A debt collector will pay $1 million to settle FTC charges that they used text messaging to collect debts in an unlawful manner. The FTC alleged that Archie Donovan and his companies didn’t disclose they were debt collectors; illegally revealed debts to people’s family members, friends, and co-workers; and threatened to sue people or garnish their wages. In addition to the $1 million civil penalty, the settlement requires the defendants to stop sending text messages that don’t include the disclosures required by law, and to get permission before texting consumers.

An affiliate marketing company has settled the FTC’s charges that it allegedly sent more than 42.5 million deceptive text messages. According to the FTC’s complaint, Rentbro, Inc., and its principals, Daniel Pessin and Jacob Engel, texted people to trick them into thinking they had been selected to get $1,000 gift cards to major retailers including Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Recipients who tapped a link in the message ended up at a website that required them to give up personal information or buy items to qualify for the so-called free gift card.

The FTC will host a workshop on December 4 to examine the practice of blending advertisements with news, entertainment, and other content in digital media, referred to as “native advertising” or “sponsored content.” The FTC invites the public to submit original research, recommendations for topics of discussion, requests to participate as panelists, and mock-ups for discussion. The workshop will be at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., is free, and is open to the public.

The FTC charged that a proposed merger between rivals Honeywell International Inc. and Intermec would reduce competition and lead to higher prices for scan engines. Scan engines are used in two-dimensional (2D) retail bar code scanners to translate an image – like a UPC barcode – into a digital format that a computer can read. The companies and a third competitor, Motorola, are the only 2D scan engine makers in the U.S. that have intellectual property portfolios broad enough to protect against potential patent-infringement lawsuits. The proposed FTC order requires Honeywell to license its technology, giving the buyer access to the patents it needs to enter the U.S. market immediately and restore competition.

At the FTC’s request, a federal court has stopped a business opportunity scheme that allegedly conned more than $6 million from people looking to buy a business. The FTC alleged that Money Now Funding LLC and its affiliates falsely promised people that they could earn up to $3,000 a month by referring merchants in their area to the defendants’ non-existent money-lending service. The court froze the defendants’ assets and appointed a receiver to take control of the operation, pending litigation.