FTC

FTC says partnerships like Microsoft-OpenAI raise antitrust concerns

The Federal Trade Commission said in a staff report issued Friday that there are potential competitive issues in partnerships between big tech companies and generative AI developers — specifically, Microsoft’s backing of OpenAI and Amazon and Alphabet/Google’s partnerships with Anthropic. “The FTC’s report sheds light on how partnerships by big tech firms can create lock-in, […]

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FTC orders AI accessibility startup accessiBe to pay $1M for misleading advertising

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined accessiBe, a startup that claims to make websites more compatible with the screen readers blind people rely on to access the internet, for false advertising and compensating reviewers without disclosing that it sponsored the reviews. In a proposed order, the FTC would require accessiBe to pay $1 million

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UK antitrust watchdog launches review of IBM’s HashiCorp takeover

The Competition and Markets Authority, the U.K.’s antitrust watchdog, has opened an investigation into whether IBM’s planned acquisition of cloud software vendor HashiCorp would affect competition. The CMA said Monday it was inviting comment on the merger from interested parties by January 16. The regulator set a provisional February 25 deadline to decide whether to

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

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

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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FTC distributes $72M to Fortnite customers tricked into making unwanted purchases

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Monday announced that it’s sending the first round of payments to consumers tricked by Fortnite maker Epic Games into making unwanted purchases, with refunds totaling over $72 million. The settlement, first announced in December 2022 and finalized in March 2023, fined the game $245 million for its “counterintuitive, inconsistent,

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FTC bans two data brokers from collecting and selling Americans’ sensitive location data

Two U.S. data brokers have agreed not to collect private location data on Americans as part of a pair of settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which accused the companies of unlawfully tracking millions of people near to sensitive locations like healthcare facilities and military bases. The two settlements, announced Tuesday, will prohibit Virginia-based

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FTC fines online retailer Goat $2M over deceptive ‘Instant’ and ‘Next Day’ orders

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered Goat, an online marketplace for sneakers and apparel, to pay more than $2 million to consumers over illegal shipping practices. The FTC also alleges that Goat fails to honor its “Buyer Protection” policies. In a complaint, the agency outlined that Goat has failed to ship many orders

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FTC reportedly opens antitrust investigation into Microsoft

The FTC has launched an antitrust investigation into Microsoft, according to multiple reports that corroborate earlier reporting by the Financial Times. The agency is said to be looking into whether Microsoft violated antitrust law in multiple segments of its business, including its public cloud, AI, and cybersecurity product lines. Of particular interest to the FTC

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