Privacy

EU Levels Antitrust Charges Against Abusive Android

April 20, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p class="story-body">The European Commission on Wednesday charged that Google breached EU antitrust rules by seeking to maintain and expand the dominance of its Android operating system.</p> <p>"A competitive mobile Internet sector is increasingly important for consumers and businesses in Europe," said the EC's antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager.</p>

Not OK, Google! FTC Urged To Thrust Antitrust Probe Into Android

April 20, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Google could feel heat stateside after Europe laid down the law</b></p> <p>Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog is calling on the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to follow the European Union's lead and bring antitrust charges against Google Android.</p>

After two children are killed by a driver high on Opiates, it is revealed Kaiser responsible for endemic overprescription with no safeguards to keep addicts from doctor shopping.

April 20, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" height="300" width="500"><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlahpYmVQI0" /><embed height="300" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlahpYmVQI0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500"></embed></object></p>

After long treatments with opioids, young man seeks relief from addiction from doctors. But after a mix up in medications, doctors overprescribe and kill.

April 18, 2016  ·  Evan Thomas King

<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" height="300" width="500"><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msPhhlvukl4" /><embed height="300" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msPhhlvukl4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500"></embed></object>Alex Smick had a wonderful life mapped out for himself.

Journal Times Editorial: Tap The Brakes On Self-Driving Cars

April 17, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="subscriber-preview"> <p>Like many Americans, we’re enamored with the prospects for better living through technological advancements.</p> </div> <div class="subscriber-preview"> <p>And, like many Americans, we often bristle over government regulations and the slow speed of regulators to respond to and adapt to technological change.</p> </div> <div class="subscriber-only"> <p>Today that leaves us giving a heavy sigh as we urge tapping the brakes a bit on the pell-mell rush to put self-driving cars on American roadways.</p>

Ten Questions NHTSA Should Ask Google About Its Self-Driving Car

April 12, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>Consumer Watchdog wants to put the brakes on removing the brakes ... and steering wheel.</strong></p> <p>In comments for a NHTSA public meeting about automated vehicle technology, John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project Director, called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require a steering wheel, brake, and accelerator in automated vehicles so a human driver can take control of a self-driving robot car when necessary.</p>

Which Way Are Driverless Cars Headed?

April 11, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Over the past two years, <a href="https://landing.thestreet.com/web-tsc?oid=017641" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Action Alerts PLUS</a> holding <strong>Alphabet</strong><strong> </strong>(GOOGL) has made a strong push for driverless cars with varying degrees of success, as aspects of the industry have been met with opposition at the federal and state levels.</p>

Experts Caution Self-Driving Cars Aren’t Ready For Roads

April 8, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-11592" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/images_johnsimpsonnhtsahearing.jpg" style="width: 311px; height: 225px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="800" height="578" />WASHINGTON, DC -- Self-driving cars are more likely to hurt than help public safety because of unsolved technical issues, engineers and safety advocates told the government Friday, countering a push by innovators to speed government approval.</p>

Automaker Group Warns Timetable For Self-Driving Vehicle Guidance Too Aggressive

April 8, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p id="yui_3_18_1_1_1460150992185_1314">WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An automaker trade association warned Friday that U.S. auto safety regulators' timetable for unveiling guidance on the deployment of self-driving cars may be too aggressive.</p>

Voices Clash At First Public Hearing On Self-Driving Cars

April 8, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>"We may be on the cusp of a safety innovation revolution," said Mark Rosekind, who runs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), kicking off the federal government's first public hearing on self-driving cars. Over 200 people attended the hearing Friday at the US Department of Transportation's headquarters in Washington, DC. For almost seven hours, agency officials heard testimony from automakers, engineers, consumer watchdogs, and disability advocates on the hopes and fears surrounding autonomous vehicles.

Automakers, Safety Advocates Warn U.S. Over Rush To Deploy Autonomous Cars

April 8, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span class="an_body1">WASHINGTON -- Auto industry and consumer representatives warned Friday that U.S. auto safety regulators' push to aid autonomous car deployments may be too aggressive, and urged greater transparency and public input in policies covering self-driving technology.</span></p>

Consumer Watchdog Group Wants Strict Guidelines On Autonomous Driving

April 8, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Consumer Watchdog on Friday called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require a steering wheel, brake and accelerator in all autonomous vehicles so a human driver can take control of a self-driving vehicle when necessary.</p> <p>The group asked NHTSA to place these requirements in the guidelines the agency is developing on automated vehicle technology. To-date, all the experimental autonomous truck technologies being tested on the market have included each.</p>