Privacy

Consumer Watchdog Says Amazon’s List Prices Are Bogus

March 21, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>The California-based Consumer Watchdog group claims Amazon is misleading its customers by posting inflated list prices to give the impression the company is offering more of a discount.</p> <p><br /> The nonprofit public-interest group filed a petition to Calif. Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Monday, claiming Amazon is violating state and federal law because, Consumer Watchdog said based on its own study in February, many products Amazon’s website feature list prices that are greater than the existing market price.</p>

Don’t Trust The List Prices On Amazon, Consumer Watchdog Says

March 20, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>After a barrage of lawsuits directed at the online shopping industry, it appeared Amazon Inc. was starting to phase out list pricing, a controversial practice accused of deceptively inflating how much consumers save through the e-commerce giant.</p> <p>But a study commissioned by Consumer Watchdog finds that the pricing system remains rampant, affecting more than a quarter of the 4,000 products examined by the advocacy group on Amazon.com.</p>

Californian DMV Proposes More Relaxed Autonomous Car Laws

March 17, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>California’s Department of Motor Vehicles has proposed numerous revisions to state regulations about the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles across the state.</p> <p>One of the key proposed changes would allow ride-hailing services to transport passengers without human drivers on board, a revision which would have allowed Uber to test its self-driving fleet on California’s streets. However, a key caveat of this revision is that these companies wouldn’t be able to charge passengers for the services.</p>

SCPR, Air Talk, Los Angeles: California DMV Gives Potential Green Light to Self-Driving Cars

March 16, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<div class="prose-body">Paying attention to the road may be optional starting as early as next year.</div> <div class="prose-body"><br /> That is, if a California Department of Motor Vehicles proposal goes through. As reported by the Associated Press, the DMV issued proposed rules last week to road-test self-driving cars. This applies to truly driverless vehicles, without a wheel or any other way for the person inside to operate it.</div> <div class="prose-body"><br />

Say So Long to Your Data Privacy Under Trump FCC’s New Rules

March 15, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>A dual-track effort to derail—if not permanently eliminate—new federal privacy rules that would limit Internet Service Providers’ commercial use of sensitive customer data is gaining steam.</p>

Look Ma, No Hands! No Steering Wheel Needed Under New Calif. Car Rules

March 13, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>In a shift, companies will no longer have to get permission from the jurisdiction where they plan to test the cars but instead simply notify them in writing.</p> <p>The proposed regulations were published Friday and the public now has until April 24 to comment on them. The new rules could take effect in 2018.</p>

California Opens Door to Fully Autonomous Vehicle Testing

March 13, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>SAN FRANCISCO — Look Ma, no hands!</p> <p>Under newly proposed California self-driving car rules, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles will let companies test autonomous vehicles that lack that quintessential car component, the steering wheel.</p> <p>What else can they shed? Brake pedals and (human) drivers, anywhere in the car.</p> <p>Once the cars have been tested either on a closed track or through computer modeling, self-driving cars will be able to tool around California roads without drivers or even the ability to be driven by a driver.</p>

Robot Cars — With No Human Driver — Could Hit California Roads Next Year

March 13, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>California is back on the map as a state that’s serious about welcoming driverless cars.</p> <p>Truly driverless cars — vehicles with no human behind the wheel, and perhaps no steering wheel at all — are headed toward California streets and highways starting in 2018.</p> <p>After months of criticism, state regulators Friday released a proposal for a new set of regulations to govern the testing and deployment of driverless cars on public roadways. They are seeking public comment and expect approval by the end of the year.</p>

State DMV Backs Allowing Self-Driving Cars With No Human on Board

March 13, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>Self-driving cars with no human behind the wheel — or, for that matter, any steering wheel at all — may soon appear on California’s public roads, under regulations state officials proposed Friday.</p> <p>The rules represent a delicate balance, trying to ensure the safety of a new technology many people don’t trust while avoiding tough restrictions that could send car companies fleeing to other states.</p>

New to California Roads: Cars with No Drivers Behind the Wheel?

March 13, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>SACRAMENTO – State regulators on Friday proposed easing restrictions on testing autonomous driving systems, clearing a path for driver-free vehicles in California’s cities, towns and highways.</p> <p>The state Department of Motor Vehicles allows testing of autonomous vehicles, but requires a driver behind the wheel. Tech companies and automakers have criticized the rules for slowing innovation.</p> <p>The new proposal would allow manufacturers to test cars without drivers, as long as remote operators monitor the vehicles.</p>

California is Warming Up to Self-Driving Cars Without a Human Driver

March 13, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>A little over a year ago, the California Department of Motor Vehicles issued draft regulations that would have put the kibosh on autonomous vehicles without a human driver, such as Google’s steering wheel-less prototype. Today, the agency reversed itself, putting out proposed rules that would not only allow for the testing of self-driving cars without a human driver, but also regulate the manufacture and sale of fully autonomous vehicles.</p>

California Revamps Its Rulebook for Autonomous Cars; Totally Driverless Tests May Start Soon

March 13, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p>California residents could be traveling in fully autonomous cars by the end of the year. And by that we mean people who aren’t just test engineers from the more than two dozen companies currently testing self-driving vehicles in the state, but regular members of the public. These folks could soon get their first experience with a technology that industry leaders have promised will transform the way we move around.</p>