The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved its proposed settlement with Lenovo, Inc. over the installation of pre-installed advertising software called VisualDiscovery onto Lenovo laptops. According to the FTC, the...more
1/3/2018
/ Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Lenovo ,
Misrepresentation ,
Popular ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Settlement Offer ,
Software ,
Vulnerability Assessments
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has concentrated on small businesses this year with the launch of www.FTC.gov/SmallBusiness , which provides data security awareness information to small businesses. The site includes...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on September 5, 2017, that it has settled with Lenovo regarding allegations that Lenovo “harmed customers by pre-loading software on some laptops that compromised security...more
Last January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched the IoT Home Inspector Challenge, a contest that requested participants to come up with a tool that would identify security issues that are caused by out-of-date...more
We all dream about winning the lottery or the Publishers Clearing House folks secretly coming up our walkway and knocking on our door telling us we won millions of dollars. Well, I do....more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it has settled its Complaint against operators of the lead generation business Global Media, LLC and its CEO Christopher Kay for $104 million. The judgment has been...more
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a six-step compliance plan to assist businesses with compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It provides clarity on who is covered by and must...more
For those of you who know me, you know that I have been very frustrated with the federal and state governments for continuing to use Social Security numbers for eligibility, enrollment and participating in Medicare and...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on May 9, 2017, that it has launched a new website that “helps small businesses avoid scams and cyber-attacks.”...more
5/12/2017
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hackers ,
Malware ,
Phishing Scams ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Risk Management ,
Small Business ,
Websites
On April 6, 2017, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (AG) announced that he has settled an investigation against TrustE for alleged violations of failing to adequately prevent illegal tracking technology on...more
I frequently get complaints from small businesses that they don’t have the resources or resilience to properly address cybersecurity and that it is overwhelming to them.
Well, it is. We frequently tell businesses that...more
On March 6, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released tips and a video to businesses that have been impersonated by Phishing schemes.
The guidance, entitled “Has a phishing scam hooked your company’s good name?”...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced this week that March 5-11 is National Consumer Protection Week. The FTC will announce different programs and events throughout the week that are designed to educate consumers on...more
My friends and family frequently ask me about the newest scams so they can stay vigilant and keep on top of the latest ways fraudsters are trying to get our information.
But many times, my friends and family alert me to...more
I know a lot of people who have looked for and been successful in finding an apartment and/or a roommate on Craigslist. If you are looking for an apartment on Craigslist right now—listen up....more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a complaint in Northern California against D-Link for putting thousands of consumers at risk over the past decade for failing to have adequate security practices in its routers and...more
I received a call last week on my home land line and when I picked it up (hardly anyone I want to actually talk to calls my home telephone number) the caller on the other end informed me that he was from “Microsoft 10,” that...more
The Federal Trade Commission announced this week that it has settled with DeVry (DeVry) for $100 million over allegations that it misled prospective students with ads that promised higher employment success and income upon...more
We have previously reported on the Ashley Madison data breach and subsequent litigation. On December 14th, Ashley Madison announced that it has agreed to pay $1.6 million and implement additional security measures to settle...more
12/15/2016
/ Adultery ,
Ashley Madison ,
Attorney General ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Dating Services ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hackers ,
Internet ,
Marriage ,
Online Platforms ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Settlement ,
Spouses ,
Websites
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined the Consumer Education Group $100,000 for making millions of illegal telemarketing calls to consumers who were on the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry, including pre-recorded robocalls...more
There are arguments that there is a dearth of guidance by both the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), so when guidance comes out, we listen. But the most recent guidance jointly issued by the...more
11/4/2016
/ Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Authorization Forms ,
New Guidance ,
OCR ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
PHI
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week issued the publication, Data Breach Response: A Guide for Business, that outlines steps it recommends that businesses take when it believes it may have suffered a data breach....more
On Tuesday, September 20, 2016, a federal judge in California granted approval of the $68 million settlement between LifeLock and a class of plaintiffs that alleged it made false statements about the services it provides to...more
9/27/2016
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Class Action ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
False Advertising ,
False Statements ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Identity Theft ,
LifeLock ,
Mediation ,
Passwords ,
Settlement Agreements
I travel a lot and frequently rent cars in cities all over the country. Those of you who know me, (and my husband and children will attest), know that I will not ask for directions. I am definitely more like a man than a...more
9/19/2016
/ Cars ,
Cell Phones ,
Connected Cars ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Data Collection ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Geolocation ,
GPS ,
Location Data ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Smart Car ,
Smartphones ,
Tracking Systems
With more and more information online, it is easy to accumulate a lot of information about individuals just by using a search engine. Scammers use online information to build profiles of victims and then use different scams...more