CFC supports AB 859
AB 859 (Eggman) will protect seniors abused in nursing homes and discourage facilities from destroying legal evidence in violation of the law. Read More ›
Legislation introduced to address Wells Fargo scandal
“Wells Fargo’s customers were ripped off twice,” said Richard Holober, Executive Director of Consumer Federation of California. “First, the bank created two million fraudulent accounts. Then when consumers tried to sue, the bank forced them into company-dominated arbitration hearings. SB 33 will guarantee that the victims of a bank’s identity theft will get their day in court.” Read More ›
Talks begin over bill inspired by Wells Fargo scandal
by Dominic Fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle
Legislative deliberations continued Tuesday over a bill that seeks to prevent financial institutions accused of defrauding their customers from pulling legal disputes out of the state court system and into private arbitration. Read More ›
California bill seeks to help fraud victims of banks
[Senate Bill 33] would help victims of fraud committed by their financial institution after thousands of Americans fell victim to a Wells Fargo scandal. Read More ›
“Eavesdropping” toys could be banned in California over privacy concerns
by Jen McGuire, Romper
After receiving several complaints from consumer groups, the state of California looked at creating a new bill aimed at protecting children’s privacy…from their toys. Read More ›
CFC is proud to sponsor SB 648, which brings accountability to private referral agencies
SB 648 (Mendoza) would ensure that seniors and their families are protected from unscrupulous elder care referral agencies that put profit ahead of the seniors’ best interests or health care needs. Despite unanimous consent for this bill in 2016, the governor vetoed SB 648, stating that there … Read More ›
Pesky automatic subscription renewals might soon be easier to cancel
by Dennis Romero, LA Weekly
You subscribe to a magazine or join a gym for a special rate and months later realize you’re paying a lot more for renewals. And those fees keep hitting your bank account while you try to figure out how to make it stop. Read More ›
California: Weighing a Response on Internet Privacy
by Mike McPhate, New York Times
President Trump this month signed a resolution to undo internet privacy rules that would have kept companies like AT&T and Comcast from selling users’ browsing histories and other personal data. Almost immediately, a number of states moved to pass new rules that would in effect replicate those nullified by Congress. But California, a pioneer of privacy protections, has so far been silent. Read More ›
A short history of Uber’s recent struggles
Uber has not had a great start to the year. The ride-hailing company has been reeling from a public battering over claims of willful discrimination, allegations of intellectual-property theft and the departure of several executives. The controversies have resurfaced a debate over Uber’s hard-charging internal culture and the consequences of its win-at-any-cost attitude to business and regulation. Read More ›
CFC seeks amendments to SB 71 to protect homeowners from solar scams
SB 71 (Wiener) will require the installation of solar electric or solar thermal systems on most new residential and commercial construction in California starting in 2018. CFC supports clean energy and wants solar to succeed, but holds deep concern for how the costs will be financed. We … Read More ›
‘Nobody’s got to use the Internet’: A GOP lawmaker’s response to concerns about Web privacy
by Kristine Phillips, Washington Post
A Wisconsin congressman told a town hall attendee who was concerned about the elimination of online privacy protections that using the Internet is a choice — a statement that has since drawn criticism on social media. Read More ›
CFC opposes AB 165, which guts digital privacy rights for anyone attending or working in a public school
CFC joins nearly 50 other civil rights, immigration, racial justice, youth, health, privacy, labor, LGBTQ and Muslim community organizations in opposition to AB 165 (Cooper). AB 165 would decimate the digital privacy rights for students and public school staff that are currently in place under the California Electronic … Read More ›
‘Default’ choices have big impact, but how to make sure they’re used ethically?
by Mary Steffel, Elanor Williams, Ruth Pogacar, The Conversation
The power of defaults to guide people’s choices has made them an extremely popular way for policymakers and marketers alike to nudge people toward a particular decision. But it has also raised questions about how to ensure that defaults are used ethically and responsibly. Read More ›