Any parent who’s had the horror of hearing their kid come home and proudly proclaim, “There’s lice at school!” would likely love to prevent such a thing in any possible way. But that’s not reality, unless you make your kid wear a swimming cap to school every day. That’s why the Federal Trade Commission charged one company with false advertising, after it touted its products as “lice prevention” tools. [More]
Government Policy
CFPB Fines Alabama Real Estate Firm $500,000 For Disclosure Violation
By 5.28.14
Purchasing everything you need for your home at one store can be convenient – it’s one of the reasons we have one-stop-shops. But when a realty firm doesn’t tell consumers they don’t have to use an affiliated mortgage service provider, well, that’s against the law. And as one company can attest it comes with a hefty fine. [More]
FTC Asks Congress To Require Transparency From Data Brokers
By 5.27.14
Who would you say knows the most about you? Your family or friends, perhaps? Wrong. You likely have never met – and will never meet – the people who know the most about you: data brokers. These companies follow your every move on- and off-line to collect billions of data points about your life in an attempt to better target you for marketing campaigns and fraud prevention, among other things. [More]
NHTSA Probing Possible Brake Failure Issue On 200K Nissan Vehicles
By 5.27.14
When depressing the brake pedal, you expect your car to slow down, stop and then stay stopped until you lift your foot. But that apparently isn’t happening in some Nissan vehicles and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated an investigation into the issue. [More]
FCC Could Use Mergers To Force Net Neutrality, But Shouldn’t
By 5.23.14
It’s a big year for the FCC. It’s got two huge mergers to review — Comcast/Time Warner Cable, AT&T/DirecTV — while also trying to reinstate the recently gutted net neutrality laws without ticking off the entire Internet. These related issues put the FCC in a position to force some cable operators to accept stricter net neutrality, but that’s really just kicking the can down the road. [More]
Dept. Of Education Sued For Access To Info On Private Debt Collectors
By 5.23.14
After being denied access to what it claims are public documents about financial incentives the U.S. Dept. of Education provides to private debt collectors, a consumer advocacy group has filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act to have those documents released. [More]
FDA Doesn’t Seem To Care That Novartis Still Sells Antibiotic As Pig-Fattener
By 5.23.14
Last week, we told you how pharma biggie Novartis was still openly marketing at least one of its antibiotics as a growth-promoter for livestock, even though the FDA had politely asked drug companies to pretty please stop selling antibiotics for non-medical uses. Given the voluntary nature of this guidance, not to mention its numerous loopholes, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that both the FDA and Novartis shrugged off critics’ concerns. [More]
Hummus Sold At Target, Trader Joe’s, Giant Eagle Recalled For Potential Listeria Contamination
By 5.23.14
Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can have unpleasant consequences for most people, and serious, life-threatening consequences for people who are very old, very young, already ill, or who are pregnant. A company called Lansal, Inc. that manufactures hummus for Tryst Gourmet and the private-label brands of retailers Target, Trader Joe’s, and Giant Eagle, reports that the pathogen may be in their hummus and related products. [More]
Following Death Of Child, NHTSA Investigating Dodge Ram Ignition Switch
By 5.23.14
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into a possible Chrysler Group pickup truck ignition-switch defect that has resulted in one fatality. [More]
Hotel Files $74,500 Defamation Suit Against Anonymous TripAdvisor Reviewer
By 5.22.14
The relative anonymity of online review sites makes it tempting to vent one’s anger toward a company in an over-the-top way, but does the use of a screen name prevent you from being held liable for making knowingly false claims? One hotel in Oregon says no, and is suing an unknown TripAdvisor reviewer to prove that point. [More]
CFPB Report Confirms Payday Lenders And Debt Collectors Are The Worst
By 5.22.14
For decades, payday lenders and debt collectors did their work while being largely ignored by federal financial regulators. And a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which recently gained oversight authority over the largest of these businesses, calls out many of the sketchy, sometimes illegal, practices some in these industries have been getting away with for far too long. [More]
Toyota Recalls Lexus GS For Braking Issues, Sienna Minivans Over Spare Tire Concerns
By 5.22.14
Not to be outdone by General Motors’ recallpalooza, Toyota announced a pair of recalls this morning — for Sienna minivans and Lexus GS sedans — totaling nearly 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. alone. [More]
Nest Officially Recalls Smoke Alarms, But You Just Need To Connect Yours To Web To Fix
By 5.21.14
Last month, the folks at Google-owned Nest alerted owners of the company’s Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that an software glitch could, under very specific circumstances, cause the device to delay sounding the alarm. Today, the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission made it official with a formal recall announcement. [More]
Proposed Rule Means Airlines Would Have To Be More Forthcoming With Fee Disclosures
By 5.21.14
Purchasing plane tickets can be a painstaking task. First, you comb through options to see what fits your schedule, then you search high and low for a price that meets your travel budget. But upon arriving at the airport you’re faced with fee after fee and pretty soon, that travel budget goes out the window. Those days might be over, however, now that the U.S. Transportation Department has proposed a new rule that would require airlines to directly disclose basic service fees. [More]
GM Adds Another 200,000 Vehicles To Its Continually Growing Recall List
By 5.21.14
There is yet another recall to add to General Motor’s already swelling list. This time more than 200,000 subcompact cars were recalled for a potential fire hazard created by daytime running lights. [More]
When You Give Silicon Valley Permission To Spy On You, It’s Kinda Hard To Say “No” To The NSA
By 5.20.14
The fundamental goal of the ad-supported web is to collect and capitalize on data from its users; rather unsurprisingly, that data is just as valuable to the government as it is to Facebook and Google. You may think you’d never willingly provide the FBI or NSA with a map of your entire private life, but, in fact, you probably already have. [More]
Former TSA Screener Not Fit To Stand Trial For Allegedly Making 9/11-Related Threats
By 5.20.14
A former TSA screener who worked at Los Angeles International Airport won’t stand trial for allegedly sending a series of 9/11-related threats to the airport last fall. [More]
Minnesota Bans Widely Used (But Pretty Much Useless) Antibacterial Soap Ingredient
By 5.20.14
In spite of the fact that the FDA has said that soap containing the antibacterial chemical triclosan is really no better at preventing the spread of germs than simply washing your hands with regular hot soap and water, it’s still widely used in soaps, cosmetics, deodorants and some toothpastes. And so the Minnesota state legislature recently voted to ban the use of triclosan. [More]
