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Describe the Wheeler-Lea Act of 1938 and name the company and the amount of that company's fine for their 2016 violation of this act.
On Jul 27, 2024
The Wheeler-Lea Act of 1938 amended the Federal Trade Commission Act to give the FTC the additional responsibility of policing "deceptive acts or practices in commerce." In so doing, the FTC tries to protect the public against false or misleading advertising and product misrepresentation. Thus, the Federal Trade Commission Act, as modified by the Wheeler-Lea Act, (1)established the FTC as an independent antitrust agency and (2)made unfair and deceptive sales practices illegal. The FTC is highly active in enforcing the deceptive advertising statutes. In 2016, the FTC fined German automaker Volkswagen $10 billion for ads that falsely claimed that Volkswagen vehicles generated low emissions.