John M. Simpson

Justin Kloczko writes about tech, energy and insurance for Consumer Watchdog. He’s covered privacy issues extensively, including data collection, privacy rights and legislation, artificial intelligence, algorithms, and surveillance pricing.
 
He’s a recovering daily newspaper reporter with experience covering local government, education, and the criminal justice system at the Hartford Advocate, Middletown Press, and  Manchester Journal Inquirer. His work has appeared in Vice, Daily Beast, The New Republic, KCRW and Los Angeles Magazine.
 
While covering civil litigation at the Los Angeles Daily Journal he won LA Press Club awards for his stories detailing corruption at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. The stories led to the criminal prosecutions of multiple city officials. Justin also authored The Debaser, an independent newsletter about LA culture and politics that garnered him an appearance on the ABC/Hulu documentary about disgraced plaintiff’s attorney Tom Girardi called “The Housewife and the Hustler.”

Consumer Watchdog Joins Coalition of 22 Consumer and Privacy Groups Calling on FTC to End Google’s Apps Store’s Exploitation of Kids

Consumer Watchdog has joined a coalition of 22 consumer and public health advocacy groups calling on the Federal Trade Commission to stop Google’s app...

Landmark California Consumer Privacy Act Would Have Let People Block Facebook’s Sharing of Private Data, Consumer Watchdog says

LOS ANGELES – Facebook’s latest revealed privacy invasion could have been thwarted if the landmark California Consumer Privacy Act were in effect and the...

Google’s Second Failure to Protect Data Security on Its Social Network Shows Need for California Privacy Law

LOS ANGELES -- Google’s revelation today that its social network Google+ suffered a second major security lapse in less than a year makes clear...

Consumer Watchdog Calls On Pelosi To Stop Lame-Duck Preemption of New California Privacy and Auto Safety Laws

Los Angeles, CA –  Consumer advocates today called on House Minority Leader and Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi to stop an effort by the auto industry...

​​​​​​​Consumer Watchdog Warns Continuing Revolving Door of Senior Government Auto Safety Officials to Robot Car Makers Undercuts Public’s Trust in Regulations 

LOS ANGELES – Consumer Watchdog today warned that an ongoing revolving door between top government auto safety officials and the manufacturers of autonomous vehicles...

Massive Marriott Data Breach Shows Need for California Consumer Privacy Act

LOS ANGELES -- Marriott International’s massive data breach in which the personal information of up to 500 million guests could have been stolen shows the...

Consumer Watchdog Joins Broad Coalition Telling Senate to Put Brakes on Flawed Robot Car Bill

LOS ANGELES – Consumer Watchdog has joined an alliance of more than 75 local, state and national organizations representing safety, law enforcement and first...

U.S., European Consumer Groups Call on FTC to Investigate Google for Deceptively Tracking Android Phone Users

An association of more than 75 consumer groups on both sides of the Atlantic is asking the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google...

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Homeowner Surcharge to Bailout Insurers for FAIR Plan Losses Unfair and Illegal, Says Consumer Watchdog

Los Angeles, CA – Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced...

Consumer Watchdog Calls on Insurance Commissioner to Reject State Farm’s Unjustified Emergency Rate Hike Request

Los Angeles, CA – Consumer Watchdog has submitted two letters...

Insurance Industry, U.S. House GOP, Exploit California Wildfire Disaster to Promote Deregulation in Congress

Proven Consumer Protections, Investments in Disaster Resilience, and Eliminating...

Trying to Cash in On Wildfire Tragedy, State Farm Demands Immediate $740 Million Bailout

Los Angeles, CA -- State Farm this morning asked Insurance...

Lara Reinsurance Regulation To Pump Up Homeowners Rates By 40% Without Guarantees of New Wildfire Coverage, No Opportunity For Public Input

The new draft regulation proposed by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara would allow insurance companies to drive up home insurance rates by 40% to 50%
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