Privacy

Google: Self-Driving Cars Improve, But Still Need Human Help

January 12, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>LOS ANGELES _ Google’s futuristic self-driving cars needed some old-fashioned human intervention to avoid 11 crashes during testing on California roads, the company revealed Tuesday, results it says are encouraging but show the technology has yet to reach the goal of not needing someone behind the wheel.</p> <p><br /> With Google’s fleet logging tens of thousands of miles each month, the 11 instances would be the equivalent of a car having one event every three years, based on how much the average vehicle is driven in the U.S.</p>

The Most Common Reasons Real Drivers Seize Control Of A Google Self-Driving Car

January 12, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span>Over the course of the 1.3 million miles that Google's self-driving vehicles have cruised around public roads since September 2014, the cars failed 272 times, according to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/and%C2%A0had%20to%20be%20pulled%20out%20of%20their%20autonomous%20mode%20">a new report for the Department of Motor Vehicles that Google just published</a>. </span></p> <p>Each time, the cars "disengaged" from their autonomous mode, giving control to the the driver. </p>

Google Reveals The Number Of Tech Glitches In Self-Driving Cars

January 12, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Google’s self-driving cars roaming through the roads of Mountain View and Texas for test runs have been involved in <a href="http://www.siliconbeat.com/2015/10/09/dmv-tesla-collided-google-robot-car/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some fender benders</a>, but distracted drivers were the ones who rear ended the cars.</p>

Reports Detail Thousands Of Failures In Self-Driving Cars

January 12, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>As Obama Touts Transportation Tech, Documents Douse Autonomous Enthusiasm</b></p> <p>On the same night President Obama pressed the need to build a "21st century transportation system" in his final State of the Union speech, a new report released by one of the companies leading that charge showed serious potholes remain ahead.</p> <p><br /> Self-driving cars are one of the most promising technologies in that vision. One day, they could help reduce traffic fatalities, improve mobility and ease congestion.</p>

Self-Driving Cars in California Handed Control to Human Drivers Thousands of Times, Reports Show

January 12, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Mandatory reports released Jan. 12 by the California Department of Motor Vehicles from seven companies testing self-driving cars on public roads in the state come amid a debate about whether cars should be able to drive themselves without a human present.</b></p> <div class="span10 article-body"> <p>Seven companies testing autonomous vehicles on public roads in California have reported to the state Department of Motor Vehicles that those self-driving cars handed control over to human drivers 2,704 times.</p>

Autonomous Cars Are Big At CES, But They Leave Consumers Uneasy

January 8, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div itemprop="articleBody">From <a class="injectedLinkmain" href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/">BMW's</a> iVision autonomous concept to reports of a potential Ford-Google collaboration to a dozen other heralded developments in Las Vegas this week, self-driving cars have become a major attraction at CES. Collectively, companies have touted <a class="injectedLinkmain" href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/autonomous/">autonomous cars</a> as a means to delivering a safer, more fuel-efficient, more comfortable transportation experience.<br /> <br />

General Data Protection Regulation, Safe Harbor Dominate EU Outlook

January 6, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span>Jan. 6 —</span> Multinational companies have their eyes on two major issues in the European Union for 2016—the final adoption of a new privacy and data security framework for the EU and the move to replace the invalidated U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Program that eased the transfer of personal data from the EU.</p> <p>The new privacy regime brought by the General Data Protection Regulation would replace the 20-year-old Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC) in an attempt to bring data protection principles into the 21st Century.</p>

The Lowdown: Robot Cars At The Consumer Electronics Show

January 6, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Out in Las Vegas this week, plenty of automakers are using the <strong>Consumer Electronics Show</strong> to tout techy innovations and plug autonomous driving developments. But advocacy group <strong>Consumer Watchdog</strong> is trying to crash the party.

U.S. Government Sues Volkswagen Over Cheating On Emissions Tests

January 5, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil complaint Monday against Volkswagen over its sale of vehicles that used software to cheat on U.S. emissions tests, sharply turning up the heat on the German automaker.</p> <p><br /> The complaint, filed in federal court in Detroit on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accused Volkswagen of violating federal law by installing the illegal software on 580,000 cars.</p>

How ‘Do Not Track’ Ended Up Going Nowhere

January 4, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Back in 2010, the Federal Trade Commission pledged to give Internet users the power to determine if or when websites were allowed to <a class="external" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2010/12/ftc-staff-issues-privacy-report-offers-framework-consumers">track their behavior</a>.</p>

4 Competing Tax Measures To Split Voters’ Attention In November

January 3, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>With four tax initiatives on track for the November ballot, California voters are going to have to decide how much is too much.</p> <p><br /> A pair of competing measures to extend 2012's expiring Proposition 30 tax hikes, a plan to boost the tobacco tax by $2 a pack and an initiative to put additional taxes on property valued at $3 million or more are all out on the street, with supporters working to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.</p>

Consumer Group Applauds Self-Driving Car Rules

December 26, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>"Our Palo Alto team has grown significantly this year, using research and innovation to explore and develop future mobility solutions", said Ford CEO Mark Fields. Ford will test autonomously in the second half of 2016.</p> <p>Coming almost a year after its January 1st, 2014 deadline, the California Department of Motor Vehicle today released those draft rules governing the use and operation of self-driving cars on California roadways. The state of California has already pushed out the first draft policy on self-driving vehicles.</p>