District | Jotup

FTC Sues Grand Canyon University for Deceptive Advertising and Illegal Telemarketing

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Federal Trade Commission, Student, GCE, Blog, Consumer protection, GCU, Complaint, The National, News, CEO, District, Program, FTC, Social media, Grand Canyon University, Commission, District court, Education, Nursing

In reality, the school requires that almost all doctoral students take additional “continuation courses” that add thousands of dollars in costs.

Key Points:

In reality, the school requires that almost all doctoral students take additional “continuation courses” that add thousands of dollars in costs.
The defendants also used abusive telemarketing calls to try to boost enrollment at GCU, according to the complaint.
The FTC says the defendants’ deceptive claims and abusive telemarketing calls violated the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule and asks the court to provide redress to consumers and prohibit the institution from further violations of the law.
Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.

California-based Lead Generator Agrees to Settlement Banning It from Making or Assisting Others in Making Telemarketing Calls, Including Robocalls

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Key Points:

Five Big Questions (and Zero Predictions) for the U.S. State Privacy Landscape in 2024

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Entering 2024, the United States now stands alone as the sole G20 nation without a comprehensive, national framework governing the collection and use of personal data. With bipartisan efforts to enact federal privacy legislation once again languishing in Congress, state-level activity on privacy dramatically accelerated in 2023. As the dust from this year settles, we [?]

Key Points:

Entering 2024, the United States now stands alone as the sole G20 nation without a comprehensive, national framework governing the collection and use of personal data. With bipartisan efforts to enact federal privacy legislation once again languishing in Congress, state-level activity on privacy dramatically accelerated in 2023. As the dust from this year settles, we [?]

How effective are public service announcements? Three scholars weigh in

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

After T disappears, Tasha learns from law enforcement and Barron that her older brother has been shot and killed.

Key Points:

After T disappears, Tasha learns from law enforcement and Barron that her older brother has been shot and killed.
While the PSA – released in September 2023 – is heartbreaking, a critical question remains: Will it work?
To answer that question, The Conversation reached out to three communication scholars for their perspectives on the effectiveness of PSAs.

Jessica Gall Myrick, professor of health communication

They are at what researchers call the “precontemplative stage.” For such people, a PSA can be more persuasive if it just gets them to think about the topic.
Research suggests that many audiences often respond more favorably to messages that offer some hope, at least by the end.
Hope is an important emotion because it can boost our confidence in our ability to handle the threat discussed in the PSA.
However, it is memorable – it has the potential to keep people thinking about the issue of gun violence.

Holli H. Seitz, professor of communication

In such cases, the effects are called “boomerang effects” because they go in an unexpected direction.
Case in point: From 1998 to 2004, Congress appropriated over US$1.2 billion for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.
To increase the effectiveness of PSAs, we can look to communication research for guidance.
An evaluation of that campaign showed desirable effects on public attitudes toward the appropriate use of ambulances.

Sara C. Doan, assistant professor of experience architecture

This story allows people to bring their own knowledge, experience and social connections to the problem of gun violence, making people want to act.
… Just feed my birds for me, alright?” This dialogue feels genuine, without the cheesiness that made people joke about previous anti-drug PSAs.
The horrors of gun violence should not be made into a snappy slogan, which, thankfully, Maryland’s PSA avoids.

Holli H. Seitz receives funding from the Extension Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
She has previously received funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Jessica Gall Myrick receives funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Letting low-income Americans buy groceries online in 2020 with SNAP benefits decreased the share of people without enough food – new research

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

First mandated by the farm bill Congress passed in 2014, the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot was initially rolled out on a limited basis in 2019.

Key Points:

First mandated by the farm bill Congress passed in 2014, the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot was initially rolled out on a limited basis in 2019.
Nationally, SNAP online grocery purchases soared to US$155 million in June 2020, from less than $3 million in January of that year.
What’s next
Another member of our research team, Kyle Jones, is now researching how this pilot affects what kinds of groceries Americans are buying with SNAP benefits.
He also plans to analyze how using the benefits for online purchases changes how much time people with these benefits spend on grocery shopping.

FTC Action Leads to Lifetime Ban for Skin Cream Marketer Who Charged Consumers Millions in Junk Fees

Retrieved on:

Monday, October 16, 2023

Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Douglas v. U.S. District Court ex rel Talk America, Judgement, Pai, Retirement, Commission, Disclosure, Blog, District, District court, Consumer protection, News, Social media, Insurance

Consumers who bought the products were not aware that they would later be charged the full price for the products and a recurring monthly charge.

Key Points:

Consumers who bought the products were not aware that they would later be charged the full price for the products and a recurring monthly charge.
The FTC also alleged that Pai created hundreds of shell companies to facilitate payment processing for the scam.
The relinquished assets will be used by the FTC to provide refunds to consumers harmed by the scam.
Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.

FTC Action Leads to Lifetime Ban for Skin Cream Marketer Who Charged Consumers Millions in Junk Fees

Retrieved on:

Monday, October 16, 2023

Consumers who bought the products were not aware that they would later be charged the full price for the products and a recurring monthly charge.

Key Points:

Consumers who bought the products were not aware that they would later be charged the full price for the products and a recurring monthly charge.
The FTC also alleged that Pai created hundreds of shell companies to facilitate payment processing for the scam.
The relinquished assets will be used by the FTC to provide refunds to consumers harmed by the scam.
Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.

FTC and CFPB Settlement to Require Trans Union to Pay $15 Million over Charges It Failed to Ensure Accuracy of Tenant Screening Reports

Retrieved on:

Monday, October 16, 2023

“Consumers struggling to find housing shouldn’t be shut out by tenant screening reports that are ridden with errors and based on data from secret sources,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Key Points:

“Consumers struggling to find housing shouldn’t be shut out by tenant screening reports that are ridden with errors and based on data from secret sources,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Trans Union LLC manages and oversees TURSS’s compliance with the FCRA.
The company also included inaccurate labels in its reports that mischaracterized the nature of certain information in consumers’ eviction records, according to the complaint.
This is the largest amount ever recovered in an FTC tenant screening matter.
In addition, the companies must also take steps to address the allegations of the complaint and help enable consumers to dispute inaccurate information in the future, including:

The FTC and CFPB filed the complaint and stipulated final order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.