• The FTC will hold a workshop on April 26, 2012, titled “Paper, Plastic . . . or Mobile? An FTC Workshop on Mobile Payments”. It will examine the use of mobile payments and how this emerging technology affects consumers. Panelists will include consumer advocates, industry representatives, government regulators, technologists, and academics, and the workshop will be free and open to the public. Topics for discussion will be mobile payments technology, business models used in mobile payments, and the consumer protection and privacy issues that mobile payments raise. The experiences of other countries with mobile payments also will be discussed. The agenda is available here. More information about the workshop is available here.
  • On May 30, 2012, the FTC will host a day-long, public “Dot Com Disclosures Workshop” addressing the need for new guidance for advertisers on appropriate disclosures for the online and mobile environment. The Workshop will concentrate on technological advancements and marketing developments that have emerged since the FTC first issued its online advertising disclosure guidelines known as “Dot Com Disclosures”. Revisions will be consistent with the goals of the original guidelines, and will continue to emphasize that general consumer protection laws apply equally to online and mobile marketers. More information on the  Workshop is available here.