AG Rosenblum Files Comments with Federal Trade Commission Highlighting State AGs Role in Consumer Protection.
Today Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum led a bipartisan group of 29 Attorneys General in filing comments with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) highlighting the significant role State Attorneys General play in consumer protection, and asking the FTC to include their viewpoint and expertise as the agency holds public hearings on “Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century.”
In June, the FTC announced the agency will hold a series of public hearings, “on whether broad-based changes in the economy, evolving business practices, new technologies, or international developments might require adjustments to competition and consumer protection enforcement law, enforcement priorities, and policy.” The FTC asked interested parties to submit comments by August 20, 2018.
“The FTC plays a pivotal role in the development and enforcement of regulations that protect consumers. For example, almost everything we do today has a digital footprint, and the FTC is relied upon to help ensure we have strong systems in place to protect our personal information and data. Similarly, State Attorneys General are in the forefront of consumer protection and are particularly adept at spotting emerging scams and business trends. So, it is crucial that State AGs viewpoints and expertise are considered as the FTC contemplates changing enforcement priorities and implementing new policies affecting consumers,” said Attorney General Rosenblum.
In the comments, the State Attorneys General speak to the broad role they have as consumer protectors in their states and the concerns they share, particularly as they pertain to privacy and internet security:
“State Attorneys General play a distinct and important role in consumer protection, given our broad authority to act in the public interest combined with our responsibility to enforce state laws. We have a long history of protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive practices. The State Attorneys General frequently use our consumer protection authority—derived from states’ traditional police powers—to investigate violations of law, enjoin harmful conduct, redress consumer harm through injunctive relief and restitution, and deter further violations through civil penalties.”
The comments continue, “In our experiences, consumer privacy and data security is an afterthought in product and service development. Industry often does not adequately invest in privacy and security. Consumer data has inherent value and the free market alone does not adequately protect sensitive data. Consumers have voiced concerns to us about what personal information industry collects, how industry informs consumers about data collection, and how industry uses and shares consumers’ data. Industry must place privacy and security front and center in its research and development of products and services.”
The comments filed today were led by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, and also joined by the Attorneys General of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C.
To read a copy of the letter, visit https://tinyurl.com/ydypta6n
The Oregon Attorney General has one of the most robust consumer education and prevention programs in the country and is especially focused on elder abuse, consumer privacy, and emerging scams. If you would like consumer protection education and prevention materials, or if you think you have fallen victim to a fraud or scam, contact the Oregon Department of Justice online at www.OregonConsumer.gov or call our hotline at 1-877-877-9392.