Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has finalized a settlement order with online advertiser ScanScout, which the FTC alleged deceptively claimed that consumers could opt out of receiving targeted ads by changing their browser settings. The settlement, which was first announced on November 8, 2011, bars misrepresentations about the company’s data-collection practices and consumers’ ability to…
Category: Business
Ireland’s Facebook audit gives it privacy green light, but with conditions
John Kennedy reports: Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner has concluded its massive audit of Facebook – the biggest investigation in the agency’s history – and has cleared it of most charges. However, Facebook has agreed to a wide range of ‘best practice’ improvements. Arising from the audit, Facebook has agreed to ‘best practice’ improvements to be implemented…
FTC Charges Telemarketers with Illegal Robocalling
The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against a telemarketing operation that allegedly made illegal robocalls, called phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, and masked Caller ID information, in violation of the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule. The FTC’s complaint seeks to make the defendants pay civil penalties and stop the illegal calls….
German Data Protection authorities broaden application of German Data Protection Law to foreign social networks and attack the use of social plugins and fanpages
Dr Fabian Niemann, Lennart Schüßler, and Ruth Boardman write: The Düsseldorfer Kreis (“Düsseldorf Circle”), an informal body of all German Data Protection Authorities (“DPAs”), has published a decision concerning the application of German data protection rules to social networks. The decision reflects the common view of all German DPAs and comments (i) on the (very…