Justin Kloczko

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.”

KFI AM – Los Angeles, CA: Where There’s Smoke: The Unseen Toll of Wildfires on Homes That ‘Survived’

By Staff Reporters, KFI-AM – Los Angeles, CA Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.

Lowball: What Fire Survivors Want You To Know About Insurance Claims

As of June 2025, all 165 standing homes from which testing data has been collected by the resident-led coalition Eaton Fire Residents United showed...

Lowball: What Fire Survivors Want You To Know About Insurance Claims

As thousands of policyholders navigate the home insurance claims process in California following the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires, many are finding out that the damage wrought on their still standing homes by smoke and heat isn’t being paid for.

San Francisco Standard – We’re not just watching prices – prices are watching us

By Justin Kloczko, SAN FRANCISCO STANDARD https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/05/27/were-not-watching-prices-prices-are-watching-us You’re at home, scrolling online to find a nearby store to buy a TV. You find one, drive to the...

Surveillance Pricing Bill Moves Forward

AB 446 prohibits businesses from using personal information of a consumer to adjust the price of goods.

NEWS RELEASE: Surveillance Pricing Bill Moves Forward

AB 446 Stops Businesses From Setting Prices Based on Data.

CA Privacy Agency Goes DOGE on Data Regulations for AI and Algorithms

California's top privacy agency has gutted regs surrounding data and algorithmic decisions.

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Consumer Watchdog Files Coast-to-Coast Briefing Challenging Presidential Tariffs in California and Washington 

San Francisco, CA and Washington, D.C. — Consumer Watchdog yesterday...

Lowball: What Fire Survivors Want You To Know About Insurance Claims

As thousands of policyholders navigate the home insurance claims process in California following the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires, many are finding out that the damage wrought on their still standing homes by smoke and heat isn’t being paid for.

State Farm Investigation Must Conclude Before Rate Hike Approved Says Consumer Watchdog 

Los Angeles, CA --  Consumer Watchdog issued the following statement on...

Court Accepts Consumer Watchdog Amicus Brief Opposing Trump Tariff Authority

Second Federal Court Ruling Yesterday Echoes Concerns Raised in...
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