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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today sanctioned the former President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and two military commanders affiliated with the Huthi group, Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim and Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13611 for engaging in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen.

This action was taken in conjunction with the unanimous United Nations (UN) Security Council action on November 7, 2014 to sanction these three individuals under Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2140. These three individuals have, using violence and other means, undermined the political process in Yemen and obstructed the implementation of its political transition, outlined by the agreement of November 23, 2011, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative, which provides for a peaceful transition of power in Yemen.

All of Yemen’s communities have important roles to play in working peacefully to implement the September 21 Peace and National Partnership Agreement, the recommendations of the National Dialogue Conference, and the GCC Initiative. This action, which specifically targets three individuals who have used or supported violence and military means to achieve their political aims, underscores the United States’ firm commitment to support the people of Yemen in their political transition process, despite the recent setbacks.

“The U.S. government and the international community fully support Yemen as it works to implement its economic reform agenda, achieve effective governance, and secure a more representative future,” said Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. “We will hold accountable anyone who threatens the stability of Yemen and the efforts of the Yemeni people to accomplish a peaceful political transition.”

Signed on May 16, 2012, E.O. 13611 authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to sanction those who have engaged in acts that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen; are political or military leaders of an entity engaging in such acts; have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, such acts; or are owned or controlled by, or have acted or claimed to act for or on behalf of any person whose property or interest in property is blocked pursuant to E.O. 13611. This action today is the Treasury Department’s first action sanctioning persons under E.O. 13611. As a result of today’s action, all assets of those designated that are located in the United States or are in the control of U.S. persons are frozen, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

UNSCR 2140, adopted unanimously on February 26, 2014, reaffirms the Security Council’s strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, and establishes a mechanism for imposing relevant financial sanctions and travel ban measures. The UN Security Council’s designation of Saleh, al Hakim, and al-Huthi on November 7, 2014 for undermining the political transition of Yemen was pursuant to UNSCR 2140.

Ali Abdullah Saleh

Per the November 23, 2011 agreement, backed by the GCC, Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down as President of Yemen after more than 30 years.

As of fall 2012, Saleh had reportedly become one of the primary supporters of violence perpetrated by individuals affiliated with the Huthi group. More recently, as of September 2014, Saleh reportedly has been destabilizing Yemen by using others to undermine the central government and create enough instability to threaten a coup. According to a September 2014 report by the United Nations Panel of Experts for Yemen, interlocutors alleged that Saleh supports violent actions of some Yemenis by providing them with funds and political support, as well as ensuring that others continue to contribute to the destabilization of Yemen through various means. Clashes in the south of Yemen in February 2013 were a result of the efforts of Saleh, Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, and key southern secessionist ‘Ali Salim al-Bayd to cause trouble before the March 18, 2013 National Dialogue Conference in Yemen.

Abdullah Yahya al Hakim

Abdullah Yahya al Hakim has engaged in acts that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen.

In June 2014, al Hakim was implicated in plotting a coup against Yemeni President Hadi. In a meeting aimed to coordinate efforts to take over Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, al Hakim met with military and security commanders, tribal chieftains, and leading partisan figures loyal to former Yemeni President Saleh.

In an August 29, 2014 public statement, the President of the UN Security Council stated that the Council condemned the actions of forces commanded by al Hakim, who overran Amran, Yemen, including the Yemeni Army Brigade headquarters on July 8, 2014. Al Hakim led the violent July 2014 takeover of the Amran Governorate and was the military commander responsible for making decisions regarding ongoing conflicts in the Amran Governorate and Hamdan, Yemen.

As of early September 2014, al Hakim remained in Sana’a to oversee combat operations in case fighting began. His role was to organize military operations so as to be able to topple the Yemeni government, and he was also responsible for securing and controlling all routes in and out of Sana’a.

Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi

Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi has engaged in acts that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen. In late October 2013, al-Huthi led a group of fighters dressed in Yemeni military uniforms in an attack on locations in Dimaj, Yemen. The ensuing fighting resulted in multiple deaths. On August 30, 2014, al-Huthi coordinated to move weapons from Amran to a protest camp in Sana’a. In late September 2014, an unknown number of unidentified fighters allegedly were prepared to attack diplomatic facilities in Sana’a upon receiving orders from al-Huthi.

TRUSTe, Inc., a major provider of privacy certifications for online businesses, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers about its recertification program for company’s privacy practices, as well as perpetuated its misrepresentation as a non-profit entity.

TRUSTe provides seals to businesses that meet specific requirements for consumer privacy programs that it administers. TRUSTe seals assure consumers that businesses’ privacy practices are in compliance with specific privacy standards like the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework.

“TRUSTe promised to hold companies accountable for protecting consumer privacy, but it fell short of that pledge,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “Self-regulation plays an important role in helping to protect consumers. But when companies fail to live up to their promises to consumers, the FTC will not hesitate to take action.”

The FTC’s complaint alleges that from 2006 until January 2013, TRUSTe failed to conduct annual recertifications of companies holding TRUSTe privacy seals in over 1,000 incidences, despite providing information on its website that companies holding TRUSTe Certified Privacy Seals receive recertification every year.

In addition, the FTC’s complaint alleges that since TRUSTe became a for-profit corporation in 2008, the company has failed to require companies using TRUSTe seals to update references to the organization’s non-profit status. Before converting from a non-profit to a for-profit, TRUSTe provided clients model language describing TRUSTe as a non-profit for use in their privacy policies.

The proposed order announced today will help ensure that TRUSTe maintains a high standard of consumer protection going forward. Under the terms of its settlement with the FTC, TRUSTe will be prohibited from making misrepresentations about its certification process or timeline, as well as being barred from misrepresenting its corporate status or whether an entity participates in its program. In addition, TRUSTe must not provide other companies or entities the means to make misrepresentations about these facts, such as through incorrect or inaccurate model language.

The settlement also requires the company in its role as a COPPA safe harbor to provide detailed information about its COPPA-related activities in its annual filing to the FTC, as well as maintaining comprehensive records about its COPPA safe harbor activities for ten years. Each of these provisions represents an increase in the reporting requirements laid out under the COPPA rule for safe harbor programs. The company must also pay $200,000 as part of the settlement.

The Commission vote to accept the proposed consent agreement for public comment was 5-0. Chairwoman Ramirez, Commissioner Brill, and Commissioner McSweeny issued a joint supporting statement and Commissioner Ohlhausen issued a statement partially dissenting. The FTC will publish a description of the consent agreement package in the Federal Register shortly. The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through Dec. 17, 2014, after which the Commission will decide whether to make the proposed consent order final. Interested parties can submit comments electronically by following the instructions in the “Invitation To Comment” part of the “Supplementary Information” section.

NOTE: The Commission issues an administrative complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. When the Commission issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation of such an order may result in a civil penalty of up to $16,000.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a historic settlement with the automakers Hyundai and Kia that will resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations based on their sale of close to 1.2 million vehicles that will emit approximately 4.75 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in excess of what the automakers certified to EPA.

The automakers will pay a $100 million civil penalty, the largest in Clean Air Act history, to resolve violations concerning the testing and certification of vehicles sold in America and spend approximately $50 million on measures to prevent any future violations. Hyundai and Kia will also forfeit 4.75 million greenhouse gas emission credits that the companies previously claimed, which are estimated to be worth over $200 million. Automakers earn greenhouse gas emissions credits for building vehicles with lower emissions than required by law. These credits can be used to offset emissions from less fuel efficient vehicle models or sold or traded to other automakers for the same purpose. The greenhouse gas emissions that the forfeited credits would have allowed are equal to the emissions from powering more than 433,000 homes for a year.

“This unprecedented resolution with Hyundai and Kia underscores the Justice Department’s firm commitment to safeguarding American consumers, ensuring fairness in every marketplace, protecting the environment, and relentlessly pursuing companies that make misrepresentations and violate the law,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “This type of conduct quite simply will not be tolerated. And the Justice Department will never rest or waver in our determination to take action against any company that engages in such activities – whenever and wherever they are uncovered.”

