1,788 enforcement actions from 16 federal and state jurisdictions. Every event traced back to its official government source.
1,788
Total Actions
16
Jurisdictions
$51.8B+
Total Fines Tracked
The FTC has proposed amendments to the COPPA Rule to enhance children's privacy protections. Key changes include requiring separate parental consent for targeted advertising, prohibiting conditioning access on data collection, limiting push notifications, strengthening data security and retention requirements, and restricting commercial use in educational technology. The proposal shifts responsibility from parents to companies to safeguard children's data.
The FTC proposed a consent order against Global Tel*Link Corp. for failing to secure sensitive user data, leading to a breach affecting nearly 650,000 consumers, and for delaying notification for about nine months. The order requires the company to implement a comprehensive security program, notify affected users with credit monitoring, and report future breaches promptly.
The FTC issued warnings to five tax preparation companies against using or disclosing consumer tax data for unrelated purposes like advertising without explicit consent. The agency cites its penalty offense authority, referencing a previous case against Beneficial Corp, and warns that such practices violate the FTC Act and could incur penalties up to $50,120 per violation. The notices highlight that using tracking technologies for data collection without consent is also prohibited.
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.
$75K
Attorney General William Tong of Connecticut led a bipartisan coalition of 30 state attorneys general in submitting comments to the Federal Trade Commission. The comments aim to improve collaboration between the FTC and state AGs to prevent and prosecute unfair and deceptive practices, addressing issues raised by the AMG Capital decision that may limit restitution. The coalition emphasizes the importance of joint efforts for national consumer protection.
The FTC and HHS sent warning letters to approximately 130 hospital systems and telehealth providers about the privacy and security risks of using online tracking technologies, such as Meta/Facebook pixel and Google Analytics, which may impermissibly disclose sensitive health information to third parties. The agencies emphasized that such disclosures could violate HIPAA for covered entities and the FTC Act for others, citing recent enforcement actions against companies like BetterHelp and GoodRx.
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.
$50K
The FTC proposed modifications to its 2020 privacy order with Meta, alleging violations including non-compliance with the order, misleading parents about Messenger Kids, and unauthorized data sharing. The proposed changes include banning monetization of youth data, pausing new product launches, and strengthening privacy requirements.
The FTC settled with Ring for failing to secure consumer videos, allowing unauthorized access by employees and hackers. Ring agreed to provide $5.6 million in refunds to affected customers and implement security measures.
$5.6M
The FTC finalized an order against Chegg Inc. for failing to secure student data, leading to breaches that exposed personal information of about 40 million users and employees. Chegg must implement a comprehensive security program, limit data collection, offer multifactor authentication, and allow data access and deletion.
The FTC finalized an order against Drizly and its CEO for security failures that led to a data breach exposing 2.5 million consumers' personal information. Drizly failed to implement basic security measures despite prior alerts. The order requires Drizly to destroy unnecessary data, implement a security program, and publicly detail data collection practices.
The FTC extended the compliance deadline for certain provisions of the Safeguards Rule by six months to June 9, 2023, due to challenges like shortage of qualified personnel and supply chain issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The rule requires non-banking financial institutions to implement enhanced data security measures, and the extension aims to facilitate compliance, especially for small entities.
The FTC and CFPB filed an amicus brief with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court ruling that exempted furnishers from investigating indirect disputes under the FCRA. The brief argues that all disputes must be investigated to ensure consumers can correct inaccurate credit information and be notified of outcomes, upholding key FCRA protections.
The FTC obtained an injunction against Turbo Solutions Inc. and Alex V. Miller for operating a deceptive credit repair scheme that filed fake identity theft reports without consumers' consent. The scheme charged illegal advance fees and made false promises about removing negative credit items. The court order halts the operation and seeks consumer redress.
The FTC settled with CafePress for failing to implement reasonable data security measures, leading to multiple breaches that exposed Social Security numbers and other sensitive data. As part of the settlement, over $370,000 in refunds are being distributed to 20,044 consumers who filed valid claims.
$370K
The FTC settled with Ascension Data & Analytics, LLC for violating the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act's Safeguards Rule by failing to ensure its vendor properly protected consumer data. The company must strengthen its security safeguards and increase oversight of vendors. No monetary penalty was imposed.
