: In April 1979, as Idi Amin’s government crumbled in the face of the Tanzanian military advance, a moment of opportunity opened. After years of dictatorship and terrifying violence, Ugandans had the opportunity to start again. This book attempts to do justice to the multiple ways in which they imagined their future at the time, before the tragic end to these turbulent months—Milton Obote’s fraudulent election and the start of the civil war. For the first time in many years, men and—to a lesser extent—women were able to ask critical questions about what it might mean to be Ugandan, how state and society should be organised, about who should hold authority—and in the name of what. This was a time of fear and economic deprivation, in an international context largely defined by the Cold War and the emergence of neoliberalism. But it wasalso a time of hope, and of the flourishing of political imagination that would nurture the public debate for many years to
: Michel Van Bellinghen elected BEREC Chair 2028 yannick.stephan Thu, 01/10/2026 - 08:59 Latest News At its plenary meeting on 1 October 2026, the Board of Regulators elected Michel Van Bellinghen , Chair of the BIPT Council (Belgium), as the BEREC Chair for 2028. In the year preceding the chairmanship, he will join the Mini-Board and work closely with the incoming Chair, Alejandra de Iturriaga Gandini ( CNMC , Spain), helping to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities and continuity in BEREC’s work. This will be the second time Michel Van Bellinghen serves as BEREC Chair. BEREC leadership in 2027 BEREC’s leadership is centred on the Chair, supported by the Vice-Chairs. The Mini-Board, composed of the Chair, the Vice-Chairs and participants without voting rights, provides support for the Chair in carrying out their leadership responsibilities. During the plenary meeting, the Board of Regulators also elected the Vice-Chairs for 2027. Klaus Steinmaurer ( RTR , Austria) and Karol Krzywicki ( UKE , Poland) wi[...]
: Practice Fusion case suggests 6 health privacy pointers lfair June 8, 2016 | 9:01AM Practice Fusion case suggests 6 health privacy pointers By Lesley Fair Combine two of the most talked-about consumer protection topics – health privacy and consumer-generated online content – and what do you get? A proposed FTC settlement with Practice Fusion, the largest cloud-based electronic health records company in the country, and six compliance tips for others in the industry. One of San Francisco-based Practice Fusion’s primary products is an electronic records system for outpatient providers. In 2009, the company launched “Patient Fusion,” an online portal where patients whose providers were already using Practice Fusion could view or download their health information or transmit it to another provider. Patient Fusion also let patients send and receive secure messages from their providers. Fast forward several years and the company decided to expand Patient Fusion to include a public directory where current and prosp[...]
: The Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters today to a dozen websites advising them of their obligation to comply with the TAKE IT DOWN Act (TIDA), which requires platforms to give people a way to request the removal of intimate photos or videos shared online without their consent, and to remove the intimate photos or videos within 48 hours of a valid request. “Today we’re demonstrating just how serious we are about protecting the public, especially children, from abusive online conduct,” said FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. “Platforms no longer have any excuses—they must comply with their obligations under the TAKE IT DOWN Act or face the consequences.” The warning letters were sent to 12 companies that offer so-called “nudify” tools that allow people to take a clothed image of an individual and remove the individual’s clothing to create nonconsensual and sexualized images. The letters note that these companies appear to be in violation of TIDA by failing to provide individuals with a process through[...]
: First Consumer Review Fairness case takes on promoter’s “big bucks on Amazon” claim lfair August 6, 2018 | 11:11AM First Consumer Review Fairness case takes on promoter’s “big bucks on Amazon” claim By Lesley Fair T he marketers behind a purported money-making promotion called Sellers Playbook appear to have skipped the chapter about complying with federal and state consumer protection laws. That’s the allegation in a complaint filed by the FTC and the Minnesota Attorney General . In addition, it’s the FTC’s first case charg ing violations of the Consumer Review Fairness Act. The roots of the allegations go back to another venture sued by the FTC earlier this year: FBA Stores, also known as Amazing Wealth System and Amazon Wealth Systems. The defendants in that case ran online ads and in-person workshops that claimed to reveal the secret s of making major money on Amazon. But few, if any, of the consumers who forked over thousands of dollars and implemented their “plug-and-play systems” earn ed the kind of c[...]
