Privacy

Driverless-Car Makers Worry That California’s Proposed Rules Will Slow Their Progress

October 19, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>California’s proposed rules for self-driving vehicles got another road test Wednesday, as vehicle makers and industry groups expressed concern at a public workshop that the Department of Motor Vehicles’ regulations could slow development of the technology and conflict with more flexible federal guidelines.</p>

As Self-Driving Cars Hit the Road, Cybersecurity Takes A Back Seat

October 13, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>While consumers and industry experts worry about cybersecurity in autonomous vehicles, government regulators are still struggling to respond to digital risks in driverless cars.</b></p> <p>Uber has started to test self-driving cars on public roads in Pittsburgh, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released <a href="http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/dot-federal-policy-for-automated-vehicles-09202016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new guidelines for the vehicles</a> in September, setting the stage for other companies to deploy autonomous vehicles en masse.</p>

Are Third-Party Hotel Booking Sites Ripping You Off?

October 11, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016 has been introduced in the Senate and the hotel industry is celebrating, says <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/lifestyle/travel/a-proposed-bill-limits-third-party-hotel-booking-but-consumers-have-greater-concerns/2016/10/06/4296a208-8a46-11e6-b24f-a7f89eb68887_story.html?outputType=accessibility%E2%88%8Bd=menu_nav_accessibilityforscreenreader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christopher Elliott for <em>The Washington Post</em>.</a> But Elliott questions whether these sites are really ripping off consumers and points out that the lodging industry may just

Mothers, Consumer Advocates Promote Proposition 61 To Stop Drug Price Gouging

October 10, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div> <p>Consumer advocates and concerned parents gathered Monday in Santa Monica to condemn the drug industry’s well-heeled campaign against <a href="http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/quick-reference-guide/61.htm">Proposition 61</a>, a measure designed to stop drug price gouging.</p>

Carmakers Prepare For More Aggressive Self-Driving Regs

October 10, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><em>Washington</em> — Auto companies are preparing for a future in which cars drive themselves — and federal regulators have to make sure they’re safe before they ever hit the road.</p> <div> <p>Proposed guidance released by the U.S. Department of Transportation last month calls for automakers to meet 15 guidelines before they can put self-driving cars on public roads. The pre-checks are a sharp departure from the federal government’s typical posture of largely waiting for automakers to self-report problems before recalls are issued.</p>

EpiPen Reaches Lightning-Quick Settlement With Justice Department

October 8, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>The auto-injector's manufacturer agrees to pay $465 million after an 'investigation' of less than two weeks</b></p> <p>Some would say that Mylan Pharmaceuticals has been slow to satisfy consumer calls for price rollbacks on the EpiPen auto-injector. But Mylan wasted no time reaching a settlement over the issue of whether it had <a href="https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/lawmakers-say-mylan-misclassified-epipens-as-a-generic-costing-taxpayers-100616.html">overcharged Medicaid</a> for the emergency allergy treatment.</p>

Feds Outline New Privacy Rules For Internet Providers

October 7, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<h3 itemprop="alternativeHeadline">Consumers would have more control over how their data is shared</h3> <p>Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler has <a href="http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2016/db1006/DOC-341633A1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued a proposal</a> for new privacy rules governing broadband internet service providers (ISP), the companies that connect you to the internet.</p> <p>Wheeler says the rules give consumers the tools they need to control how ISPs use their data, such as what sites they visit online.</p>

FCC Chief: ISPs Must Obtain Opt-In Consent To Target Users Based On Web Browsing History

October 6, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="col-md-11" id="article_body_main"> <p>Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has refined his proposal for broadband privacy rules, but is still recommending rules that could restrict providers' ability to send targeted ads to subscribers.</p>

FCC Proposal: Internet Providers Must Ask To Share Your Data

October 6, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="copy-paste-block"> <p><span class="dateline">Research Triangle Park, N.C. — </span>A new FCC privacy proposal up for a vote this month will require broadband providers like Verizon and Comcast to get your permission before sharing with advertisers the websites or apps you've been using.</p> <p>The Federal Communication Commission has changed its broadband-privacy plan since it was initially proposed in March. The FCC explained the revision Thursday and plans to vote on it Oct. 27.</p> <p>A consumer group likes the plan.</p>

Internet Service Providers Would Need Customer Permission To Share Sensitive Data Under FCC Proposal

October 6, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Cable and wireless companies would need customer permission before sharing sensitive personal data, including the contents of emails, Web browsing history, financial information and a mobile device’s geographic location, under a proposal released Thursday by the head of the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/business/media-industry/federal-communications-commission-ORGOV000341-topic.html" id="ORGOV000341" title="Federal Communications Commission">Federal Communications Commission</a>.</p>

A Proposed Bill Limits Third-Party Hotel Booking, But Consumers Have Greater Concerns

October 6, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p style="">The hotel industry is celebrating a big win after the recent introduction of the Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016 in the Senate.</p> <p style="">“It’s a good bill,” says Rosanna Maietta, a spokeswoman for the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), which has been pushing for the legislation. She’s right. It’s a good bill — especially for the hotel industry.</p>

Uber Faces Tougher Screening, But The Occasional Criminal Could Still Get Through

September 29, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p class="first-para" style="">A new law signed yesterday by Gov. Jerry Brown will subject Uber and Lyft drivers to tougher security screening. But the measure doesn't take background screening to the depths faced by taxi drivers in the city of Los Angeles, where <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fingerprint-based checks</a> against California Department of Justice and FBI databases are mandated for cabbies.</p>