FTC

Webcasts

Press Conferences

Workshops

Press Conferences

For Release: November 7, 2007

Federal Trade Commission Do Not Call Press Conference
Remarks by Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras.
[Transcript]

      Windows Media Player Real Player

For Release: October 4, 2007

FTC Announces Recent Efforts to Combat Fraud Targeting Hispanics
The Federal Trade Commission will hold a press briefing to describe recent efforts to combat fraud targeting Spanish speakers, including recent law enforcement actions, a work-at-home ad review, and consumer and media outreach. An FTC official will outline the FTC’s efforts and answer questions from the press. A consumer will recount her experience with an alleged work-at-home scam and answer questions.
[Transcript]

      Windows Media Player Real Player

For Release: April 23, 2007

The President's Identity Theft Task Force Releases Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Combat Identity Theft
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras today announced the completion of the President's Identity Theft Task Force strategic plan to combat identity theft.
[Transcript]

      Windows Media Player Real Player

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Workshops

For Release: May 6, 2008
Beyond Voice: Mapping the Mobile Marketplace

May 6th
9:00 - 11:00 (AM EST)

Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Commissioner Jon Leibowitz, Federal Trade Commission

Session 1:  The Mobile Marketplace — What, How, and Who
This session will provide an introduction to the role of mobile commerce, beyond traditional voice service, in today’s society.  This overview will include a discussion of demographics, consumer habits, and popular and anticipated uses of mobile services within the United States.  It will also refer to developments in mobile commerce outside the United States. 

Session 2:  Mobile Messaging — Unsolicited, Premium, and Interactive Messaging
This session will provide an overview of text/SMS (Short Message Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messaging, introduce innovations, and highlight billing concerns.     
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

May 6th
11:15 - 12:30 (PM EST)

Session 3:  Mobile Applications — Games, Widgets, and More
This session will offer a series of demonstrations about the many possibilities offered by modern mobile devices, which are barely recognizable from the cell phones of yesterday.  Industry panelists will discuss how different mobile ecosystems open up the world of applications, from games to social networking.  
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

May 6th
1:45 - 3:00 (PM EST)

Session 4:  Location-Based Services 
This session will offer a roundtable discussion of the emerging world of location-based services, through carrier-controlled environments or other mechanisms.  This discussion will include reference to broadcasting commercial appeals and coupons to phones.  There will be a discussion of disclosures about tracking and consumer control of information.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

May 6th
3:15 - 5:00 (PM EST)

Session 5:  Mobile Advertising and Marketing - The Transition and Adaptation to Mobile Devices and the Small Screen
This session will examine the general transition of advertising and marketing to mobile devices, discuss mobile-specific advertising campaigns, and address issues such as the targeting of advertising in the mobile space and strategies that advertisers use to adjust to small mobile screens. 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

May 7th
9:00 - 10:30 (AM EST)

Session 6:  Managing Your Mobile Device
This session will offer a discussion about the availability and consumer awareness of mechanisms for managing mobile devices, including provider-based options for limiting text messaging and capping cell phone-billed purchases.   
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

May 7th
10:45 - 12:15 (PM EST)

Session 7: Children and Teens
This session will discuss the mobile space as it relates to children and teens.  Topics to be explored include: youth-directed mobile campaigns and advertising; the social and psychological effects of mobile usage on children and teens; and the control options available to parents to manage the mobile devices used by their children.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

May 7th
1:45 - 3:00 (PM EST)

Session 8:  Best Practices
This session will offer a roundtable discussion of the issues raised in the previous sessions; the current and future role of industry self-regulation, including the role of the carriers as gatekeepers for the third-party services for which they bill; the role of other participants, such as mobile billing aggregators; and steps in place to limit the potential for fraud.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

May 7th
3:15 - 4:15 (PM EST)

Session 9:  Mobile Security — Whose Phone Is It Anyway?
This session will begin with an overview of the differences between mobile devices and standard computers for security issues, including inadvertent enabling of unwanted access (i.e., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi).  Panelists and audience members will then discuss consumer awareness of risks, including storing data on these devices, and awareness of security measures.

