*By Mike Teich*
A sweeping data privacy bill has been approved in California, but it may be too late for internet users to protect their information, said former National Counterterrorism Center officer Dave White.
"You have to consider yourself compromised," he said. "You’ve already given your data away."
Experts are calling it the nation's most far-reaching law to give consumers more control over their personal data. Under the law, customers can request what personal data companies have collected and what third parties have received it.
The passing of the historical bill didn't come without criticism. The ACLU of Northern California said the legislation falls "woefully short" in defending individuals' rights.
"It's a great first step," White said. However, “it doesn’t go far enough."
Companies that collect user data, from Amazon to Microsoft to Uber, lobbied aggressively against the law, pouring millions into a [opposition campaigns](https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/15/17468292/amazon-microsoft-uber-california-consumer-privacy-act).
But consumer advocates called it a milestone victory. "Today was a [huge win](http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/28/technology/california-consumer-privacy-act/index.html) and gives consumer privacy advocates a blueprint for success," James P. Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media. "We look forward to working together with lawmakers across the nation to ensure robust data privacy protections for all Americans."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/california-passes-historic-privacy-bill).
Critics slammed Amazon.com for selling Christmas ornaments, bottle openers and other trinkets that featured scenes of the Auschwitz concentration camp ー all made by a third party seller called "Fcheng."
Offensive trinkets sold on the Amazon Marketplace may be part of a bigger problem facing retailers: the rise of robots using algorithms to generate an endless variety of cheap products--all to entice even one buyer. Juozas Kaziukėnas, founder of e-commerce analysis company Marketplace Pulse, explains how these sellers work.
The automaker and breakfast purveyor announced a collaboration to create plastic vehicle parts out of coffee bean waste from the roasting process.
Expedia's Chief Executive Mark Okerstrom and Chief Financial Officer Alan Pickerill will resign their posts effective immediately. The year has been notable for how many chief executives have resigned, quit, or been forced out.
The San Francisco-based company, led by SoFi's former CEO Mike Cagney, provides fixed-rate Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs) in an all-digital process that promises borrowers decisions in less than five minutes and funding in less than five days.
Geoffroy Van Raemdonick, CEO of Neiman Marcus, told Cheddar that the luxury retailer is embracing a guided online shopping experience with the help of personal shoppers and machine learning.
The New York State Department of Financial Services has granted the notoriously tough-to-get BitLicense to the digital bank to trade cryptocurrencies.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, December 3, 2019
The energy sector is in "a really exciting time," Chairman Neil Chatterjee told Cheddar Monday. His agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is charged with overseeing the power grid.
Cyber Monday has grown to become one of the most critical shopping events of the year for retailers. In 2019, Adobe Analytics is predicting consumers are on track to spend $9.4 billion ー 19 percent year-over-year growth.
