What you really agree to when you click ‘accept’
by By Jose Pagliery, CNN Money
You can spot the words “privacy policy” at the bottom of nearly every website. Don’t be fooled. Those policies are more about data collection than privacy. Companies use these policies to alert you to how they track your location, read your emails, spy on your Web browsing – and sell some of that to advertisers. With the help of several legal experts, CNN has reviewed policies at many top websites and apps. The conclusion: Most privacy policies are basically useless. 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 ›
Calif. Senate OKs Bill Targeting Online Data Brokers
by Erin Coe, Law 360
A measure that would rein in how consumers’ personal data posted on commercial websites is bought, sold and traded to unregulated third parties cleared the California Senate on May 8. The bill now moves on to the California Assembly for review. 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 ›
California lawmakers taking steps to protect consumer data
by Fenit Nirappil, Associated Press
Bills introduced this session seek to guard the information generated when Californians swipe credit cards at stores, drive vehicles and attend schools. The most notable initiatives have been gutted and defeated in the face of fierce opposition from powerful business groups. Read More ›
Smartphone “kill switch” bill facing unusual opposition
by Eric Rasmussen, KTVU
KTVU obtained a “floor alert” regarding Senate Bill 962 sent to members of the Senate by CTIA, a group representing the wireless phone industry. The memo includes an argument that requiring kill switches on phones could place victims of domestic violence in more danger if their abusers are able to remotely activate the technology. Some supporters of the proposed law aren’t buying the argument. 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 ›
Are electronic health records safe from the next heartbleed?
by Alisha Wyman, California Health Report
The discovery of the bug in early April coincided with the end of the sign-up period for the Affordable Care Act, which has relied heavily on web interaction with millions of consumers. Health care organizations are both desirable targets for cyber-criminals and less prepared than other sectors to protect against an attack, Internet security experts agree. 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 ›