On June 4, 2014, the U.S. Government Accountability Office testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law to discuss its findings regarding companies’ use and sharing of consumer location data and the associated privacy risks.
Continue Reading GAO Testimony Highlights Risks and Inconsistent Privacy Practices of Companies That Obtain Geolocation Data

On May 23, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission announced that the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection sent a letter to the court overseeing an education technology company’s bankruptcy proceedings, to warn that the proposed sale of the company’s assets (which includes personal information collected from students) raises privacy concerns.
Continue Reading FTC Seeks Privacy Protection for Personal Information in Bankruptcy Proceeding

On April 10, 2014, the FTC announced that the Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection had notified Facebook and WhatsApp, reminding both companies of their obligation to honor privacy statements made to consumers in connection with Facebook’s proposed acquisition of WhatsApp.
Continue Reading FTC Notifies Facebook, WhatsApp of Privacy Obligations in Light of Proposed Acquisition

On January 16, 2014 the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with TeleCheck Services, Inc., and its affiliated debt-collection entity, TRS Recovery Services, Inc. The settlement stems from allegations that the defendants violated various provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including requirements concerning the accuracy of consumer reports and dispute investigation and resolution procedures.
Continue Reading FTC Announces 3.5 Million Dollar Settlement for Alleged FCRA Violations

On August 29, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it filed a complaint against LabMD, Inc. for failing to protect consumers’ personal data by exposing documents containing names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, health insurance information and bank account information on a P2P file-sharing network.
Continue Reading FTC Files Complaint Against Medical Testing Lab for Exposing Consumers’ Personal Data