Data security and child privacy are among the FTC’s enforcement priorities for the next five years, the agency said Friday in its draft strategic plan. Comments are due Oct. 17.
FTC Privacy Enforcement
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the primary enforcer of privacy laws in the U.S., using consent decrees, lawsuits and rulemaking to address unfair or deceptive data practices. The agency’s actions influence how companies design privacy programs, handle consumer data and respond to complaints. This page highlights major cases, policy updates, and enforcement patterns at the FTC that shape the U.S. privacy landscape.
The FTC Act and COPPA are among the statutes that will be focal points for DOJ’s new Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch, the department announced Thursday.
TransUnion failed to secure personally identifiable information and financial data of more than 4 million people, attorneys said in a class action lawsuit announced Monday (see 2508280024).
Privacy Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week, in case you missed them. All articles can be found by searching the title or clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
DOJ received industry requests this month to scrutinize the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (MODPA) and other state privacy measures as possibly burdening interstate commerce. The closely watched Maryland legislation takes effect Oct. 1. The chief privacy officer of one company that flagged MODPA told Privacy Daily that his business' main concern is the part of the law's unique data minimization requirement that bans sale of precise location data.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday stayed the reinstatement of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter on a 6-3 vote and scheduled the case for December argument (see 2509160057). Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
The federal government is likely to show the U.S. Supreme Court that the president has constitutional authority to remove agency officers who have “substantial executive power,” DOJ argued Tuesday in support of President Donald Trump firing FTC commissioners (see 2509150054).
Though many digital health apps and online platforms fall outside the scope of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), courts and regulators are using other tools to expand enforcement against them when they share sensitive health data without consent, said Sheppard Mullin lawyers in a blog post.
The U.S. Supreme Court should grant a stay pending appeal and certiorari before judgment in a case challenging President Donald Trump’s firings at the FTC, Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter argued Monday (see 2509120059).
The FTC’s recent children’s privacy claims against Disney and Apitor suggest companies should carefully scrutinize third-party vendors and software development kits (SDKs), privacy experts told us in recent interviews. The focus on children’s privacy suggests Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Republican commissioner are following through on this administration’s promises to protect children, they said.