In our work promoting smart policies on harm reduction around the world, the Consumer Choice Center is often engaged in battles to stave off vaping flavor bans or tax hikes that will harm consumers and smokers looking to quit. And while those efforts are vital to individuals moving away from tobacco in liberal democracies, there are countries […]
The storming of the US Capitol fueled by demagoguery and a threat to republican democracy
On Wednesday, we saw the worst passions of the American Republic storm through the doors of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. For hours, people around the world watched as marchers and protestors transformed into rioters who ransacked various congressional offices, posed for photos on the House floor, and terrorized hundreds of congressmen and women, […]
The government’s Facebook trustbusting is a zealous takedown that harms consumers and punishes innovation
Consumer group: The government’s Facebook trustbusting is a zealous takedown that harms consumers and punishes innovation WASHINGTON, D.C — On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission issued its long-awaited lawsuit, in conjunction with attorneys general from 46 states, that aims to force Facebook to break up its popular services WhatsApp and Instagram for alleged “anticompetitive” behavior. […]
VapeLive: Yaël Ossowski on the Consumer Choice Center US Vaping Index
Presentation at Vape Live, covering the Consumer Choice Center’s Vaping Index. Yaël Ossowski, Deputy Director http://bit.ly/Vape-Index http://consumerchoicecenter.org November 17, 2020
Trump’s drug import plan will make us all pay
Make Canada Great Again? Believe it or not, that’s what is at the center of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order aimed at trying to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Americans. Trump’s plan, dubbed the “Most-Favored-Nation-Price” model, would effectively import price controls on pharmaceuticals from other nations with single-payer, government-run health systems, including Canada. With […]
Now They’re Coming After Your Delivery Apps
Throughout the course of the pandemic, the world of commerce has shifted primarily online. That’s made online retail, digital services, and delivery apps a godsend for millions of us sequestered in our homes. This entirely new sector of the economy has allowed us to safely buy, enjoy, and use goods and services without the risk […]
In Kamala Harris, do consumers have an ally or a foe?
This week, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden revealed Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his running mate for the November general election against President Donald Trump. Because Harris’ influence on the Biden campaign will loom large, and be important to whomever American voters choose in the fall, it’s worth looking at some of her ideas […]
Antitrust tech hearings dig for consumer harm but come up short
Armed with face masks and fresh customer complaints, members of the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law convened both virtually and in-person on Thursday, for the first of many hearings on competition in the tech sector. It was almost a six-hour marathon of gobbledygook legal turns of phrase and static-prone sessions of troubleshooting for lawmakers. […]
Can you sue the ski hut where you contracted coronavirus?
European nations may be opening up their economies throughout the month of May, but that grand opening is likely to be dogged by the wave of COVID-19-related lawsuits. We learned over the weekend that over 5,000 international tourists to the ski town of Ischgl, Austria are in the process of filing a lawsuit against the […]
Cigarette-style climate change graphic warnings on fuel pumps? How about NO
Are consumers prepared to be hounded at the pump for fueling up their cars? An article published last week in BMJ, the journal of the British Medical Association, makes an argument for including “cigarette-style” warning labels on fuel pumps, airline tickets, and energy bills. The warnings would highlight the “major health impacts” of fossil fuels […]