U.S.A.'s interesting latest..

Looking for a spring break or summer vacation rental? While there are many legitimate options available, protect yourself against scammers. If you are being pressured to make a decision immediately or asked to wire money to a foreign bank account, both are red flags you should avoid. Two tips before you move forward on a rental property—ask a lot of questions, and read the fine print on any contract. If you are the victim of a rental scam, contact your local law enforcement and the website where the ad was posted. You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Read more about rental listing scams and how to report them on  www.consumer.ftc.gov.  Get more information about filing a travel complaint by visiting USA.gov. Veggie Noodle Co. Recalls Butternut Spirals Due to Possible Health Risk 02/15/2017 08:08 PM EST Veggie Noodle Co. of Austin, Texas is voluntarily recalling a limited quantity of Butternut Spirals due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. For detailed information pertaining to this Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts message, please click the link at the beginning of this bulletin. Φεβ 16 τις 7:55 μ.μ. FTC Acting Chairman Ohlhausen Announces Tad Lipsky as Acting Director of Bureau of Competition; Other Staffing Changes Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen announced today that she has appointed Abbott (Tad) Lipsky, a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP, to be the Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, effective March 6, 2017.   “The FTC plays an indispensable role in ensuring that the American economy remains competitive and continues to foster innovation and growth, to the benefit of all consumers, based on sound free-market principles. I am pleased that Tad will join the agency to help meet this critical mission,” said Acting Chairman Ohlhausen.  “I am honored to be included on a leadership team that will reinforce and focus the Commission’s great strengths in antitrust, while identifying and exploring opportunities to renovate and improve,” Lipsky stated.  Lipsky brings with him over 40 years of experience in antitrust law. Lipsky started his legal career as an attorney in the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, where he focused on deregulation and enhancing competition and antitrust enforcement in certain regulated sectors of the economy, including the aviation, transportation and energy industries. Following a break from government service, he returned to the Justice Department in 1981 upon his appointment as Deputy Assistant Attorney General to President Reagan’s first Assistant Attorney General, William F. Baxter. At Latham & Watkins, Lipsky’s practice focused on a range of antitrust matters in many countries around the world. He is co-chair of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association’s International Task Force, and most recently served on the Antitrust Section’s Presidential Transition Task Force. Lipsky previously served as the chief global antitrust counsel to the Coca-Cola Company from 1992-2002. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics cum laude from Amherst College, an M.A. in Economics from Stanford University, and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Lipsky will replace Deborah Feinstein as the Director of the Bureau of Competition. Former FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez appointed Feinstein as Bureau Director on June 17, 2013. Under Feinstein’s leadership, the Commission successfully challenged mergers that would have harmed the competitive process and consumers, including overseeing and directing the Commission’s wins on cases in the Third, Seventh and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals, as well as the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Bureau also challenged anticompetitive conduct and achieved important settlements in a number of those cases.   “I am grateful for Debbie’s exceptional service to this agency and consumers,” said Acting Chairman Ohlhausen. As part of these staff changes, Acting Chairman Ohlhausen has appointed Alan Devlin as Acting Deputy Director of the Competition Bureau. Devlin previously served as an Attorney Advisor to Acting Chairman Ohlhausen. Devlin, who joined the FTC in 2015 from the law firm of Latham & Watkins, teaches antitrust as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. His publications include two books—Antitrust and Patent Law (Oxford 2016) and Fundamental Principles of Law and Economics (Routledge 2014)—and over 30 law-review articles. He holds degrees from University College Dublin, the University of Chicago and Stanford Law School. Chairman Ohlhausen has also appointed Svetlana S. Gans, a former Attorney Advisor and litigation attorney within both the Bureaus of Consumer Protection and Competition, as her Chief of Staff. Gans joined the FTC in 2010 from private practice, where she focused on antitrust and consumer protection matters, with previous experience at the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. Gans has served in the ABA Antitrust Section leadership for over a decade, currently serving as Co-Chair of the Consumer Protection Committee.  The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).  Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources. FTC Provides Comment to NTIA on Multistakeholder Initiative to Improve Cybersecurity Vulnerability Disclosure The Federal Trade Commission submitted public comments to the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on a draft template, developed by a diverse group of stakeholders, designed to be used by industry participants to communicate their policies on disclosing security vulnerabilities. Stakeholders including cybersecurity researchers, industry representatives, academics, and civil society advocates developed the draft template to improve cooperation between security researchers and vendors on vulnerability disclosures under the multistakeholder process convened by NTIA. The draft template includes model language that companies can use when developing a public-facing disclosure policy, and was released for public comment by NTIA in December 2016 on behalf of stakeholders. In its comment on the template, the Commission staff noted that the FTC also has addressed the issue of vulnerability disclosure in its data security guidance, policy reports and through its business education campaigns. While the draft template is aimed at safety-critical industries, such as automobile and medical device manufacturers, FTC staff said in its comments that the template could be a useful tool for any company providing software-based products and services to consumers. Staff, therefore recommended that the introduction to the draft template be revised to make clear that the recommendations could apply to more than just safety-critical industries. In its comment, the staff noted that companies that provide Internet-connected products or collect sensitive consumer information should consider implementing a vulnerability disclosure policy and related processes. The Commission vote authorizing staff to file the comment was 2-0. The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.