Scams are the theme of the week at the FTC. The agency entered into two proposed stipulations to settle allegations about deceptive schemes targeting consumers, and issued over $2 million in refunds in relation to an alleged scam dating back to the 2008 financial crisis. These stories and more after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (June 16 – 20, 2025)
Crowell attorneys have closely monitored developments related to the California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”). In particular, we have watched plaintiffs attempt to extend this wiretapping law to encompass website chatbot communications that are managed by third parties.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently addressed key CIPA issues in Thomas v. Papa John’s International, Inc., No. 24-3557. The decision reaffirms CIPA’s eavesdropping standard as well as the specific personal jurisdiction standard set out in its recent en banc decision, Briskin v. Shopify, Inc., 135 F.4th 739 (9th Cir. 2025).Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Affirms that CIPA Only Applies to Third-Party Eavesdropping
In a recently published Law360 article, “Appellate Guidance Needed on California Chatbot Litigation,” Jason Stiehl, Jacob Canter, and Kari Ferver discuss how the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) is being levied in cases against website owners that allegedly help third parties spy on visitors via chatbots. Click here to read the full article.
The FTC has remained active in both the antitrust and consumer protection spaces. The agency is seeking public comment about federal regulations that could themselves be harming competition in the economy. The Commission also released data and statistics about common text message scams. And, of course, the agency’s landmark trial against Meta continues. More information on these stories after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (April 14 – 18, 2025)
“Right to Repair” laws are regulations that generally require manufacturers to give consumers and independent repair providers access to tools, parts, and information to repair certain consumer products and other equipment on fair and reasonable terms. Recently, six states—California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts, and Oregon—have implemented their own comprehensive right to repair regulations. Click
On March 18th President Trump fired the Federal Trade Commission’s two Democratic Commissioners, Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. The news broke when Commissioner Bedoya took to the social media site X, stating, “I am a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. The president just illegally fired me. This is corruption plain and simple.”
The FTC announces leadership changes, keeps the 2023 Merger Guidelines, and pursues Big Tech. All this, and more, after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (February 3- 21, 2025)
The FTC’s activity in the leadup to Thanksgiving and Black Friday involved, appropriately enough, numerous consumer protection updates. The agency called funeral homes, investigated smart device manufacturers’ websites, and expanded a telemarketing rule to target tech support scammers. The Commission also announced an online workshop about predatory pricing, and reached a settlement related to an AI-powered security screening system. More information on these stories after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (November 18-29, 2024)
The FTC’s activity this week centers around data analysis. The agency released reports analyzing Bitcoin ATM scam data, followed by a report compiling issues with income disclosure statements from multi-level marketing (“MLM”) businesses. The Commission also sent a report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on its activity related to fighting debt collection-related fraud against consumers. More information on these stories after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (September 2-6, 2024)
The FTC has kept a steady march through the summer, announcing developments in existing cases, submitting testimony to Congress, and revising existing regulatory exemptions. Also, the FTC finalized reports on dark patterns, challenged a merger, and issued warning letters on the right to repair. This, and more, after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (July 1-12, 2024)