Privacy

Cutting Edge or “Creepy?” Whitman Used New Technology to Make “Personalized” Robocalls to CA Voters

June 23, 2010  ·  Doug Heller

California GOP gubernatorial candidate <a href="http://megwhitman.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meg Whitman </a>has already shown she has the deepest pockets of any politician in America, with moves like sending out 500,000 48-page policy "Megazines" statewide -- but here's a first: did you hear about the voters who got <em>personalized </em> robocalls from her before the June primary? "Hi Douglas,'' begins Whitman in the automated call received by <a href="https://consumerwatchdog.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Consumer Watchdog's</a> Doug Heller on election day. "It's Tuesday morning, and I'm calling to personally ask for your vote."

Liveblog: House on the Volcker rule

June 23, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> The House financial reform conferees just had a quick mini-debate on the Volcker rule - they'll have an extended discussion once the Senate has its say. The Volcker Rule would ban proprietary trading by commercial banks, to stop banks from using taxpayer-insured deposits to gamble in the Wall Street casino... </p>

Liveblog: Senate rejects some key House fixes on consumer protection

June 22, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Senator Dodd is responding to the House offer now. The Senate is accepting 15 House changes, with modifications, and rejecting 8. Debate ongoing - but the Senate's offer overall rejects key improvements to the CFPB proposed by the House...

Advocacy Groups Ask Facebook for More Privacy Changes

June 17, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Despite the fixes Facebook has made to its privacy settings, ten groups are asking the social network to do more. Here's what they want.</strong> </p>

Facebook Urged to Do More to Protect User Privacy

June 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<div id="hn-headline"> WASHINGTON — Privacy activists called on Facebook on Wednesday to give users of the booming social network more control over the use of their personal data. The coalition of privacy groups, in an open letter to Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, welcomed the social network's recent overhaul of its privacy controls but said additional steps were needed. Other signatories included the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, Consumer Watchdog, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Privacy Activism, Privacy Lives and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. </div>

Groups tell Facebook to improve privacy

June 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Consumer Watchdog today joined a lineup of ten of the nation’s top privacy groups and sent an open letter to Facebook calling for the social networking giant to fix remaining issues concerning user privacy and control. </p>

Donor to Pay for Governor’s Trade Mission to Asia

June 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>A gap in the new contributions law allows him to use a $550,000 donation.</strong> <p> SACRAMENTO, CA -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't letting a new rule limiting gifts to public officials put a crimp in his globetrotting ways. "I think it's a real slap in the face to the FPPC that set out to correct a problem," said Doug Heller, executive director of the Santa Monica nonprofit Consumer Watchdog, adding that it didn't take the governor long to find "a loophole wide enough to fly a charter jet through." </p>

Palo Alto Biotech Company Grants License to Children’s Hospital, Allowing Stem Cell Research

June 15, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Palo Alto biotech company StemCells has approved the research use for free of its patented technology by a children's research hospital, clearing the way for greater study of conditions such as autism, brain cancer and neurological disease.<br /> Critics of StemCells' delay, including John Simpson of the Los Angeles-based Consumer Watchdog, wondered what took so long. "There's something wrong with our patent system when significant academic research can be stalled for three years while corporate lawyers haggle about dotting I's and crossing T's, but the important thing is that an agreement has finally been reached," Simpson said. "I am delighted Dr. Phillip Schwartz and his academic colleagues can resume their important work."<br />

Standing up to Google’s heavy-handed pressure

June 9, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> I was in Washington, DC, last week to attend <a href="http://epic.org/june2/">EPIC's Champion of Freedom Awards Dinner</a>.  One honoree in particular prompted the cross-country trip: <a href="http://www.rosefdn.org/">The Rose Foundsation</a> and how it stood up to Internet giant Google. </p> <p>   </p> <p>   </p>

Voters Approve California Open Primary

June 9, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Two other initiatives put on the ballot by major corporations — <a href="http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/16/,">Proposition 16</a> requiring voter approval before cities can get into the electricity business, and <a href="http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/17/,">Proposition 17</a> giving auto insurance companies more leeway in setting rates — were rejected by voters. Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, said he was heartened that those propositions were so close despite tens of millions spent by companies that would benefit. "I think it says the electorate isn't as stupid as the corporations think it is," Court said. </p>

Ten Consumer Advocate Groups Ask Congress to Strengthen Privacy Bill

June 8, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<div id="content-area"> “The problem is that the bill relies too much on the idea of ‘notice and consent,’ which really hasn’t worked,” said John M. Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog, Washington. “It also pre-empts stronger state laws and does not allow private action suits.  These provisions are extremely unfriendly for consumers. </div>

Candidates Blitz State in Final Push for Votes

June 7, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> A leading consumer advocate charged Prop. 17’s chief sponsor, Mercury Insurance, of fraudulently suggesting in recent mailers that the Consumer Coalition of California backs the measure. That coalition is “run by a Texas woman, Virginia Jarrow, who has repeatedly sided with industry,” said Harvey Rosenfield, founder of Consumer Watchdog, who also said Mercury failed to identify itself as an insurance firm in mailers as mandated by law. </p>