How Apple Ended Up In The Government’s Encryption Crosshairs
by Brandon Bailey and Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press
[The Center for Democracy and Technology, which has criticized government surveillance,] warned that other companies could face similar orders in the future. Others said a government victory could encourage regimes in China and other countries to make similar requests for access to smartphone data. … “This case is going to affect everyone’s privacy and security around the world,” said Lee Tien, a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group in San Francisco. Read More ›
The Pink Tax: Why Women’s Products Often Cost More
by Susan Johnston Taylor, U.S. News & World Report
According to a study of gendered pricing released by New York City Department of Consumer Affairs last year, shampoo and conditioner marketed to women cost an average of 48 percent more than those marketed to men, while women’s jeans cost 10 percent more than men’s, and girls’ bikes and scooters cost 6 percent more than boys’. Overall, the study found that products marketed to women cost more 42 percent of the time. … Some items marketed to women not only cost more but actually contain less of the product because manufacturers make the product smaller and more feminine-looking. Read More ›
Uber Agrees To Settle Class-Action Suit Over Safety Claims
by Mike Isaac, New York TImes
Uber has agreed to pay $28.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that took issue with the company’s claims that its driver background checks were “industry leading.” The terms of the settlement, filed on Thursday in the United States District Court in the Northern District of California, require Uber to pay roughly 25 million riders across the United States … Uber passengers who used the service in the United States between Jan. 1, 2013, and Jan. 31, 2016, will be notified by email and have the option to accept a refund in the form of a rider credit or a charge back to their credit card on file. Read More ›
CNIL Gives Facebook Three Months To Comply With Privacy Order
by Jedidiah Bracy, International Association of Privacy Professionals
French data protection authority CNIL sent a formal notice to the social networking giant that it was violating the nation’s privacy law and now has three months to get into compliance. Read More ›
Taming Drug Prices By Pulling Back The Curtain Online
by Katie Thomas, New York Times
A few entrepreneurs say they are aiming to fundamentally change the way people buy drugs, bringing the industry into the digital age by disclosing the lowest prices for generic prescriptions to allow comparison-shopping. … Nearly 90 percent of the prescriptions dispensed in the United States are for generic drugs, according to IMS Health, a consulting firm. … The listed price for a 30-day supply of the generic version of Lipitor, for example, is $196 at Kmart, according to GoodRx, and $61 at Kroger. With a coupon obtained through GoodRx, the drug is about $12. Blink Health is offering Lipitor for $9.94. Read More ›
ID Theft Puts Privacy And Financial Security Of Medical Patients, Taxpayers – Even Children – At Risk
There were 12.7 million adult victims of identity theft nationwide in 2014, including over 1.5 million in California, according to the California Attorney General’s Office. “My educated guess is that nearly every adult in the U.S. has been affected by at least one breach involving their Social Security number and/or sensitive personal financial information. Most people have likely been affected by more than one breach,” said Beth Givens, Executive Director of the nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Givens predicts health care institution breaches will continue to be big stories in 2016. Other likely targets are educational institutions and government agencies. Read More ›
Bill Aims To Restore Consumers’ Legal Rights Stripped Away By Supreme Court Rulings
by Chris Morran, Consumerist
Sen. Patrick Leahy from Vermont and Sen. Al Franken from Minnesota announced the Restoring Statutory Rights Act. … It would create an exception in the Arbitration Act for disputes involving individuals and small businesses. The only way individuals would enter into arbitration is if they agreed to do so after the dispute has been filed. That’s very different from the current process, which automatically shunts all customer disputes into binding arbitration. Read More ›
Something New to Worry About: Connected Toy Security
by Bree Fowler, Associated Press
Rapid7 researchers examined the Fisher Price Smart Toy, an interactive stuffed animal for children aged 3 to 8 that connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi. They also took a look at HereO, a GPS smartwatch that allows parents to track their child’s location. In both cases, they found that the toys failed to safeguard children’s information such as their names and in the case of the watch, their location, storing it on remote servers in such a way that unauthorized people could access it by masquerading as legitimate users. … Toy-related security problems began to grab headlines late last year. Read More ›
Wells Fargo To Pay $1.2 Billion Over Bad Government-Backed Mortgages
by ff, Los Angeles Times
If approved by a federal judge, the settlement would close the books on a 2012 lawsuit that the government filed against the bank over bad loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration. … Between 2001 and 2005, prosecutors said, the bank issued thousands of FHA loans that did not meet the program’s requirements, which include minimum incomes and credit scores for borrowers. They also said that from 2002 to 2010, the bank violated federal reporting requirements by keeping problem loans under wraps and collecting insurance payouts when loans went bad. Read More ›
State Legislators Call For Drastic Overhaul Of California’s Utility Regulator
by Melanie Mason and Jeff McDonald, Los Angeles Times
Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) said his measure would decentralize the California Public Utilities Commission’s oversight of myriad utilities, including electricity, railroad safety and ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. … Gatto, chairman of the Assembly’s utilities committee, would give the Legislature two years to divvy up the functions of the commission among other agencies, which Gatto said would result in a more logical assignment of responsibilities. Read More ›
Group Behind Golden Nugget Casinos, Rainforest Cafe, And More Releases List Of Locations Hit By Data Breach
by Mary Beth Quirk, Consumerist
Late last year, Landry’s Inc., a restaurant conglomerate with over 500 locations, confirmed that it had been hit by a credit card data breach. At the time, the group didn’t confirm how many locations were affected. … The company manages dozens of chains like Morton’s Steakhouse, McCormick & Schmick’s, and the Rainforest Cafe, as well as several hotels, resorts, and casinos, including the Golden Nugget chain. Read More ›
At Berkeley, A New Digital Privacy Protest
by Steve Lohr, New York Times
Under a program initiated by [UC President Janet] Napolitano, the former secretary of Homeland Security in the Obama administration, the university system began installing hardware and software in its data centers that would monitor patterns of digital traffic, like what websites are being visited by faculty and students, or telltale signs of cyber intruders. … The roots of the dispute stretch back to the attack disclosed last July at the UCLA Health System, which potentially put the private information of 4.5 million patients at risk. Read More ›
Why Is The UC System Investing In A Payday Lender Accused Of Trapping Consumers In Perpetual Debt?
by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times
The university has invested millions of dollars in an investment fund that owns one of the country’s largest payday lenders, ACE Cash Express. … [The CFPB] has found that only 15% of payday loan borrowers are able to repay their loans on time. The remaining 85% either default or have to take out new loans to cover their old loans. Because the typical two-week payday loan can cost $15 for every $100 borrowed, the bureau said; this translates to an annual percentage rate of almost 400%. Read More ›