“Greenhouse gas emission laws protect the public from the dangers of climate change, and today’s action reinforces EPA’s commitment to see those laws through,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Businesses that play by the rules shouldn’t have to compete with those breaking the law. This settlement upholds the integrity of the nation’s fuel economy and greenhouse gas programs and supports all Americans who want to save fuel costs and reduce their environmental impact.”

The complaint was filed today jointly by the United States and the California Air Resources Board in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It alleges that the car companies sold close to 1.2 million cars and SUVs from model years 2012 and 2013 whose design specifications did not conform to the specifications the companies certified to EPA, which led to the misstatements of greenhouse gas emissions. These allegations concern the Hyundai Accent, Elantra, Veloster and Santa Fe vehicles and the Kia Rio and Soul vehicles.

Additionally Hyundai and Kia gave consumers inaccurate information about the real-world fuel economy performance of many of these vehicles. Hyundai and Kia overstated the fuel economy by one to six miles per gallon, depending on the vehicle. Similarly, they understated the emissions of greenhouse gases by their fleets by approximately 4.75 million metric tons over the estimated lifetime of the vehicles.

In order to reduce the likelihood of future vehicle greenhouse gas emission miscalculations, Hyundai and Kia have agreed to reorganize their emissions certification group, revise test protocols, improve management of test data and enhance employee training before they conduct emissions testing to certify their model year 2017 vehicles. In the meantime, Hyundai and Kia must audit their fleets for model years 2015 and 2016 to ensure that vehicles sold to the public conform to the description and data provided to EPA.

EPA discovered these violations in 2012 during audit testing. Subsequent investigation revealed that Hyundai’s and Kia’s testing protocol included numerous elements that led to inaccurately higher fuel economy ratings. In processing test data, Hyundai and Kia allegedly chose favorable results rather than average results from a large number of tests.

In November 2012, Hyundai and Kia responded to the EPA’s findings by correcting the fuel economy ratings for many of their 2011, 2012 and 2013 model year vehicles and establishing a reimbursement program to compensate owners for increased fuel costs due to overstated fuel economy.

This case involves five different entities: Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Motor America, Kia Motors Corporation, Kia Motors America and Hyundai America Technical Center Inc.

The California Air Resources Board joined the United States as a co-plaintiff in this settlement, and will receive $6,343,400 of the $100 million civil penalty.

The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court review and approval. A copy of the consent decree is available on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.

Today, President Obama and APEC Leaders agreed to elevate their efforts in fighting corruption and bribery across the Asia-Pacific region. Leaders encouraged APEC Member Economies to enhance cross-border cooperation in combating public corruption, business bribery, money laundering, and illicit trade. The creation of a new network of anticorruption authorities and law enforcement agencies (ACT-NET) will support these actions and reinforces APEC’s overall efforts to spur economic growth and greater investment and trade across all economies.

Anti-Bribery and Corporate Compliance
APEC Leaders also adopted the APEC Principles on the Prevention of Bribery and Enforcement of Anti-Bribery Laws, and APEC General Elements of Effective Voluntary Corporate Compliance Programs. The new principles to prevent bribery and improve the enforcement of economies’ domestic and foreign bribery laws will enhance APEC economies’ compliance with their respective international commitments and help to level the playing field for U.S. companies engaged in international business.

Adopting the APEC Principles will illustrate to our citizens and the world APEC’s commitment to preventing, detecting and effectively prosecuting foreign bribery, and recovering the corrupt proceeds of such offenses. Similarly, adopting the APEC General Elements of Effective Voluntary Corporate Compliance Programs will reinforce the strong message to the business community that the private sector has an important role to play, and provide valuable guidance to our businesses on how to expose corruption.