: How can we encourage women to pursue scientific careers? In recent years, a number of mentoring or awareness campaigns have been put in place to encourage French high school students to study maths, physics or engineering sciences, while they remain underrepresented in these fields. One of the last large-scale initiatives is the Filles et Maths program , launched in 2025, including work on gender bias, the implementation of “role models” or timetables featuring flexible hours. The program was nonetheless met with criticism: while women remain under-represented in some disciplines, they also remain a minority in the highest positions across the board in the academic world, from mathematics to social sciences. In France, gender inequalities are therefore not limited to access to scientific studies: they cut across all university careers and make many women leave French Higher Education and Research before securing tenure. This “drain” is explained by several factors among which motherhood holds an important pl[...]
: 7-Eleven, Inc. and its parent company, Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd., (collectively 7-Eleven) will pay $4.5 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging that the convenience store chain violated a 2018 FTC consent order by acquiring a fuel outlet in St. Petersburg, Fla. without providing the Commission prior notice. The $4.5 million penalty marks the largest civil penalty ever collected in an FTC case involving a prior-notice violation. It is also the largest negotiated settlement of any order violation in the FTC Bureau of Competition’s history. “Under the Trump-Vance FTC, merger remedies that protect competition are once again on the table. But for merger remedies to work, firms must abide by the terms of their consent orders, and we will hold parties accountable when they don’t live up to their commitments,” said Daniel Guarnera, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “7-Eleven failed to fulfill the terms of the FTC’s consent order and is now paying a record price. The FTC will not h[...]
: dc.contributor.author: Allard, Marianne dc.date.issued: 2026-10 dc.description.abstract: Les coraux, étant des animaux filtreurs, sont indispensables aux écosystèmes marins, créant des points chauds de biodiversité. Les pressions humaines grandissantes sur les coraux menacent leur survie et crée un changement de dominance des coraux durs aux coraux mous. Cette étude révèle la présence de vibrations chez plusieurs espèces de coraux mous à partir de données récoltées en laboratoire et en plongée. Les paramètres principaux influençant la fréquence de vibration sont le diamètre des branches, la vitesse d’écoulement et la présence des polypes (structures servant à capturer la nourriture). La dynamique d’interaction entre les coraux et leur environnement changeant se verra modifiée dans les prochaines années en raison de l’augmentation de l’intensité des tempêtes liée aux changements climatiques, risquant d’impacter leur capacité d’alimentation. Les déversements pétroliers représentent également une menace importa[...]
: Franchise Fundamentals: Taking a deep dive into the Franchise Disclosure Document lfair May 23, 2023 | 6:41PM Franchise Fundamentals: Taking a deep dive into the Franchise Disclosure Document By Lesley Fair Love at first sight may (or may not) be a real thing, but when it comes to investing your money, it’s unwise to fall for a franchise without first subjecting it to tough-minded scrutiny. The third in the FTC’s Franchise Fundamentals blog series walks through an essential part of that evaluation: an in-depth review of the Financial Disclosure Document (FDD) required by the FTC’s Franchise Rule . You must receive the Franchise Disclosure Document at least 14 days before you’re asked to sign any contract or pay any money to the franchisor or one of its affiliates. In fact, you have the right to the FDD once the franchisor has received your application and agrees to consider it. So speak up if you don’t receive it and ask questions – lots of them – as you review the FDD and any attached documents. Image Ind[...]
: Public consultation on the draft BEREC Work Programme 2027 yannick.stephan Thu, 01/10/2026 - 09:00 Breadcrumbs Public Consultations & Calls for Inputs Deadline to submit contributions: 31 October 2026 In January this year, BEREC adopted the Outline BEREC Work Programme 2027 , which reflected BEREC's objectives for the upcoming year. BEREC launched a first Call for inputs on the Work Programme 2027 from 27 February to 15 April. During the call for proposals, several additional actions were identified. Considering the early input received, during the 68th BEREC ordinary meetings (1-2 October 2026), the Board of Regulators adopted the draft BEREC Work Programme 2027 [BoR (26) 142] for public consultation. Background BEREC prepares its annual work programme in accordance with Article 21 of the BEREC Regulation and the BEREC Strategy 2026-2030 to guide how it organises and prioritises its work towards clearly defined objectives. The 2027 draft work programme was developed inclusively and transparently, with cont[...]
