Search option from Facebook is a privacy test
by Somini Sengupta and Claire Cain Miller, New York Times
Now the social network is taking on its archrival, Google, with a search tool to mine personal information, just as people are growing more cautious about sharing online and even removing what they have already put up. Read More ›
Attention shoppers: Retailers can now track you across the mall
by Dan Tynan, IT World
Your favorite big box retailer or discount warehouse will soon be able to track your movements via your smartphone. Meet the next big thing in analytics: You. Read More ›
Medical privacy rules get an update
by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Huffington Post
New regulations create information rights that should make life easier for consumers. They also tighten restrictions on medical providers trying to use patient information for marketing, and expand the list of businesses that can be punished for unauthorized disclosures. Read More ›
Numbers to know when you file your 2012 tax return
by Associated Press, Sacramento Bee
Taxes will need to be done soon. Here are some key numbers to know when filing your 2012 tax returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Read More ›
AT&T rates skyrocket since deregulation
by James Temple, San Francisco Chronicle
In 2006, the CPUC voted to allow AT&T and other companies that provide local telephone service to raise prices at will…its prices are now the highest among the four competitors. Read More ›
State’s health insurance exchange gets $674-million federal grant
by Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
Covered California will use part of the money to market itself to the estimated 5 million Californians who will be eligible to use the health exchange. Read More ›
State audit rips California utilities commission for fund errors
by Kevin Yamamura, Sacramento Bee
In a scathing new review of the CPUC, the Department of Finance found widespread budget errors and inaccurate fiscal predictions of fees that consumers pay each month. Read More ›
Car dealers want out of recalled rentals bill
by Jayne O'Donnell, USA Today
Car dealers are fighting to get exempted from legislation that would prohibit them from selling used cars or renting or lending new models before recall repairs are made. Read More ›
Brown’s budget pushes frontier of online learning
by Tom Chorneau, SI&A Cabinet Report
As Gov. Brown joined an effort aimed at getting Calif universities to offer more courses online, his administration released details of a proposal to expand online learning at K-12 schools. Read More ›
Anthem Blue Cross sued over new HIV/AIDS drug policy
by Kenny Goldbert, KPBS.org
A consumer group is suing Anthem Blue Cross over a new policy that requires HIV patients to get their medications by mail. A San Diego man who is HIV positive is the lead plaintiff. Read More ›
Many workers surprised by hike in payroll taxes
by Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee
The first paycheck of 2013 contained a nasty surprise for many workers: a tax hike that shrank their take-home earnings by two percent or more. Read More ›
Java’s security flaws prompt warnings to disable the software
by Steve Johnson, San Jose Mercury News
Millions of computer users were advised to temporarily disable Java software because of security weaknesses that make their machines vulnerable to everything from virus-infected websites to ransomeware, which often locks users out of their computers until they pay the perpetrators. Read More ›
More money, more accountability for community colleges
by Kathryn Baron, EdSource
The spending plan for community colleges reflects the new focus in the California 112-campus community college system on increasing graduation and transfer rates through a combination of technology, smoother pathways to Cal State University and, for students, tough love. Read More ›