Our partner Brad Elbein was recently interviewed by TechHQ for an article titled “The FTC’s tech priorities in 2020.”
Brad points to “market leading online platforms” as a focus for the FTC as consumer and business relations change in 2020. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
In an effort to shed light on 2020 priorities, I sent some questions over to Brad Elbein. He’s a former FTC Regional Director, presently serving as a partner in the Atlanta offices of Culhane Meadows PLLC. He advises companies on privacy and data security best practices and regulatory compliance, giving them insight into FTC operations.
He replied, “Clearly one priority for the FTC — joined by the CFPB and Department of Justice — will be looking at ‘market leading online platforms.’ If recent cases are any indication, the agencies will look at failures to preserve consumers’ data, defaults in properly disclosing terms and conditions, and anti-competitive behavior between social media behemoths.”
He also thinks that data privacy and security will be a top priority, which perhaps isn’t surprising given the endless series of data scandals and breaches.
Although Elbein expects to see dramatic developments in this area, he says it may take time. Meanwhile, each of the FTC enforcement divisions will be pursuing priorities within its individual purview. They’ll be looking at fraudulent activity in the digital ecosystem, such as anonymous generators of ‘likes,’ subscribers, and positive reviews. But they’ll also be looking into health products, including CBD, diabetes cures, and weight loss products, as well as programs that claim to assist in debt relief and student loan debt relief.
The complete article can be found HERE.