Closing Remarks
Mary Beth Richards, Deputy Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

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For Release: April 30, 2008
Green Packaging Claims Workshop

April 30th
9:00 - 10:25 (AM EST) Session 1: Opening the Package — Overview of Trends in Packaging Claims

Welcoming Remarks: James Kohm, Associate Director, Division of Enforcement, FTC

Opening Remarks: William E. Kovacic, Chairman, FTC
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

April 30th
10:40 - 11:45 (AM EST) Session 2: Parceling Out the Green Guides — Do They Need Rewrapping?
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

April 30th
1:00 - 2:00 (PM EST) Session 3: Unpacking the New Green Claims — Should They Be Covered?
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

April 30th
2:15 - 3:15 (PM EST) Session 4: Substantiating Green Packaging Claims — Life Cycle Analysis, Third-Party Certification, Logos and Seals 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

April 30th
3:25 - 5:30 (PM EST) Wrapping it Up: Roundtable on Consumer Protection Challenges
and the Need for FTC Guidance
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

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For Release: April 24, 2008
Innovations in Health Care Delivery Workshop

April 24th
9:00 - 10:45 (AM EST) Panel 1: Limited Service Clinics

Introductory Remarks:

Chairman William E. Kovacic

Limited service health care clinics, sometimes called “retail” or “store-based” clinics are often located in pharmacies, shopping malls, or retail stores and  provide a limited menu of basic medical services, most often performed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Many believe these clinics will help improve access to basic medical care by providing lower cost and more convenient treatment.  Others, however, have raised questions about quality of care and adequacy of oversight. These concerns have prompted proposals for additional state regulation of this relatively new form of health care delivery.  The limited service clinic model has also tended to promote the adoption and integration of health IT. 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

April 24th
11:00 - 12:00 (PM EST) Panel 2: Quality and Price Information Transparency

Initiatives to provide consumers with greater information about the price and quality of health care services rest on the idea that better informed consumers can make better health care choices, which can lead to higher quality care and lower health care costs.  Some observers, however, have expressed concern that current quality metrics may not adequately capture actual quality of care and may place too much emphasis on low prices.  Further, the sharing of pricing information can raise competition issues.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

April 24th
1:00 - 2:30 (PM EST) Panel 3: Health IT – Providers’ Issues

Electronic health records and electronic prescribing systems have the potential to reduce administrative costs and medical errors due to incomplete, hard-to-access, or faulty paper records. The Department of Health and Human Services has developed an extensive framework to facilitate the adoption of electronic health records by the medical community, including the certification of particular products for creating and maintaining such records. Private companies have also started offering personal electronic health record services.  Electronic access to medical expertise for both patients and care providers has the potential to improve the distribution of medical services as well.  Some observers, however, have raised concerns about interoperability (between systems), standards, security, privacy, and short-term costs. 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

April 24th
2:45 - 4:15 (PM EST) Panel 4: Health IT – Consumer Issues

One of the primary consumer protection issues for health information technology is patient privacy, as concerns have been raised about present and pending practices and the reach of current federal and state privacy protections, especially in the area of electronic health records.  Data security is a distinct, but very much related issue. More generally, there is an interest in knowing more about what it is that health IT means for health care consumers -- what might be the nature of their interaction with new utilities and modes of health care practice, what might be the risks they encounter, and what might be the benefits they enjoy. 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

April 24th
4:30 - 5:30 (PM EST) Panel 5: Innovations in Health Care Delivery: Practice and Prognosis 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

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For Release: February 12, 2008
UNILATERAL EFFECTS ANALYSIS AND LITIGATION WORKSHOP

February 12th
9:00 - 10:15 (AM EST) Session 1: Foundations of Unilateral Effects Theories: Core Features, Economic
Bases, and Potential Grounds for Attack

Introductory Remarks:

Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission

This panel will discuss the core features and economic bases of unilateral effects theories of competitive harm in merger analysis, including the underpinnings of the Cournot, Bertrand, and Dominant Firm models, and the kinds of market environments in which these analytical constructions are applicable. The panel will also consider the factual situations that give rise to unilateral effects concerns, e.g., the circumstances that signal that a merger investigation should likely focus on unilateral effects issues. In addition, the panel will discuss how the underlying predicates of unilateral effects theory might be open to attack in actual litigation practice and the bases of such attacks.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

February 12th
10:30 - 12:00 (PM EST) Session 2: The Role of Market Definition in Unilateral Effects Analysis and in the Litigation of Unilateral Effects Cases

This panel will focus principally on issues related to the probative value, if any, of market definition and market shares in unilateral effects analysis of mergers of firms selling competing, but differentiated, products. The panel will also address such questions as (1) whether, as a matter of policy and law, it is sufficient simply to infer a relevant market (line of commerce) from direct evidence of competitive effects or whether such an inference should be buttressed by an independent investigation of likely consumer switching in response to a SSNIP; (2) whether differences between a SSNIP selected for market definition and a projected likely post-merger percentage price increase contribute unnecessarily to confusion about the focus of unilateral effects theories; and (3) whether, as a matter of policy and law, a relevant market need be identified at all when there is direct evidence of competitive harm.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

February 12th
1:15 - 3:30 (PM EST) Session 3:

1:15 - Judicial Perspectives on Unilateral Effects

Only a small number of judicial decisions relate to the application unilateral effects theory in differentiated product markets, and even fewer decisions explicitly discuss unilateral effects theory. This panel, presented in the form of a mock closing argument of a merger trial with follow-up discussion, will address how judges approach unilateral effects cases, and what they see as the most outcome-determinative issues in such cases. The panel will also discuss how to increase judicial understanding of unilateral effects theory and the way different forms of evidence supports such a theory of harm.

2:15 - Evidentiary Issues Related to Proving Unilateral Effects
The panel will examine issues related to the value of various kinds of evidence, including econometric and non-econometric economic evidence as well as non-expert evidence, such as strategic planning documents and statements of party executives. The panel will consider how best to marshal and present facts relevant to a unilateral effects case, as well as effective means to “sell” the story to courts. The panel will also address how a court should resolve conflicting predictions about competitive effects that may arise when economic evidence is developed by different means or economic models and becomes a “battle of the experts.”
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

February 12th
3:45 - 5:00 (PM EST)  Session 4: Virtues and Limitations of Econometric Versus Other Approaches for
Developing Economic Evidence

This panel will examine the positive and negative attributes of both econometric and noneconometric economic evidence to prove liability in unilateral effects cases under varying factual conditions—such as whether marketplace conditions are “dynamic,” whether the merger involves industrial products or retailing, and whether the relevant product market is a single product or comprises a cluster of products. The reliability of both forms of economic evidence will be considered, with special emphasis on how best to demonstrate reliability to courts. The panel will also examine whether any one economic research technique or approach for developing economic evidence (e.g., formal statistical, econometric analysis; merger simulations; or “critical loss” analysis that may rely on descriptive statistics or qualitative information) is legally sufficient to prove likely anticompetitive effects.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

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For Release: January 8, 2008
Carbon Offsets & renewable Energy Certificates

January 8th
9:00 - 10:55 (AM EST) Session 1: Market Overview — Current Practices for Carbon
Offsets and RECs

Welcoming Remarks: James Kohm, Associate Director, Division of Enforcement, FTC

Opening Remarks: Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman, FTC

Introduction to Advertising Law: Lesley Fair, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC
[Webcast Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

January 8th
11:10 - 11:50 (AM EST) Session 2: Property Rights and Product Development — Economic Analysis
[Webcast Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

January 8th
1:00 - 2:15 (PM EST) Session 3: Technical Substantiation Issues
[Webcast Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

January 8th
2:30 - 3:15 (PM EST)  Session 4: Certification Programs and Self-Regulatory Efforts
[Webcast Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

January 8th
3:30 - 5:00 (PM EST)  Session 5: Roundtable Discussion on Consumer Protection
Challenges and Need for FTC Guidance
[Webcast Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