The FTC finalized an order banning Support King, LLC and its CEO from the surveillance business for selling stalkerware apps that secretly collected and shared users' personal data without consent. The order requires them to delete all illegally collected data and notify affected device owners.
The FTC released a staff report based on Section 6(b) orders to six major ISPs, finding they collect extensive personal data, including internet traffic and location data, and share it with third parties. The ISPs often obscure data use disclosures in fine print and make it difficult for consumers to opt out, while combining data to profile sensitive characteristics. The report highlights the need for stricter privacy restrictions.
The FTC banned Support King, LLC (SpyFone) and its CEO from the surveillance business for secretly harvesting and sharing users' data without consent, and ordered the deletion of all illegally collected data and notification to affected device owners. The company failed to secure the data, leading to a hack that exposed 2,200 consumers.
The FTC removed Aristotle International, Inc. from its list of approved COPPA Safe Harbor programs due to insufficient monitoring of member companies' compliance with COPPA guidelines. This action prevents operators from using Aristotle's program for favorable regulatory treatment and marks the first such removal since COPPA's inception.
The FTC finalized a settlement with SkyMed International, Inc., an emergency travel services provider, for failing to secure sensitive consumer data and deceiving consumers about HIPAA compliance. The company left a cloud database with 130,000 membership records unsecured, containing personal and health information. Under the settlement, SkyMed must notify affected consumers, implement a security program, undergo biennial assessments, and is prohibited from misrepresenting its data practices.
The FTC finalized a settlement with Zoom Video Communications, Inc. for misleading consumers about its data security practices and compromising user security. The settlement requires Zoom to implement a comprehensive security program, review software updates for security flaws, and undergo biennial third-party assessments.
The FTC settled with Flo Health, Inc., developer of a popular fertility-tracking app, alleging it misled users by sharing sensitive health data with third-party analytics providers like Facebook and Google after promising to keep such data private. The proposed consent order requires Flo to obtain user consent before sharing health data, notify affected users, and destroy previously shared data, among other requirements.
Everalbum, Inc. settled FTC allegations that it deceived consumers about its use of facial recognition technology in its photo storage app and failed to delete photos when users deactivated their accounts. The settlement requires Everalbum to obtain express consent before using facial recognition, delete user photos and derived face embeddings, and delete developed models and algorithms. It also prohibits misrepresentations about data practices and requires consent for biometric data use if marketing software to consumers.
SkyMed International, Inc. settled FTC allegations that it failed to secure sensitive consumer data, including health information, leaving a cloud database with 130,000 records exposed to the public. The FTC also alleged that SkyMed misrepresented HIPAA compliance on its website. As part of the settlement, SkyMed must implement a comprehensive security program, undergo biennial third-party assessments, and send notices to affected consumers.
Ascension Data & Analytics, LLC, a mortgage analytics company, settled FTC allegations that it violated the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act's Safeguards Rule by failing to ensure its vendor adequately protected consumer data. The vendor stored sensitive mortgage information in plain text on a cloud server, leading to unauthorized access. Ascension must implement a data security program, undergo biennial assessments, and report future breaches.
The FTC issued orders under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act to nine social media and video streaming companies requiring them to provide data on their data collection, use, advertising practices, and effects on children and teens. The companies must respond within 45 days.
The FTC settled with Zoom for deceiving users about its encryption security and unfairly installing software that bypassed browser safeguards. Zoom must implement a comprehensive security program, undergo biennial audits, and is banned from making false security claims. No monetary penalty was imposed.
The FTC settled with NTT Global Data Centers Americas, Inc. for deceiving consumers about its participation in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework. The company's certification lapsed in 2018, but it continued to claim compliance in its privacy policy and marketing materials. Under the settlement, NTT is prohibited from misrepresenting its participation in any privacy program and must apply Privacy Shield protections to previously collected personal data or delete it.
The FTC filed a complaint against MyLife.com, Inc. and its CEO for deceiving consumers with 'teaser background reports' that falsely claimed to include criminal and arrest records, and for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act by failing to ensure accuracy and permissible purpose. The company also engaged in misleading billing practices under the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act and Telemarketing Sales Rule.
All data sourced from official government enforcement pages.