We've written before about Facebook's "Sponsored Stories" program that repackages its users' interactions with companies as ads for those companies. (Public Citizen objected when the case was settled without much benefit to the class.) Now Facebook is apparently retiring the "Sponsored Stories" name but not the general idea. According to Facebook's blog post last week, […]
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Fifteen years ago, the Department of Justice sued the major cigarette companies, alleging that the companies conspired to mislead consumers about the risks of tobacco products. The US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled for DOJ, and the ruling was upheld on appeal. Among other things, to remedy the companies’ misleading statements, the […]
The federal government's faulty Affordable Care Act (ACA) website — and similar problems on some state-run ACA websites — may not be the biggest problem facing the ACA's implementation. As this article by Jonathan Easley explains, a new survey conducted by Enroll America, "a nonprofit with close ties to the Obama administration that is aiming […]
On his blog at U.S. PIRG, Ed Mierzwinski expounds on the Target data breach in a post entitled Target says "Oops, 70-110 million consumers hacked." He points out that 70 to 100 million, "not the original 40 million customers, had their credit or debit card numbers hacked in December (or possibly at other times). Even […]
Here. The article describes the opposition from the industry to the plan–which includes threats not to make mortgage loans in the future in communities that use eminent domain to seize underwater home–and also discusses what happened in 2002 when the industry made good on such threats in response to a different law: In 2002, the […]
Go here or click on the embedded video below to watch Jon Stewart's two-part interview of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray. (The second part of the interview starts right after the first part ends.) The Daily Show Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook
For several years, consumers have brought suit against manufacturers of processed foods (for example, bottled teas, granola bars, and cereals) advertised as “all natural.” In these lawsuits, the consumer alleges that the all-natural claim is false and misleading because the foods are not in fact “all natural.” Early cases often focused on the use of […]
Paul has often posted on (and is one of the leading experts on) protecting consumers' anonymity in speaking online. (A good example is the Hadeed case, which you can read more about here.) But cyberspace offers opportunities for companies to hide also, and it can be a barrier to holding them accountable for wrongdoing. For […]
The Federal Trade Commission announced today a law enforcement initiative, called “Operation Failed Resolution,” aimed at stopping marketers that use deceptive advertising claims to sell weight-loss products. At the same time, the FTC announced settlements in cases it brought against four different weight-loss companies. For example, ads Sensa promised that, with their product, consumers could […]
by Paul Alan Levy In a decision issued yesterday morning, the Virginia Court of Appeals parted company with appellate decisions in eleven other states and held that the First Amendment allows a court to compel the identification of a company’s anonymous online critics even though the company has done no more than claim that it […]