Latest news with #consumerprotection
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EU takes action against AliExpress for DSA compliance issues
The European Commission (EC) has provisionally determined that AliExpress failed to fulfil its duty to evaluate and reduce the risks associated with the spread of unlawful products as required by the Digital Services Act (DSA). The commission is advancing its investigation regarding AliExpress's adherence to the DSA aimed at bolstering online user and consumer protection. The Commission's preliminary conclusions indicate several areas where AliExpress's practices do not align with DSA requirements for Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). The platform's risk assessment appears to overlook the limitations of its moderation capabilities, leading to an underestimation of the risk related to the spread of illegal products. AliExpress has reportedly not effectively implemented its sanctions policy against sellers who consistently list illegal items. There are indications of significant shortcomings in AliExpress's proactive content moderation systems, which reduce their effectiveness and leave room for exploitation by unscrupulous sellers. These issues represent a failure to adequately evaluate and address systemic risks associated with the distribution of illegal content, including counterfeit items and products that fail to meet European safety standards. The preliminary findings do not predetermine the final outcome of the investigation. AliExpress now has the opportunity to respond to the EC's concerns. If the EC's initial view is confirmed, it may result in a non-compliance decision, potential fines and an obligation for AliExpress to submit an action plan to remedy the infringement. The formal proceedings to assess AliExpress' adherence to the DSA began on 14 March 2024, focusing on risk management, content moderation, complaint handling, advertising transparency, trader traceability and data access for researchers. EC tech sovereignty, security and democracy executive vice-president Henna Virkkunen stated: 'We have been able to take concrete steps to ensure a high level of safety for EU [European Union] citizens while maintaining a level playing field for platforms and traders in the EU market. This decision serves as an illustration of the commission's expectations when we raise concerns. We welcome AliExpress' commitments towards becoming safer for users, fairer for legitimate traders and a better online platform for all.' The EC has also accepted and made legally binding a series of commitments from AliExpress to address concerns about its transparency on advertising and recommender systems. AliExpress has agreed to a range of commitments to improve the monitoring and detection of illegal products on its platform, such as medicines, food supplements and adult material. These commitments also cover the platform's notice and action mechanism, internal complaint handling system, transparency of advertising and recommender systems, trader traceability and access to public data for researchers. These measures are designed to make information and tools for limiting the spread of illegal content easily accessible. AliExpress has also committed to maintaining an internal monitoring framework, overseen by a dedicated team, to ensure the effectiveness of these commitments and to conduct regular risk assessments. An independent monitoring trustee will report to the EC annually on the implementation of these commitments. "EU takes action against AliExpress for DSA compliance issues" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
As The Labor Market Gets Rockier, Job Offer Scams Are On The Rise Duping Millennials And Gen Zers
Consumers reported losing $470 million to text message scams in 2024, the Federal Trade Commission reports. The most common text message scam was fake package delivery, followed by bogus job opportunities. While these job opportunity scams can vary widely, they most often look like purported recruiters reaching out about positions available at well-known, well-respected companies. Scammers will then ask for identifying information, like social security numbers or driver's license details, in order to solidify the offer. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Many are rushing to 'We are definitely seeing both a growth in reported losses to text scams and also a growth in reported losses to job scams,' Kati Daffan, an attorney for the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, told Business Insider. 'Reported losses to job scams increased more than three times between 2020 and 2023.' Experts are now warning the outlet that these text message job scams could get worse. As the labor market gets rockier, Americans feel more stress surrounding their financial positions, and people are increasingly looking for remote work options they become easier targets, Business Insider reports. Meanwhile, AI is making the scams easier to run and lending them an air of authenticity that makes them more believable. 'It's likely that as unemployment increases and more people are worried about the economic uncertainty, if the scams aren't necessarily increasing, the likelihood that people might fall for them will be,' Selena Larson, a threat researcher at cybersecurity company Proofpoint, told Business Insider. Trending: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: . Identity Theft Resource Center CEO Eva Velasquez explained to Business Insider that the scams are not only lucrative for those behind them because they can "capture not only your data but often your money," but also because they require relatively little effort from the scammers. The scammers are asking for information that would be par for the course in a real hiring process, so it doesn't take much convincing for people to hand it over. '[The scam] relies on this concept of social engineering and the hackers being very compelling. They make you feel something, they make you feel excited,' Larson told Business Insider. 'They make you feel like you want to be a part of this ecosystem, that this job is a great opportunity that you don't want to lose.' Surprisingly, it's not older generations that are the most likely to fall for these scams, Business Insider reports. Instead, it's millennials and Gen Zers who are used to conducting much of their life digitally.'You look at the Gen Zs and the younger millennials and they just click, click, click, click, click, click,' Alex Quilici, the CEO of YouMail, a service that helps block scam texts and calls, told Business Insider. At this point, there is no clear path for cracking down on these scams, so it's up to the individual consumer to protect themselves. Experts told Business Insider that the best ways to do this are by slowing down when considering these offers, never clicking on links included in suspicious text messages or e-mails, and refusing to send money to unknown entities. 'One of the reasons that job scams are flourishing is that many people do want to work extra and make extra income, and they're looking for an opportunity to do that,' Daffan says. 'And scammers know that, and so they know there's a big market out there if they can have a convincing job scam. And, unfortunately, that is the case.' Read Next:Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article As The Labor Market Gets Rockier, Job Offer Scams Are On The Rise Duping Millennials And Gen Zers originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
