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https://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm
We just need to complain to the right place. The FTC has a complaint form and I'm sure if enough people complain something might evne gat looked at.

However, perhaps this problem could be alleviated with a government backed authentication scheme. This may sound like sci fi (and it is), but it's essentially a digital analogy of your driver's license or social insurance number, but for each and every citizen. It has to be government backed in order to be trustable and to ensure each person has an digital identity. Plus, the government already tracks information like who is the child of whom.

Then, whenever a site needed to verify that a person is either over the age of 13 or that his or her parent consented, the end user can authenticate him or herself.

A shadow identity may also be an interesting twist on this.

http://www.ftc.gov/reports/privacy2000/appa.pdf discusses the methodology employed to gather information for their report, and I have to say I'm disappointed that they collected no data on the selling of tracking information between sites.
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http://www.ftc.gov/reports/p rivacy2000/privacy2000.pdf
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It's time for the FTC to start looking into the RIAA, and it's time for the rest of us to consider a class-action suit against them.

You're a couple years late...they already got their hand slapped for being in the cookie jar. Click the .sig for more juicy links.

"The FTC estimates that U.S. consumers may have paid as much as $480 million more than they should have for CDs and other music because of these policies over the last three years. These
settlements will eliminate these policies and should help restore much-needed competition to the retail music market, consisting of $15 billion in annual sales. Today's news should be sweet music to the ears of all CD purchasers," said Chairman Robert Pitofsky."

That's not sweet music to my ears, that smells like bullshit to my nose.

But that's o.k. they are listening..

"These agreements will be subject to public comment for 30 days, until June 9, after which the Commission will decide whether to make them final. Comments should be addressed to the FTC, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580."
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The statute and rule apply to commercial Web sites and online services directed to, or that knowingly collect information from, children under 13. To inform parents of their information practices, these sites will be required to provide notice on the site and to parents about their policies with respect to the collection, use and disclosure of children's personal information. With certain statutory exceptions, sites will also have to obtain "verifiable parental consent" before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from children

IANAL, but since they charged you for something you never received, that sounds like a case of fraud. Why not file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and see what happens? I think most businesses will tend to fear the government more than other businesses. :-)

MS wasn't charged under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, but the Sherman Antitrust Act. The RICO Act is the law that's used to deprive people of their property rights.

Don't any of you people understand how laws work? I can't believe the parent post has gotten sent to +3. Let's try this point by point.

From the original post: It's bad enough that Americans get to petition elected officials to vote down this law. Here we don't get to comment on it because we have no elected reps in the US. That makes sense until you realize that this law if passed would be enforced in 3rd world countries.

No, state laws are not even enforced in other states, let alone in other countries. Just like your country's laws don't apply to me and why I don't get representation in the Trinidad government.

Not all of them and not immediately but it will come. What dose a little country like Jamaica or Trinidad do when American corporations with a wage bill beyond our GDP backed by Uncle Sam starts to brutalize our people under an unjust law that isn't even ours.

What do you mean, "it will come"? Either Virginia law applies in foreign countries or it doesn't. (Answer: it doesn't and it won't.)

From bendude: Don't you remember that whole DVD bust thing a few months ago. US (almost) Laws being enforced in lesser countries.

No, that was Norwegian law being imposed in Norway.

From JDax, an argument hanging on the idea that: What company could easily "move their headquarters" (on paper) from one of those states in the Pacific Northwest, to Virginia?

Doesn't matter -- the issue is where the customer is, not where this company is based. And even it did, it wouldn't affect other countries.

By the way, I think UCITA is outrageous -- a view shared, incidentally, by the Federal Trade Commission. But the idea that it's enforceable in other countries is absurd.

Their complaint form is here.

Their complaint form is here.

E-mail the FTC at antitrust@ftc.gov and ask them to not allow this anti-competitive merger.

Complain to antitrust@ftc.gov and newcase.atr@usdoj.gov (see http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm ). They do listen sometimes!

--Neal

The Capital Dispatch, part of the New York Times' Cybertimes division reports that the FEC is looking for about 30 volunteers to sit on an advisory committee. The committee will consider proposals to give individuals access to the information that companies obtain from them.

1. What personal and political qualities do we want in a representative?
2. How will the representative communicate with the community? Perhaps they could be given their own slashdot section.
3. Should they represent non-American slashdotters? (This is a US committee focusing on a domestic issue)

"The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to provide advice and recommendations to the Commission regarding implementation of certain fair information practices by domestic commercial Web sites. In particular, the Advisory Committee will address providing online consumers reasonable access to personal information collected from and about them and maintaining adequate security for that information."

• 
  The New York Times' Story written by Jeri Clausing.
  She may be a good contact on the issue.
• 
  The FEC site- includes a link to an acrobat file describing the committee and the nominating process.

antitrust@ftc.gov

This one is important - make your opinion known!

