FTC Releases Annual Report on Privacy and Data Security
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released its annual report on privacy and data security. The report covers the FTC’s efforts from January 2017 to December 2017, and describes the enforcement actions, advocacy-related work, workshops, and other privacy and data security activities it participated in during that time.
The FTC’s report described its pursuit of several privacy and data security enforcement actions in 2017. In the financial services industry, it brought suit against a lead generation business, alleging that it misled consumers by offering loan applications to payday and auto loan lenders on a first buyer basis, when it told customers it would connect loan applicants to the lender that would provide the best terms. The FTC also brought suit in several cases where it alleged the defendants sold lists or tried to collect on fake payday and other short-term loan debts, which included real personal information. The consumers were harassed for debts they did not know, and some consumers paid the fake debts. Other cases involved violations of the Do Not Call Registry provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
The FTC report also touted its advocacy efforts. The FTC filed comments regarding the disclosure of security vulnerabilities with respect to companies that provide products through the internet or collect sensitive consumer data, and testified to Congress regarding its efforts educating small businesses on data security.
Finally, the FTC hosted several workshops on privacy in 2017. The FTC hosted PrivacyCon, which is an annual conference to discuss new trends in protecting consumer privacy and security. It also hosted several conferences, which focused on peer-to-peer payment and crowdfunding; artificial intelligence and blockchain technology; identity theft challenges; and student privacy and educational technology privacy concerns.
The FTC’s Privacy and Data Security Update: 2017 is available here: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/01/ftc-releases-annual-privacy-data-security-update?utm_source=govdelivery.
