Balough
September 5, 2014
Google, Inc. must pay back to customers at least $19 million in unauthorized charges incurred by children using mobile apps downloaded from the Google Play app store for Android mobile devices. The payment settles a complaint brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which alleges Google engaged since 2001 in “unfair” commercial practices by billing […]
Balough
July 22, 2014
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against a company that licenses a certificate that a product is “Made in USA” yet takes no steps to ensure that the products are in fact made in the USA. Made in the USA Brand, LLC, based in Ohio agreed to an FTC consent decree requiring the company […]
Balough
July 11, 2014
Amazon.com, Inc. billed parents for millions of dollars for in-app charges made by their children without parental approval, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged. Amazon offers for sale and download apps, including games that children like to play, the FTC complaint alleged. Within the games are virtual items that are paid via the credit card that […]
Balough
July 2, 2014
A New York county cyberbullying law is unconstitutional because it was too broad and violated the right to free speech under the First Amendment. Albany County in New York outlawed cyberbullying against “any minor or person” situated within the county. Specifically, the law criminalizes “any act of communicating . . . by mechanical or electronic […]
Balough
June 17, 2014
A Cincinnati BenGals cheerleader cannot sue a website that hosted allegedly defamatory posts about her, even though the website edited and added comments about the posts, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals found. The appellate court reversed the trial court’s finding that the website was not immune under the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) […]
Balough
May 27, 2014
Not surprisingly, a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report finds that data brokers who gather massive amounts of data about consumers operate with a fundamental lack of transparency. The report, Data Brokers: A Call for Transparency and Accountability, recommends federal legislation to make the practices more transparent and give consumers greater control over their personal information. […]
Balough
May 23, 2014
A pamphlet with guidelines for privacy and do not track policies for websites and mobile apps is available from the California Attorney General (AG). While the guidelines focus on California law, it is helpful for websites based outside of California that collect personal data of California residents. In the past, California has been at the […]
Balough
May 15, 2014
Google, as well as other search engines operating in the European Union, must delete old search results when requested by an individual under the right to be forgotten doctrine, the European Union’s highest court ruled. The European Court of Justice granted a request by a Spanish citizen that Google erase from its search results connected […]
Balough
May 14, 2014
A county board candidate is entitled to the name of an anonymous poster who wrote that the candidate “is a Sandusky waiting to be exposed,” an Illinois appellate court ruled. The appellate court affirmed a trial court’s order requiring Comcast Cable Communications, LLC to provide the name of a subscriber who posted the comment as […]
Balough
May 9, 2014
Apparently there is nothing more permanent than a Snapchat disappearing image and the app’s ability to collect all the names and phone numbers on the user’s mobile devices. The mobile messaging app has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that it deceived consumers by stating that the user’s “Snapchat” image or video would […]
