Hacker News with Generative AI: Consumer Protection

New smartphone labels for battery life and repairability are coming to the EU (theverge.com)
The European Union has announced details of new mandatory labels for smartphones and tablets sold in the bloc, which include ratings for energy efficiency, durability, and repairability.

Smartphones, EU Regulations, Sustainability, Consumer Protection

8 points by tntpreneur 2 days ago | 1 comments

Issue Spotlight: The rise of surveillance pricing [pdf] (ftc.gov)

Surveillance, Pricing, Privacy, Government, Consumer Protection

6 points by 1vuio0pswjnm7 2 days ago | 0 comments

FTC takes action against Uber for deceptive billing and cancellation practices (ftc.gov)

FTC, Uber, Business Practices, Consumer Protection, Lawsuits

425 points by pinewurst 5 days ago | 264 comments

Tesla odometer uses "predictive algorithms" to void warranty, lawsuit claims (arstechnica.com)
Tesla is facing a new scandal that once again sees the electric automaker accused of misleading customers.

Tesla, Lawsuit, Automotive Industry, Consumer Protection, Predictive Algorithms

16 points by pje 8 days ago | 1 comments

Tesla odometer uses "predictive algorithms" to void warranty, lawsuit claims (arstechnica.com)
Tesla is facing a new scandal that once again sees the electric automaker accused of misleading customers.

Tesla, Lawsuits, Electric Vehicles, Consumer Protection, Algorithms

10 points by mizzao 8 days ago | 0 comments

HP agrees to $4M settlement over claims of "falsely advertising" PCs, keyboards (arstechnica.com)
HP Inc. has agreed to pay a $4 million settlement to customers after being accused of “false advertising” of computers and peripherals on its website.

Lawsuits, Consumer Protection, Technology, HP

9 points by bradac56 8 days ago | 1 comments

The CFPB Has Been Gutted (wired.com)
More than 1,400 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) workers were terminated from their positions on Thursday amid a broader Trump administration shakeup at the independent government agency, sources tell WIRED.

Government, Politics, Finance, Consumer Protection

17 points by leotravis10 8 days ago | 0 comments

Tesla odometer uses "predictive algorithms" to void warranty, lawsuit claims (arstechnica.com)
Tesla is facing a new scandal that once again sees the electric automaker accused of misleading customers.

Tesla, Lawsuits, Automotive Industry, Consumer Protection

11 points by cwal37 9 days ago | 1 comments

Tesla makes its cars lie about their mileage, lawsuit claims (arstechnica.com)
Tesla is facing a new scandal that once again sees the electric automaker accused of misleading customers. In the past, it has been caught making "misleading statements" about the safety of its electric vehicles, and more recently, an investigation by Reuters found Tesla EVs exaggerated their efficiency. Now, a lawsuit filed in California alleges that the cars are also falsely exaggerating odometer readings to make warranties expire prematurely.

Tesla, Lawsuits, Electric Vehicles, Consumer Protection

14 points by LinuxBender 9 days ago | 1 comments

Tesla (TSLA) has to replace computer in ~4M cars or compensate their owners (electrek.co)
Tesla (TSLA) has to replace the ‘self-driving’ computer inside about 4 million vehicles or likely compensate the owners of those vehicles.

Tesla, Electric Vehicles, Lawsuits, Consumer Protection

18 points by ckastner 11 days ago | 1 comments

Beyond Showerheads: Trump's Attempts to Kill Appliance Regulations Cause Chaos (propublica.org)
Donald Trump makes no secret of his loathing for regulations that limit water and energy use by home appliances.

Politics, Environmental Policy, Consumer Protection, Regulation, Appliances

8 points by rntn 12 days ago | 0 comments

Key principles on in-game virtual currencies in the EU (tiendil.org)
Last month, the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, in coordination with the European Commission, released interesting guidelines on the implementation of in-game currencies.

Virtual Currencies, EU Regulations, Gaming, Consumer Protection

63 points by speckx 15 days ago | 56 comments

Leveraging international standards to protect US consumers without Congress (techpolicy.press)
For decades, the US Congress has been unable to pass comprehensive online platform regulation.

US Policy, Technology, Standards, Consumer Protection

7 points by anigbrowl 17 days ago | 0 comments

UK bans fake reviews and sneaky fees (theguardian.com)
Sneaky fees that are estimated to cost consumers £2.2bn a year are to be banned from today under new consumer protection laws.

Consumer Protection, UK Law, Business Practices

88 points by charlieirish 20 days ago | 57 comments

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

468 points by thoughtpeddler 35 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 37 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 38 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 44 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 45 days ago | 4 comments

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

Finance, Government, Layoffs, Consumer Protection

16 points by belter 55 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 57 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 59 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 60 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 62 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 65 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 71 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 76 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 83 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.