Business Ethics for Small and Medium Enterprises

APEC Ministers have also endorsed three sets of APEC principles for voluntary codes of ethics in sectors where SMEs are the major stakeholders with a view towards their adoption across APEC economies. Corruption imposes a significant market access barrier and high costs particularly for SMEs, which can be disproportionately impacted by bribery and solicitation, resulting in a net drain on economic growth. The United States worked closely with APEC economies in developing the voluntary ethics principles and is now conducting a series of workshops with APEC trading partners to implement them. The first SME Business Ethics Forum was held in Nanjing, China in September 2014, to highlight accomplishments, including the adoption of 18 new industry association codes across 9 APEC member economies. Participants issued the Nanjing Declaration to Promote Ethical Business Environments in the Medical Device and Biopharmaceutical Sectors for SMEs which calls on APEC member economies to double the number of codes for the healthcare sector between 2012 and 2015. A similar event was held in September in Manila, with focus on the construction and engineering sector.

U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
The Obama Administration, following long-standing U.S. efforts, takes a firm stand against public corruption within the United States and abroad with respect to American and other companies that engage in bribing foreign officials to obtain or retain business.

Through the enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and our Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, the Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice and our other law enforcement and regulatory agencies have vigorously pursued bribe payers of all stripes: large corporations and small companies; powerful CEOs and frontline sales agents; U.S. and foreign companies; citizens and foreign nationals; direct payers and intermediaries.

President Obama and the U.S. Government continue to drive a robust agenda to prevent and prosecute corruption around the world to hold accountable those who exploit the public’s trust for private gain. Preventing corruption preserves funds for public revenue and thereby helps drive development and economic growth. By contrast, pervasive corruption siphons revenue away from the public budget and undermines the rule of law and the confidence of citizens in their governments. It also facilitates human rights abuses and organized crime, empowers kleptocracies, and can threaten the stability of entire regions. The United States views corruption as a growing threat to the national security of our country and allies around the world.

International Cooperation in other Fora
Through these and other longstanding efforts, the United States remains a global leader on anticorruption. The United States was a leader in developing fundamental international legal frameworks such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions negotiated at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the global architecture for international legal cooperation in areas such as asset recovery and denial of entry. The United States continues to lead in providing funding for capacity building to fight corruption and promote good governance.

In a settlement with the United States, three subsidiaries of the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS), the world’s largest fertilizer producer, will take steps to reduce harmful air emissions at eight U.S. production plants, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice announced today. The settlement resolves claims that these PCS subsidiaries violated the Clean Air Act when they modified facilities in ways that released excess sulfur dioxide into surrounding communities.

The settlement requires PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, AA Sulfuric Inc., and White Springs Agricultural Chemicals Inc. to install, upgrade and operate state-of-the-art pollution reduction measures, as well as install emissions monitors at eight sulfuric acid plants across facilities in Geismar, Louisiana (one plant), White Springs, Florida (four plants), and Aurora, North Carolina (three plants). The three companies will spend an estimated $50 million on these measures, and will pay a $1.3 million civil penalty.

“This agreement, the largest so far in our ongoing Clean Air Act enforcement efforts against sulfuric-acid producers, will ensure cleaner air for citizens across the Southeast and will send a strong signal to the industry that noncompliance has serious consequences,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Sam Hirsch for the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.

“Large industrial facilities that break the law and pollute the air will be held accountable,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This case will bring these companies into compliance and require additional action to cut pollution to benefit communities, especially those most vulnerable to air pollution.” EPA expects the actions that the companies have agreed to take will reduce harmful emissions by over 13,090 tons per year, which includes approximately 12,600 tons per year of sulfur dioxide, 430 tons per year of ammonia and 60 tons per year of nitrogen oxide. In the future, the companies can also retire plants to comply with the settlement.

The settlement also includes a “supplemental environmental project,” estimated to cost between $2.5 and $4 million, to protect the community around a PCS Nitrogen nitric acid plant in Geismar, Louisiana, and requires PCS Nitrogen to install and operate equipment to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia. This project is part of EPA’s commitment to advancing environmental justice by reducing the disproportionate environmental impacts on communities near industrial facilities – in this instance, by reducing fine particulates that can aggravate respiratory disease.

