Image by Jessica Christian, from Unsplash
FTC Sues Ticketmaster for Working With Scalpers and Inflating Prices
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and seven states started legal proceedings against Live Nation and Ticketmaster accusing them of having used scalpers to inflate ticket prices and deceive both fans and artists.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Ticketmaster employees admitted turning a “blind eye” to brokers.
- One broker managed over 13,000 accounts to bypass ticket limits.
- TradeDesk software helped scalpers manage bulk ticket purchases.
The complaint alleges that Ticketmaster “tacitly coordinating with brokers and allowing them to harvest millions of dollars worth of tickets in the primary market.” Those tickets were then resold at high markups, with Ticketmaster profiting from extra fees on its own resale platform. The FTC says this practice cost customers “billions in inflated prices and additional fees.”
FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said, “American live entertainment is the best in the world and should be accessible to all of us. It should not cost an arm and a leg to take the family to a baseball game or attend your favorite musician’s show.”
According to court records, Ticketmaster employees admitted internally that turning a “blind eye” to brokers became “a matter of policy.” One review found five major brokers controlled thousands of fake accounts, buying hundreds of thousands of tickets. A single broker operated more than 13,000 accounts from 2020 to 2024 to evade account restrictions, as reported by ArsTechnica .
Ticketmaster reportedly gave IT support to ticket scalpers instead of stopping their operations. Indeed, the TradeDesk software system provided brokers with a single platform to handle tickets from various accounts. In one case, an executive admitted that deploying stronger security was avoided because it was “too effective.”
Ticketmaster faces legal action because their system practices “bait-and-switch” pricing which conceals fees that can amount to 44% of ticket prices until customers reach the checkout stage. The fees generated between 2019 and 2024 added up to $16.4 billion.
The FTC victory would impose major civil penalties on Ticketmaster and Live Nation while also limiting their business activities. Seven states including Florida and Illinois and Virginia have joined the case.
Image by Hiroshi Tsubono, from Unsplash
AI Tool Helps Clinicians Track Awareness In Unresponsive Patients
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
A new AI system allows doctors to detect consciousness in brain injury patients who seem unresponsive.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- It identified eye-opening 4.1 days earlier than standard clinical exams.
- Mouth movements were detected in 94.1% of patients without obstructive tubes.
- AI detected an average of 5.4 responses per 10 commands, humans 2.8.
The system, called SeeMe, was detailed in a study published in Nature Communications Medicine. The researchers at Stony Brook University created SeeMe to detect small facial expressions that are barely noticeable in patients who appear unresponsive.
The system uses a camera and AI to track microscopic facial points, and compares movements after verbal commands such as “Open your eyes,” “Stick out your tongue,” and “Show me a smile.”
The research included 37 patients who were comatose after severe brain injuries together, and 16 healthy volunteers. The results showed that SeeMe identified patient awareness before doctors did. Specifically, “SeeMe detects eye-opening in comatose patients 4.1 days earlier than clinicians,” the researchers reported.
It also picked up mouth movements in 94.1% of patients without obstructive tubes. The AI system detected an average of 5.4 responses to commands during the sessions, whilst human observers could only identify 2.8 responses.
The system recorded mouth movements on day 18 after the car accident even though medical staff only noted responses starting from day 37.
Importantly, the frequency and strength of SeeMe-detected movements correlated with patient outcomes at discharge. The patients who showed more movement at the cellular level had a better chance of recovering consciousness, and achieving better functional outcomes.
“This lead time could be critical for patient care and outcomes,” the researchers wrote. Detecting subtle signs of awareness earlier could allow families and doctors to start rehabilitation sooner and adjust treatment strategies.
While SeeMe is not meant to replace clinical exams, it could become a valuable bedside tool to uncover hidden awareness that standard tests often miss.
