California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently told the insurance industry in a closed door meeting what he wants to give them direct access to the safety critical systems in your car that show how you brake, accelerate and steer. Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court says this is dangerous to your safety and privacy.

https://www.foxla.com/video/594269

LOS ANGELES - Consumer Watchdog is blowing the whistle on recent comments made by the California Insurance Commissioner that could drastically change how auto rates are determined in California.

Jamie Court of Consumer Watchdog, says this could mean sacrificing more money and privacy.

Currently, auto insurance premiums in California are based on rating factors such as safety record, mileage and driving experience. Commissioner Ricardo Lara, according to remarks he made at an insurance conference in Hollywood last month, wants to give insurance companies access to a driver's vehicle data to monitor how quickly a driver stops, turns, and accelerates.

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The data would also include a driver's route. Lara's pitch to some 200 top industry attorneys was caught on cell phone video by an attendee.  He told the crowd, "I honestly think that if someone is monitoring the way you're braking or how you're driving - you better believe that's going to change your driving behavior and that's something that can save lives."

Court says allowing companies such access is nothing more than a privacy invasion. He says, "You shouldn't have to have the insurance companies in the car with you looking over your shoulders every time you brake, every time you steer. That's big brother. That's wrong!" Court says not even good drivers would benefit as companies would interpret a good driver based on their own prejudices.

In response to the criticism, Insurance Commissioner Lara issued the following statement to FOX 11: 

"I have been clear since day one that technology is affecting all aspects of our lives including insurance.Like all Californians, I want your auto premiums to be based on how you drive, not where you live or who you are. That is the genius of Proposition 103, which has saved consumers hundreds of millions of dollars over the past 30 years.In that time, the Department has continually modernized our automobile rating rules, for instance by allowing ‘pay as you go' rates in 2009 and eliminating gender as an optional rating criteria earlier this year. The proper use of telematics, should a consumer decide to opt-in to the use of this technology, could have the potential to enhance driver safety and control premiums, and we will be engaging with consumer groups and privacy experts to ensure that we protect Californians' data."

RePlanet which runs the largest chain of recycling centers in California is shutting down. Consumers will have even less options on where to redeem bottles and cans to get their deposits back. The State needs to mandate that retailers accept recyclables and provide redemption as recycling centers  are shutting their doors. 

More and more cars are connected to the internet and are therefore vulnerable to dangerous hacking interfering with the engine, brakes and other critical safety systems. Hackers could access entire fleets of connected cars leading to catastrophic injury and fatalities. Manufacturers are aware of the problem and have done nothing to resolve this potentially catastrophic vulnerability. A 50 cent kill switch would allow the driver to disconnect safety systems from the internet,  preventing malicious interference. 

Developed with the help of car industry technologists, the "Kill Switch" report from Consumer Watchdog finds all the top 2020 cars have Internet connections to safety critical systems that leave them vulnerable to fleet wide hacks.

The experts warn that a fleet wide hack at rush-hour could result in a 9-11 scale catastrophe with approximately 3,000 deaths. 

The report recommends cars come with a 50 cent "kill switch" that can disconnect the safety critical systems from the Internet.

Consumer Watchdog's new Kill Switch report warns that there is a serious risk of hacking with cars connected to the internet. Hackers are able to access the entire network of cars and interfere with the engine, brakes and other crucial aspects of the car. These hacks could lead to thousands of fatalities and must be addressed by manufacturers who are aware of the problem but have done nothing about it. 

Consumer Watchdog's new report called 'Kill Switch' shows that 2020 cars with internet connections are vulnerable to potentially catastrophic hacking. Millions of cars could be hacked leading to interference with crucial safety systems including the brakes and engine that could cause thousands of fatalities and injuries. 

Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court speaks on the recent FBI raid of the LA DWP offices and how consumers are being left behind. 

"When City Hall and the City Attorney cannot clean up their own DWP mess, this is what happens, the FBI has to do it. These raids are almost certainly related to what appears to be a fraud on the court and ratepayers in the DWP billing error case that led to  tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent on contracts to a company controlled by the city’s outside attorney in the case who has already taken the Fifth Amendment.

The court documents have already proven with witnesses under oath that there was fraud on the ratepayers and the Court, the only question is how high the fraud goes and how much it costs.  The FBI warrants will protect evidence and make sure that prosecutors know if the head of the DWP Commission Mel Levine and City Attorney Mike Feuer, both of whom were fingered in depositions on being in on fraud, were in fact aware of the conspiracy to defraud the court and the DWP ratepayers.

These warrants are the result of the Mayor and City Council turning a blind eye to corruption at DWP and in the City Attorney’s office that has been well documented over the last few months in sworn testimony in the Superior Court of Los Angeles."

In a letter to Governor Newsom, Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker called on the Governor to freeze all new oil and gas well permits until a top-to-bottom ethics review is completed, all conflicted regulators within DOGGR are removed, and the Administration can guarantee regulatory decisions are based on public safety, not pecuniary gain.

“For too long the health of our community has suffered from dirty oil wells at the Inglewood oil field,” said Deborah Weinrauch, a resident of Culver City. “We cannot afford to keep having more drilling and fracking. In order to protect our health we need Governor Newsom to stop issuing new permits.” 

Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court explains what three things to know before buying or selling your home online.

Consumer Watchdog and civil rights groups call on the California Insurance Commissioner to end occupational price discrimination in auto insurance policies.

Consumer Watchdog cries foul as it is revealed that there was double dealing and trickery during a settlement over LADWP's over-billing scandal.

New Consumer Watchdog report shows how consumers are being ripped off and how recycling centers are closing at record rates.

Carmen Balber, Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog, says new nonbinary gender identity choice on California drivers licenses will have unintended consequences in preventing gender discrimination in auto insurance rates.