Hacker News with Generative AI: Consumer Protection

Airlines Sue to Avoid Consequences for Breaking Disabled Travelers' Wheelchairs (motherjones.com)
Five major airlines—American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United—have joined an airline trade association lawsuit to overturn a Department of Transportation rule that forces airlines to treat wheelchair users and their mobility devices with dignity.

Airlines, Disability Rights, Lawsuits, Transportation, Consumer Protection

7 points by awnird 1 day ago | 1 comments

Google Quality Issues: Harmful to Consumers and Possibly Intentional (wallethub.com)
Google is the portal to the internet for millions of people, serving not just as the bridge between searchers and information but also increasingly positioning itself as the final destination, pushing owned and operated properties and features on users.

Google, Search Engines, Consumer Protection, Business Practices

9 points by freediver 2 days ago | 3 comments

Inside the 'unprecedented' crackdown on US consumer watchdog (theguardian.com)
The termination email for a score of employees at the top US consumer watchdog arrived in the late hours of the night.

Government, Regulation, Consumer Protection, United States

11 points by howard941 7 days ago | 0 comments

CFPB's new acting head, issues directives to halt portions of bureau activity (nbcnews.com)
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought issued a series of directives to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees Saturday night in his new capacity a the bureau's acting head, effectively slowing a large portion of the bureau's activity to a standstill.

Politics, Consumer Protection, Government, Finance

18 points by rawgabbit 13 days ago | 2 comments

Temu, Shein and Amazon to be liable in EU for 'unsafe' or 'illegal' goods (ft.com)

E-commerce, EU Regulations, Consumer Protection, Product Safety

31 points by belter 19 days ago | 1 comments

CFPB Orders Wise to Pay $2.5M for Illegal Remittance Practices (consumerfinance.gov)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today ordered the international remittance company Wise to pay nearly $2.5 million for a series of illegal actions, including advertising inaccurate fees and failing to properly disclose exchange rates and other costs.

Financial Regulation, Remittance, Consumer Protection, Fintech

7 points by impish9208 21 days ago | 0 comments

Lawsuit accuses Amazon of tracking consumers through cellphones (msn.com)

Privacy, Amazon, Lawsuit, Technology, Consumer Protection

4 points by isaacfrond 21 days ago | 0 comments

Texas Is Enforcing Its State Data Privacy Law. So Should Other States (eff.org)
States need to have and use data privacy laws to bring privacy violations to light and hold companies accountable for them. So, we were glad to see that the Texas Attorney General’s Office has filed its first lawsuit under Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA) to take the Allstate Corporation to task for sharing driver location and other driving data without telling customers.

Privacy Laws, Data Privacy, Texas, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection

106 points by hn_acker 27 days ago | 19 comments

FTC Sends $5M in Refunds to Consumers Harmed by Bogus Credit Repair Scheme (ftc.gov)

Consumer Protection, Law, Scams, FTC

3 points by impish9208 31 days ago | 0 comments

Fake Reviews Have Become the Internet's Perfect Crime (thewalrus.ca)
In a world of information chaos, the idea of consensus has intuitive appeal.

Online Reviews, Fraud, Consumer Protection, Internet

9 points by pseudolus 32 days ago | 0 comments

Equifax to Pay $15M for Improper Investigations of Credit Reporting Errors (consumerfinance.gov)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against Equifax, the nationwide consumer reporting agency, for its failure to conduct proper investigations of consumer disputes.

Consumer Protection, Credit Reporting, Finance, Lawsuits

6 points by impish9208 32 days ago | 0 comments

Consumer Action Taskforce (rossmanngroup.com)
The mission of this Wiki is to document a new generation of consumer exploitation that bears no resemblance to issues of the 1950s-1990s. We focus on the issues that often go unnoticed by review sites, tech press, and traditional consumer protection publications.

Consumer Protection, Consumer Advocacy, Digital Exploitation, Online Privacy

6 points by compootr 32 days ago | 0 comments

FTC: Personal Data Used to Set Individualized Consumer Pricing (ftc.gov)

FTC, Consumer Protection, Pricing, Data Privacy

19 points by Anon84 34 days ago | 2 comments

Italy seeks to curb 'fake' online reviews for hotels and restaurants (rte.ie)
Italy's government has announced a draft law to regulate online reviews of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, in a bid to stop fake or paid reviewers.