SBS Australia
4 hours ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Final call: Optus' exploitation of First Nations customers must be the last, say advocates
Optus has agreed to pay a $100 million penalty, subject to court approval, over conduct that saw many First Nations people from remote communities sold services they did not want or need. Credit: Mark Baker/AP Optus, the second-largest telecommunications company in Australia, admitted this week to engaging in unconscionable conduct when selling telecommunications goods and services to hundreds of consumers, many of whom were First Nations. Dunghutti man Mark Holden, a senior solicitor at Mob Strong Debt Help - a non-profit organisation that offers free finance-related legal advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – says he hopes this is a wake-up call. 'This should be the final call now for the telecommunications industry to be able to shape up here and try to be more proactive, taking more practical steps to be able to end the harm to First Nations peoples here when it comes to the sale of an essential service," he said. Optus sold many First Nations people from remote services they did not want or need and has agreed to pay a $100 million penalty, after an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). 'Oftentimes, we find that the conduct happens in areas where there's more likely to be vulnerable people living there," Mr Holden told NITV. "So remote communities, rural areas, but even as well, in some urban areas as well too, where First Nations peoples often are targeted. 'They might come in and just be looking for a typical charge cable, and they'll be then sold a couple of phones, a speaker, a console, iPads. "And they're just being charged all these fees, that just racks up quite fast.' Optus is not the first telco fined for wrongful conduct. Telstra was penalised $50 million in 2021 for unconscionable conduct when selling mobile contracts to Indigenous consumers. 'I think that if the sales model makes money, then other people will be doing it as well," Mr Holden said. 'Because Telstra was doing it, we just were not surprised when ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) first announced that Optus was also doing this too. 'These are just two cases that we're looking at here, I wouldn't be surprised as well to if there are other telco providers here who could be doing the same thing.' As well as debt, the impact of the conduct can also lead to a lot of shame amongst mob. 'Besides the financial loss, here we have a lot of mob who are faced with this crippling debt," Mr Holden said. "And when it comes to debt, there's a lot of shame as well too. 'Sometimes there's a very, very strong fear of further action being taken against them, there's a fear of them maybe going to jail.' It's even left some people trying to access their superannuation to pay their debts. 'That's a very bit of extra harm here as well, too, that when people don't pay their debts, the telco can issue a default on the credit report, and that default can last for about five years from listing, and that can severely impact their ability to be able to take a loan, to be able to be able to support themselves," Mr Holden said. Optus is compensating impacted consumers for the period between August 2019 and July 2023, during which it agreed the alleged conduct took place. But Mark says it should go further. 'You want to be able to have a remediation program that looks at the entirety of the sales practices, so that even though we're looking at people who are affected in the period, we're looking at people who were affected before that and after that as well, too, people who've been treated the same way," he said. 'So that they also could get not only just a refund of what they paid, but also compensation with interest for the harm they suffered.' He says it should be a wake-up call for other industries too, as the pattern of exploitation isn't unique to the telecommunications industry. 'This is really a practice of exploitation, taking advantage of someone's vulnerability to their advantage," Mr Holden said. "Unconscionable conduct is not something that just telcos do. "There is a industry of exploitation where First Nations peoples can be targeted by people who might exploit their vulnerability to their advantage. 'There has to be a call to action to be able to stop this exploitation, to be able to actually start working with communities, to be able to try and provide them the products that they need for the for their communities.' Interviews and feature reports from NITV. A mob-made podcast about all things Blak life. The Point: Referendum Road Trip Live weekly on Tuesday at 7.30pm Join Narelda Jacobs and John Paul Janke to get unique Indigenous perspectives and cutting-edge analysis on the road to the referendum. Watch now
CNA
19 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - #TalkBack: A countdown clock or fake reviews ~ ever heard of "dark patterns" that your favourite online merchants are using?
CNA938 Rewind Online travel agency Agoda has made changes to its Singapore website and mobile app, due to concerns about its problematic features raised by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin discuss more with Ng Ming Jie, Director (Fair Trading Practices Division), Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS).
CNA
a day ago
- Business
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - #TalkBack: A countdown clock or fake reviews ~ ever heard of "dark practices" that your favourite online merchants are using?
CNA938 Rewind Play Online travel agency Agoda has made changes to its Singapore website and mobile app, due to concerns about its problematic features raised by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin discuss more with Ng Ming Jie, Director (Fair Trading Practices Division), Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS).
