Privacy

EU Rejects 3rd Google Antitrust Deal; It’s Time For Formal Complaint

September 8, 2014 · John M. Simpson

<img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2571" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/images_europe_flag.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 136px; float: right;" width="443" height="301" />The <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/competition/index_en.html">European Commission’s Competition Commissioner</a> said over the weekend that Google’s proposed antitrust settlement is inadequate and added he would seek further concessions from the Internet giant.

Sen. Barbara Boxer Stars In Ad For Medical Malpractice Initiative

September 3, 2014 · Mark Reback

Sen. Barbara Boxer said malpractice initiative would "prevent medical errors" because "there is more at stake" Backers of Prop. 46 have raised $5 million. Opponents have pulled in around $54 million. U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) emerged as a forceful spokeswoman for an inititiative to raise some medical malpractice awards in the state, appearing Wednesday in supporters' first campaign ad.

California’s Medical Malpractice Measure Prop. 46 Gets Support From Sen. Barbara Boxer

September 3, 2014 · Mark Reback

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Senator Barbara Boxer came out swinging Wednesday on behalf of Proposition 46 in a new ad campaign. Boxer (D-CA) is hoping that her considerable political clout and the emotional case made by grieving parents can offset huge campaign spending by the measure’s opponents. Click here to view the video: <a href="http://youtu.be/eineSE94mdE">http://youtu.be/eineSE94mdE</a>

Lawyer: Google Inc (GOOGL) Settlement of Privacy Lawsuit Smells of Biasness

August 30, 2014 · Mark Reback

It’s highly unlikely for the privacy settlement of a lawsuit facing Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to receive the approval of judges owing to its nature. The settlement, which amounts to $8.5 million, fails because it involves donation to institutions associated with the attorneys who filed the suit. During a fairness hearing on Friday in San Jose, California, a federal judge Edward Davila emphatically said that the settlement “doesn’t pass the smell test” and that he will likely throw it out.

Advertisers Seize On Images Shared By Social Media Users

August 30, 2014 · Mark Reback

<div id="text-pages"> <div class="page" style="display: block;"> When <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Kristyn+Fernandez%22">Kristyn Fernandez</a> uploaded a photo of herself with her arm slung over a guy in a <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Jack+Daniel%22">Jack Daniel</a>'s T-shirt, it caught the eye of more than just her Twitter followers.

Google Settlement “Doesn’t Pass The Smell Test”

August 29, 2014 · John M. Simpson

<img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2796" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/images_google-money.jpg" style="width: 225px; float: right; height: 109px;" width="620" height="300" />An $8.5 million settlement in a class action privacy lawsuit against Google “doesn’t pass the smell test” a federal judge said at a fairness hearing on the proposed deal Friday in San Jose, CA, indicating he will likely reject it.

Google Bans Privacy App From Google Play

August 29, 2014 · John M. Simpson

<img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2639" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/images_googleplay.jpg" style="width: 191px; height: 191px; float: right;" width="191" height="191" />You know how Google executives are always claiming that they care about privacy? Well, yet again their actions demonstrate just how empty those claims actually are are.

Privacy Groups Seek To Scuttle Google’s $8.5 Million Class-Action Settlement

August 27, 2014 · Mark Reback

Five privacy organizations are asking a judge to scuttle Google's $8.5 million settlement of a class-action privacy lawsuit. “The proposed settlement is bad for consumers and does nothing to change Google’s business practices,” the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Watchdog, Patient Privacy Rights and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse said today in a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, Calif.

Op-Ed – Dr. Stephen Loyd: An Addicted Doctor Offers Argument For Drug Testing

August 26, 2014 · Mark Reback

Opponents of random drug testing of doctors, as a ballot proposition on the November ballot in California would require, say it's an unnecessary intrusion on doctors' privacy. Maybe testing is necessary for pilots and truckers, they say, but not for doctors because we are not in professions that affect public safety.

Cupertino to Get Super-Fast AT&T Broadband Service

August 20, 2014 · Consumer Watchdog

CUPERTINO -- This city is about to get a GigaPower boost to speed up Internet service. AT&T is set to announce Wednesday it will bring super-fast broadband service, dubbed GigaPower, to Apple's hometown. It promises download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, which is fast enough to download a high-definition movie in half a minute and is 100 times faster than the connection in the average American home.

Facebook Is Quietly Making Friends With State Lawmakers Across The Country

August 20, 2014 · Consumer Watchdog

WASHINGTON -- Just hours after Facebook officially went public on the New York Stock Exchange on May 18, 2012, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/18/a-big-bill-for-facebook/" target="_hplink" rel="noopener">signed a bill</a> that granted the multibillion-dollar company an enormous tax break on its data center in Prineville, Oregon. The legislation, dubbed the "Facebook bill" by local media, changed the way taxes were assessed on tech companies' data centers. The move saved the social media giant millions of dollars.

Judge Rejects $324.5M Wage-Fixing Deal Struck By Apple, Google, Others As Too Low

August 8, 2014 · Mark Reback

Judge Lucy Koh says class action suit, also involving Intel and Adobe, has compelling evidence that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs was "a, if not the, central figure in the alleged conspiracy." A US district court judge has rejected a settlement reached in a wage-fixing lawsuit involving Silicon Valley powerhouses such as Apple and Google, saying the $324.5 million deal is too low.

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