by Jeff Sovern Yesterday I expressed doubt about whether it matters if the CFPB backs off on investigating Equifax. Now I'm wondering if I was wrong to do so. I hadn't given enough thought to the CFPB's supervisory responsibilities over collection bureaus. Vox has an article which reports: A CFPB spokesperson said in an email to […]
Category Archives: Privacy
by Jeff Sovern The answer to the question is that I'm not sure it does. Brian reported earlier today that Reuters is saying that the CFPB has put its Equifax probe on ice. But Reuters also reports that Equifax says it is under investigation by every state AG, that the FTC is investigating, and that […]
by Jeff Sovern Back in December, the Times had an article headlined That Game on Your Phone May Be Tracking What You’re Watching on TV, that reported that hundreds–even thousands–of apps, some geared towards children, use the phone microphone to identify what shows people are watching, which can in turn be used to target ads to […]
Here, by Sophia Morris. Among the cases is the possible return of Spokeo to SCOTUS. Standing is also an issue in another case mentioned in the report, but in the second case the issue arises in connection with a data breach.
by Jeff Sovern Much has been made of the fact that the day the Equifax breach became public, Congress held a hearing on bills that would have limited damages credit bureaus would have to pay for misconduct. This past Tuesday, the Senate Banking Committee held a hearing titled Consumer Data Security and the Credit Bureaus […]
or click here. If you don't have time for the whole segment, here is a 34-second excerpt about the arbitration snafu.
by Jeff Sovern Yesterday the Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on consumer data security. The Hill covered it, in a report headlined Senators bear down on credit reporting industry over data security. Here is an excerpt: “If they lose my data as Equifax did, or if someone submits to them data that is an error […]
by Jeff Sovern The WSJ article is here. Excerpt: Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina introduced a bill to require the three major credit firms—Equifax, Experian PLC and TransUnion—to submit to regular federal cybersecurity reviews for the first time. All three companies also would have to phase out their use of Social Security numbers to verify consumers’ […]
by Jeff Sovern I've been listening to the several hearings in Washington this week at which former Equifax CEO Richard Smith testified. I haven't finished yet, and may have more to say, but here's a quick observation. Mr. Smith testified at various points that Equifax planned to make things right for consumers. For example, here […]
by Jeff Sovern There's been a steady drumbeat of criticism for the CFPB from certain members of Congress for not moving sooner on the Wells Fargo unauthorized account scandal. These critics also tend to support legislation, like the Financial Choice Act, which would take away the power the CFPB used to fine Wells Fargo for […]