Google: Why your email isn’t private
by Jon Xavier, Silicon Valley Business Journal
You might, like a lot of people, expect that your Gmail emails are private conversations between you and the recipient. You would be wrong. That’s not me saying this, by the way. It’s Google. Read More ›
LA Times Editorial: The right to phone service
by Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times
The right way to proceed is to let the commission do its work. Unlike the Legislature, the commission has developed an extensive record of views not just from industry executives but from Lifeline users and other consumers. That process shouldn’t be short-circuited when it’s so close to completion. Read More ›
How does Apple avoid paying taxes?
Apple Inc. has been accused of not paying U.S. taxes on over $44 billion in income over the past three years. During that period, the $415 billion company used a sophisticated tax avoidance scheme that revolved around three offshore subsidiaries to hide income from the U.S. government – and ended up paying less than 2% to Uncle Sam. Read More ›
Apple and the NSA: Violating American citizens’ privacy
From what has come to light about the NSA’s PRISM program and Apple’s involvement in violating privacy and other constitutional rights of American citizens, it is quite clear that the company is not like its commercial image about rebellion against conformity and “Big Brother.” Read More ›
California housing affordability declines as home prices rise
by Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times
Rising home prices in the Bay Area and other coastal markets made buying a home unaffordable for a big chunk of the state’s population last quarter, data show.
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Your medical records are for sale
by Jordan Robertson, Bloomberg Business Week
As hospitals shift to digital medical records, administrators promise patients better care and shorter waits. They often neglect to mention that they share files with state health agencies, which in turn sell the information to private data-mining companies. Read More ›
Apple’s disregard for consumer privacy – a consistent policy
Opposing privacy protections is not new for Apple, as they have continued to breach data protection and consumer rights over the years. As a result, their cult-like following has begun to erode. Read More ›
Poverty-level wages for Apple store workers
Apple was recently named one of the largest wage-stiffing corporations in the world when it comes to rewarding profitability, paying the majority of their employees poverty-level wages. Read More ›
Google tells court you cannot expect privacy when sending messages to Gmail
by John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog
In a stunning admission contained in a brief filed recently in federal court, lawyers for Google said people should not expect privacy when they send messages to a Gmail account. People who care about their email correspondents’ privacy should not use the Internet giant’s service. Read More ›
Apple ‘least green’ tech company
Apple came in at the bottom of the most comprehensive “green” group of technology companies in 2011 because of its heavy reliance on “dirty data” centers in its supply chain. Read More ›
Overdraft protection may allow more money for thieves
by Joe Ducey, ABC15.com
While it protects you from bouncing a check, it can also protect a thief who has your card number. It allows them to take repeated amounts of money as your account is replenished with money from your savings account. Read More ›
California college students relieved after Obama signs loan bill
by Megan Messerly, San Francisco Chronicle
News that President Obama signed a bill into law to restore lower interest rates for student loans was met with relief by many undergraduate students in California. The new legislation links student loan interest rates to the financial market. Read More ›
Apple: Using secret police as company patent enforcers
Plain-clothed officers accompanied Apple security to Calderón’s home in the San Francisco area. The officers stood outside while Apple employees were permitted to scour his residence, car, and computer files for evidence of the lost iPhone – but found none. Read More ›