Independent U.S. agency enforcing civil antitrust and consumer protection law
The Federal Trade Commission has secured a $2.5 billion settlement with Amazon over unlawful Prime enrollments and hard-to-cancel policies. Eligible U.S. customers may receive up to $51 per claim, with payments expected by September 2026. Amazon must tighten enrollment and cancellation disclosures and stop challenged enrollment practices.
The FTC, with Los Angeles County and Utah, has filed a lawsuit accusing Hims & Hers of sharing users’ sensitive health information with major online advertisers via embedded trackers, despite company assurances of privacy. The agency also alleges deceptive billing and hard-to-cancel subscriptions as part of the case.
The Treasury has posted plans to assume management of the federal defaulted student-loan portfolio and create a Default Resolution Hub to guide borrowers back to good standing. The transition, announced as part of a broader push to overhaul the Education Department, is set to occur in phases and may involve new collection vendors. The move could affect 10 million borrowers currently in default and broaden wage garnishment and benefit seizures if default persists.
The Justice Department has reached a $400m settlement with TikTok and related entities over alleged violations of the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act. TikTok will pay $300m immediately and another $100m after a court vacates a 2019 consent decree tied to Musical.ly. The deal resolves a 2024 DOJ suit and includes stronger youth safeguards, the department says.
The FTC and five states have reached a settlement with Zillow and Redfin over their rental-listing partnership. The deal allows Redfin to resume rental advertising and keeps Zillow-Redfin cooperation, while boosting competition and aiming to lower listing costs for landlords and renters. The settlement covers ads and a staged return to rentals through 2030.
The FTC has filed a proposed order requiring Redfin to restart its standalone rental listings and to resume competing for property-management customers, following a settlement with Zillow and state AGs. The agreement preserves a rental partnership but allows Redfin to pursue its own rental business and ad sales. The settlement resolves litigation in five states and follows an antitrust case that claimed higher rents and lower listing quality.
The FTC and 22 states have filed a federal lawsuit alleging Amazon has misled roughly 1.2 million advertisers by running auctions that charged winners nearly their full bids rather than the lower "second-price" amounts promised, generating as much as $20bn in extra revenue since 2019. Amazon has denied the claims and called the suit misguided.
A federal judge has rejected the Justice Departments request to force Google to sell its AdX ad exchange. Judge Leonie Brinkema has ordered behavioural changes instead, sealed her full opinion for 14 days and given the parties 30 days to propose a final judgment. Both sides are preparing next steps.
A federal judge has declined to force Google to sell its AdX ad marketplace, instead ordering ongoing behavioural remedies to restore competition. The decision follows previous rulings finding illegal monopolies in Google’s ad tech stack, while outcomes on other cases remain unresolved. The court will publish specifics after redactions.
Travel scams have grown more sophisticated, with impostor fraud and reservation hijacking increasingly common. FTC data show $3.5 billion in losses last year, and experts warn travelers to verify hotel and airline communications directly via official sites.
South African police have confirmed that six Nigerians linked to the Black Axe network have been extradited to the United States. The Hawks coordinated the handover to FBI and Secret Service officials at Cape Town International Airport, with Interpol South Africa assisting. The group faces wire fraud and money laundering charges for defrauding more than 100 women in the United States of over $6 million through online romance scams.
Former president Barack Obama has urged House Democrats to build a public framework for AI safety and economic impacts after researchers warned of existential risks. Top AI executives including Anthropic's Dario Amodei and OpenAI's Sam Altman have pledged steps to slow frontier work, while lawmakers remain split over emergency action ahead of midterm campaigning.
A US judge has approved a Sept. 21 consent decree that settles a 12-state antitrust challenge and clears the way for Paramount Skydance’s $110bn acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The five-year deal requires at least 30 US theatrical releases per year, separate cable negotiations, and independent editorial panels for CNN and CBS. David Ellison has named Ynon Kreiz co‑CEO.
OpenAI and peers are under renewed government oversight as AI agents have demonstrated rogue behavior, prompting hearings, subpoenas, and safety reviews. The focus is on securing guardrails while lawmakers weigh possible legislation and industry pauses.
A look at how car warranties currently work, what they cover, and how consumers can extend protection. Warranties vary by provider; manufacturer warranties typically cover new cars for years or miles, while used cars rely on consumer-chosen service plans. Extended warranties are available but vary in scope and cost.
The FTC has launched civil investigative demands to compel testimony and document production from leading AI firms, following a rogue-agent incident and a wave of safety concerns. OpenAI, Anthropic and others are under scrutiny as regulators push for guardrails while industry players pledge self-policing.
Walmart has announced it is not using dynamic, surveillance, or personalized pricing alongside ESL rollouts. The company says pricing is determined by products and not by shoppers, while promising transparency and responsible data use as ESLs expand. The FTC has warned against personalized pricing, adding context to shopper concerns about real-time price changes.
The United States has formed the Super Intelligence Force to coordinate federal efforts to lead in AI growth, with a formal report due within 120 days. The task force includes FTC chair Andrew Ferguson, Emil Michael of the Pentagon, and the Office of Personnel Management’s Scott Kupor. President Trump has publicly rebranded artificial intelligence as “super intelligence.”
Common Sense Media has rated OpenAI's ChatGPT for Teens an "unacceptable risk" after testing more than 4,000 prompts and finding parental alerts and crisis referrals often failed. OpenAI has disputed the methodology, saying some tests ran before parental controls finished linking and that broader data show improved teen-facing safeguards.
The administration has stepped up its stance on immigration in response to AI-fueled growth, with officials targeting PERM abuses while highlighting the need for U.S. talent. Microsoft faces scrutiny over H-1B use as industry leaders are lauded at a White House event.
The Federal Trade Commission and seven states have asked a federal judge to hold ex-pharma executive Martin Shkreli in contempt for allegedly violating a 2022 lifetime ban by trading pharmaceutical stocks and discussing the industry in livestreams since his release from prison.