Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Eric Risberg / AP
The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it — along with 32 state attorneys general from around the country — had settled charges against Lenovo, Inc.
- Lenovo preinstalled an advertising program called VisualDiscovery, manufactured by a third-party called Snapfish, that displayed pop-up ads based on a user's browsing history.
- This "man-in-the-middle" technique collected the entirety of users' electronic communications without their knowledge or consent and put their information at risk of intrusion.
- It's the "online equivalent of someone without your knowledge intercepting your mail, reading it, resealing it, and placing it back in your mailbox," said FTC Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen.
Why it matters: The Lenovo case shows a renewed commitment by the FTC to pursue consumer privacy cases. As highlighted by Ohlhausen in a call with reporters, this is the third privacy ruling handed down by the FTC in the last 30 days after similar cases involving Uber and TaxSlayer.