Lawmakers to hold hearing on fracking
by Michael Mishak, Los Angeles Times
California does not require energy firms to disclose where they use the controversial procedure or what chemicals they inject into the ground. Regulators released draft rules for fracking last month that would mandate such disclosure but allow oil companies to keep secret the names of certain chemicals they claim to be proprietary.
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January 28 is Data Privacy Day: Top 10 tips to protect your privacy
Data Privacy Day is an effort to empower people to protect their privacy, control their digital footprint, and escalate their protection of privacy and data.
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Rolling back regs on fire retardants
by Dan Morain, Sacramento Bee
California has led the nation on many environmental issues. In this instance, the state led the nation into a dark hole, and filled it with substances linked to maladies such as cancer and neurological dysfunction. Read More ›
Stamps rise to 46 cents Sunday
by Jennifer Liberto, CNN Money
The price of sending mail with a first-class stamp goes up by one cent to 46 cents – a hike the USPS announced last October. Postcard postage will also rise one cent to 33 cents.
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Group finds more fake ingredients in popular foods
by Jim Avila and Serena Marshall, Good Morning America
A new scientific examination by the non-profit food fraud detectives, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, discovered rising numbers of fake ingredients in products from olive oil to spices to fruit juice. Read More ›
Assemblyman Marc Levine pushing statewide plastic bag ban
by Derek Moore, Press Democrat
Single-use plastic bags would be banned in California under legislation introduced this week. Read More ›
Markey concerned over Disney plan to track kids with bracelets
by Brendan Sasso, The Hill
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) expressed concern over Disney’s plan to track guests at its theme parks using bracelets called MagicBands. Markey is worried that the plan could “have a harmful impact on our children.” Read More ›
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.
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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 ›