Toxic flame retardant reduction in building insulation signed by Governor Brown
Receiving bipartisan support in the Assembly and Senate, AB 127 was signed by Governor Brown on October 5. This is another important step toward reducing toxic chemicals when there are no added fire safety benefits. Read More ›
AB 127 reduces toxic flame retardants in building insulation, maintains fire safety (signed into law)
CFC supports AB 127, which would reduce the use of flame retardant chemicals in building insulation while maintaining building fire safety and encouraging healthy building practices. Read More ›
SB 12 establishes Made in California label (signed into law)
A “Made in USA” label has long been seen as an advantage in marketing a product. Now there are in-state manufacturers that want to see the adoption of an official label that declares Made in California. Read More ›
A new telemarketer tactic: Impersonating teachers
by Bob Sullivan, Credit.com
Caller ID isn’t always what it appears, and increasingly, criminal telemarketers are taking advantage of that. Aggressive phone sales operators have developed a new tactic recently — impersonating teachers, calling parents at home during the school day. Read More ›
Hackers recently stole 2.9 million Adobe users’ info
by Chris Morran, Consumerist
Adobe says the breach appears to have occurred in mid-August, with the digital thieves making off with encrypted credit/debit card and other personal data for around 2.9 million users and name/password combinations for a currently undetermined number of customers. Read More ›
Medical identity theft could cost you your life
by Herb Weisbaum, Today.com
Medical identity theft takes place when someone uses your name and personal identifying information to receive medical services, devices or prescription drugs. This crime is growing rapidly, but few know about it. Here’s how to protect yourself. Read More ›
New hope for Do Not Track as California enacts ad disclosure law
by Casey Newton, The Verge
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill requiring companies to disclose whether they abide by Do Not Track provisions, a move that could build momentum for privacy protections that have stalled at the national level. Read More ›
Debt collection via text message
by Herb Weisbaum, CNBC.com
The Federal Trade Commission has settled its first case against a California debt collector alleged to have used unlawful text messages. The FTC says fair debt collection rules apply to all forms of communication, including texts. Read More ›
Dump your big bank and save
by Editor, Consumer Reports
If you’re tired of your megabank’s sneaky fees, questionable investment tactics, and slippery mortgage-lending practices, now may be the time for you to consider alternatives. Read More ›
Assembly Bill 370 Amends CalOPPA
Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB 370 (Muratsuchi), which passed unanimously (78-0) through the State Assembly on Aug. 26, 2013 and, earlier in the legislative session, passed unanimously (37-0) through the State Senate. This new online privacy law amends the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) … Read More ›
How do you know if a website is trustworthy?
Look for a privacy “seal of approval,” such as TRUSTe on the first page of the website. TRUSTe participants agree to post their privacy policies and submit to audits of their privacy practices in order to display the logo. Other seals of approval are offered by the … Read More ›
Are cybercafes, airports, libraries and other publicly-available Internet terminals private?
For some things. We advise that you do not use public terminals to access your bank account, check your credit card statement, pay bills, shop, or access any other personally or financially sensitive information. Publicly available Internet terminals are not likely to be closely supervised to … Read More ›
What do I do if my online account has been hacked?
Your online webmail or social networking account can be hijacked (taken over by an unauthorized individual) in a variety of ways. If one of your accounts becomes hacked, you may be locked out of access to your own account. That’s because the unauthorized user is likely to … Read More ›