There is no problem with Apple raising its prices. That it can do whenever it wants to. (Even if we don't like it.)

The problem comes when Apple cancels orders that it has already taken.

The cancellation of confirmed orders is what is making customers angry.

When Apple took these orders, Apple agreed to deliver its product for a given price. Now Apple is backing away from its agreement and alienating nearly 80,000 customers by not honoring its contract with them.

A great analysis of the situation (before the flip-flop of the flip-flop) can be found at MacOpinion.
I do smell a class-action lawsuit brewing here, but for those who don't wish to make an attorney richer, please take the time to let the Federal Trade Commission know how you feel about this using the FTC Complaint Form.

Btw, in the two scenarios you present, Apple ships more units the first way, not the second (with the worst case being an equal number of shipments).
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Don't just call your state's Public Service Commission. It's darned important you raise polite hell about BellSouth with the PSC, but don't just do it with them.

You also want to talk to the FCC and possibly the FTC too. Several reasons why...

The FCC can force change nationwide or at the least across BellSouth territory; a PSC can only affect change in one state.

If you contact the FCC as well, they can establish that BellSouth has a pattern of not only anticompetitive behaviour, but also of not serving in the public interest.

The FCC has an increasing number of complaints against BellSouth to begin with and is already investigating them.

The FCC has the right to revoke BellSouth's common carrier status (roughly equivalent to revoking their "license" to run a phone company) if BellSouth refuses to cooperate.

I'm even going to go so far as to say that you should complain to your PSC and the FCC and FTC even if you are NOT trying to get ADSL coverage from BellSouth. BellSouth is a company that indulges in anticompetitive tactics, and deserves to be spanked soundly for many reasons...

I would complain if you fall in ANY of the above categories and are in BellSouth country:

If you have attempted to obtain ADSL service only to be told your OS is not officially supported and told that you cannot connect to the network as a result.

If you have attempted to obtain ADSL service in an area where BellSouth is offering it (see if your area is covered or planned for coverage by hitting BellSouth's webpage) and are told that because you live in an apartment or are told for other reasons that ADSL is not available.

If you have inquired about ADSL from Bellsouth only to be told it is at some other expected time in future and the launch date keeps being pushed back.

If you have been quoted anything at all above ~$50-100/month for ADSL service. (BellSouth has often charged exorbitant prices for ADSL, assuming you can even get it; the planned price in Louisville is something like $400 installation and roughly $300/month metered.)

If you work for a telco and have attempted to sell leased line service for businesses, only to have BellSouth sell you lines at an actual profit to BellSouth and at such a markup as to make it impossible for your company to compete in terms of pricing.

If you have attempted to buy ISDN service through BellSouth and are not in Tennessee. (Costs for ISDN service in most of BellSouth country are literally so expensive that a fractional T1 line is cheaper.)

If you have attempted to buy ISDN service through BellSouth only to be told it is not available in your area because you are too far from the switching station or given any other reason.

If you are a BellSouth customer, in an area where BellSouth is offering both local and LD services (or, for that matter, local and/or LD and/or data services such as bellsouth.net or paging) and there are no local dialing providers at all. (It is illegal under the Telecommunications Act for BellSouth to offer LD or data services in any local market it services where competition does not exist for local dialup. THE FCC NEEDS TO BE TOLD IF THIS IS HAPPENING WHERE YOU LIVE.)

If you are in BellSouth territory, BellSouth offers LD and/or data services (such as bellsouth.net or paging) and there are no competitors that are as cheap or cheaper than BellSouth. (Again, they CANNOT sell LD or data services till local phone service competition exists.)

If you have been forced to buy T1 service from BellSouth or been forced to buy package deals from BellSouth for services such as caller ID or call forwarding. (There have been reports that folks who have tried to buy ADSL from BellSouth have been told ADSL cannot be installed nor can ISDN, and they have been pressured to buy a T1 line instead. Bellsouth makes its Big Money on T1 lines...BellSouth also has the habit of pricing optional services such as caller ID and call waiting so high that the mere combination of a regular phone line, CID, and call waiting is literally MORE EXPENSIVE than a $35/month package deal that comes with more services that they want to sell.)

BellSouth needs spanking on basic principle. Slashdot the hell out of the PSCs, the FCC, and the FTC and let them know just what you think of BellSouth's horrid service...best case, BellSouth is forced to clean up its act. Worst case, BellSouth loses its "phone company" license and someone more competent moves in like Unidial...hell, even US Worst would be better (at least you can actually GET AND AFFORD ADSL and/or ISDN).

If you've had a problem being locked out go to this site (Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Complaint Form). Good luck