Acting FTC Chairman Ohlhausen Reports One Year of Agency Accomplishments

Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen released a summary of the agency’s major accomplishments one year after being named to lead the agency.

Among the accomplishments:

• In a victory for the FTC, a federal court ordered Dish Network to pay $280 million in civil penalties and to stop alleged violations of the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule and other federal and state laws.

• The FTC extended its vigorous enforcement efforts to protect consumer privacy and data security, announcing 10 privacy cases and 4 data security cases. For example, along with 32 State Attorneys General, the agency reached a settlement with  Lenovo – one of the world’s largest computer manufacturers – over charges that the company harmed consumers by pre-loading software on some laptops that compromised security protections to deliver ads to consumers. 

• The FTC also stepped up its enforcement of the European Union-United States Privacy Shield framework, settling charges against three U.S. companies for misleading consumers about their participation in the framework. The FTC’s Informational Injury Workshop in December addressed questions such as how to best characterize these injuries, how to measure accurately such injuries and their prevalence, and what factors consumers consider when deciding whether to provide their personal information.