Privacy

Report Discloses 131 DataBreaches in California Last Year

July 2, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Electronic data breaches put the personal information of 2.5 million Californians at risk in 2012, according to a report released Monday by Attorney General Kamala Harris.</p> <p>State law requires businesses and government agencies to notify consumers when a data breach might have put their personal information at risk. A bill passed in 2012 also requires companies to report a breach to the attorney general when more than 500 consumers' information has been accessed.</p>

New Stem Cell Patent Action Filed

July 2, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A stem cell patent held by a Wisconsin university foundation should be invalidated, according to a legal filing made Tuesday by two consumer advocate groups.</p> <p>Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica and the New York-based Public Patent Foundation asked a federal appeals court to throw out the patent held by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation on producing human embryonic stem cells. They said the patent is invalid because these cells are products of nature, and not patentable.</p>

Federal Trade Commissioner Tilts at Big Data Windmill

June 27, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p class="story-summary"><strong>From the there-oughtta-be-a-law department comes a proposal by a Federal Trade Commissioner, no less, to require big companies to pull back the curtains on their Big Data activities. Consumers should be able to exercise some control over their own data, argued Commissioner Julie Brill. The idea may be laudable, but implementation would likely be something else.</strong></p>

Crosstown Traffic: Why Google’s $1B Waze Deal Faces U.S. Antitrust Scrutiny

June 25, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Not so fast, <a href="http://topics.time.com/google/">Google</a>.</p>

FTC Probes Google-Waze $1.1 Billion Deal After Consumer Watchdog Cites Antitrust Issues

June 24, 2013  ·  John M. Simpson

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2512" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/images_ftc-hq.jpg" style="width: 150px; height: 150px; float: right;" width="100" height="100" />Less than two weeks ago after Google said it was buying Waze, developer of a mobile mapping application, for a reported $1.1 billion, the Federal Trade Commission has stepped in and said in effect, "wait just a minute here."<br /> <br />

Google-Waze Acquisition Will Be Investigated by the FTC

June 24, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>Watchdog's action follows demands from consumer groups and is part of scrutiny of tech pioneer across the globe</strong></p>

Google Confirms Waze Acquisition Targeted in FTC Antitrust Probe

June 24, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Google revealed that Federal Trade Commission attorneys are investigating its $1.1 billion acquisition of Israeli crowdsourced location services firm Waze.</p> <p>A Google spokesperson confirmed the rumored antitrust review to <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> but declined to comment on details. Lawyers familiar with the antitrust investigation process say the FTC may have asked Google to halt integration with Waze, pending the outcome of its review. Representatives of the agency did not respond to a request for comment.</p>

Google’s $1.1 Billion Purchase of Waze Maps in FTC Antitrust Investigation

June 24, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Google has confirmed to the <a class="inline_link" href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/06/22/google-confirms-antitrust-review-of-waze-deal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a> that the company has been contacted by the Federal Trade Commission for an official antitrust review of <a class="inline_link" href="http://www.itproportal.com/2013/06/12/google-dishes-up-suspected-13b-to-purchase-waze-traffic-app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google's $1.1 billion (£716 million) acquisition of Waze</a>, announced earlier this month.</p>

US Authorities Probing Google-Waze Deal

June 23, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Federal Trade Commission to examine possible anti-trust issues in Internet search giant's $1 billion acquisition of Israeli social mapping service, which may force Google to re-sell company</b></p>

A Good Day for Campaign Transparency at the FPPC

June 21, 2013  ·  Daniel Palay

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2661" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/images_110922_fppc_logo.jpg" style="width: 134px; height: 129px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;" width="134" height="129" />The way voters get their news and education has rapidly changed from print and television sources to the online news marketplace, blogosphere and social media arenas.  At the same time, the regulations governing campaign expense reporting remain focused on traditional media, leaving voters without enough information to know if what they read online is independent, objective analysis or if it is bought and paid for.</p>

Battery Recycler in Vernon Allowed to Reopen — For Now

June 18, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>The state ordered the Exide plant to shut in April, citing arsenic emissions and calling it a public health risk. A judge rules it can restart operations, pending a hearing.</b></p> <p>A Vernon battery recycler shut by the state in April as a health risk to thousands of nearby residents will be allowed to reopen pending a court hearing next month, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled Monday.</p> <p>Judge Luis A. Lavin said the public interest would not suffer if the plant were to operate in the meantime.</p>

DTSC Urged to Amend and Reissue the Existing Suspension Order; Exide’s Vernon Facility Should Be Shut Down Until All Facts Are Known

June 18, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>VERNON, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 18, 2013) - A broad coalition of residents, factory workers and community leaders are asking Judge Luis Lavin and public agencies to put the health of local communities, and families, before Exide's bottom line.</p>