3 companies to pay $615,000 in NY attorney general investigation over faked net neutrality comments

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

3 companies to pay $615,000 in NY attorney general investigation over faked net neutrality comments

By MAYSOON KHAN
May 10, 2023

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Three companies accused of falsifying millions of public comments to support the contentious 2017 federal repeal of net neutrality rules have agreed to pay $615,000 in penalties to New York and other states, New York’s attorney general said Wednesday.

The penalties come after an investigation by the New York state Office of the Attorney General found the fake comments used the identities of millions of consumers, including thousands of New Yorkers, without their knowledge.

“No one should have their identity co-opted by manipulative companies and used to falsely promote a private agenda,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in an announcement Wednesday.

Two of the California-based companies, LCX Digital Media and digital marketing company Lead ID, LLC., were hired by the broadband industry to enroll consumers in a campaign to support repeals to Obama-era net neutrality rules. Instead, they each independently fabricated responses for 1.5 million consumers. The third, marketing company Ifficient Inc., supplied more than 840,000 fake responses.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/settlement-fake-public-comments-net-neutrality-ae1f69a1f5415d9f77a41f07c3f6c358

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. What a measly fine.

[TheRealNorth]

2. Price of doing business

They will probably call it a loss and deduct it from next year's taxes.

[mike_c]

3. they probably regard the liability write off as an asset...

...that raises the company's valuation. Just like money in the bank.