Consumer Protection
Should You Buy Now, Pay Later? Tread Carefully.
In the summer of 2020, amid fear and uncertainty over the pandemic, Amber Cole of Colorado Springs turned to retail therapy. She browsed Lululemon’s website for trendy athletic apparel like T-shirts and leggings for $50 to $130. Ms. Cole, 33, saw an enticing option to pay for her purchases. After entering a few pieces of […]
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Tattoo Artists Face a Grayer Palette in Europe
Along a bare torso and down a thigh, the sun glints through ocean waters and bathes coral and fish in aqueous light. On a lower leg, vivid frogs tense, as if preparing to jump from dewy leaves. A mischievous child with twinkling blue eyes stares out from an inner bicep. In his home studio in […]
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7 Million Bad Student Loans With No Way Out, for Anyone
There are hidden costs, even when the government is able to collect the money. One of the department’s most successful — and draconian — collection mechanisms is the Treasury Offset Program, which garnishes government payments. In 2019, the Treasury Department seized nearly $4.9 billion from tax refunds and other payments to go toward student loan […]
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New F.T.C. Majority Gives Lina Khan a Chance to Push an Aggressive Agenda
WASHINGTON — The confirmation of a third Democrat to the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday broke a partisan deadlock at the agency. That’s good news for Lina Khan, the agency’s chair and a Democrat. It is also a test. With the F.T.C.’s new Democratic majority — which came with the confirmation of Alvaro Bedoya, who […]
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New York City Eliminates the Rules That Govern Art and Other Auctions
New York City has eliminated the regulations it had tailored to govern the auction industry, an abrupt reversal in policy that is part of a sweeping effort to improve conditions for businesses after the economic damage brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Conceived to help small businesses by cutting red tape and reducing penalties, the […]
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Biden Takes Step Toward Regulating Cryptocurrencies
WASHINGTON — President Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday that will direct the federal government to come up with a plan to regulate cryptocurrencies, recognizing their popularity and potential to destabilize traditional money and markets. The order, under development for months, will coordinate efforts among financial regulators to better understand the risks and opportunities […]
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How Europeans Are Responding to Exorbitant Gas and Power Bills
A German retiree facing sky-high energy bills is turning to a wood-burning stove. The owner of a dry cleaning business in Spain adjusted her employees’ work shifts to cut electric bills and installed solar panels. A mayor in France said he ordered a hiring freeze because rising electrical bills threaten a financial “catastrophe.” Europeans have […]
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Four Attorneys General Sue Google Over Privacy Claims
The District of Columbia and three states sued Google on Monday, claiming that the tech giant deceived consumers to gain access to their location data. In separate lawsuits, the attorneys general of the district, Texas, Washington and Indiana claimed that Google misled users of Android phones and of tools like Google Maps and its search […]
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Will Congress Pass New Regulation on Big Tech? Time May Be Running Out.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are readying a major push on bills aimed at restraining the power of the country’s biggest tech companies, as they see the window of opportunity closing quickly ahead of the midterm elections. In a significant step forward, a Senate committee voted on Thursday to advance a bill that would prohibit companies […]
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