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For Release: December 10-11, 2007
Security In Numbers: SSNs and ID Theft

December 10th
9:00 - 10:45 (AM EST) Welcoming Remarks; Framing the Issues; Panel 1 – How SSNs are Used to Commit ID Theft

The workshop will begin with welcoming remarks by Lydia B. Parnes, the Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, and a presentation framing the issues to be discussed at the workshop by Joel Winston, Associate Director of the FTC's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection. Panel 1 will then explore how identity thieves obtain consumers' SSNs and how thieves use SSNs in the commission of their crime. This panel will look at the nature and extent of the SSN "problem" and will provide a context for discussions throughout the workshop about the costs and benefits of possible restrictions on the collection, disclosure, and/or use of SSNs in the private sector.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

December 10th
11:00 - 12:30 (PM EST) Panel 2 - SSN Display and Use as an Internal Identifier

Private sector entities, ranging from health insurers to universities to financial institutions, often rely on SSNs as internal identifiers, whether as customer numbers, to link internal records within an entity, or on identification cards. This panel will discuss these uses as well as the challenges entities may face in moving to alternative identifiers.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

December 10th
1:45 - 3:15 (PM EST) Panel 3 - SSN Use to Link Data Externally

Companies often use SSNs to exchange information with other companies or entities. Panelists will examine external linking in various contexts, including conducting employer background checks, linking accounts between financial institutions, identifying medical history, and processing insurance claims.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

December 10th
3:30 - 5:00 (PM EST)  Panel 4: SSN Use for Authentication and Fraud Prevention

Many entities use the SSN for authentication and fraud prevention, both to verify identity at the outset of a relationship and to provide access to existing accounts. The panel will explore how those uses might, alternatively, both lead to and help prevent identity theft. The panel also will consider the strengths and weaknesses of the alternatives to using the SSN for these purposes.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

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December 11th
8:45 - 10:30 (AM EST) Panel 5 – Alternatives to SSN Restriction

To the extent that entities continue to use and maintain SSNs, what steps should be considered to minimize the value of SSNs for identity thieves? Would enhanced identity verification and authentication processes significantly reduce concerns about private sector uses of SSNs? How effective are the options, such as user defined limits and prohibitions (UDLAP) (fraud alerts, credit freezes, and real-time reporting of credit requests) that allow consumers more control over their credit report? 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

December 11th
10:45 - 1:00 (PM EST) Panel 6 - Recommendations; Closing Remarks

Recognizing the central role of the SSN in both the commission of identity theft and fraud prevention, the President’s Identity Theft
Task Force recommended that the Task Force agencies develop a comprehensive record on private sector uses of SSNs and then make recommendations to the President as to whether specific steps should be taken with respect to private sector uses of SSNs. This panel will reflect on the issues raised throughout the workshop to consider possible recommendations the Task Force may make to the President in this regard. Audience input is strongly encouraged. This panel is followed by Closing Remarks by Joel Winston, Associate Director of the FTC's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

For Release: November 1-2, 2007
eHavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting, & Technology

November 1st
9:00 - 10:00 (AM EST) Overview of Behavioral Advertising

Welcoming Remarks: Deborah P. Majoras, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission

This session will provide an introductory explanation of how online advertising works, including how information is collected from, and how ads are served to, a consumer’s computer.  This session will also preview the issues and perspectives for the Town Hall discussion.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

November 1st
10:15 - 12:15 (PM EST) Behavioral Advertising Today:  Understanding the Business and Technology, and a Presentation on Consumer Survey Data

Remarks: Commissioner Jon Leibowitz.

In this session, industry representatives engaged in behavioral advertising and outside analysts will discuss current business models and respective roles in the market, highlighting technological and other changes in recent years. Part 2 of this session will present consumer survey findings related to consumer understanding of cookies, as well as what consumers care about with respect to data collection and use.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

November 1st
1:45 - 2:45 (PM EST) Data Collection, Use, and Protection

Panelists in this session will discuss what kind of data is collected for behavioral advertising, how such data is used, who has access to such data, and whether and how such data is secured. 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

November 1st
3:00 - 5:00 (PM EST)  Roundtable Discussion of Data Collection, Use, and Protection

This session is an interactive roundtable discussion about the issues raised in Session 4, with seven additional discussants representing a cross section of companies, academics, and consumer groups.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

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November2nd
9:00 - 11:00 (AM EST) Disclosures to Consumers

Welcoming Remarks: Joel Winston, Associate Director, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, Bureau of Consumer Protection,
Federal Trade Commission.

