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Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

ftc.gov

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Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

#121

Post by ksk »

rfrank wrote: post #104
ksk wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First of all, I think you're expecting way too much rigor from non-scientific, colloquial use of words. You already know what people mean when they talk about things in the general sense. In any case, its not for me to define. If someone tells me they dropped acid and it helped them in solving a problem, or opened their eyes to new ways of solving them, I'd take them at their word. In the context of altered mental st…

I think you're ignoring the context in which I originally replied in this thread. "Dual n-back, coffee, LSD. All things people swear make you smarter." It's not up for debate that people find a benefit from LSD. Or any drug. It's literally the reason that people do drugs in the first place. The question is whether or not they make you more intelligent. Able to process information more quickly and accurately. And to t…

Okay, fair enough. However, I'd like to point out that there is no objective metric for intelligence. Do you consider musical ability as intelligence? Several musicians have claimed to become 'more intelligent' with drugs.

Also, my use of the word rigor was about the discussion, not the consumption of LSD. I don't want to comment one way or the other on whether one should consume drugs.

Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

#122

Post by cant_kant »

kazinator wrote: post #47

The way I see it, they tapped into a widely held belief , rather than fears. It is a popular belief that doing mental work staves off cognitive decline (including age-related). I bet you that everyone at Lumosity actually believes it because their mother told them that when they were kids. My wife (Japanese) always says "good for older people" about any sort of puzzle. She didn't get this from being deceived by Lumos…

"It's like someone sold carrots claiming they improve vision"

I assume that you know that there is no evidence for carrots improving vision.

Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

#123

Post by iamchmod »

nostromo wrote: post #65

Where does that money go? I really hope the FTC doesn't get it. It's a conflict of interest that permeates local law enforcement all across America.

FTC puts proceeds of settlement into a "consumer restitution" or "consumer redress" fund. Consumers who were affected by the bad actors, can claim their money back via a separate company which administers that fund. After a period of time, once all affected customers have had time to claim their restitution (usually 12-24 months), then any remaining money left in the "redress" or "restitution" fund goes into the FTCs coffers. I can't quickly find stats on what percentage is usually claimed by consumers. But last time I researched this, it was pretty low with something like <10% of affected consumers actually claiming their restitution and 90% going back into FTC budget.

Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

#124

Post by mjklin »

jordanlev wrote: post #109
coffeevradar wrote: post #101

I have less faith in public radio because my local station is always playing Lumosity adverts. I'm old enough to remember when the whole "sponsored by" thing being extended to full ads was a controversial development on US public radio. Now they're shilling outright scams and doing so with specific promises that are completely specious.

When I was a kid, I remember a talk radio show my family listened to that was one of those consumer watchdog / product review shows. One of the advertisements that you head a lot back then was for purchasing a star (like, getting your name registered somewhere and when a new star was discovered by astronomers it would be named after you?)... It was obviously a scam and all you'd get is a bogus certificate in the mail…

Did the host get in trouble for this?

Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

#125

Post by mjklin »

coffeevradar wrote: post #101

I have less faith in public radio because my local station is always playing Lumosity adverts. I'm old enough to remember when the whole "sponsored by" thing being extended to full ads was a controversial development on US public radio. Now they're shilling outright scams and doing so with specific promises that are completely specious.

One thing about NPR: they definitely know their market.

Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

#126

Post by mikestew »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #58
jonlucc wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have seen a proposal to make the cost of tickets based on value of the car. The thinking is that a person with an Audi is not at all disturbed by paying a $20 parking fine, so it isn't an incentive. It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how hard it would be to implement.

It would most likely only create incentive to fake the value of the car so that it seems lower than it is.

You don't get to fake anything, they look it up in a "book". States that tax you on plates/tabs based on the car's value do exactly that. State says a 2013 Audi is worth $20K, then that's what you're getting taxed on whether you think the car is worth that much or not, and mileage is not taken into account. Annoying, too, when NC said the motorcycle I was riding at the time was worth $3K. Umm, yeah, not with 120K miles on the clock, it's not. The state did not take me up on the offer to sell it to them for $3K, which is the way I think it ought to work. Kind of like the style of car racing where you can only modify it within limits, and anyone can offer to buy the car after the race for $XXXX.

Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

#128

Post by nkrisc »

kolbe wrote: post #93
nkrisc wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is also a good point, though I don't see how the comparison to what banks were fined is relevant or enlightening.

I like to contextualize the real magnitude of 'illions. There are many people who hear "$2M" and think it's a large fine. It's actually relatively modest, and I wanted to provide a point of reference for people to know how modest.

I think a better yardstick would be comparison of fines for similar offenses.

Re: Lumosity fined $2M for deceptive ads of “Brain Training” app

#130

Post by stevepotter »

lettergram wrote: post #10

I 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 L…

I just browsed your site and don't understand exactly what the product is. In the first part of the video I see someone browsing the web with some kind of mood widget. Then I see an e-reader. Are those your product? How does it work? Thanks
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