FTC Loosens Restrictions On Sears
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, 5 hours ago
In a victory for Sears, the Federal Trade Commission has loosened the terms of a 2009 settlement order that may have hindered its ability to sell products through mobile e-commerce apps.
In a decision issued this week, the FTC said that new market conditions warranted modifying the order, which wasn't slated to expire until 2029.
"Changes in the mobile marketplace since the Order have made it critical for retailers like Sears to be able to distribute interactive mobile applications," the FTC wrote. "Today’s mobile applications typically require the collection and transmission of many different types of data to support the services and features for which consumers have downloaded them."
The original order required the company to "clearly and prominently" disclose any programs that track consumers' online activity -- including programs distributed through mobile apps -- and obtain people's consent. Those disclosures were required to be on a separate screen, and to appear before the final user agreement.