being used

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FTC Chair Lina Khan says the agency is going after the ‘mob bosses’ in Big Tech

Government & Policy /

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is focusing its efforts on going after Big Tech, according to FTC Chair Lina Khan, who spoke at TechCrunch’s Strictly VC event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.  Khan said the agency is focused on going after the players that are doing the biggest harm, as opposed to just increasing the

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