Consumer Protection

On September 17, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and seven states – Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia – sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster for violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales Act (“BOTS Act”). Additionally, each state Attorney General alleges violation of various state consumer protection laws, including the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Nebraska Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, and Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act.   Continue Reading FTC Sues Live Nation and Ticketmaster for Deceptive Pricing Tactics

In August, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a $14 million settlement with Match Group, Inc. and Match Group, LLC (collectively, “Match”), the parent companies of online dating platforms Match.com, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, and other dating sites. In addition to monetary relief, the settlement includes significant injunctive provisions aimed at addressing alleged deceptive marketing and unfair billing practices. This resolution marks a significant development in the FTC’s ongoing efforts to monitor and regulate subscription-based services in the digital space.Continue Reading FTC Secures $14 Million Settlement with Match Group Over Deceptive Subscription Practices

On August 7, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a $45 million settlement with online lead generator MediaAlpha, Inc. and its subsidiary QuoteLab, LLC (collectively, “MediaAlpha”), resolving allegations that the companies misled consumers seeking health insurance products. According to the FTC, MediaAlpha tricked consumers into sharing sensitive personal information under the guise of offering health insurance options through their lead generation sites. MediaAlpha allegedly then used that data for abusive telemarketing, including calling numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry. The FTC also alleged that MediaAlpha auctioned off consumers’ information to third-party lead generators and telemarketers, who similarly used that data to make illegal telemarketing calls.Continue Reading FTC Takes Aim at Online Lead Generator

In September, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson called for the FTC to regulate artificial intelligence claims through its existing consumer protection authorities:  “Imposing comprehensive regulations at the incipiency of a potential technological revolution would be foolish.  For now, we should limit ourselves to enforcing existing laws against illegal conduct when it involves AI no differently than when it does not.”  Two recently announced enforcement actions involving artificial intelligence underscore the new FTC leadership’s commitment to evaluate AI claims under traditional deception frameworks. Continue Reading FTC Challenges Deceptive Artificial Intelligence Claims

In late November, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) released a staff perspective paper (“the Paper”) detailing the results of an FTC study that surveyed 184 “smart” devices, ranging from smartphones to hearing aids to door locks, to determine whether manufacturers disclose how long they provide software updates for their products and related apps. Without such updates, according to the Paper and the corresponding press release, these products “may lose their ‘smart’ functionality, become insecure, or completely cease to operate.”Continue Reading FTC Staff Paper Finds Most “Smart” Products Manufacturers Fail to Disclose How Long They Will Provide Software Updates

On 4 May 2023, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) announced it is launching a review into AI foundation models and their potential implications for the UK competition and consumer protection regime. The CMA’s review is part of the UK’s wider approach to AI regulation which will require existing regulators to take responsibility for promoting and overseeing responsible AI within their sectors (for further information on the UK Government’s strategy, including its recent AI White Paper, see our blog post here). The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) has also recently published guidance for businesses on best practices for data protection-compliant AI (see our post here for more details).Continue Reading UK’s Competition and Markets Authority Launches Review into AI Foundation Models

On January 13, the FTC announced a settlement with WealthPress, an online service provider that recommends trades in financial markets.  The settlement resolved allegations that WealthPress violated both the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA) and Section 5 by making false and misleading claims about how much consumers could earn with the company’s trading recommendation services.  The action is noteworthy for two reasons.  First, building upon the FTC’s prior MoviePass settlement, the FTC’s ROSCA allegations focus not on the terms of the subscription service offered, but rather on the failure to clearly disclose material information about the company’s services.  Second, this is the FTC’s first settlement imposing civil penalties for alleged earnings claims violations predicated upon a Notice of Penalty Offenses issued in October 2021.  The settlement provides for $1.3 million in consumer redress, $500,000 in civil penalties, and injunctive relief.Continue Reading FTC Relies on ROSCA and Notices of Penalty Offenses to Police Deceptive Conduct in Settlement with WealthPress