CFC supports the Issue Ad DISCLOSE Act (AB 1217)
Would require “issue ads” to disclose their donors in the same manner as ballot initiative ads and independent expenditure ads for candidates. For example, in 2018 a shadowy group known as CALInnovates purchased over 400 Facebook ads and targeted Twitter ads against SB 822 (Net Neutrality), with … Read More ›
CFC supports SB 645 (Monning)
SB 645 protects Californians who are suffering and dying from mesothelioma and silicosis from marathon depositions over seven hours that add physical and emotional stress to their final days. Learn more about SB 645 Read CFC’s letter of support to bill’s author Senator Bill Monning
CFC supports AB 1538 (Weber)
AB 1538 would clarify the right of a consumer to choose a cash payment in lieu of repairing a damaged vehicle under an auto insurance policy. Learn more about the bill Read CFC’s March 21 support letter to the Assembly Committee on Insurance
Los Angeles City Attorney Alleges The Weather Channel App Mines Users’ Private Data
by Los Angeles City Attorney, Press Office
The complaint alleges that TWC used the geolocation tracking technology present in the app to monitor where users live, work, and visit, twenty-four hours a day, as well as how much time users spend at each location. The complaint further alleges that TWC led its users to believe that their location data would only be used to provide them with “personalized local weather data, alerts and forecasts.” Read More ›
Wells Fargo Resolves Investigations with $575 Million Settlement
by KQED Forum, KQED
San Francisco-based Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $575 million to resolve multiple investigations into misconduct at the bank, including inquiries stemming from the 2016 revelation that bank employees were opening accounts for customers without their knowledge. Read More ›
Ex-student loan official who resigned from CFPB in protest launches new watchdog group
by Jillian Berman, Marketwatch
Seth Frotman, who resigned in protest earlier this year from his position as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s student loan ombudsman, announced Wednesday that he’s launching a new organization aimed at tackling the nation’s student loan problem. Read More ›
California bans toxic flame retardant chemicals in furniture
Consumers, firefighters, environmental and public health advocates overcome decade long resistance from chemical manufacturers Read More ›
The perils of microtask work
by Megan Geuss, Ars Technica
Microtask platforms recruit humans to do the rating, tagging, review-writing, and poll-taking work that can’t quite be automated with an algorithm yet. A new study from the United Nations’ International Labor Organization (ILO) questions whether these platforms are as good for society as the Silicon Valley investors and digital evangelists claim. Read More ›
The final insult for desperate job seekers: Employers doing credit checks
by Jacob Passy, MarketWatch
A new working paper demonstrates how pre-employment credit screenings perpetuate the ‘poverty trap.’ Read More ›
Facebook is letting job advertisers target only men
by Ariana Tobin & Jeremy B. Merrill, Ars Technica (via Propublica)
Hundreds of thousands of Americans drive for Uber. And the company is looking for many more. It runs ads on Facebook that say, for example, “Driving toward something? Make extra money when it works for you and get there faster.” There’s just one catch: Many of those ads are not visible to women. Read More ›
CFC-sponsored garage safety law signed by Governor
Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 969, a new law designed to save lives in home fires. The Consumer Federation of California sponsored SB 969 by Senator Bill Dodd, which requires newly sold or installed electric garage door openers to be equipped with a battery backup to prevent people … Read More ›
A California Supreme Court case started as a $7,812.03 hospital bill
by Barbara Anderson, Fresno Bee
The Fresno case began after a patient disputed a bill he received for treatment of an injured wrist at the emergency department at Community Regional Medical Center. A couple of X-rays and a splint resulted in a bill totaling $7,812.03. Read More ›
California Supreme Court rules some consumer loans so expensive they break the law
by James Rufus Koren, Los Angeles Times
California’s high court has ruled that interest rates on consumer loans can be so high that they become “unconscionable” and, therefore, illegal — a decision that could call into question the validity of millions of loans and upend the state’s subprime lending market. In a unanimous opinion … Read More ›