: Lights out on unsubstantiated pain relief claims and deceptive native advertising lfair June 25, 2020 | 3:00PM Lights out on unsubstantiated pain relief claims and deceptive native advertising By Lesley Fair For consumers struggling with severe or chronic pain, ads for a product called Willow Curve appeared to offer light at the end of the tunnel. But the FTC alleges the marketers made false and unsubstantiated claims for the product , a device that applied low-level light and mild heat to the site of pain – and set people back between $599 and $799 in the process. The proposed settlement also sheds light on the FTC’s ongoing concern with deceptive native advertising. The complaint names two Michigan companies, Physician’s Technology, LLC, and Willow Labs, LLC, and two individuals affiliated with both businesses, Dr. Ronald Shapiro and David Sutton. In ads on national TV, satellite radio, online, and in social media, the defendants claimed that for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic neuropa[...]
: Le texte français suit. Dear CALLeagues, It was wonderful seeing over 160 of you in Moncton last month for a fantastic conference! I am still thinking about some of the sessions, from Dean Michael Marin's keynote on embedded librarianship and the role that law librarians have in legal education and practice, to sessions on generative AI use in law faculties and law firms, negotiating vendor contracts, and more. A huge thank you to co-chairs Michèle Leblanc and Laura Corscadden and the entire conference planning committee for all of their hard work. We have received wonderful feedback already, though a formal survey will be sent out in the coming weeks. Please do look out for that. As I settle into the president's role, I want to thank Jason Wong for an outstanding year at the helm. Jason's focus on community building and financial sustainability moved us forward in real, tangible ways, and his commitment to inclusion set a standard I hope to maintain. Thank you also to Mary-Jo Petsche for her four years on t[...]
: New data from the Federal Trade Commission reveal that people reported losing a staggering $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, with reported losses increasing nearly three times since 2020. FTC data also show that people reported imposter scams more than any other fraud category in 2025—nearly one in three fraud reports were about imposter scams. These scams lured consumers through text, phone, email, social media, search engine results and other means. Some of the costliest impersonation scams start with a fake security alert, often from a bank. People are convinced to move money to “protect” it, with their losses often limited only by their available funds. Last year, people reported losing nearly $1 billion to business impersonators with the highest reported losses to bank impersonators—and about $920 million to government impersonators, up from $866 million and $789 million respectively in 2024. The FTC has seen a striking increase in reported fraud losses to all types of fraud—about $16 billion was [...]
: Brussels, 20 January - The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has adopted a report on the implementation of the right of access by controllers . The report summarises the outcome of a series of coordinated national actions carried out in 2024 under the Coordinated Enforcement Framework (CEF). It lists the issues that were observed for some controllers, along with a series of recommendations to help them implement the right of access. A central element is controllers’ awareness of the EDPB Guidelines 01/2022 on data subjects rights – Right of access and whether these guidelines were followed in practice. EDPB Deputy Chair Zdravko Vukíc said: “The CEF is a valuable initiative that helps strengthen the cooperation among Data Protection Authorities (DPAs): by tackling selected topics in a coordinated fashion, they achieve greater efficiency and more consistency. How controllers implement the right of access lies at the heart of data protection and it is one of the most frequently exercised data subject rights[...]
: Speaking of Spokeo: Part 2 — The company’s allegedly bogus endorsements wfg-adm109 June 13, 2012 | 12:25PM Speaking of Spokeo: Part 2 — The company’s allegedly bogus endorsements By Lesley Fair The lawsuit against data broker Spokeo is the FTC’s first Fair Credit Reporting Act case addressing the collection of online info — including data from social networking sites — when used in the context of employment screening. But that’s not the only way the Spokeo settlement touches on social media. The FTC also charged that Spokeo violated Section 5 by having employees post glowing recommendations of the company’s services on news and technology websites without disclosing their true identity. Perhaps just the work of a rogue cubicle occupant? No, said the FTC. According to the complaint , Spokeo directed its employees to write the comments. Spokeo managers then edited what they wrote and had the staffers post the endorsements using account names provided by Spokeo. The purpose, says the FTC, was to give read[...]