It appears that grocers who removed all Blue Bell Creameries’ products from their shelves earlier this week may have had the right idea, as the ice cream company once again expanded the scope of its recall after further testing found a link between additional products and an outbreak of listeriosis. [More]
Government Policy
SEC Alleges Ex-NFL Player Ran $31M Ponzi Scheme
By 4.7.15
In football, a cornerback is tasked with defending against pass offenses. It appears one former NFL player wasn’t doing much defending on behalf of investors off the field. Instead, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges former New York Giants player Will Allen used his big league connections to assist in the operation of a $31 million Ponzi scheme based on making loans to cash-strapped pro athletes. [More]
Dept. Of Education Reveals Names Of 550 Colleges — Mostly For-Profits — Under Federal Scrutiny
By 4.7.15
For months now, Congress has debated the merits of creating an oversight committee tasked with improving coordination in federal and state oversight of the for-profit college industry. If that group ever comes to fruition, it appears they would likely have their work cut out for them, as the Department of Education recently released its previously secret list of colleges under scrutiny for financial reasons, half of which are for-profit schools. [More]
TSA Pocketed $675K Last Year Thanks To Your Loose Change
By 4.7.15
All those pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters we leave behind while dashing through airport security certainly add up. In fact, the Transportation Security Administration pocketed almost $675,000 last year because we were in too big a rush to pick up our loose change. [More]
NHTSA Advances Investigation Into Pedal Interference In Nissan Versa & Note, Adds Model Years
By 4.7.15
A years-long investigation into whether or not some 360,000 Nissan Versa and Note vehicles contain a defect that results in delayed brake application and unwanted acceleration gained momentum recently as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s initial evaluation revealed enough issues to upgrade the scope and significance of the probe. [More]
YouTube Kids App Accused Of Deceptive, Excessive Advertising
By 4.7.15
It’s only been a few weeks since Google launched its YouTube Kids app targeted at the youngest Internet users, and it’s already taking heat from consumer advocates who are asking federal regulators to investigate whether the service’s advertising practices run afoul of the law. [More]
Company That Marketed Weight-Loss Products With Fake News Sites Must Return $11.9M To Consumers
By 4.6.15
UPDATE: The Federal Trade Commission has revised the judgement amount that LeadClick Media must return to consumers. The company must provide $11.9 million in redress, down from the previous judgement of $16 million. The $4.1 million previously ordered to be surrendered by CoreLogic was actually part of the total $11.9 million that the company was ordered to pay, an FTC representative tells Consumerist. The headline and text below have been updated to accurately reflect this revised figure.
The Federal Trade Commission’s crackdown on deceptive weight-loss marketers continued today, as the agency announced an affiliate marketing network and its parent company must return $11.9 million to consumers who were lured into purchasing a range of weight-loss products through fake news websites. [More]
FCC Fines CenturyLink $16M, Intrado Communications $1.4M For Actions During Massive 911 Outage
By 4.6.15
Last month the Federal Communications Commission ordered Verizon to pay $3.4 million for failing to alert authorities of a preventable programming error that left nearly 11 million people in seven states without access to emergency services for six hours in 2014. While Verizon’s fine was decidedly hefty, it pales in comparison to the $16 million penalty the agency just levied against CenturyLink for the same 911 outage. [More]
FCC Proposes Treating Online TV Like Cable TV; Amazon Objects If It’ll Stop You From Binge-Watching ‘The Wire’
By 4.6.15
There’s another internet-related firestorm a-brewing at the FCC. This one is not as broad or as contentious as the now infamous net neutrality ruling, but it is bringing all the big players out to have their say. And what, you might ask, has everyone worked up? It’s the big bandwidth bugaboo of the twenty-teens: online video. [More]
Sam’s Club, Kroger & H-E-B Remove All Blue Bell Ice Cream Products Amid Contamination Concerns
By 4.6.15
Two weeks after Blue Bell Creameries expanded the recall of products linked to an outbreak of listeriosis that resulted in three deaths, several major grocery chains have taken things a step farther by removing all of the company’s products from the ice cream aisle. [More]
NHSTA Complaints Show Rusted Floorboards In Older Nissan Altima’s Create Fred Flintstone Cars
By 4.6.15
The only time you want to see someone driving down the road with their feet hanging out of the bottom of their car is on an episode of The Flintstones. But for hundreds of Nissan Altima owners that scene could very well become reality as they continue to report that rusted-out floorboards in their vehicles put their toes entirely too close to the road. [More]
John Oliver Gets Edward Snowden To Explain Government Snooping In Terms Of Penis Photos
By 4.6.15
By June 1, Congress must decide whether or not to reauthorize certain sections of the controversial USA Patriot Act (aka the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act), but even though it’s been nearly two years since former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed the NSA’s massive and far-reaching data collection programs, many Americans either are only vaguely aware or don’t understand because it’s not easy to immediately see how things like PRISM and MYSTIC affect your daily existence. That’s why John Oliver not only went straight to Snowden for an explanation of these programs, but to have him put the snooping in terms many Internet-era perverts can understand: penis photos. [More]
It’s Almost Lawsuit Season: Broadband Trade Groups Prepping Their Legal Arguments Against Net Neutrality
By 4.3.15
The FCC voted on the Open Internet Order — net neutrality — about six weeks ago. But nobody ever accused the wheels of bureaucracy of turning quickly and so it is only this week that the rule has been sent off to the fine folks at the Federal Register. That means we’re finally in the home stretch handoff; the rule will become the law of the land 60 days after the Federal Register publishes it. And that means we’re finally in the window for the big wave of down-and-dirty lawsuits and legal challenges we’ve been awaiting since basically forever. [More]
NHTSA Reviewing Petition To Open Investigation Into Ford Vehicle Lighting Issues
By 4.3.15
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened and closed an investigation into lighting issues in several models of Ford vehicles back in 2008 without demanding a recall. That decision apparently isn’t sitting well with a consumer group that has petitioned the agency to reopen the case after receiving additional complaints. [More]
Jury Orders Chrysler To Pay $150M After Jeep Fire Kills Four-Year-Old
By 4.3.15
Two years after Chrysler reluctantly recalled millions of Jeeps that could catch fire after being rear-ended the company has been ordered to pay $150 million to the family of a four-year-old boy who was killed in one of hundreds of related accidents. [More]
How ‘Notario’ Fraud Preys On Language Differences & Can Result In Unfair Deportation
By 4.2.15
While the news is filled with reports of various frauds perpetrated on American consumers, one particularly nasty scam doesn’t make as many headlines because it preys almost exclusively on recent Spanish-speaking immigrants who think they are paying for quality legal advice but instead get someone with nothing more than a notary stamp. [More]
Nearly 7% Of Americans Say Their Smartphone Is Their Only Way To Get Online
By 4.1.15
We may often joke that losing our smartphone would mean being cut off from the outside world. While that’s likely an exaggeration for many consumers, a new report from The Pew Research Center finds Americans’ reliance on smartphones to stay connected with the rest of the world is very real, especially when it comes to accessing the internet. [More]
AT&T Fails At Getting FTC’s Throttling Lawsuit Dismissed
By 4.1.15
Back in October, the Federal Trade Commission sued AT&T’s wireless division for allegedly misleading customers by charging for “unlimited” plans but then reducing data speeds after users passed certain monthly thresholds. AT&T subsequently asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the FTC lacks the authority to bring this type of lawsuit. Yesterday, a federal judge disagreed and sided against AT&T. [More]
