A recap of 2017: FTC’s Annual Highlights

No matter what you call it – facts and figures, the boxscore, or a report from the stat-o-sphere – a recap is a great way to get the lay of the land. Which brings me to the FTC’s Annual Highlights, a short but detailed summary of the Commission’s 2017 efforts to promote competition and protect consumers.

In her statement introducing the Highlights, Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen cited the agency’s “robust consumer protection agenda” and the fact that this past year, “the FTC filed or settled 85 consumer protection matters in district court, reached 24 administrative consent agreements related to consumer protection, and distributed over $269 million in redress to over 3 million consumers.”

Notable actions include the landmark victory for the FTC, when a federal court ordered Dish to pay $280 million in civil penalties and to stop alleged violations of federal and state laws. The FTC also extended its vigorous enforcement and educational efforts with 9 privacy cases and 3 data security cases as well as issuing additional business guidance.

Here are some other key statistics concerning the Commission’s consumer protection efforts in 2017:

• 147 orders obtained $5.29 billion in total redress and disgorgement;
• $176.04 million in civil penalties;
• Nearly 14 million print publications ordered; and
• 60 million pages of information viewed online.