Participants in this session will discuss the disclosures that companies involved in online advertising make to consumers regarding the collection and use of their information; whether these disclosures are effective; and what tools consumers can use to control the use of their information. 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

November 2nd
11:15 - 12:30 (PM EST) Behavioral Advertising Today:  Understanding the Business and Technology

This session will show the top five videos from the Berkman Center’s “Cookie Crumbles Contest.”  A panel of invited judges will discuss the videos and vote on the winner.  The audience will also vote to select the best video.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

November 2nd
2:00 - 3:30 (PM EST) The Regulatory and Self-Regulatory Landscape

This roundtable session will examine the current state of both domestic and international regulatory and self-regulatory measures, including the status of the Network Advertising Initiative and other efforts at self-regulation. 
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

November2nd
3:45 - 5:15 (PM EST) Roundtable on the Future of Behavioral Advertising

This session will look at anticipated changes in the behavioral advertising space and whether and how behavioral advertising is being used across different technologies.  
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

For Release: October 10, 2007
Collecting Consumer Debts: Exploring changes in the debt collection industry and examining their impact on consumers and businesses

October 10th
9:00 - 10:30 (AM EST) Overview of Changes in and Affecting the Industry

Welcoming Remarks: Deborah P. Majoras, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission

This session will provide a high-level look at major trends in and affecting the debt collection industry. Following two overview presentations, panelists will discuss the past, present, and future of debt collection.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

October 10th
10:45 - 12:00 (PM EST) Debt Collection Today: Understanding the Business

This panel will examine the current business models and practices used by in-house collectors, contingency collection agencies and law firms, and debt buyers.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

October 10th
1:15 - 2:30 (PM EST) Concerns About Debt Collection: Panel 1-Consumers' Perspective / Panel 2-Collector's Perspective

This first panel will provide a description of current debt collection practices that consumers believe raise substantial and growing concerns, and identify possible responses to these concerns. The second panel will describe the current restrictions on debt collection practices that debt collectors believe unduly limit their activities, and discuss potential responses to these issues.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player   

October 10th
4:00 - 5:15 (PM EST)The Role of Creditors in Debt Collection

This session will examine issues surrounding creditors in the debt collection process, including the proper supervision of in-house and third-party collectors, the responsible selection of debt buyers, and the transmission of sufficient documentation to verify disputed debts.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

October 11th
9:00 - 10:45 (AM EST) Locating the Correct Consumer and Determining the Correct Amount Owed

Welcoming Remarks: Lydia B. Parnes, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection

This panel will examine proper and improper methods of locating consumers for debt collection purposes (often referred to as "skiptracing"), as well as issues surrounding debt collectors' verification of debts that consumers have disputed.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

October 11th
11:00 - 12:15 (PM EST) Credit Reporting and Debt Collection: Key Concerns

This session will address the interaction between debt collectors and the credit reporting system, concerns that this interaction raises, and possible responses to these concerns.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

October 11th
1:15 - 2:30 (PM EST) Debt Collection Litigation: Current Issues

This panel will examine collection litigation practices that have caused concern among consumers and potential responses to these concerns.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

October 11th
2:45 - 4:00 (PM EST) Pivotal Issues and Proposed Solutions: Next Steps

Closing Remarks: Peggy L. Twohig, Associate Director, Division of Financial Practices

This panel will identify the main issues and possible responses that arose during prior panels. The group also will propose and debate recommended changes in policy and law, including recommendations for amending the FDCPA.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player   

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For Release: July 18, 2007
Weighing In: A Check-up on Marketing, Self Regulation, and Childhood Obesity

July 18th
9:00 - 10:30 (AM EST) Self-Regulatory Initiatives

Introduction by Mary K. Engle, Advertising Practices, Federal Trade Commision; and Keynote Remarks by Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras.

