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Google Pushes Privacy Reforms

Firm hopes to allay concerns about its DoubleClick buy

(Newser) - Google is working to ease concerns about privacy infringement in online advertising, ComputerWorld reports. The online giant hosted a meeting for the Consumer Privacy Legislative Forum, a group working to get a bill protecting online consumers’ information passed in Congress. Google will also file comments concerning the FTC’s proposed...

Mortgage Crisis a Boon to ID Thieves

As mortgage companies fail, confidential info gets tossed, not shredded

(Newser) - Homeowners whose lenders have been caught by the subprime mortgage debacle may face increased risks of becoming victims of identity theft, reports MSNBC. Borrowers at some mortgage companies that have gone out of business are finding that their confidential records—income statements, credit cards and social security numbers—get tossed...

FTC Okays Google&rsquo;s DoubleClick Buy
FTC Okays Google’s DoubleClick Buy
Dec 20, 2007 10:11 AM CST

FTC Okays Google’s DoubleClick Buy

Deal to go forward despite months of antitrust and privacy opposition

(Newser) - The FTC voted 4-1 to approve Google’s purchase of DoubleClick, despite months of lobbying against the deal on privacy and antitrust grounds. The commissioners concluded that the deal "is unlikely to substantially lessen competition,” PC World reports. The $3.1-billion deal has been fought tooth and nail...

Privacy Groups Want Online ‘Do Not Call’

‘Do Not Track’ would bar companies from targeting ads

(Newser) - Consumer and privacy advocates have proposed a voluntary online “Do Not Track” list that would bar companies from monitoring web traffic for the purpose of targeting ads. Modeled on the popular “Do Not Call” list, which blocks phone telemarketers, the new proposal wouldn’t outlaw ads altogether, the...

FTC Cracks Down on Diet Spammers
FTC Cracks Down on Diet Spammers
Oct 11, 2007 2:44 AM CDT

FTC Cracks Down on Diet Spammers

Uses new law to target companies behind junk emails

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on spammers hawking weight loss and anti-aging products via 175K junk messages, Information Week reports, as the FTC chair announced the filing of civil complaints in Australia, Canada, and the United States. It's the first action brought by the agency under the Safe...

Ring, Ring, Ring: Do Not Call List Expires Soon

Numbers purge after five years, so for many it's time to re-register

(Newser) - If you're one of the millions who registered with the federal Do Not Call list in 2003, expect your phone to start ringing during dinner again soon, Time reports. That's because the FTC made the popular list good for only five years. After that, you have to re-up...

Do Carbon 'Offsets' Really Offset Anything?

Inconvenient Truth director says offsets have 'symbolic quality'

(Newser) - Everyone from Al Gore to Coldplay has jumped on the carbon offset bandwagon, but the Los Angeles Times reports that their payments don’t actually make the air any cleaner. Here's how they work: "Offset” companies invest in existing clean energy and win the right to sell “reductions”...

Court Stalls Whole Foods Merger
Court Stalls Whole Foods Merger
Aug 21, 2007 7:18 AM CDT

Court Stalls Whole Foods Merger

FTC wins 2 days to argue that $565M Wild Oats deal would ruin competition

(Newser) - A federal court issued a temporary injunction yesterday preventing Whole Foods from buying Wild Oats—at least today. The three-judge panel wants extra time to consider the FTC's argument that combining the nation's two largest organic food retailers would destroy competition. The companies will file additional briefs by tomorrow, and...

Whole Foods May Reap Wild Oats: Judge

Federal Judge won't block merger

(Newser) - A federal judge refused to block Whole Foods' $565 million purchase of  the company's organic supermarket rival, Wild Oats Markets, despite an effort by the Federal Trade Commission to prevent the merger. The merger could go through next week if there is no appeal, the Wall Street Journal reports.

FTC Spills Trade Secrets
FTC Spills Trade Secrets
Aug 15, 2007 3:04 PM CDT

FTC Spills Trade Secrets

Redacted portions were actually easily legible

(Newser) - While investigating Whole Foods Market's proposed takeover of competitor Wild Oats, the FTC accidentally released dozens of Whole Foods' trade secrets. The commission filed documents electronically without realizing that redacted portions were actually legible, just shaded. Among the secrets: how Whole Foods negotiates with suppliers to drive up prices at...

FTC Subpoenas Food Giants on Marketing to Kids

Congress wants data on childhood obesity

(Newser) - The FTC dealt out 44 subpoenas yesterday to food companies, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Kraft, seeking information on how much they spent on advertising to kids. The businesses have until November 1 to comply for a report the FTC is preparing for Congress on marketing practices and child obesity.

Whole Foods CEO Sorry for Web Subterfuge

Online shenanigans draw board scrutiny along with SEC probe

(Newser) - The CEO of Whole Foods apologized yesterday for boosting his company and posting snide comments about a rival supermarket chain in Internet forums and said he "had fun doing it." John Mackey's actions over the last 8 years have already triggered an SEC investigation, and the company's board...

Food Fight: CEO Ripped Rival in Secret Posts

Whole Foods boss trashed Wild Oats in Yahoo forum

(Newser) - The founder of Whole Foods secretly posted messages on a Yahoo stock investors forum—boosting his own company and damning competitor Wild Oats, the Wall Street Journal reports. Now, as CEO John Mackey tries to buy the company he trash-talked, the posts that ran for eight years have come back...

Whole Foods Cannot Sow Wild Oats
Whole Foods Cannot
Sow Wild Oats
Jun 6, 2007 8:30 PM CDT

Whole Foods Cannot Sow Wild Oats

FTC accuses crunchy granola types of monopoly grab

(Newser) - Even crunchy granola types may be monopolists at heart—at least according to the Federal Trade Commission.The FTC said yesterday it wants to block Whole Foods’ $670 million purchase of Wild Oats Markets, claiming that the sale will result in even higher-than-usual prices at the natural foods stores.

Feds Launch Search Into Google Deal
Feds Launch Search Into Google Deal
May 29, 2007 4:54 AM CDT

Feds Launch Search Into Google Deal

FTC starts preliminary antitrust probe into $3 Billion DoubleClick buy

(Newser) - The FTC has initiated an antitrust probe into search behemoth Google's $3.1 billion acquisition of a major online ad company, sources tell the New York Times. Both competitors and privacy advocates are chafing at the proposed deal between Google, which stores users' search histories, and DoubleClick, which keeps track...

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