Enforcement
We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices.
,
Search or browse
the Legal Library
Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law.
,
Take action
- Report an antitrust violation
- File adjudicative documents
- Find banned debt collectors
- View competition guidance
,
Competition Matters,
John Newman & Amy Ritchie, Bureau of Competition,
,
Policy
We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition.
,
Search or browse
the Legal Library
Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law.
,
Take action
,
Technology Blog,
Nick Jones,
,
Advice and Guidance
Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. Find the resources you need to understand how consumer protection law impacts your business.
,
Take action
- Report fraud
- Report identity theft
- Register for Do Not Call
- Sign up for consumer alerts
- Get Business Blog updates
- Get your free credit report
- Find refund cases
- Order bulk publications
,
Consumer Advice
- Shopping and Donating
- Credit, Loans, and Debt
- Jobs and Making Money
- Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts
- Identity Theft and Online Security
- Scams
,
Business Guidance
- Advertising and Marketing
- Credit and Finance
- Privacy and Security
- By Industry
- For Small Businesses
- Browse Business Guidance Resources
- Business Blog
,
Servicemembers:
Your tool for financial readiness
,
Get consumer protection basics, plain and simple
,
Learn how the FTC protects free enterprise and consumers
,
Looking for competition guidance?
,
News and Events
,
,
,
Follow us on social media
,
About the FTC
Our mission is protecting consumers and competition by preventing anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices through law enforcement, advocacy, and education without unduly burdening legitimate business activity.
,
Looking for legal documents or records? Search the Legal Library instead.
,
Looking for legal documents or records? Search the Legal Library instead.
,
For Release,
,
The Federal Trade Commission will hold a virtual informal hearing on January 16, 2024, on the proposed amendments to the Negative Option Rule.
During the hearing, which will be open to the public and viewable on the FTC’s website, six nongovernmental organizations will provide oral statements addressing issues raised to date during the rulemaking process.
On March 23, 2023, the FTC announced a rulemaking proposing several significant updates to its rule regarding subscriptions and recurring payments, including a “click to cancel” provision requiring sellers to make it as easy for consumers to cancel their enrollment as it was to sign up. The new click to cancel provision, along with other proposals, are aimed at rescuing consumers from seemingly never-ending struggles to cancel unwanted subscription payment plans for everything from cosmetics to newspapers to gym memberships.
In response to the proposed rulemaking, six of the more than 1,100 commenters requested to present their positions at an informal hearing: They include International Franchise Association, TechFreedom, the Performance Driven Marketing Institute, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, FrontDoor, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
The Federal Register notice states that these entities will be entitled to make oral presentations at the informal hearing on January 16, 2024. Oral statements at the event will be limited to 10 minutes each. These organizations, however, may also request to submit written documents to the FTC within 14 days of publication of the notice in the Federal Register. Submission instructions are included in the notice. All submissions will be placed on the public record.
The informal hearing will be conducted virtually, starting at 10 a.m. ET, and Securities and Exchange Commission Administrative Law Judge Carol Fox Foelak has been appointed to preside over the event. The link to the hearing webcast will be posted shortly before the date of the event on the FTC’s website.
The Commission vote approving publication of the notice was 3-0. It will be published in the Federal Register shortly.
The lead staffer on this matter is Katherine Johnson in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
,
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.
,
Office of Public Affairs,
202-326-2161
