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Chegg, Inc., sells educational products and services directly to high school and college students. That includes renting textbooks, guiding customers in their search for scholarships, and offering online tutoring. But according to the FTC, the ed tech company’s lax security practices resulted in four separate data breaches in a span of just a few years, leading to the misappropriation of personal information about approximately 40 million...

Halloween is the perfect time to stream your favorite horror flick, but nothing comes close to the spine-tingling fright inflicted by businesses that fail to honor established consumer protection standards. Here is our Top 10 List of Really Scary Movies. Creature from the Hack Lagoon. Hackers won’t wait for Halloween to unleash their barrage of tricks. The best defense for businesses is a 360° approach that minimizes the collection of sensitive...

They say you can get pretty much anything delivered to your door and for customers of Drizly, that included beer, wine, distilled spirits – and the fall-out from Drizly’s alleged security lapses that led to the theft of personal information about more than 2.5 million consumers and its reappearance on the dark web. A proposed settlement with Drizly addresses the company’s actions – and inactions – alleged to be unfair and deceptive, in violation...

As the FTC observed in enacting the Funeral Rule, “A funeral is more than a social ritual: it is also an expensive consumer purchase.” But unlike other major expenditures, “Decisions must often be made while under the emotional strain of bereavement. In addition, consumers lack familiarity with the funeral transaction.” Those considerations are still at the forefront of the protections the Funeral Rule extends to grieving families, but traditions...

When it comes to the car buying process, there a world of difference between going for a test drive and getting taken for a ride. An FTC complaint against DC-based Passport Automotive Group alleges that the company deceived customers by packing junk fees onto the cost of its vehicles. According to the complaint, Passport also discriminated against Black and Latino consumers by charging them higher financing costs and fees, in violation of the...

Today’s the day the FTC will convene Protecting Kids from Stealth Advertising in Digital Media and you can watch the webcast live. Chair Khan will lead off the virtual proceedings at 9:00 AM Eastern Time. After an introductory “show and tell” session, panelists will delve into children’s cognitive abilities at different developmental stages to recognize and understand advertising content; the impact the current advertising landscape has on kids...

Companies are increasingly marketing payment plans known as Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). Although BNPL plans vary in their exact terms, people typically pay for purchases over a period of several weeks, generally in equal installments. To transform consumers into customers, companies often make a variety of claims about the costs and conditions of BNPL plans. If your business offers BNPL payment options as a retailer or BNPL company – or if you...

What marketing techniques do kids, including teens, encounter in the various digital spaces they frequent? And what do we know about their cognitive abilities at different ages and developmental stages to recognize and understand advertising content? Those are just some of the topics on the table at the FTC’s October 19, 2022, virtual event, Protecting Kids from Stealth Advertising in Digital Media. As the just-released agenda demonstrates, you...

Whether you’re a gig worker, work at a business that relies on gig workers, or enjoy the benefits of their labor, the FTC just announced a policy statement about the gig economy that merits your attention. There’s no denying that the gig economy has grown exponentially. With 16% of Americans reporting that they earn money through the gig economy, a �鶹��ý Reserve study estimates that gig work accounts for hundreds of billions of dollars in...

It’s ironic that the only thing clear about digital dark patterns is the FTC’s commitment to protect consumers from the injury they inflict. A new FTC Staff Report sheds light on the ways that marketers can manipulate people into buying merchandise or giving up personal information through the use of dark patterns – a phrase that describes a broad range of deceptive design elements. If your business is involved in web-based commerce, the Report...