Hacker News with Generative AI: Consumer Protection

California Attorney General issues consumer alert for 23andMe customers (oag.ca.gov)
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert to customers of 23andMe, a genetic testing and information company.

Consumer Protection, Health, California, Genetics, Privacy

467 points by thoughtpeddler 11 days ago | 355 comments

Home Sellers and Buyers Accuse Realtors of Blocking Lower Fees (nytimes.com)
A year after a landmark settlement called for a disruption in how real estate agents are paid, people say they still feel forced to pay them excessive commissions.

Real Estate, Business, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection

20 points by lxm 13 days ago | 4 comments

Justice Department Announces Actions to Combat Cost-of-Living Crisis (justice.gov)
The Justice Department today announced that it is taking action in response to President Trump’s Presidential Memorandum “Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis.”

Law, Politics, Economics, Consumer Protection

8 points by impish9208 14 days ago | 3 comments

FTC can't afford to fight Amazon's allegedly deceptive sign-ups after DOGE cuts (arstechnica.com)
The Federal Trade Commission is moving to push back a trial set to determine if Amazon tricked customers into signing up for Prime subscriptions.

Amazon, FTC, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection, Business

58 points by unclebucknasty 21 days ago | 10 comments

FTC can't afford to fight Amazon's allegedly deceptive sign-ups after DOGE cuts (arstechnica.com)
The Federal Trade Commission is moving to push back a trial set to determine if Amazon tricked customers into signing up for Prime subscriptions.

Amazon, FTC, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection, Technology

23 points by ndsipa_pomu 21 days ago | 4 comments

Doge plans to fire nearly all CFPB staff (cnbc.com)

Finance, Government, Layoffs, Consumer Protection

16 points by belter 32 days ago | 9 comments

Consumer Bureau Drops Lawsuit Against Capital One (nytimes.com)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped a lawsuit against Capital One that claimed the bank cheated customers out of interest payments.

Finance, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection, Banking

6 points by insane_dreamer 33 days ago | 1 comments

Wyden to FTC: Stop Companies Offering Bait-and-Switch Sales of Digital Purchases (senate.gov)
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., pressed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to stop companies from misleadingly offering people the ability to “buy” online content, including TV, e-books, movies, music, and video games, when the reality is consumers do not have total control over their purchases.

Consumer Protection, Digital Content, Regulation, FTC, Politics

6 points by ChrisArchitect 36 days ago | 0 comments

Trump 2.0 Brings Cuts to Cyber, Consumer Protections (krebsonsecurity.com)
One month into his second term, President Trump’s actions to shrink the government through mass layoffs, firings and withholding funds allocated by Congress have thrown federal cybersecurity and consumer protection programs into disarray.

Politics, Cybersecurity, Consumer Protection, Government

18 points by contemporary343 37 days ago | 2 comments

The Secret Society Raising Your Electricity Bills (prospect.org)
A breakthrough report details how utility companies use bogus models to earn excess profits.

Electricity Rates, Utility Companies, Consumer Protection, Investigative Journalism, Business

6 points by CharlesW 38 days ago | 0 comments

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 41 days ago | 1 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 47 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 53 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 59 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 62 days ago | 0 comments

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

Privacy, Amazon, Lawsuit, Technology, Consumer Protection

4 points by isaacfrond 62 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 67 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 71 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 72 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 72 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 72 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 74 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 74 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 75 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 75 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 75 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 77 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 78 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 83 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 83 days ago | 0 comments