Samuel Levine
@saalevine
Senior Fellow, @UCBConsumerLaw. Former Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection. Tweets are my own. Retweets, follows, & likes ≠ endorsements.
Ever wonder why clicking “I agree” means giving up your privacy? Two decades ago, FTC leaders argued tech could police itself, and gov’t should focus on disclosures. That moment helped birth an internet built on unchecked surveillance. And it was no accident. 🧵
In a Feature, @linamkhan, @saalevine, and @stephtngu review the FTC’s changes under their leadership to better rein in data abuses. stanfordlawreview.org/print/article/…
NEW: Giant corporations should not be allowed to jack up your prices or lower your wages using data they got spying on you. Whether you know it or not, you may already be getting ripped off. I’m proposing the first federal bill to ban this practice. nbcnews.com/politics/congr…
This isn’t speculation — @Delta bragged about it to investors. Great to see @RubenGallego @SenBlumenthal @MarkWarner demanding answers.
Lina Khan: "The holy grail for companies for a long time has been the ability to charge each person what their willingness to pay is. If you're really hungry for lunch, maybe they'll charge you 10 bucks for a burger, but if you're not that hungry, maybe they'll charge you three…
Good letter (and good that it comes from Gallego, Warner and Blumenthal, not quite the usual suspects) on Delta saying it will use AI to set personalized fares. This era of surveillance pricing is advancing fast and lawmakers need to advance with it.
Update: 21 days into Made in USA month 183 days into Trump Admin $0 penalties $0 refunds 0 cases Second term is looking a lot like the first.
Join me in celebrating "Made in the USA" Month at the @FTC!
Great to see Commissioner Slaughter back at @FTC. Restoring Click-to-Cancel is a smart first step if @FTC is serious about putting the public first.
Excited to be heading into the office this am! Top of the to-do list: calling a vote on restoring the Click to Cancel Rule. It’s time the FTC gets back to protecting consumers from real abuses like subscription traps that cost Americans countless hours and millions of dollars.
Statement by reinstated FTC Commissioner @RKSlaughterFTC
BREAKING: DC judge rules Trump admin's attempt to remove @RKSlaughterFTC from her position as a commissioner did not comply with FTC Act’s removal protections, and those protections remain constitutional. Judge dismisses @BedoyaUSA claims without prejudice.
Instead of fighting to lower costs for Americans, this @FTC is letting off the hook oil executives caught trying to collude with foreign countries to inflate how much people pay at the pump.
FTC reopens and sets aside Exxon-Pioneer final order: bit.ly/40VvKLW
Americans are often coerced into paying medical bills they already paid or never owed in the first place. I'll be joining @rolandsmartin soon to talk about the latest ploy to put medical bills back on credit reports. Tune in: youtube.com/@rolandsmartin
While investigating @Adobe for deceptive subscription practices, we discovered an executive admitting that hidden early termination fees are “a bit like heroin” for the company. Subscription tricks and traps have surged as more firms become dependent on subscription-based…
Do I cancel 4 days early just for the bit? @Adobe This is fucking awesome, I love the way you guys operate, because like, the audacity is insane.
NEW ODD LOTS WHY US BANKS ARE TRYING TO TURN THEMSELVES INTO SUPER APPS @TheStalwart & I speak with former CFPB director @ChopraUSA about the nexus between banks and tech, stablecoins, the spread of buy now pay later, and the collapse of SVB: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/odd…