Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
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Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#2Based on the ads and no little fine print at the bottom citing any real science, I was a skeptic from the outset. Never did any real research to find out if their claims were inflated - or even viable in the first place. Apparently when challenged by the FTC they didn't have anything solid to show in their defense.
Oh, and then there's this bit:
>The complaint also charges the defendants with failing to disclose that some consumer testimonials featured on the website had been solicited through contests that promised significant prizes, including a free iPad, a lifetime Lumosity subscription, and a round-trip to San Francisco.
Classic huckster move, not surprised, glad they got caught, etc.
Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#3Every time I heard these ads I cringed. As a scientist (with plenty of experience in the neuroscience domain) I knew there was no way they could back up those claims reliably.
I definitely noticed when they toned down the claims, but even then I was surprised they were still going...
+1 FTC
Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#4One of their recruiters reached out to me - in a former life I worked in a neuroscience lab researching neurogenesis to improve memory problems from a neurodegenerative disease (regular exercise can actually do wonders for that).
Would have been a really neat to revisit my academic passion, but as I started to read papers that had been published on their product, I wasn't convinced of its efficacy. That, and all of the studies used people with real problems, and they're marketing it to the general population as a way to "train" your brain, which feels wrong to me.
Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#5Marketplace has done an interesting investigation on those types of mind games. http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2014-2015/brain-train...
Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#6>The order also imposes a $50 million judgment against Lumos Labs, which will be suspended due to its financial condition after the company pays $2 million to the Commission.
So does that mean after paying this fine, Lumosity is in financial trouble?
Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#7Great article on this trend of investors/entrepreneurs with no scientific background thinking they can get into the space and "shake things up":
Silicon Valley is confusing pseudo-science with innovation[0]
> I don’t think all the VC firms that are moving into the space know what they’re doing — so I think you only need a couple of nasty failures to get them to pull back. Take Pathway Genomics, for instance, which was selling a test that was supposed to tell you if you had cancer. I say "supposed to" because it turns out no one — including Pathway Genomics itself — had done any research whatsoever to determine the test actually did what it said it did. The company sold the test directly to patients through a regulatory loophole, and after we wrote about it, the FDA got wind and told them to knock it off. But Pathway had investors: Edelson Technology Partners, Founders Fund, IBM Watson Group. You’ll notice these are not health care firms.
In the next couple of years, we're probably going to see companies like Nootrobox, Stemcentrx, and Theranos go belly up, after which SV investor interest in the healthcare industry will dry up, just as it did in the energy industry after the late 2000s.
0: http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/29/10642070/2015-theranos-ve...
Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#8About a year and a half ago i got dragged into the hype (via family subscription) - and actually enjoyed the games for about 3 days. after that, the fact that they had a total of about 5 variations, with totally predictable ordering, got really boring and i went back to 2048. You don't have to be a neuroscientist to see how this kind of predictable repetitive activity will make you "get better at it" every time you play...
Cancelling took a couple of emails and threat to dispute the CC charge.
Hooray for FTC!
Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#9>The order also imposes a $50 million judgment against Lumos Labs, which will be suspended due to its financial condition after the company pays $2 million to the Commission. So does that mean after paying this fine, Lumosity is in financial trouble?
Generally "suspended" means "we won't fine you now but if you screw up again, you're paying up". Kind of like probation. The reason given gives me thought that they also simply don't have $50M
Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app
#10I just wanted to share my thoughts, which are simply: "Thank God!"
I've been working on a startup: http://synaptitude.me/ (demo is old)
Essentially, we can do some of what Luminosity claims (and have independent studies to prove it). Every time someone goes: "Oh it's just like Lumosity" I have to go through and explain the difference. My wife has a degree in neuroscience and I minored in BioE, and we both just HATE Lumosity. Their misleading ads seriously damaged the public perception, and there is no way they can assess anything they claim (if it is even possible).
That's pretty much why my startup is working on our applications. We feel there is a market and can definitely help people, but just "brain games" (without feedback/guidance) don't do anything.