Lawmakers reject bill requiring cell phone kill-switch
by Melody Gutierrez, San Francisco Chronicle
California state Sen. Mark Leno said a powerful and deep-pocked wireless communications industry killed his bill requiring antitheft technology on smartphones. With support from law enforcement, the bill requiring “kill switches” on mobile devices fell two short after nearly all Republicans and several Democrats voted against it, including senators Jim Beall, Ricardo Lara, and Norma Torres. Read More ›
Warren in new book accuses Kashkari of lying as TARP chief
by Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times
In her new book, “A Fighting Chance,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren accuses California gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari of lying to her when he led the taxpayer-funded federal bank bailout. Read More ›
California car data bill stalls in first committee
by Jeremy B. White, Sacramento Bee
Only one lawmaker voted against Senate Bill 994 on Tuesday, but seven abstained from voting. The final vote count, 3-1, was three votes short of what the legislation needed to advance beyond the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. Read More ›
Nasty surprise for some student loan borrowers
by Herb Weisbaum, CNBC
Students who take out private loans to pay for college could face a nasty surprise if their co-signer dies or files for bankruptcy: The lender may suddenly demand the loan be paid in full—or even worse, put that loan in default—even though all payments are being made on time. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a consumer advisory on Tuesday, warning borrowers that these “auto-default” clauses may be in their loan agreements and serious financial consequences could result. Read More ›
Walgreens store redesign raises privacy concerns
by Chris Richard, KQED
Privacy activists are voicing concern that Walgreens pharmacies may endanger the confidentiality of customer records with a new business model that places pharmacists at a desk on the store floor. The “Well Experience” model makes it much easier for customers to view pharmacists’ computer screens and documents on their desks. Read More ›
General Mills thinks you’re stupid, but decides to not take customers’ legal rights away
by Chris Morran, Consumerist
It seemed ridiculous to think that the makers of cereal would resort to a forced arbitration clause, or how they would even be able to do it. But last week, General Mills tried, adding language to its website that stripped certain customers of their access to legal redress against the company. Realizing that maybe this might tick off an awful lot of people, the company has backed off this policy change. Read More ›
As data about drivers proliferates, auto insurers look to adjust rates
by Alina Tugend, New York Times
It’s no surprise that car accidents, speeding tickets and where you live all affect how much you pay for automobile insurance. But consumer groups say that other, apparently unrelated, factors are unfairly being used to set rates. Two organizations have released separate reports contending that the factors insurance companies are using to determine rates — like educational level and occupation — are detrimental to consumers, especially to low-income customers. Read More ›
When ‘Liking’ a Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue
by Stephanie Strom, New York Times
The change in legal terms, which occurred shortly after a judge refused to dismiss a case brought against the company by consumers in California, made General Mills one of the first, if not the first, major food companies to seek to impose what legal experts call “forced arbitration” on consumers. Read More ›
Smartphone ‘kill switches’ on the way
by Carolyn Said, San Francisco Chronicle
Smartphone thefts have grown increasingly violent as the devices have risen in value, commanding several hundred dollars each on the black market. The Federal Communications Commission said mobile-device theft is the No. 1 property crime in America. The industry has struggled with a response. Just this month, industry representatives testified they couldn’t offer the type of solution that they now are proposing. Read More ›
Privacy price gouging, courtesy of phone companies
by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times
By now, you’re probably thinking you have no privacy left. To cite just a couple of prominent recent examples, we had Target and other retailers admitting in January that hackers may have accessed the credit and debit card numbers of more than 110 million people. Last week, … Read More ›
Top Android app a scam, pulled from Google Play
by Stephanie Mlot, PC Mag
According to Android Police, Virus Shield is a fake security app: Instead of scanning apps, settings, files, and media, like the service advertises, its shield icon simply changes from an “X” image to a check mark after a single tap. Read More ›
Data compilers’ secret scores have consumers pegged — fairly or not
by E. Scott Reckard, Los Angeles Times
There are scores to predict whether individuals would take their medications; whether consumers are likely to pay a debt if contacted by phone or mail; the degree of a person’s influence over others on the Internet; and whether a customer is pregnant. Consumers cannot review these scores or correct errors in the data, which are used by employers, utilities, banks and others. Read More ›
Consumer Federation saves California homeowners $34 million
Using California’s longstanding consumer protection laws, known as Proposition 103, CFC worked with Farmers and the California Department of Insurance to cut the increase nearly by half, resulting in an overall savings of about $34 million. Read More ›