Category: Federal Trade Commission
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U.S. Representatives Ask FTC to Investigate Seafood Labeling Claims
U.S. Representatives Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) have reportedly asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate claims that seafood sold in grocery stores, restaurants and markets is often mislabeled. According to the congressmen’s October 31, 2011, letter, two separate investigative reports used DNA testing to conclude that purveyors frequently sold seafood as…
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Consumer Interests Seek FTC Investigation of Digital Youth Marketing; Doritos® Targeted
Several consumer advocacy organizations have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) based on a report that “identifies, analyzes, and documents a set of digital marketing practices that pose particular threats to children and youth, especially when used to promote foods that are high in fat, sugars, and salt, which are known to…
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FTC and Phusion Projects Reach Agreement over Four Loko® Disclosures, Packaging
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has entered a 20-year consent order with Phusion Projects, LLC, the maker of Four Loko®, an alcoholic beverage that has generated significant controversy for its “super-size” container and previous inclusion of caffeine, which some allege has led to binge-drinking and adverse health effects. In re: Phusion Projects, LLC, No. 112-3084…
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Congressmen Ask FTC to Investigate “Supercookie Monsters”
U.S. Representatives Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) have written a September 26, 2011, letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Jon Leibowitz, expressing concern over the practices used by some web services to track online behavior. The congressmen, who co-chair the Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, cited an August 18 Wall Street Journal article that raised…
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Obama Urged to Finalize Proposed Regulations on Food Marketing to Kids
Public health advocates from around the country have sent a letter to President Barack Obama (D) urging his administration to finalize the April 2011 proposed voluntary standards for food marketing to children. The guidelines would set limits on the amount of unhealthy fats, added sugars and sodium in foods advertised to children ages 2-17. Additional…
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FTC Considers Amendments to Children’s Online Privacy
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed amendments to rules issued under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires the owners and operators of websites intended for children younger than age 13 to obtain “verifiable consent from parents before collecting, using, or disclosing such information from children.” The amendments apparently seek to address recent…
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FTC Staff Concludes Online Behavioral Advertising Enforcement Program Not Anticompetitive
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a staff advisory opinion informing the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (CBBB) that staff does not have any “present intention” to recommend that FTC bring an enforcement action against a CBBB plan to hold companies “engaged in online behavioral advertising” (OBA) accountable for compliance with self-regulatory principles…
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AP Highlights Legislator Resistance to Food Ad Limits
“House Republicans are siding with food companies resisting the Obama administration’s efforts to pressure them to stop advertising junk food for children,” writes Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in a July 6, 2011, article examining the efforts of individual legislators to stymie proposed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) food marketing guidelines. According to Jalonick, while food companies…