FTC - Nov 22 - The Federal Trade Commission, along with privacy law enforcement agencies in Australia and Canada, has received a global data protection award for its cross-border investigation of the AshleyMadison.com data breach in July 2015, which affected consumers in nearly 50 countries. In 2016, a court settlement required the defendants to implement a comprehensive data-security program and pay $1.6M to settle FTC and state actions. The Grand Award for Innovation was presented on Tuesday in Hong Kong by the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC), the premier global forum for privacy authorities, representing 119 data protection entities. The three agencies also received the top award for "Dispute Resolution, Compliance and Enforcement." The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers.