Category Archives: Uncategorized

Is Your Set-Top Box Telling Advertisers What You Watch?

by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times

Cable TV remote costume

“They’re hiding the ball,” said Dallas Harris, a policy fellow with the advocacy group Public Knowledge who co-wrote the complaints [to the FCC and FTC]. “They say in their privacy policies that they may collect data on you and they may use it for marketing. They know that’s what they’re doing. So there’s a big disconnect between what they say and what’s actually happening.” Read More ›

Prosecutor Begins PG&E Trial With Blistering Opening Statement

by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle

PG&E pipeline ignites an explosion in San Bruno 9/10/2010.

After the September 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes, PG&E “made a deliberate choice to not follow these … safety regulations,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hallie Hoffman, the lead prosecutor, said in her opening statement in a packed federal courtroom. Read More ›

Cable And Telecom Companies Just Lost A Huge Court Battle On Net Neutrality

by Brian Fung, Washington Post

The court verdict puts to rest — for now — a key question: Whether the Internet represents a vital communications platform that deserves to be regulated with the same scrutiny as the common networks of the past, such as the telephone system. Read More ›

ConsumerWatch Weekend Roundup

Julie Watts’ featured guest on Saturday was Richard Holober of the Consumer Federation of California, whose organization is one of many consumer groups urging regulators to revise the standard for child car seat flammability. Read More ›

Consumer Advocates Back FCC Proposal For Broadband Privacy Rules

by Rick Weber, Inside Cybersecurity

Consumer advocates are backing the general intention of a Federal Communications Commission proposal that would impose privacy requirements on Internet service providers. Read More ›

Not So Gainfully Employed

by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

Thoughtful young African American adult

Students who enroll in certificate, associate and bachelor’s programs at for-profit colleges and universities generally see a decline in earnings (and typically greater debt) five or six years after attendance, compared to their earnings before enrollment, according to a study released Monday. Read More ›

Can You Afford That Payday Loan? Feds Say Lenders Should Ask

by James Rufus Koren, Los Angeles Times

At the heart of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposal is a requirement that lenders determine that a borrower has the ability to repay. Read More ›

New Law Bans Rental Companies From Using Recalled Cars

by Keith Laing, Detroit News

The new law requires rental companies with fleets of more than 35 vehicles to pull recalled cars from their rotations until they are repaired. Read More ›

Bill Banning ‘Gender Tax’ Clears California Senate

by Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee

Pink scooters that cost double their red counterparts. “Boyfriend”-style clothing far more expensive than the men’s fashion it mimics. These are the scenarios that California legislators aim to outlaw with Senate Bill 899, a prohibition on “gender price discrimination” that often sees women charged more for similar goods. Read More ›

Virtual Assistants Such As Amazon’s Echo Break US Child Privacy Law, Experts Say

by Mark Harris, The Guardian

boy with stuffed toys reading

An investigation by the Guardian has found that despite Amazon marketing the Echo to families with young children, the device is likely to contravene the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, set up to regulate the collection and use of personal information from anyone younger than 13. Read More ›

The 3 Myths Banks Are Using To Defend Their ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ Cards

by Chris Morran, Consumerist

Very few lawyers will take on a single consumer’s arbitration dispute because it’s not worth their time. Some arbitration clauses also force the customer into arbitrating their case in a specific venue, so you could have to travel all the way across the country for the possibility of minimal rewards. Arbitration also sets no legal precedent, so even if one customer prevails, another customer might fail using the exact same evidence. Read More ›

AB 2395: AT&T Wants To Disconnect Millions Of California Landlines

Woman on corded phone at home

According to the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee, about 16.5 million traditional copper land lines remain in service in California. AT&T’s bill would create a pathway for phone companies to abandon residential land lines in 2020, even in areas where an adequate alternative phone option does not exist. While many consumers now have cell phones or IP phones as well as land lines, about 2.3 million Californians live in a home that only has a landline. AB 2395 will eliminate both customer choice and the current requirements for Carriers of Last Resort that ensure all Californians have access to reliable essential phone services. Read More ›

Why A Staggering Number Of Americans Have Stopped Using The Internet The Way They Used To

by Andrea Peterson, Washington Post

Nearly one in two Internet users say privacy and security concerns have now stopped them from doing basic things online — such as posting to social networks, expressing opinions in forums or even buying things from websites, according to a new government survey released Friday. … When asked to list their biggest concerns, nearly two out of three respondents cited identity theft, while nearly half brought up credit card or banking fraud. About one in five listed data collection by the government. Read More ›

1 2 3 4 5 6 48