Privacy

Just Say No – To Signature Gatherers

November 3, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Mercury Insurance is behind a measure to roll back part of the 1988 Proposition 103 and allow insurance rates based partly on the basis of a driver's record of having insurance coverage or not. Not on a driver's record of tickets and/or accidents - nobody argues with that. This one would let companies collect more from drivers who have let their insurance coverage lapse for any reason, ranging from illness to giving up driving for a few months or year. "Nothing in the petition summary for this tells voters about the premium increases. ... Mercury's proposal would allow," says Harvey Rosenfield, founder of the Consumer Watchdog group and author of Proposition 103, which rolled back rates for all types of insurance in California. Rosenfield calls Attorney General Jerry Brown "shameful" for altering the summary, which initially pointed out the potential rate hikes.

Health Insurance Cheaper In Suburbs – Worst Downtown

November 2, 2009  ·  Judy Dugan

Wanna lower your health insurance premiums? Move to the suburbs. According to data compiled by Chicago-based Norvax Inc., the further you live from downtown, the less expensive your health insurance becomes. "It's one reason we need health care reform," Consumer Watchdog research director <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/technology/guy/1859471,CST-FIN-ECOL02.article">Judy Dugan told the Sun-Times</a>. "To get rid of this kind of weird disparity in pricing."

Ethics Board Clears Nunez

October 28, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> The second complaint against Nunez, filed by the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog, concerned his use of a small charity as a conduit to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate donations on events such as Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez's Toy Drive and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez's Soccerfest. The charity had not filed a tax return in two years and was therefore operating illegally, according to state tax authorities. </p>

Google Beats Microsoft in the E-Mail Battle of Los Angeles

October 28, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Google won the battle with Microsoft for the right to move Los Angeles' 30,000 municipal employees to its e-mail system, knocking out Novell's GroupWise platform for the $7.25 million contract. However, the contract comes with a caveat. Google must compensate the city if its e-mail service is breached and data is stolen. The Los Angeles Council voted to add the penalty provision 9-3. Consumer advocates applauded this motion. "Los Angeles residents cannot be sure the city's confidential or sensitive data will be secure," said John M. Simpson, consumer advocate with Consumer Watchdog, "but at least they know there will be a penalty if security is compromised. It's essential that this project be closely watched to ensure that Google keeps its promises."

Google Selected To Handle City’s E-mail Operation

October 27, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>CONTRACT: Deal Could Save $5 Million, But Some Still Have Security Concerns</strong><br /> <br /> Google trumped Microsoft and Novell on Tuesday, winning a $7.25 million contract to create an e-mail system for workers in Los Angeles. John Simpson with the group Consumer Watchdog warned against adopting the Google system until more work is completed on security. "It may be the thing of the future, but I'm not sure it is there yet," Simpson said. "The security checks don't exist yet. It is the gleam in Google's eyes." Part of the City Council's approval was based on promises from Google that it will reimburse the city for any damages.   <br />

L.A. City Council To Vote On Google E-mail Contract

October 27, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Questions about cost, security and reliability remain, but the council is expected to decide Tuesday.</strong> <p> After concerns were raised about how Google would secure sensitive data from law enforcement agencies, the company announced plans to finish work on a "government cloud," a separate set of servers with enhanced security, sometime next year. But completion of the government cloud is not a guarantee, said John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, a nonpartisan consumer advocacy group that has been critical of the Google contract. "If you build it and vet it and test it, great, but don't commit to going onto it until it actually exists," he said. </p>

Con: Why Los Angeles Should Worry About Google’s E-mail System

October 27, 2009  ·  John M. Simpson

<p> Google wants the city of Los Angeles to switch its 30,000 e-mail users to an Internet-based system it operates, but rather than address real questions about the security of such "cloud computing" systems the Internet giant changes its story depending on its audience. </p>

Critics Call On Government To Change Rule On Electronic Medical Records

October 23, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The federal government is taking public comment on a rule regarding notification when electronic medical records are breached. The rule says consumers should be notified only if substantial harm has occurred. Critics say that's too high a standard.

Group: Breach Rule Flouts Congressional Intent

October 22, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy organization, has called on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to repeal the new health information breach notification rule, saying it flouts congressional intent.

Critics Of Google Online-Books Deal Seek Delay

October 22, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Critics of Google's deal with an authors' group to put millions of books online have asked for a delay in a hearing set to consider the settlement in a court filing on Thursday. A long list of critics of the deal, including Yahoo, Amazon, Microsoft, the National Writers Union, Consumer Watchdog and singer Arlo Guthrie, argued on Thursday that the original class action settlement was long and complex and any changes would only add to its complexity

Will City of L.A. jump into Google’s cloud?

October 22, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> I spent all afternoon Monday waiting at the LA City Council Budget Committee to give the Council members my two minutes on why Google's proposal to put the City's computing into its cloud could be dangerous. In a nutshell: Security,...</p>

Car Dealers Want To Evade Thumb Of New Consumer Protection Agency

October 20, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The financial meltdown led some folks - including the president - to opine that the little guy has sure taken it in the shorts these last few years, and that government must do more to protect consumers. “Loan financing represents a huge source of income for auto dealers,” says the letter to the House Financial Services Committee, signed by Consumer Watchdog, Consumers Union, the California Public Interest Group, the NAACP, and many others. “While the vehicles themselves have never been better, auto sales and financing practices have never been worse. In fact, year after year, auto sales and service complaints, typically related to predatory lending practices at dealerships, rank number 1 among consumer complaints lodged with state and local consumer protection agencies.<br />