Privacy

Feds to Google: Software Could be Considered a ‘Driver’ for Regulatory Purposes

February 10, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>In a limited sort of way, a federal agency has sent a ray of sunshine down to the automotive industry suggesting that cars that will drive without humans are OK after all.</p>

Sacramento Bee’s Transportation Reporter Puts Google’s Self-Driving Car To The Test

February 6, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span class="dateline">Mountain View</span><span class="ng_intro_bold">, CA -- I’m sitting in the back seat of a car with no driver, watching the steering wheel spin one way, then the other, as the car winds through suburban neighborhood streets. Yet I have no fear. Well, almost none.</span></p> <div class="clearfix" id="story-target"> <div id="content-body-16194260-58899473"> <p>It’s a self-driving car built by Google, and I’m getting a glimpse of the future.</p>

Do Self-Driving Cars Need A Licensed Driver?

February 5, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="story" itemprop="articleBody"> <p class="story_text">If there's one priority for self-driving cars upon which everyone can agree, it's safety. Google and other manufacturers are quick to tout the autonomous vehicles as a way to prevent around 33,000 U.S. deaths and many more injuries from auto-related crashes each year. But for all the triumphs of autonomous cars, regulators and consumer advocates warn there are too many risks to give these vehicles free rein on public roads.</p>

Consumer Advocate, Self-Driving Car Researcher Debate CA DMV’s Proposed Rules For Autonomous Vehicles

February 4, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2016/02/04/46184/consumer-advocate-self-driving-car-researcher-deba/">Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast.</a></p> <div class="prose-body"> <p class="inaugural">California is the car capital of the world. It’s also becoming the self-driving car capital of the world.</p>

Lawmaker Seeks To Dissolve California Utilities Regulator

February 4, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A Southern California lawmaker said Wednesday that he will seek to bypass Gov. Jerry Brown and ask voters to break apart California's utilities regulator following allegations of wrongdoing.</p> <p><br /> Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, said the California Public Utilities Commission as it is currently known would cease to exist in 2018 if voters approve his plan.</p> <p><br /> The PUC has been a profound disappointment to residents and lawmakers in recent years, said Gatto, chairman of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee.</p>

Overhaul Of State Utilities Panel Sought

February 4, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO, CA -- State legislators are calling for a major overhaul of California's utilities regulator by striking it from the state Constitution and reassigning its sprawling portfolio in the wake of a series of controversies, including the natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon.</p> <p><br /> Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) said his measure would decentralize the California Public Utilities Commission's oversight of myriad utilities, including electricity, railroad safety and ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft.</p>

Obama Administration Doubles Down On Fight Against Opioid Abuse With $1.2 Billion In Proposed New Funding

February 3, 2016  ·  Carmen Balber

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-21025" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/images_drugs_6.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 170px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="200" height="170" />Santa Monica, CA – President Obama proposed another $1.2 billion in federal funding to raise the ante in the fight against opioid abuse, including funds to expand the use of state prescription drug databases. A California bill would implement this prevention strategy by requiring physicians to check California’s prescription drug database before prescribing opiates.  </p>

UC Berkeley Students File Lawsuit Against Google Alleging Illegal Scanning Of Emails

February 1, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="entry-content"> <p>In March 2014, Google fell under fire for scanning emails in Apps for Education<span style="font-weight: 400">, a </span>collection of online tools and services that include Google Drive and Google Mail<span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></p> <p>Now, nearly two years later, four UC Berkeley students and alumni filed a lawsuit against Google Inc. on Wednesday, alleging that UC Berkeley emails were the target of such data mining between 2012 and 2014.</p>

Why The Ad Industry Will Never Win The War On Ad Blockers

January 28, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>The head of the Interactive Advertising Bureau came out swinging against ad blockers this week. Instead of even attempting to fairly distribute blame for the chaotic state of the ad industry, the executive pointed his finger everywhere else but at IAB members.</b></p>

AM Alert: California Jump-Starts Discussion On Self-Driving Car Rules

January 28, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>Department of Motor Vehicles begins to take public input on draft regulations released in December</strong></p> <p>With dozens of manufacturers pushing to get self-driving cars onto the road, California has grappled for the last several years to <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article2577666.html" target="_blank" title="" rel="noopener">craft rules</a> that protect public safety without hindering the development of a potentially life-saving technology.</p>

Regulators Get Input — Sort Of — On Self-Driving Car Rollout

January 28, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p style="">SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California regulators deciding how to permit the future rollout of self-driving cars were told Thursday by consumer advocates that their cautious approach was right on, and by companies developing the technology that the current course will delay deployment of vehicles that promise huge safety benefits.</p>

Watchdog Cracks Down On Lobbyist Shell Games

January 22, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) - California lobbyists will no longer be allowed to conceal millions in expenditures after state regulators voted Thursday to force interest groups to itemize expenses in quarterly state reports.</p> <p><br />      The Fair Political Practices Commission unanimously approved stricter reporting rules that require interest groups to breakdown the specifics of "shadow payments" listed under a category known as "other payments to influence."</p>