Sulfur dioxide, the predominant pollutant emitted from sulfuric acid plants, has numerous adverse effects on human health and is a significant contributor to acid rain, smog and haze. Sulfur dioxide—along with nitrogen oxide—is converted in the air to particulate matter that can cause severe respiratory and cardiovascular impacts, and premature death.

This settlement is part of EPA’s national enforcement initiative to control harmful emissions from large sources of pollution, which includes acid production plants, under the Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration requirements. It is the 10th settlement reached under EPA’s National Acid Manufacturing Plant Initiative and the 7th settlement addressing pollution from sulfuric acid plants. Today’s settlement covers more sulfuric acid production capacity—roughly 24,000 tons per day or approximately 14 percent of total U.S. capacity—than all previous sulfuric acid settlements under this initiative combined.

The settlement also resolves alleged violations based on Louisiana law at the Geismar, Louisiana, facility, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will receive $350,000 of the $1.3 million penalty.

The settlement was lodged with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.

Yesterday, millions of Americans cast their ballots. Republicans had a good night, and I congratulate all the candidates who won.

But what stands out to me is that the message Americans sent yesterday is one you’ve sent for several elections in a row now. You expect the people you elect to work as hard as you do. You expect us to focus on your ambitions — not ours — and you want us to get the job done. Period.

I plan on spending every moment of the next two years rolling up my sleeves and working as hard as I can for the American people. This country has made real and undeniable progress in the six years since the 2008 economic crisis. But our work will not be done until every single American feels the gains of a growing economy where it matters most: in your own lives.

While I’m sure we’ll continue to disagree on some issues that we’re passionate about, I’m eager to work with Congress over the next two years to get the job done. The challenges that lay ahead of us are far too important to allow partisanship or ideology to prevent our progress as a nation.

As we make progress, I’ll need your help, too. Over the weeks and months ahead, I’ll be looking to Americans like you, asking you to stay engaged.

I am optimistic about our future. Because for all the maps plastered across our screens today, for all the cynics who say otherwise, we are more than a simple collection of red and blue states. We are the United States.

And yesterday, millions of Americans — Democrats and Republicans, women and men, young and old, black and white — took the time out of their day to perform a simple, profound act of citizenship. That’s something we shouldn’t forget amid the din of political commentary. Because making progress starts with showing up.

Let’s get to work.

President Barack Obama

The Director-General of UNESCO met with representatives of diverse Iraqi communities and minorities – including from the Shabak, Bahii, Yazidi, kakiee, Sabian Mandaée, Assyrian and Chaldean communities, members and former members of the Kurdistan Parliament and of the Council of Representatives of Iraq.
In opening the meeting, Irina Bokova voiced her grave concern at the systematic persecution of minority communities and the attacks against their cultural and religious heritage – reiterating her call for end to cultural cleansing by extremist groups.

She thanked the representatives present for their courage and commitment to standing up against these attacks, to protect the human rights and dignity of all citizens of Iraq; and expressed UNESCO’s solidarity and readiness to support.

“These are intolerable attempts to destroy the diversity, that is part of the DNA of this country, that testifies to a long history of coexistence and dialogue between peoples and communities, across all cultural and religious lines,” declared the Director-General.

Irina Bokova echoed the statements of the United Nations Secretary General, and his Special Representative, as well as the United Nations Security Council, that these attacks, the systematic and deliberate cleansing of territories, the brutal killings of civilians – all of this stands in direct violation of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Recognizing the urgent need for the persecuted communities to regain a sense of security and normalcy, the Director-General highlighted the importance for these communities of upholding their traditions and cultures, while rebuilding Iraq’s rich social fabric. “I am here to explore with you the way forward – how we can build trust and confidence between all segments of the Iraqi society, how Iraqis can learn to live together in a society respectful of communities’ cultural identity and expressions” she said. “Education, the media and the protection of the wealth of diversity of Iraq’s cultural heritage are fundamental for reconciliation amongst Iraqis. This is why I am here to listen to you”, added the Director-General.

