Penalty Amount
$49,500
Consumers Affected
2,432
The FTC settled with genetic testing company 1Health.io for failing to secure sensitive genetic and health data, deceiving consumers about data deletion, and unfairly changing its privacy policy without notice or consent. The settlement includes refunds totaling over $49,500 to 2,432 affected consumers.
The company must provide refunds to affected consumers totaling more than $49,500.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements (if 1Health.io is a service provider), customer/consumer agreements, and data processing addendums. Key clauses to examine include data security obligations (ensuring they specify industry-standard protections for sensitive genetic/health data), data deletion procedures (verifying enforceable deletion guarantees and processes), privacy policy modification terms (checking for requirements around notice and consent before changes), and data inventory maintenance commitments. Potential changes needed: add explicit security requirements with audit rights, mandate verifiable deletion processes with confirmation, require advance notice and affirmative consent for policy updates, and include provisions for regular security assessments and inventory upkeep.
Entity
1Health.io
Industry
HealthcareOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-sends-refunds-consumers-deceived-genetic-testing-firm-1healthio-over-data-deletion-security
ftc says genetic testing company 1health failed protect priv
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/ftc-says-genetic-testing-company-1health-failed-protect-privacy-security-dna-data-unfairly-changed
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"1Health.io"
"left sensitive genetic and health data unsecured"
"deceived consumers about their ability to get their data deleted"
"without notifying consumers or obtaining their consent"
"genetic and health data"
$75K
The FTC finalized an order against 1Health.io for failing to secure genetic data and unfairly changing its privacy policy. The company must pay $75,000 for consumer refunds, destroy DNA samples, and implement security measures. It deceived consumers about data deletion and shared data without proper consent.
$750K
The FTC finalized an order against Vanilla Chip LLC (doing business as TruHeight) and its principals for deceptively advertising height-enhancing supplements for children and teens without scientific evidence. The company also used fake reviews and incentivized 5-star ratings. The order requires a $750,000 payment and prohibits false health claims and deceptive review practices.
$2.3M
The FTC alleged that RentGrow, a tenant screening company, violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by failing to use reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy of its reports, including by reporting duplicate records and failing to disclose data sources. RentGrow agreed to pay a $2.25 million penalty and is prohibited from further FCRA violations and from misrepresenting dispute outcomes.
The FTC and New York Attorney General took action against Handy Technologies for deceptive earnings claims and failure to disclose fees and fines that led to millions of dollars being withheld from workers' wages. The FTC is sending over $2.7 million in refunds to 62,893 affected consumers.
$35.0M
The FTC alleged that Hopper, a travel booking app, charged consumers hidden and pre-selected fees (Tip and VIP Support) without their consent, misrepresented the benefits of VIP Support and Price Freeze services, and failed to clearly disclose total prices. Hopper agreed to pay $35 million for consumer redress and is prohibited from misrepresenting fees under a proposed order.
$1.5M
The FTC finalized a settlement with Publishing.com LLC and its principals for misleading consumers about potential earnings from self-publishing products. The company will pay $1.5 million and is prohibited from making unsubstantiated earnings claims, failing to disclose refund terms, and misrepresenting endorsements and reviews.