Feds Finalize Deal with College Savings Service Upromise Over Privacy Violations
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission Tuesday finalized a deal with Upromise, a college savings service, to settle charges that it collected personal information from consumers without adequately disclosing the extent of the date that it was collecting. The settlement [PDF] requires Upromise to: Destroy the data collected with its toolbar; Clearly disclose its data collection practices and obtain consumers’ consent before installing or re-enabling its toolbar; Notify consumers how to disable the data collection tool on their computers; Refrain from making misrepresentations about the extent to which the company maintains the privacy and security of consumers’ personal information; and Establish a comprehensive information security program and to obtain biennial independent security assessments for the next 20 years, a provision also found in the agency’s privacy settlements with Google and Facebook. Background In a statement, the FTC said that Upromise offers consumers a membership service that allows them to save money [...]
Feds Sue AT&T Over Deaf Calling Service Fraud
By Jared Newman, PCWorld Mar 23, 2012 7:19 AM AT&T is facing a government lawsuit for allegedly letting scammers overrun a calling service for the deaf, then sticking taxpayers with the bill. Since 2002, telecoms such as AT&T have been required to provide a free Internet-based calling system for hearing impaired users. These users type messages on their computers, and assistants hired by AT&T or other companies relay the message by voice. The U.S. government reimburses service providers at $ 1.30 per minute, but only if the calls originate in the U.S. and are made by hearing-impaired users — at least in theory. As Bloomberg Businessweek reports, overseas scammers from Nigeria and other countries have long abused this service, reaching out to merchants using the free calling system, and attempting to buy goods using stolen credit cards. The government responded in 2008 by requiring service providers to verify users’ [...]
Feds remind Chevrolet Volt safety probe not complete
Earlier this week General Motors laid out a few details surrounding the fix they had set up to assure the world that their Chevrolet Volt was safe in the face of a Federal safety investigation on its flammable batteries. What we did not know is that the Opel Ampera was delayed over this inquiry as well, and, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reminds us today, the investigation is not complete, even if General Motors thinks it is. A recall has not been put in place at the moment, but one may be happening in the very near future if needed. As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states, even though the General Motors North America president Mark Reuss assures the world that they’ve “made the Volt even safer,” the investigation does not end here. The NHTSA notes that they have not completed their inquiry and will be “continuing [...]
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