Wire · founder news, decoded · regulatory
FTC Commissioners Clash over “Up To” Earnings Claims and Scope of Penalty Offense ...
◆ Published
20 July 2026
◆ Topic
regulatory
◆ Geography
◆ Source
◆ Verified
Fusion42 · 20 July 2026 · Fusion42 review
The FTC settled with Handy Technologies for $2.95m over deceptive "up to" earnings claims to gig workers, but Commissioner Ferguson dissented on whether the FTC properly identified a predicate offense required to impose civil penalties under Section 5(m) of the FTC Act.
◆ The Wire takeaway
If you advertise earnings to workers or customers, the FTC has already told you which claims it considers illegal - and Ferguson's dissent shows the agency's own commissioners disagree on how hard they can hit you for ignoring that notice. The penalty is now civil dollars, not just a cease-and-desist.
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◆ Topics
ftc-enforcement · earnings-claims · gig-economy · civil-penalties · predicate-offense