Category Archives: Uncategorized
Supreme Court rules against false advertising on food, drink labels
by David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times
The implications could go considerably beyond the small but trendy world of pomegranate juice, opening a wide range of product labels to challenge. Until Thursday, many judges and food-industry lawyers maintained that sellers of beverages and food products could not be sued for false advertising so long as the product’s label accurately disclosed the ingredients in small print, as required by the Food and Drug Administration. Read More ›
Facebook is now selling your Web-browsing data to advertisers
by Chris Moran, Consumerist
Facebook has long been following you around the Web, quietly snickering at you for the music you buy and silently cocking an eyebrow for thinking you can still fit into the same size jeans you wore in college. But until now, it had tracked users under the pretense of security. This morning’s announcement shows the site’s true intentions. Read More ›
Should consumers trust data brokers to protect their information?
by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times
The Federal Trade Commission laid out its case last week in a 110-page report on why data brokers should be dragged forcibly into the sunlight. “You may not know them, but data brokers know you,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “They know where you live, what you buy, your income, your ethnicity, how old your kids are, your health conditions and your interests and hobbies.” Read More ›
California bill would require recalled cars be repaired before sale
by David Undercoffler & Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times
Used cars that get recalled by manufacturers need to be fixed before they’re sold. That’s what a bill pending in the California Legislature would require of all new and used car dealers in the state. And with 2014 on pace to break the auto industry records for most recalls in a year, the bill is taking on more urgency, supporters said Tuesday at a news conference. A vast majority of those recalls involve older vehicles. Read More ›
Google must honor requests to delete some links, E.U. court says
by James Kanter & Mark Scott, New York Times
The highest court in the European Union decided on Tuesday that Google must grant users of its search engine a right to delete links about themselves in some cases, including links to legal records. Read More ›
Advocates: Bill Requiring IRS To Use Private Debt Collectors Would Harm Consumers
by Ashley Kieler, Consumerist
It makes sense that the federal government would want to collect owed taxes and a proposed law would require the IRS to push that duty off to private debt collectors. However, a history of abusive practices by debt collectors and the failure of similar programs in the past has consumer advocates warning that the provision will only hurt consumers and the government in the long run. Read More ›
Obama report outlines the perils, and promise, of ‘big data’
by Mark Trumbull, Christian Science Monitor
A new Obama administration report calls the collection of personal data by corporations increasingly “invasive,” but also sings the praises of so-called “big data.” The report calls for new steps, such as an online bill of rights. Yet it also seeks to tread cautiously in a fast-evolving realm that spans from Facebook to online shopping and medical information. Read More ›
Facebook will offer anonymous log-ins for apps
by Benny Evangelista, San Francisco Chronicle
Facebook is testing a way for users to sign in to a mobile app without divulging their identity, a feature that could appeal to members worried about privacy. The Anonymous Login feature signaled a sea change for a company that built a global network of 1.28 billion monthly active members by requiring them to use real names and prodding them to share as much of their lives as possible. Read More ›
We Saved Consumers $125 Million On Insurance So Far In 2014
by Richard Holober, Executive Director, Consumer Federation of California
10/1/2014 Update: 2014 consumer savings rose to $148.3 million by year’s end. To recap: 1 million AIG policyholders saved $7.7 million on homeowners insurance. Infinity Insurance policyholders saved $15.5 million on auto insurance. 1.2 million Farmers policyholders saved $34 million on homeowners insurance (details below). 1.6 million … Read More ›
New FCC rules let ISPs create Internet fast lanes, for a price
by James K. Willcox, Consumer Reports
There’s been a fairly loud public outcry at the news that the Federal Communication Commission is proposing new “net neutrality” rules. The big concern: Under the proposal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, ISPs will be allowed to give preferential treatment to traffic from companies that are willing and able to pay a premium for that top-tier service. Read More ›
Verizon Wireless sells out customers with creepy new tactic
by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times
Verizon is enrolling customers in the “enhanced” program by automatically downloading software into their computers, which customers may not even know is happening. If Verizon Wireless customers want to keep their computers off-limits to the company’s marketing affiliates, they’d have to go to the trouble of opting out. This is one of the more outrageous examples of how businesses loudly proclaim their commitment to safeguarding consumers’ privacy while quietly selling us out to the highest bidder. Read More ›
Lawmakers reject bill requiring cell phone kill-switch
by Melody Gutierrez, San Francisco Chronicle
California state Sen. Mark Leno said a powerful and deep-pocked wireless communications industry killed his bill requiring antitheft technology on smartphones. With support from law enforcement, the bill requiring “kill switches” on mobile devices fell two short after nearly all Republicans and several Democrats voted against it, including senators Jim Beall, Ricardo Lara, and Norma Torres. Read More ›
Warren in new book accuses Kashkari of lying as TARP chief
by Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times
In her new book, “A Fighting Chance,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren accuses California gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari of lying to her when he led the taxpayer-funded federal bank bailout. Read More ›