Tyumen, Russia - January 21, 2020: TikTok and Facebook application  on screen Apple iPhone XR

FTC Adds COPPA Violations to the Growing List of Privacy Concerns While TikTok is on the Clock

FTC Adds COPPA Violations to the Growing List of Privacy Concerns While TikTok is on the Clock

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…

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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…

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Ticketmaster’s Cruel Summer – the potential implications of a DOJ lawsuit against the ticketing platform and why concert fans may not be out of the woods yet.

May 16, 2024

Ticketmaster’s Cruel Summer – the potential implications of a DOJ lawsuit against the ticketing platform and why concert fans may not be out of the woods yet.

By: Abbey Block

It looks like it could be a “cruel summer” for the country’s largest concert promoter, Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary ticketing platform, Ticketmaster. In early April, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice was preparing to file a lawsuit against the promoter, alleging that the company used its monopoly over the industry to prevent competition, harming consumers in the process. Indeed…

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The FTC Kills Noncompetes

April 30, 2024

The FTC Kills Noncompetes

By: George Calhoun

In a groundbreaking move that will reshape the workplace and many litigation practices nationwide, the FTC has issued a final rule that effectively bans all employee non-compete clauses.  Approximately 30 million Americans currently work under a non-compete clause.  All but a few applicable to senior executives will be void upon the effective date of the rule. After the rule is effective, no new non-compete clauses…

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Ad-Tech Europe: The Moving Target Marking Targeted Advertising

April 26, 2024

Ad-Tech Europe: The Moving Target Marking Targeted Advertising

By: Nicole Kardell

The European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) recently published an opinion on the legality of pay-or-consent models for online platforms offering services in Europe.  While the opinion is non-binding and limited to “large online platforms[1],” companies that offer platforms large and small in Europe should pay attention to the EDPB’s analysis—it will inform their future guidance for entities large and small. The upshot: Pay-or-consent models [for…

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Social Media Networks’ Section 230 Immunity on the Chopping Block? New York Court Allows Claims to Proceed Stemming from Buffalo Shooting

April 1, 2024

Social Media Networks’ Section 230 Immunity on the Chopping Block? New York Court Allows Claims to Proceed Stemming from Buffalo Shooting

By: Michelle Cohen

Since 1996, Internet platforms and social media companies have relied on a federal law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, to protect them from liability for civil law claims stemming from content on their platforms. As the influence of platforms like Facebook, Twitter (now X), and others has grown, members of Congress, consumer groups, and other stakeholders have urged Congress to restrict or repeal…

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OpenAI’s Legal Troubles Mount as New York Times Lawsuit Escalates Alongside SEC Investigation

March 4, 2024

OpenAI’s Legal Troubles Mount as New York Times Lawsuit Escalates Alongside SEC Investigation

By: Jake Gray

On February 28th, 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission (”SEC”) is investigating OpenAI’s internal communications following the board’s ousting and re-introduction of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in November 2023. Importantly, the SEC’s scrutiny of OpenAI adds to the mounting legal and regulatory challenges faced by the company. As rationale for Altman’s expulsion, the board cryptically stated that Altman hadn’t…

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Articles and Presentations by Our Firm Attorneys

School Scams: FTC Cracks Down on Florida Online Diploma Mills

School Scams: FTC Cracks Down on Florida Online Diploma Mills
By: Ifrah Law

Broken Promises: A Glimpse at the Dark Side of Crowdfunding

Broken Promises: A Glimpse at the Dark Side of Crowdfunding
By: Jeff Ifrah

For-Profit Education Flunking Regulations Overload 101

For-Profit Education Flunking Regulations Overload 101
By: Nicole Kardell

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