Oregon Consumer League

06/02/2026

Privacy legislation in twenty-one states (including Oregon) includes the right to opt out of the sale and sharing of personal data, and most of these laws require companies to provide clear, easy-to-use opt-out mechanisms for consumers to exercise their rights. EPIC's report finds that many prominent online platforms’ opt-out processes utilize manipulative design patterns, which are deceptive, manipulative, coercive, or exploitative design choices that undermine consumers’ ability to make choices that reflect their true preference and intentions.

Check out the report:

EPIC’s report Good Luck Opting Out: Manipulative Design Patterns in Opt-Out Processes by Justin Sherman, EPIC Scholar in Residence, and Caroline Kraczon, EPIC Counsel, investigates whether the consumer opt-out processes provided by major online platforms use manipulative design patterns to make it...

05/31/2026

The Oregon Consumer League joined 138 stakeholders in a letter to congressional leaders calling on Congress to preserve an independent, bipartisan Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and ensure the agency has the appropriate tools, resources, and personnel to carry out its lifesaving mission.

Read more here:
https://nclnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Letter-HHS-Budget-CPSC-Transfer-5-27-26.pdf

05/29/2026

The rise of property technology, or “PropTech,” is exacerbating the country’s rental housing affordability crisis. A new report from the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) shines a light on one predatory PropTech product, security deposit “alternatives.” Millions of tenants who use them end up paying more and may be left with fewer legal protections.

Promoted as a lifeline for renters struggling with the high upfront costs of a new apartment, security deposit alternative products have nonrefundable fees, higher overall costs, misleading marketing, and fail to protect tenants, according to the report.

“PropTech” is compounding the unaffordability and precarity of securing and maintaining rental housing. The proliferation of property technology has become another way to extract profits from tenants desperate for a roof over their heads. This report focuses on one of these predatory products: s...

05/23/2026

🏫 A recent leak of customer information from Booking.com is making it easier for criminals to impersonate hotels and airlines in a scam called reservation hijacking‼️

Learn more from Fraud.org:

https://fraud.org/reservation-impersonation-becoming-easier-as-data-breaches-grow/

05/21/2026

⚖️ Attorneys General from Oregon, California, Washington, Nevada, and New York to Highlight State-Led Wins – and Call for Resources to Address Growing Corporate Consolidation❕

As the US DOJ’s antitrust division has lost key leadership and career attorneys and federal priorities shifted away from protecting consumers, state attorneys general stepped up to protect consumers from illegal mergers and monopolies.

Attorneys General from Oregon, California, Washington, Nevada, and New York to Highlight State-Led Wins – and Call for Resources to Address Growing Corporate Consolidation Attorney General Dan Rayfield will host a multistate press conference today to highlight the critical antitrust enforcement wo...

05/18/2026

💳 The Federal Reserve Bank of New York published new data showing that the share of Americans behind on a range of household consumer debts reached all-time highs in the first quarter of 2026. Americans face a historical record of $19 trillion in total household debt.

New data from FRBNY shows household consumer debts at all-time highs.

05/14/2026

Ultraprocessed Foods in the USA: Recommended Definitions and Policies – Healthy Eating Research released a report with recommendations to help policymakers and advocates address the harms of ultraprocessed foods (UPF) in the United States.
🍎🥦🍌🫐 Developed by a diverse panel of experts, the recommendations offer a clear, practical way to identify UPF for policy purposes and outline policy options to reduce the widespread availability and consumption of UPFs in the U.S.

Explore the recommendations and executive summary HERE:
https://healthyeatingresearch.org/research/ultraprocessed-foods-in-the-u-s-recommended-definitions-and-policies/

05/10/2026

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service announced their plan to propose regulations to change the Form 990 to collect more information from nonprofits about government grants and contracts, and fiscal sponsorship arrangements. Contained within the announcement is concerning statements like: “We are ending the days of hiding fraud, abuse, and extremist activity behind complicated nonprofit arrangements.

When bad actors misuse charitable structures, directors and officers should understand that transparency can lead to scrutiny, accountability, and liability under the law.” According to the announcement, there will be an opportunity for public comment. A change to the Form 990 could be used in a number of nefarious ways to identify organizations that are simply deemed to be unfavorable to a particular administration's agenda.

05/08/2026

🏦 ❗️Bank of America (BofA) is reinserting a forced arbitration clause that is tucked away in the bank's updated online banking service agreement. That means, if you have an unresolved dispute with the bank, you will lose your right to take BofA to court or join a class-action lawsuit.

You can stop this... if you contact the bank now and preserve your right to OPT OUT of this change.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Log in to your online BofA account

2. Click the link below to Opt Out of the change

3. Click on the Help & Support tab

Or call: 800-283-8875

⏰ The clock is ticking — You have 60 days from May 18, 2026, to choose to opt out to maintain your rights.

Tell Bank of America that you say NO to private, forced arbitration that favors them.

Save your rights — Opt Out now.

Log in to your Online Banking account by entering your User ID.

05/04/2026

The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, provided homeowners with tax credits of up to $2,000 for heat pumps or water heaters and up to $1,200 for upgrades to insulation, doors, or windows.

The credit was eliminated through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by President Trump. After December 31, 2025, homeowners making energy efficiency upgrades no longer qualify for credits, including the up to $2,000 for heat pump or water heater installations and up to $1,200 for insulation, door, or window improvements – a combined maximum loss of $3,200.