Lena Cohen writes: If you’re fed up with Meta right now, you’re not alone. Google searches for deleting Facebook and Instagram spiked last week after Meta announced its latest policy changes. These changes, seemingly designed to appease the incoming Trump administration, included loosening Meta’s hate speech policy to allow for the targeting of LGBTQ+ people and immigrants. If these changes—or Meta’s long history of anti-competitive, censorial, and invasive practices—make you…
Category: Business
FTC Surveillance Pricing Study Uncovers Personal Data Used to Set Individualized Consumer Prices
Richard B. Newman of Hinch Newman LLP writes: The Federal Trade Commission’s initial findings from its surveillance pricing market study revealed that details like a person’s precise location or browser history can be frequently used to target individual consumers with different prices for the same goods and services. The staff perspective is based on an examination of…
FTC Puts the Brakes on GM Sharing Drivers’ Location and Driving Behavior Without Consent
The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against General Motors (GM) and OnStar over allegations they collected, used, and sold drivers’ precise geolocation data and driving behavior information from millions of vehicles—data that can be used to set insurance rates—without adequately notifying consumers and obtaining their affirmative consent. Under a proposed order settling the FTC’s allegations, General Motors…
Google, YouTube Users Advance Privacy Suit Over Children’s Data
Christopher Brown reports: Google LLC and YouTube LLC must face some claims of a long-running proposed class action alleging they collected information concerning children who watched videos on their channels in violation of state privacy and consumer-protection laws. The plaintiffs sufficiently alleged that Google and YouTube engaged in highly offensive behavior in collecting children’s information without…