#consumer-protection — Public Fediverse posts

Meta targeted children to boost Facebook and Instagram use, lawyer says as landmark trial begins

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/meta-faces-29-state-trial-that-could-reshape-instagram-facebook-2026-08-18/

#ai #bytedance #compulsive #consumerprotection #cybersecurity #exploitation
#facebook #google #infosec #instagram #lawsuit #meta #predatory #privacy
#states #tech #technology #security #socialmedia #snapchat #tiktok #trial
#ussenate #whistleblower

Meta heads to court in a landmark trial about kids and social media addiction

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/17/nx-s1-5930701/meta-trial-kids-social-media-addiction

#ai #bytedance #consumerprotection
#cybersecurity #exploitation
#facebook #google #infosec #instagram #lawsuit #meta #predatory #privacy
#states #tech #technology #security #socialmedia #snapchat #tiktok #trial
#ussenate #whistleblower

States Seek $200 Billion From Meta Over Child Social Media Addiction Claims

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/technology/meta-social-media-addiction-trial.html

Marketplace warning as woman left $10K out of pocket after car purchase
By Emily Smith

A consumer group says Facebook Marketplace should be included in new federal anti-scam laws, after a Tasmanian woman lost $10,000 inadvertently buying a stolen vehicle.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-18/facebook-marketplace-car-scam-stolen-car-leanne-roney-tas/106972894

#ConsumerProtection #SocialMedia #Police #EmilySmith

CU Today: CFPB Pulls Consumer Complaint Narratives From Public Database. “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Friday said it will stop publishing consumers’ written complaint narratives and related visualizations in its public Consumer Complaint Database, saying the unverified accounts can present a one-sided picture of financial companies and may not involve violations of law.”

AI deepfake scams are impersonating Australia's most public faces
By Jasper Wells

Regulators are removing record numbers of fake celebrity-endorsed investment scams, using AI images of famous figures from the prime minister to Alan Kohler and Gina Rinehart.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-17/asic-ai-powered-impersonation-scams-warning-alan-kohler/107038256

#AI #ConsumerProtection #AIEthics #OnlineSafety #JasperWells

How Cyclospora Evaded the U.S. Food Safety System to Sicken Thousands

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/health/cyclospora-invesigation-fda.html

Trading platforms offer cash vouchers for 'high-risk' investments, watchdog says
By Brianna Morris-Grant

A review of nine online trading companies finds several are encouraging Australians to jump on "complex" deals, putting them at risk of major losses.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-13/asic-online-trading-platform-review/107027984

#PersonalFinance #ConsumerProtection #BusinessandIndustryRegulation #StockMarket #BriannaMorrisGrant

RE: https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/117083504614590649

Kalshi seeks an order enjoining ... Connecticut's gaming regulatory .... Kalshi contends that federal law preempts Connecticut's gaming regulatory regime and related statutes. For the reasons that follow, the Motion is DENIED.
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71990229/94/kalshiex-llc-v-cafferelli/
#Gambling #Consumerprotection #lawfedi

Colorado issues draft regulations to implement the Automated Decision-Making Technology Act. Comments are due by October 26, 2026. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2027.

#lawfedi #AI #consumerprotection

coag.gov/ai/

Health insurers access full medical records in 'aggressive' audits
By Alison Branley

Hospitals and allied health providers are concerned that insurers are asking providers for their patients' full clinical history.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/health-insurers-can-access-your-private-medical-notes/106671630

#HealthInsurance #ConsumerProtection #DataPrivacy #AccountingandAuditingServices #FinancialServices #AlisonBranley

'Loyalty doesn't pay': Car insurers asked to explain soaring premiums
By Kate Ainsworth and Emilia Terzon

The corporate regulator ASIC has taken aim at major car insurers, finding that the companies are not explaining why customers' premiums are rising faster than inflation.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-10/car-insurers-warned-rising-premiums-corporate-regulator-asic/107008124

#Insurance #ConsumerProtection #Inflation #BusinessandIndustryRegulation #Businesses #RegulatoryAuthorities #KateAinsworth #EmiliaTerzon

Gates woman has had her landline since the 1980s: Now Verizon says it’s going away

Consumer protections are stronger for landlines than for cell phones because they were passed before Congress became quite as bought-out as it is now.