She also noted her high appreciation for the special role of host families and communities, who, despite hardships, are doing everything they can to help, at the risk of being overwhelmed by the crisis.

Discussion with the representatives of minority communities focused on the experience of human rights violations, stigma and discrimination, before and during the current crisis. Many highlighted the tragic lack of trust today, and the deep desire for basic respect and the return to normalcy.

The conditions for minority communities of Iraq’s diverse population remain distressing. It is estimated that out of the 5.2 million people affected during the current crisis, 1.8 million people have been displaced in 2014 alone.

Groups that are most at risk are minorities, some of whom have little or no established links with host communities, or who have been trapped in crisis areas. In addition to being subjected to extremely difficult living conditions, with overcrowding, insufficient sanitation and psychosocial trauma, affected minority groups suffer from persecution with regards to their religious and ethnic backgrounds and infringement on their basic human rights, leading to a loss of connections and ties with their original cultural milieu.

The current crisis has escalated the flight of such minority communities as Yezidis, Christians, Fayli Kurds, Shabaks and Turkomen, while also affecting Shiites and Sunnis.

“As a country traditionally comprised many groups of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, Iraq now stands at a crossroads with serious threats to its social cohesion and unity,” said the Director-General. “We cannot let this happen; we must recognize the vital contribution of the each community to the welfare of society as a whole and the future of Iraq,” she concluded.

The Federal Trade Commission filed a federal court complaint against AT&T Mobility, LLC, charging that the company has misled millions of its smartphone customers by charging them for “unlimited” data plans while reducing their data speeds, in some cases by nearly 90 percent.

The FTC’s complaint alleges that the company failed to adequately disclose to its customers on unlimited data plans that, if they reach a certain amount of data use in a given billing cycle, AT&T reduces – or “throttles” – their data speeds to the point that many common mobile phone applications – like web browsing, GPS navigation and watching streaming video – become difficult or nearly impossible to use.

“AT&T promised its customers ‘unlimited’ data, and in many instances, it has failed to deliver on that promise,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “The issue here is simple: ‘unlimited’ means unlimited.”

According to the FTC’s complaint, AT&T’s marketing materials emphasized the “unlimited” amount of data that would be available to consumers who signed up for its unlimited plans. The complaint alleges that, even as unlimited plan consumers renewed their contracts, the company still failed to inform them of the throttling program. When customers canceled their contracts after being throttled, AT&T charged those customers early termination fees, which typically amount to hundreds of dollars.

The FTC alleges that AT&T, despite its unequivocal promises of unlimited data, began throttling data speeds in 2011 for its unlimited data plan customers after they used as little as 2 gigabytes of data in a billing period. According to the complaint, the throttling program has been severe, often resulting in speed reductions of 80 to 90 percent for affected users. Thus far, according to the FTC, AT&T has throttled at least 3.5 million unique customers a total of more than 25 million times.

According to the FTC’s complaint, consumers in AT&T focus groups strongly objected to the idea of a throttling program and felt “unlimited should mean unlimited.” AT&T documents also showed that the company received thousands of complaints about the slow data speeds under the throttling program. Some consumers quoted the definition of the word “unlimited,” while others called AT&T’s throttling program a “bait and switch.” Many consumers also complained about the effect the throttling program had on their ability to use GPS navigation, watch streaming videos, listen to streaming music and browse the web.

The complaint charges that AT&T violated the FTC Act by changing the terms of customers’ unlimited data plans while those customers were still under contract, and by failing to adequately disclose the nature of the throttling program to consumers who renewed their unlimited data plans.

FTC staff worked closely on this matter with the staff of the Federal Communications Commission.

The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 5-0. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division.

AT&T Mobility to resolve an investigation into allegations that the company billed customers millions of dollars in unauthorized third-party subscriptions and premium text messaging services. The settlement is the largest enforcement action in FCC history.The Enforcement Bureau launched its investigation after receiving consumer complaints alleging that AT&T customers had been billed with months of unauthorized charges for third-party services that they did not request.