These presentations will showcase self-regulatory initiatives that aim to create positive changes in how food is marketed and made available to children.

[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

July 18th
10:45 - 12:00 (PM EST) Food Company Initiatives

These presentations will showcase two food companies’ efforts to address childhood obesity.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player      

July 18th
1:00 - 2:50 (PM EST) Remarks by Commissioner Jon Leibowitz, Federal Trade Commission
Presentations: Public Education and, New Research 0n Food Marketing to Children

The first presentation will provide an overview of recent public outreach efforts addressing childhood obesity. The second presentation will review recent studies examining the marketing of food products to children on television.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

July 18th
3:00 - 5:00 (PM EST) Scoring the Progress Since Summer 2005

A panel of stakeholders from consumer groups, industry, and other key experts will present brief remarks addressing progress that has been achieved since 2005 and additional steps that should be taken. A panel discussion will follow.
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

For Release: July 11, 2007
FTC Spam Summit: The Next Generation of Threats and Solutions

July 11th
9:00 - 10:45 (AM EST) Defining the Problem

Introduction and Opening Remarks-Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras.

Earlier findings indicated that most spam was fraudulent, deceptive, and offensive. How has the nature of spam shifted? Is spam now being used for malicious and criminal purposes? Is this spam reaching consumers’ inboxes or being filtered by Internet service providers’ filtering software?
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

July 11th
11:00 - 12:30 (PM EST) Evolving Methods for Sending Spam and Malware

To what extent, if any, have email address harvesting, dictionary attacks, and open proxies been replaced by botnets, zombies, and spam that uses images instead of text as the primary methods of spam distribution?
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player      

July 11th
1:45 - 3:15 (PM EST) Uncovering the Malware Economy

What are the financial incentives for malicious spammers? What is the cost along the email chain to consumers, businesses, internet service providers, and networks?
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

July 11th
3:30 - 5:00 (PM EST) Emerging Threats
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player    

July 12th
9:15 - 10:45 (AM EST) Deterring Malicious Spammers and Cybercriminals

What are the investigatory challenges faced by law enforcement as spammers mask their identities and use obfuscatory techniques? What are effective countermeasures?
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player      

July 12th
11:00 - 12:30 (PM EST) Keeping it Out of the Inbox

During the FTC’s 2004 E-mail Authentication Summit, co-hosted with the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, the FTC initiated efforts to spur the development and wide- scale adoption of domain level e-mail authentication. Where does the implementation of e-mail authentication stand? What are other key spam-reducing tools?
[Transcript]

July 12th
1:30 - 2:30 (PM EST) Putting Consumers Back in Control

How can we empower consumers and businesses in the fight against spam and malware?
[Transcript]

July 12th
2:45 - 5:30 (PM EST) Identifying Best Practices for Businesses and Developing a Plan for Action

What can businesses do to distinguish themselves from malicious spammers?
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

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For Release: May 8, 2007
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division final session of joint public hearings designed to examine the implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust laws.

May 8th
9 :00 - 10:15 (AM EST) Session 1
[Transcript]

May 8th
10 :30 - 11:00 (AM EST) Session 2
[Transcript]

May 8th
11 :10 - 1:00 (PM EST) Session 3
[Transcript]

Windows Media Player Real Player

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For Release: April 23, 2007
Proof Positive: New Directions in ID Authentication Workshop

April 23rd
8:30 - 11:00 (AM EST) Welcome by Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras and first panels

The first panel will provide an overview of the considerations that should be taken into account in developing better identification and authentication systems, such as the importance of formulating clear objectives and principles, establishing trust among stakeholders, and identifying the roles of the public sector, private sector, and consumers. The presenters have significant experience advising governments around the world on these issues and will draw upon these experiences in providing a context for the panel discussions throughout the workshop. The second panel will provide an overview of the considerations that should be taken into account in developing better identification and authentication systems, such as the importance of formulating clear objectives and principles, establishing trust among stakeholders, and identifying the roles of the public sector, private sector, and consumers. The presenters have significant experience advising governments around the world on these issues and will draw upon these experiences in providing a context for the panel discussions throughout the workshop.
[Transcript]

