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FTC Adds COPPA Violations to the Growing List of Privacy Concerns While TikTok is on the Clock
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August 13, 2024
FTC Adds COPPA Violations to the Growing List of Privacy Concerns While TikTok is on the Clock
By: Jordan Briggs
For years now, TikTok has seemed to be the center of attention. From viral baking content to true crime to dancing videos to family-influencer content, everyone seems to be on it or talking about it. And the FTC has said that’s part of the problem. On August 2, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) brought a suit on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) against TikTok, its parent company ByteDance, and affiliated companies for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) by collecting and using personal information from children under 13 years old without notifying and obtaining parental consent. Since 2000, COPPA has required websites directed to children or for which the “operator has actual knowledge that it is…
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Chevron Overruling Sparks Regulatory Uncertainty Across Industries
July 10, 2024
Chevron Overruling Sparks Regulatory Uncertainty Across Industries
By: Jake Gray
A landmark decision by the Supreme Court overruled 40-year precedent that provided the bedrock for modern federal agency rulemaking and administration. In Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024), alongside its companion case Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, the Supreme Court overruled Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (1984), holding that deference to an agency’s interpretation of the statute is inconsistent with…
Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
July 8, 2024
Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
By: Nicole Kardell
Note the below chart was updated on July 8, 2024 to reflect recent developments. The number of U.S. states that have adopted privacy laws grows regularly. Fortunately, there seems to be quite a bit of crossover, at least when it comes to thresholds that companies must meet in order to trigger compliance requirements. We provide below a chart that summarizes these thresholds by state, including…
Putting the Brakes on Swift and Sweeping Adoption of Facial Recognition Technologies
November 12, 2019
Putting the Brakes on Swift and Sweeping Adoption of Facial Recognition Technologies
By: Nicole Kardell
When it is not clear which way to go, don’t. This is the upshot of an article by Wojciech Wiewiorowski: Facial recognition: A solution in search of a problem? Wiewiorowski is the Assistant Supervisor at the European Data Protection Supervisor (the E.U.’s independent data protection authority), which published his article on their site in late October. The post came out in the midst of a…
SEC’s Lawsuit Against Telegram Raises Questions About Cryptocurrency “Presales” Under Regulation D
October 17, 2019
SEC’s Lawsuit Against Telegram Raises Questions About Cryptocurrency “Presales” Under Regulation D
By: Ifrah Law
On October 11, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a lawsuit against Telegram Group, Inc. and TON Issuer, Inc. (“Telegram”), and simultaneously obtained a temporary restraining order preventing Telegram from issuing its “Gram” cryptocurrency, which had been scheduled for delivery on October 31, 2019. The SEC claimed that the sale of Grams amount to an unregistered securities offering in violation of federal securities…
You Got Loot? FTC Examines In-Game Purchases
August 8, 2019
You Got Loot? FTC Examines In-Game Purchases
By: Ifrah Law
The FTC held three panels on Wednesday, August 7, 2019, that centered on one topic: loot boxes earned or purchased during online game play. It’s clear from the selection of panelists and the questions posed by FTC staff that the FTC is on high alert about potential consumer protection issues surrounding these in-game purchases. If the name of the game (pardon the pun) on Wednesday…
SEC Says “Pocketful of Quarters’” Planned Token Is Not a “Pocketful of Securities”
August 1, 2019
SEC Says “Pocketful of Quarters’” Planned Token Is Not a “Pocketful of Securities”
By: Ifrah Law
On July 25, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance issued a letter to Pocketful of Quarters, Inc. (PoQ), informing PoQ that it would not recommend enforcement action in regards to PoQ’s proposal to sell tokens (called Quarters) on its gaming platform. The SEC informed PoQ that based on PoQ’s description of its plans for the Quarters tokens, the tokens would not…
Equifax Settlement Teaches The Dos and Dont’s About Data Security
July 22, 2019
Equifax Settlement Teaches The Dos and Dont’s About Data Security
By: Nicole Kardell
It’s been a busy summer for the FTC and the federal agency is dominating the headlines. There is the $5 billion settlement with Facebook for failing to better protect user privacy, which was announced earlier this month. Then there is the multimillion dollar settlement with Google for failing to adequately protect children’s privacy. That was announced late last week. Today, the FTC announced a $575…
