Court Rules

Privacy Enforcement Tracker

1,338 enforcement actions from 14 federal and state jurisdictions. Every event traced back to its official government source.

1,338

Total Actions

14

Jurisdictions

$50.6B+

Total Fines Tracked

Access this data programmatically:MCP Server API Docs
FTCEnforcement Action

Cliq Inc.

A federal court held Cliq Inc. and its executives Andrew Phillips and John Blaugrund in civil contempt for multiple violations of a 2015 FTC order requiring the payment processor to prevent enabling consumer fraud. The court found the defendants facilitated fraud by processing transactions for high-risk merchants, avoiding fraud monitoring, failing to conduct required underwriting, and ignoring chargeback thresholds. The court imposed $6.5 million in civil contempt sanctions against the defendants.

High

$6.5M

NYSettlement

Uphold HQ, Inc.

New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a $5 million settlement from cryptocurrency platform Uphold HQ, Inc. for promoting Cred’s fraudulent CredEarn investment product as safe and reliable, when Cred was making risky loans to uncreditworthy borrowers in China. Uphold also falsely claimed Cred had comprehensive insurance and promoted the product without registering as a broker or commodity broker-dealer under New York law. As part of the settlement, Uphold will pay $5 million to harmed investors, remit $545,189 from Cred’s bankruptcy to customers, improve due diligence policies for third-party products, and register as a broker with the OAG.

High

$5.0M

VAGuidance

Wall & Associates, Inc.

The Virginia Attorney General issued a consumer warning about predatory practices by tax debt settlement companies, referencing a past successful enforcement action against Wall & Associates, Inc. and CEO P. Mark Yates for violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The Fauquier County Circuit Court ordered the company and CEO to pay over $1.6 million in civil penalties, with additional restitution to consumers pending determination.

High

$1.7M

FTCEnforcement Action

Cliq, Inc., Andrew Phillips, John Blaugrund(Cliq)

The FTC filed a motion in federal court seeking to hold payment processor Cliq, Inc. and its operators in contempt for systematically violating a 2015 consent order. The defendants are accused of processing payments for high-risk and prohibited merchants, failing to screen for deceptive practices, and facilitating fraud avoidance tactics. The FTC is requesting at least $52.9 million in consumer relief, a permanent ban on the individuals from payment processing, and appointment of a receiver.

HighConsent FailureSecurity Failure

$52.9M

MASettlement

Earnest Operations LLC(Earnest)

Massachusetts Attorney General settled with Earnest Operations LLC for $2.5 million over allegations that the student loan lender's use of AI underwriting models led to disparate impact on Black, Hispanic, and non-citizen applicants. The company failed to test its AI models for bias, used discriminatory variables like Cohort Default Rate, and sent inaccurate adverse action notices. Earnest must pay the fine, discontinue problematic practices, and implement compliance measures.

HighAI/Automated DecisionsNotice Failure

$2.5M

FTCSettlement

Paddle

The FTC entered into a settlement with U.K.-based payment processor Paddle to resolve allegations that its unfair payment processing practices facilitated tech support scammers operating in Cyprus. Paddle agreed to pay a $5 million monetary penalty as part of the settlement.

High

$5.0M

NYSettlementMultistate

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC(Morgan Stanley)

Morgan Stanley failed to properly decommission computer devices containing unencrypted customer data, leading to the sale of devices with personal information at auction and missing servers with potential data. A multistate coalition secured a $6.5 million settlement requiring Morgan Stanley to implement enhanced data security measures.

HighSecurity FailureData Breach

$6.5M

NJSettlementMultistate

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC(Morgan Stanley)

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced a multistate settlement where Morgan Stanley will pay $1.27 million to NJ over data security incidents that compromised personal information of over 755,000 NJ residents and millions nationwide. The incidents involved improper decommissioning of devices and a software flaw, leading to unauthorized access. The settlement requires Morgan Stanley to strengthen its data security and disposal procedures.

HighSecurity FailureData Breach

$1.3M

CASettlement

Wells Fargo Bank(Wells Fargo)

Wells Fargo Bank recorded consumer phone calls without providing timely notice as required by California law, violating privacy statutes. The settlement imposes a $7.616 million civil penalty, requires compliance with disclosure standards, and mandates an internal compliance program to protect consumer privacy.

HighNotice Failure

$7.6M

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