April 23rd
11:15 - 12:45 (AM EST) Establishing Identity

This panel will survey current identification initiatives including Real ID (driver’s licenses), HSPD-12 (federal employee IDs), the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, e-passport, Evve (birth certificates), and the banking industry’s Customer Identification Program. The panel will explore the role of these initiatives in developing secure credentials that can reduce identity theft, as well as the interoperability of these initiatives, and privacy and consumer acceptance concerns.
[Transcript]

April 23rd
2:00 - 3:30 (PM EST) Authentication Technologies

This panel will examine the strengths and limitations of biometrics, smartcards, asymmetric encryption technology (also known as public key infrastructure or PKI), radio frequency identification(RFID), knowledge-based authentication (KBA), and behavior pattern analysis for reducing identity theft.
[Transcript]

April 23rd
3 :45 - 5:15 (PM EST) Implementing Authentication Technologies

The panel will discuss challenges and risks in implementing authentication technologies as well as consumer usability and privacy concerns. Panelists will address the role of multi-factor authentication and other approaches to improve measures currently in use.
[Transcript]

April 24th
8:30 - 10:15 (AM EST) New Applications and Upcoming Challenges in Authentication

This panel will explore some of the challenges that new or converging technologies pose for current authentication techniques. The panel will look at VOIP and mobile commerce systems, the security risks these technologies pose as well as their potential to address issues of consumer usability and information control.
[Transcript]

April 24th
10 :30 - 12:15 (AM EST) Next Steps: Where do we go from here?

This panel will bring together the issues discussed throughout the workshop to address how we move to stronger systems of authentication. The purpose of the panel is to elicit practical ideas or solutions and discuss the best role for the public sector, the private sector, and consumers in realizing these ideas or solutions.
[Transcript]

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For Release: April 10, 2007
Energy Markets in the 21st Century: Competition Policy in Perspective Workshop

April 10th
8:30 - 9:15 (Eastern) Opening Remarks/ Keynote Address

Welcoming Remarks are delivered by John H. Seesel, Associate General Counsel for Energy, FTC. FTC Chairman Deborah Majoras delivers Opening Remarks. The Honorable Samual W. Bodman, Secretary of Energy, United States Department of Energy, delivers the Keynote Address.
[Transcript]

April 10th
9:30 - 11:30 (Eastern) Lessons From History: How Did the United States Deal with the Energy Crises of the 1970s? What Did We Learn?

Presentations discussing the causes and consequences of energy crises and the lessons learned. Focus on energy crises of the 1970's, how government and private sector responded, and what caused lower energy prices in succeeding decades.
[Transcript]

April 10th
12:15 - 2:00 (Eastern) How Do Energy Markets Work within the Framework of Government Policy Choices?

A discussion of the ways in which federal and state legislation and regulation affect various energy markets. Discussion includes environmental requirements, drilling restrictions, price controls, and state laws.
[Transcript]

April 10th
2 :15 - 3:30 (Eastern) The Electric Power Industry: Studies of Restructuring Experiences and Getting Wholesale Right

Discussion regarding the effects of changes in policies and regulations on efficiency, investment, ownership, and reliability.
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April 10th
3:40 - 4:25 (Eastern) The Electric Power Industry: Part 2 (continued)

A discussion comparing wholesale markets with and without Independent System Operators and Regional Transmission Organizations.
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April 10th
4 :35 - 6:00 (Eastern) The Electric Power Industry: The Rest of the Picture

Panel discussion regarding retail markets, benefits of restructuring, and climate change.
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April 11th
9:00 - 10:45 (Eastern) The Transportation Sector: Past, Present, and Future

Presentations regarding the outlook for the transportation sector, including fuel efficiency, alternative fuel policies, and opportunities to reduce vehicle use.
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