Announced Action for July 2, 2002

The Commission has authorized the publication of a Federal Register notice regarding the transfer of delegations of authority to disclose certain nonpublic information to foreign law enforcement agencies and delegation of authority to sign confidentiality agreements with certain foreign agencies. As detailed in the notice, which is currently available on the FTC's Web site and will be published shortly, the Commission has transferred from the Associate Director for Planning and Information to the Associate Director for International Consumer Protection its prior delegation of authority to disclose: 1) information regarding consumer protection investigations involving Canadian businesses or consumers to Canadian law enforcement agencies; 2) information regarding consumer protection investigations involving Australian businesses or consumers to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; 3) information contained in the Consumer Sentinel database of consumer complaints and law enforcement information to Australian law enforcement agencies; and 4) information regarding consumer protection investigations involving U.K. businesses and consumers to the United Kingdom's Office of Fair Trading and the United Kingdom Directorate for Trade and Industry. In addition, the Commission has delegated to the Associate Director for International Consumer Protection the authority to execute econsumer.gov and Consumer Sentinel confidentiality agreements with certain foreign consumer protection authorities and law enforcement agencies.

The Commission vote to approve publication of the Federal Register notice was 5-0. (FTC File No. P025302; staff contact is Michael Shore, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-2708.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.