In some cases, complaints alleged that AT&T Mobility refused to issue refunds or would only refund one or two months’ worth of such charges, leaving consumers on the hook for the rest. Until January 2014, AT&T Mobility included charges for third-party services – such as monthly subscriptions for ringtones, wallpaper, and text messages providing horoscopes, flirting tips, celebrity gossip, and other information – on its customers’ telephone bills.

The charge for each of these types of subscriptions was typically $9.99 per month.“Today’s enforcement action is a victory for consumers nationwide,” said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “Carriers should be on notice that we will not tolerate any business practice that saddles consumers with unauthorized charges on their phone bills. This settlement –a joint effort between the FCC, FTC and all 50 states and the District of Columbia – is a prime example of government agencies working together on behalf of American consumers.”“We now know that wireless companies profited while their customers were fleeced by unscrupulous third parties who added millions of dollars in unauthorized charges to consumer phone bills,” said Travis LeBlanc, Chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau.

“Today’s historic settlement holds AT&T responsible for its billing practices and puts money directly back into the pockets of consumers.”The settlement was negotiated in coordination with the Federal Trade Commission and the attorneys general of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Under the terms of the Consent Decree the FCC announced today, AT&T Mobility will pay $80 million to be distributed to current and former AT&T customers who were billed for third-party services they did not authorize. In addition, AT&T Mobility will pay $20 million to state governments participating in the settlement, and will make a $5 million penalty payment to the U.S. Treasury.

The Enforcement Bureau has also secured strong consumer protections in the settlement that include requirements that AT&T Mobility no longer offer commercial third-party “premium SMS” charges, adopt phone bills, revise their billing practices to ensure that third-party charges are clearly and conspicuously identified on bills so that customers can see what services they are paying for, and offer a free service for customers to block all third party charges.Placement of unauthorized charges and fees on consumers’ telephone bills is an “unjust and unreasonable” practice that is unlawful under the Communications Act.The FCC has taken many actions against carriers as a result of unauthorized, misleading, or deceptive charges placed on wireless and wireline telephone bills.

Since January 2014, the Commission has taken six enforcement actions against carriers for alleged cramming and slamming violations that have totaled more than $20 million in proposed penalties and payments to the U.S. Treasury. In addition, the FCC’s Truth-in-Billing rules require carriers to disclose billed charges and describe them on the bill in a way that is brief, clear, and easy for the consumer to understand.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations human rights office today voiced their grave concern for the safety of civilians caught up in the ongoing offensive by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on the northern Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane.

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that the terrorist group is continuously carrying out its “barbarous campaign” and committing extensive violations of human rights and humanitarian law in areas that have fallen under its control in Syria and Iraq.

The UN chief urged all those with the means to do so to take immediate action to protect the beleaguered civilian population of Ayn al-Arab.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed its alarm over the situation, noting that the reported intensification of indiscriminate shelling by ISIL of various parts of the town of Ayn al-Arab has caused 10,000 civilians who had remained in the border area to cross into Turkey on Sunday and Monday.

“Up until 3 or 4 days ago, there were still some 10,000 civilians who had not yet crossed into Turkey, and although most have now done so, some may still remain,” OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva.

On Monday 6 October, ISIL units reportedly broke through the trenches dug by the town’s mainly Kurdish defenders, and street-to-street fighting then took place in eastern neighbourhoods of the town, Mr. Colville said. They also took control of a number of buildings and a strategic hill looking over the town from the south-east.

The Kurdish groups in control of Kobane had reportedly ordered civilians to seek refuge in Turkey, and civilian administrators in Kobane were also said to have mostly left the town by yesterday evening.

“Nevertheless we remain hugely concerned for the safety of any civilians remaining in Kobane or in the border area near the town, as well as in surrounding villages. We believe the numbers are now, at most, in the hundreds – maybe fewer,” said Mr. Colville.

