The organization says the agency is failing to protect Americans' interests
It's been just a few weeks since new leadership was installed at the Federal Trade Commission (FTCV) and other agencies charged with protecting consumer interests, and the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is not happy with the results to date.
Consumers are constantly being tracked, scored, screened, and manipulated in our current unfair marketplace, and the FTC is supposed to be there to protect our privacy and pocketbooks saidBen Winters, Director of AI & Privacy for the organization. Instead of continuing the work protecting consumers privacy, the FTC is playing partisan games, and American consumers are paying the price.
In a lengthy statement, CFA presented a laundry list of grievances with the Trump Administration's team now at the helm of the agency:
"For years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been the primary federal agency that polices the unfair and deceptive ways your personal data is collected, used, and sold. During prior administrations, the FTC has successfully sued data brokers that sold the most sensitive precise location data about where people pray or get medical care.
"They cracked down on RiteAid for collecting biometric information from everyone coming into their stores then using its erroneous determinations to harass shoppers of color. They took action against General Motors for sharing precise location and driving behavior data without consent from drivers just trying to live their lives.
"They went after scammers, websites that try to trick you into agreeing to sign up for a service or manipulate your consent to sharing your data, took appropriate action when companies let data breaches happen, and tackled the corporate consolidation fueling many data abuses by Big Tech," the CFA said.
'Walking back' vital measures
"In his short tenure, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson has already taken several steps to walk back some of these measures taken to rein in encroachment of our privacy and exploitation of the collected data by tech firms and giant corporations," the CFA statement continued.
"He removed a public comment period about surveillance pricing practices, dismissed an investigation of MGM Resorts September 2023 data breach, and pulled down four years of business guidance. While some of the guidance has since reappeared on the website, several blogs advising businesses how to better protect their customers data from breaches are still missing.
"Earlier this week, President Trump attempted to illegally fire Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya from the independent consumer agency hamstringing the agency from continuing their critical work."
CFA said the actions by the FTCs new leadership make it clear that they are "prioritizing partisan games over their crucial role in protecting Americans sensitive personal data.
"The current FTC is signaling alignment with Big Tech and giant corporations , the mega-donors that cozied up behind President Trump at the inauguration, not the consumers or small businesses they are obligated to protect," the statement concluded.
Posted: 2025-03-25 19:44:09
