Firms Could Record Some Phone Calls Without Consent Under California Bill
by Sharon Bernstein, Reuters
The bill was opposed by numerous advocates for consumers and seniors, including the Consumer Federation of California and the American Civil Liberties Union. “At a time when consumers are more and more concerned about businesses invading their privacy, it is wrong to be considering rolling back an important privacy law,” said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California, testifying against the bill on Tuesday. Read More ›
Calif. ‘Secret’ Phone Call Recording Bill Advances
by Kurt Orzeck, Law 360
The Consumer Federation of California on Tuesday said its executive director, Richard Holober, told the committee that AB 925’s provision for “secret recordings” would allow companies to manipulate business calls through serial phone calls, effectively defeating the purpose of the notification. The consumer group, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, California Nurses Association, California Federation of Teachers and other organizations, wrote in an Apr. 27 letter to the Assembly committee that the bill “would sacrifice well-established privacy interests. … AB 925 would eliminate an important and non-burdensome privacy protection.” Read More ›
Assembly Committee Approves Secret Recordings Of Cell Phone Calls
SACRAMENTO – The Assembly Committee on Public Safety voted 5-2 today to allow businesses to secretly record cell phone calls with customers under Assembly Bill 925 (Evan Low, D-Campbell), undermining a longstanding legal prohibition on such recordings in California. The committee’s two Republicans voted No on AB 925, taking a stand against weakening a key consumer protection. Low and his fellow Democrats approved the bill – a vote for secret recordings. Read More ›
Opponents Target Bill Lifting Ban On Secret Recordings Of Cell Phone Calls
SACRAMENTO – Two dozen consumer, privacy, senior, student, labor and immigrant advocacy groups urge the defeat of Assembly Bill 925 (Evan Low, D-Campbell), which would eliminate a longstanding prohibition against businesses secretly recording cell phone calls with customers. The Assembly Committee on Public Safety hears the bill at 9 a.m. today (May 5). Read More ›
AB 925 Lets Debt Collectors, Subprime Lenders, Others Secretly Record Phone Calls
SACRAMENTO – A coalition of California consumer, privacy, senior, student, labor and immigrant advocates urge the defeat of Assembly Bill 925 (Evan Low, D-Campbell), which would eliminate a longstanding prohibition against secret recordings of consumer cell phone calls by subprime lenders, debt collectors, student loan companies, hotels, health care providers, retailers and other businesses. Key backers of AB 925 include AT&T, Verizon and high-tech corporate lobbyists. Read More ›
L.A. Sues Wells Fargo, Alleging ‘Unlawful And Fraudulent Conduct’
by E. Scott Reckard, Los Angeles Times
The civil complaint, filed Monday in state court in Los Angeles by City Atty. Mike Feuer, says the largest California-based bank encouraged its employees to engage “in unfair, unlawful and fraudulent conduct” through a pervasive culture of high-pressure sales. Employees misused customers’ confidential information and often failed to close unauthorized accounts even when customers complained, the suit alleges. … In addition to charging fees on unwanted accounts, San Francisco-based Wells Fargo harmed customers by placing them into collections based on unauthorized withdrawals and reported damaging information on their credit reports … Read More ›
Editorial: Phone Privacy Under Assault
by the Editorial Board, San Francisco Chronicle
“This call may be recorded … ” Businesses don’t just offer the message as a courtesy to their customers – obtaining “two-party consent” before recording a phone conversation had been the law of the state for more than two decades. However, that law would be weakened considerably under Assembly Bill 925, authored by Assemblyman Evan Low, D-San Jose. … An aide to Low suggested Monday that the bill would be amended to meet some of the concerns, Better yet, it needs to be scrapped. Read More ›
Uber Ride Takes Violent Turn
by Hannah Albarazi, Bay City News
The passenger told the driver he would like to get out of the car but the driver refused to stop and continued driving. At Pier 30, just past the passenger’s requested destination, the passenger managed to open the car door and attempted to run away, but the driver allegedly chased after him on foot, police said. When the driver caught up to the passenger, he kicked him and then robbed him of his cellphone and debit card, police said. When the driver caught up to the passenger, he kicked him and then robbed him of his cellphone and debit card, police said. Read More ›
AB 925 Dies: Secret Recording Of Business-Customer Cell Phone Calls Remains A Crime
Democrats on the Assembly Committee on Public Safety approved AB 925 on a 5-2 party line vote after strenuous opposition from CFC and other consumer, privacy, senior, student, labor and immigrant advocacy groups weakened the bill. Amendments were not yet in print but reportedly would require notification to customers that a call may be recorded 20 seconds into a cell phone conversation, so it remains a bad bill. Read More ›
Corinthian Closing Its Last Schools; 10,000 California Students Displaced
by Chris Kirkham, Los Angeles Times
“This has really exposed the shortcomings of federal and state oversight, and the accreditation system,” said Pauline Abernathy, vice president of the Institute for College Access & Success. “The fact that a school could be allowed to get so big and so reliant on taxpayer funding — and to harm so many students without action being taken sooner — really exposes the need to reform the system at all levels.” Read More ›
Privacy Getting Taken For A Ride
by Samantha Gallegos, Capitol Weekly
Sponsored by the Consumer Federation of California, a non-profit consumer-rights advocacy group, [Assembly Member Ed] Chau’s bill would set up privacy standards related to “personally identifiable data” that [Transportation Network Companies] — like Uber or Lyft — would be required to follow. Those standards don’t exist now, Chau said. “I guess you could say, well, protecting some personal data is better than protecting none,” said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation. “Right now none is protected. And I don’t believe the flawed argument that Internet-based companies should have greater freedom than the other businesses who collect and share data.” Read More ›
Federal Data-Breach Bill Would Replace Dozens Of Stronger State Laws
by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times
Among other significant differences between the federal bill and the state’s notification law, according to the Consumer Federation of California: The federal law would eliminate a state requirement that the California attorney general be given notice of any security breach; it would allow the state attorney general to file a civil lawsuit but prevent individuals from suing over a data breach; it would no longer require breached companies to provide free ID theft protection services, such as credit monitoring and fraud alerts. Read More ›
California Bill Would Force Uber To Guard Passenger Privacy
by Carolyn Said, San Francisco Chronicle
A bill pending in Sacramento would force Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing companies to follow stricter privacy rules. AB886 specifies that the smartphone-ordered ride services cannot disclose any data on passengers except to combat fraud or other crimes. It also says the companies must destroy all personal information when customers cancel their accounts. “We want to put the consumers in the driver’s seat about who owns their data and personal information, instead of having them take a back seat,” said bill author Assemblyman Ed Chau. Read More ›