Tourism, Regulations, Consumer Protection, Online Reviews, Italy

12 points by mooreds 34 days ago | 5 comments

CFPB Orders Operator of Cash App to Pay $175M and Fix Its Failures on Fraud (consumerfinance.gov)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered Block, the operator of the peer-to-peer payments app Cash App, to refund and pay other redress to consumers up to $120 million and pay a penalty of $55 million into the CFPB’s victims relief fund.

Financial Regulation, Fintech, Consumer Protection, Fraud

4 points by cbrozefsky 35 days ago | 0 comments

FTC Study Indicates Wide Range of Personal Data Used for Individualized Prices (ftc.gov)

FTC, Pricing, Data Privacy, Consumer Protection, Online Advertising

8 points by impish9208 35 days ago | 0 comments

GM banned from sharing driving and location data with insurance companies (techcrunch.com)
We regularly hear stories about companies that are selling your sensitive personal information — including your location data — to the highest bidder. The latest culprit appears to be General Motors.

Privacy, Automotive Industry, Data Security, Consumer Protection

29 points by belter 35 days ago | 5 comments

Rossmann Group's consumer protection database Wiki (rossmanngroup.com)
WHERE TO START - WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU!

Consumer Protection, Databases, Germany, Retail, Wiki

33 points by artomweb 37 days ago | 0 comments

CFPB sues Capital One for 'cheating' customers out over $2B in interest (cnbc.com)

Finance, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection, Banking

11 points by happysingle 38 days ago | 0 comments

CFPB Approves Financial Data Exchange, Inc. To Issue Standards for Open Banking (consumerfinance.gov)
Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an order recognizing Financial Data Exchange, Inc. (FDX) as a standard setting body under the CFPB’s Personal Financial Data Rights rule.

Finance, Open Banking, Consumer Protection, Regulation

3 points by impish9208 43 days ago | 0 comments

FTC Orders H&R Block to Pay $7M and Overhaul Advertising and Customer Service (ftc.gov)

FTC, Lawsuits, Advertising, Consumer Protection, Customer Service

4 points by impish9208 43 days ago | 0 comments

FTC requires H&R Block to pay $7M and overhaul practices for 2025, 2026 Seasons (ftc.gov)

Finance, Law, Consumer Protection, Taxation

6 points by gnabgib 44 days ago | 1 comments

White House unveils Cyber Trust Mark program for consumer devices (nextgov.com)
The White House on Tuesday launched a labeling scheme for internet of things devices that would inform consumers that applicable household products meet certain government-vetted cybersecurity standards.

Cybersecurity, Consumer Protection, IoT, Government Regulations, Technology

157 points by WaitWaitWha 44 days ago | 157 comments

Popular browser extension Honey accused of shady business practices (snopes.com)
A viral video alleged that the coupon-finding browser extension is a scam.

Browser Extensions, Business Practices, Consumer Protection, Social Media

8 points by jacobrussell 52 days ago | 1 comments

EU law mandating universal chargers for devices comes into force (france24.com)
EU rules requiring all new smartphones, tablets and cameras to use the same charger came into force on Saturday, in a change Brussels said will cut costs and waste.

EU Law, Consumer Protection, Technology, Environment

276 points by belter 55 days ago | 400 comments

NY governor signs law making the restaurant reservation black market illegal (eater.com)
Governor Kathy Hochul is signing the Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act into law, as of tomorrow December 19. “We’re putting an end to the predatory black market for restaurant reservations — protecting consumers and businesses, and giving everyone a chance to get a seat at the dinner table,” Hochul said in a press release from her office exclusively obtained by Eater.

Restaurant Reservations, New York, Law, Business, Consumer Protection

56 points by pseudolus 64 days ago | 66 comments

Grubhub to pay $25M for deceiving customers with junk fees (theverge.com)
Grubhub has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit that claimed the food delivery service misled customers and drivers while also damaging the reputation of restaurants.

Consumer Protection, Food Delivery, Lawsuits, Business

4 points by jakubsuchy 65 days ago | 0 comments

FTC's Lina Khan Changes Everything with Ban on Hidden Junk Fees (newrepublic.com)
Lina Khan’s FTC has passed a sorely needed ban on junk fees. But it won’t come into effect until she—and President Biden—is long gone.

Regulation, Consumer Protection, Politics, United States

19 points by madihaa 66 days ago | 4 comments

FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices (cnbc.com)

Consumer Protection, Business, Law, Travel, Events

658 points by LordAtlas 66 days ago | 663 comments

FTC Announces Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees (ftc.gov)

Consumer Protection, Government Regulation, Travel

18 points by notfried 66 days ago | 3 comments