“But clearly anyone who falls into the hands of ISIL is at risk,” he added. “Given their atrocious record of repeated murders and summary executions of prisoners in both Syria and Iraq, we are also extremely concerned about the fate of any combatants captured by ISIL.”

Also speaking out was the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, who similarly expressed concern regarding ISIL’s military gains in Ayn al-Arab and warned that the terrorist group’s advance threatened the lives of thousands of civilians.

“The world has seen with its own eyes the images of what happens when a city in Syria or in Iraq is overtaken by the terrorist group called ISIS or Daesh: massacres, humanitarian tragedies, rapes, horrific violence,” Mr. de Mistura said in a statement, referring to the group by other commonly used names.

The Special Envoy urged the international community to act now to defend the town and the outgunned Kurdish community there, adding that the world would “regret deeply” if ISIL were able “to take over a city which has defended itself with courage.”

As part of our latest transparency report released in July, we described how we were being prohibited from reporting on the actual scope of surveillance of Twitter users by the U.S. government. Our ability to speak has been restricted by laws that prohibit and even criminalize a service provider like us from disclosing the exact number of national security letters (“NSLs”) and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (“FISA”) court orders received — even if that number is zero.

It’s our belief that we are entitled under the First Amendment to respond to our users’ concerns and to the statements of U.S. government officials by providing information about the scope of U.S. government surveillance – including what types of legal process have not been received. We should be free to do this in a meaningful way, rather than in broad, inexact ranges.

So, today, we have filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to publish our full Transparency Report, and asking the court to declare these restrictions on our ability to speak about government surveillance as unconstitutional under the First Amendment. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is already considering the constitutionality of the non-disclosure provisions of the NSL law later this week.

You can read our filing with the U.S. District Court of Northern California in PDF form here.

We’ve tried to achieve the level of transparency our users deserve without litigation, but to no avail. In April, we provided a draft Transparency Report addendum to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a report which we hoped would provide meaningful transparency for our users. After many months of discussions, we were unable to convince them to allow us to publish even a redacted version of the report.

Meanwhile, we continue to look for comprehensive reform of government surveillance powers in the U.S., and we support meaningful efforts such as the USA Freedom Act of 2014 as introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), which would allow companies like Twitter to provide more transparency to its users.

This is an important issue for anyone who believes in a strong First Amendment, and we hope to be able to share our complete Transparency Report.

This courtesy of www.twitter.com

A southwest suburban Bolingbrook man was arrested Saturday night for allegedly attempting to travel overseas to join a foreign terrorist organization operating inside Iraq and Syria, federal law enforcement officials announced today. The defendant, Mohammed Hamzah Khan, 19, a U.S. citizen, was charged with attempting to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Khan was taken into custody without incident at O’Hare International Airport by members of the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force before he attempted to fly to Vienna, Austria, on his way to Istanbul, Turkey.

Khan was charged in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He appeared this morning in U.S. District Court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox, and remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

According to the complaint affidavit, a roundtrip ticket was purchased for Khan on Sept. 26 to travel from Chicago to Istanbul, departing on Saturday, and returning later this week.

Law enforcement agents observed Khan passing through the security screening checkpoint Saturday afternoon at O’Hare’s international terminal. Federal agents then executed a search warrant at Khan’s residence and recovered multiple handwritten documents that appeared to be drafted by Khan and/or others, which expressed support for ISIL, the affidavit alleges. Some of those documents, including travel plans and materials referencing ISIL and jihad, are described in the complaint affidavit.

Khan was initially approached by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and was later interviewed later by FBI agents at the airport.

Attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The JTTF is comprised of Special Agents of the FBI, officers of the Chicago Police Department, and representatives from an additional 20 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The Justice Department’s National Security Division assisted in the investigation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Illinois State Police also provided significant assistance.

The arrest and complaint were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is continuing, they said.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Hiller and Angel Krull.

The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

In remarks from the White House State Dining Room this afternoon, President Obama announced that Eric Holder will be stepping down from his current position as U.S. Attorney General.