I'm not sure about NY but in CA the protections are stronger and ATT doesn't like having to live up to them so they've been trying to bully customers out of them. I had a DSL/voice line over copper through my ISP. ATT jacked the price up to my ISP, making them have to raise prices. Their hope was that people would give up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3U0mpxNjis #USpol #ConsumerProtection #Communication

Gizmodo: ‘They Are Thieves’: FTC Complaints About Hims & Hers Detail Surprise Charges. “Last week, the FTC filed a lawsuit against telehealth company Hims & Hers for allegedly disclosing private health information to third parties and engaging in shady subscription practices. Gizmodo filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the FTC for consumer complaints against the company, […]

📌 The digital transformation of online gaming: technology, regulation, and consumer confidence

🔎 https://www.redpres.com/t44824-the-digital-transformation-of-online-gaming-technology-regulation-and-consumer-confidence

Tags | 🏷️ #OnlineGaming #DigitalTransformation #ConsumerProtection #ResponsibleGaming #ArtificialIntelligence #SecurePayments

🇬🇧 (REPORT) Rental scams: How even checking the Land Registry is not enough

This report explains how one particular scam worked, how it was uncovered, and why even checking the property's ownership in the Land Registry may not be enough. It discusses why the police have limited options to prevent such scams before damage occurs.

Read more:
https://informujte.cz/en/rental-scams-how-even-checking-land-registry-is-not-enough/

#RentalScams #RentalHousing #Housing #RealEstate #LandRegistry #Scams #ConsumerProtection #InvestigativeReport #Prague #OnlineSafety

ACCC launches inquiry into claims of food labelling after Four Corners investigation
By Samantha Dick

Australia's consumer watchdog has launched an inquiry into allegations of misleading consumer conduct after a major Four Corners investigation examining food fraud.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-07/accc-launches-inquiry-into-food-labelling-after-four-corners/107010678

#ConsumerProtection #ConsumerGoods #FoodSafety #Supermarkets #SamanthaDick

Hens moved indoors but free-range label still allowed
By Jane McNaughton, Justine Longmore, and Selina Green

The consumer watchdog has relaxed rules on free-range labelling as egg producers move their hens indoors to prevent the spread of bird flu.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-04/accc-extends-pause-on-free-range-egg-labelling-rules-bird-flu/106989736

#AvianInfluenza #ConsumerProtection #PoultryFarming #LivestockFarming #Agriculture #Health #VeterinaryMedicine #Animals #FoodandBeverageProcessingIndustry #JaneMcNaughton #JustineLongmore #SelinaGreen

Neil the seal merch site taken down after questions about donation claim
By Ashleigh Barraclough

The website claimed to donate a percentage of its profits to marine wildlife conservation, but the listed organisations say no partnership exists. The website also advertised artwork designed by "a talented local Tasmanian artist" which OpenAI detected was actually AI generated.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-04/neil-seal-merch-website-claim-donate-conservation-removed/106978138

#ConsumerProtection #AIEthics #AI #ScamsandFraud #Animals #AshleighBarraclough

Reuters: New York sues Kalshi, says its prediction markets are illegal gambling. “New York’s attorney general sued ​Kalshi on Friday, claiming that its prediction market platform violates state laws against illegal gambling. The case, brought by Attorney General Letitia James, ‌escalates a rapidly expanding battle, including a flurry of lawsuits and countersuits, over whether individual […]

https://youtu.be/rAUF9QGlCE8 #ConsumerProtection #EV #sustainabity #RightToRepair Rich is back again, and to another company after #Tesla 😅
Now going after #Lucid

As companies increasingly rely on user data to train and improve AI products, the Otter. AI litigation highlights how those practices can raise complex privacy and consumer protection risks.

#ConsumerProtection #AI #Privacy

https://www.zwillgen.com/litigation/first-major-ai-meeting-assistant-lawsuit-practical-lessons-otter-ai-litigation/

'Selling false hope': How mums are getting lured into a shampoo business
By Melanie Vujkovic and Michael Atkin

Sellers for this multi-level marketing company promise sisterhood, success and a more flexible life. But former insiders say the reality for most, is far from what’s being sold on social media.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-31/monat-mlm-network-marketing-women-mums/106870398

#ConsumerProtection #ConsumerGoods #AdvertisingandMarketingIndustry #Beauty #Women #OnlineSafety #Influencers #MelanieVujkovic #MichaelAtkin

20% lower online prices if you use a local library computer? Another reason to hate retailers.

"Lora Kelley took a trip to the New York Public Library for us and compared prices against a personal iPhone. The results? A box of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and a pack of toilet paper were nearly 20% cheaper on the library desktop."

https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/nothing-personal/surveillance-dynamic-pricing-legal-groceries-tickets/

#OnlineShopping #Retail_sales #ConsumerProtection

Reuters: US court revives lawsuit claiming AI software fueled price-gouging by New Jersey casinos . “A federal appeals court on Wednesday revived a proposed antitrust class action that alleges ​major casino operators in Atlantic City, New Jersey, ‌used an AI-powered revenue management platform to coordinate on room prices and overcharge guests.”