Who’s looking at your DNA data? California lawmaker introduces genetic privacy bill
Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee – Feb. 14, 2020. A proposed California law would prohibit DNA testing companies like Ancestry and 23andMe from sharing customer DNA information with outside parties without their consent. https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article240227106.html
U.S. charges 4 members of Chinese military in Equifax breach
Feb. 10, 2020 – Associated Press Four members of the Chinese military have been charged with breaking into the networks of the Equifax credit reporting firm and stealing the personal information of tens of millions of Americans, the Justice Department said Monday, blaming Beijing for one of … Read More ›
‘Being poor in America is a full-time job’: The astronomical cost of banking while poor
Feb. 6, 2020. Paul Constant, Business Insider – The commutes of poor Americans are often longer than those of middle-class Americans. Buying less expensive, low-quality products — say, a cheap pair of boots with cardboard soles — often results in a larger outlay of money over time than a slightly more … Read More ›
Evenflo, Maker of the “Big Kid” Booster Seat, Put Profits Over Child Safety
February 6, 2020. Daniela Porat and Patricia Callahan, Propublica.Internal video of side-impact tests shows that children could be injured or killed in Evenflo’s “Big Kid” booster seats. But the company continued to market them as “side-impact tested.” https://www.propublica.org/article/evenflo-maker-of-the-big-kid-booster-seat-put-profits-over-child-safety
Salesforce Data Breach Suit Cites California Privacy Law
February 4, 2020. Daniel Stoller, Bloomberg Law – Salesforce.com Inc. and a children’s clothing company face data-breach allegations in a federal court lawsuit that is among the first to cite California’s landmark privacy law since it took effect Jan. 1. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/salesforce-data-breach-suit-cites-california-privacy-law
Forced Arbitration: A Clause for Concern
By Scott Medintz, Consumer Reports Jan. 30, 2020 – Mandatory arbitration deprives consumers of important options if a product is faulty or harmful. https://www.consumerreports.org/mandatory-binding-arbitration/forced-arbitration-clause-for-concern/
The gap between rich and poor is especially wide in California.
January 2020 PPIC.org – While California’s economy outperforms the nation’s, its level of income inequality exceeds that of all but five states. https://www.ppic.org/publication/income-inequality-in-california/?utm_source=ppic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bulletin
The Evil List. Which tech companies are really doing the most harm?
Slate.com Jan. 15, 2020 Slate.com Jan. 15, 2020 – Maybe it was fake news, Russian trolls, and Cambridge Analytica. Or Travis Kalanick’s conniption in an Uber. Or the unmasking of Theranos. Or all those Twitter Nazis, and racist Google results, and conspiracy theories on YouTube. https://slate.com/technology/2020/01/evil-list-tech-companies-dangerous-amazon-facebook-google-palantir.html?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits
How secrecy in U.S. courts hobbles the regulators meant to protect the public
Mike Spector, Jaimi Dowdell and Benjamin Lesser. Reuters, Jan 16,2020 Something wasn’t right with the Rhino. Reports started trickling in to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 2005 of people being killed or injured in the Yamaha Motor Co off-road vehicles when they tipped over. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-courts-secrecy-regulators/
NHTSA May Recall Every Tesla Ever Made Over Sudden Unintended Acceleration Complaint
Steve Hanley, Cleantechnica Jan. 18, 2020 – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it is reviewing a petition that claims every Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model 3 sold in America since 2012 is defective and should be recalled. Why?https://cleantechnica.com/2020/01/18/nhtsa-may-recall-every-tesla-ever-made-over-sudden-unintended-acceleration-complaint/
German prosecutors file charges against 6 VW employees over dieselgate
Reuters, January 14, 2020 – Prosecutors in Braunschweig, Germany on Tuesday filed charges against six Volkswagen employees for their role in helping the carmaker put heavily polluting diesel cars on German roads. https://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-charges-idUSFWN29J0FD
Trump renews attack on lightbulbs and goes after dishwashers, fridges, toilets and showers
By Andy Gregory, The Independent, January 15, 2020 Donald Trump has revisited his vendetta against energy-saving lightbulbs, ascribing them the blame for his orange hue while extending the focus of his ire to include showers, dishwashers and toilets in a wide-ranging rally speech in Milwaukee. https://news.yahoo.com/trump-renews-attack-lightbulbs-goes-113230094.html
For-profit colleges masquerade as “non-profit” or “public” institutions
AB 70 (Berman) would stop for-profit Grand Canyon University and Purdue Universal Global from misleading students. A coalition of fifteen consumer and student advocacy groups is urging the California State Assembly to stop a new trend among for-profit college corporations. AB 70 (Berman) would stop for-profit Grand … Read More ›