*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).
The company behind XRP, the third highest cryptocurrency by market cap, wants the digital asset to become more than just an investment for consumers and that's been difficult partly because of the confusion around the technology. But Ripple's Chief Market Strategist Cory Johnson says consumers don't need to understand the technology to use it. "Do you actually know what happens when you send a text message and throw some emojis onto it?"
Singapore's competition watchdog is proposing fines on Uber and Grab, saying the recent merger between the two companies stifles competition. The Competition and Consumer Commission, or CCCS, even suggested unwinding the deal between Uber and Grab. Last March, Uber sold its Southeast Asia business to ride-hailing rival, Grab.
Amazon is reportedly planning to roll out a holiday catalog later this year. The catalog would be mailed out to millions of U.S. households and would also be available to customers at Whole Foods locations across the country. The e-commerce giant is looking to attract holiday shoppers from Toys R Us after the toy chain shuttered all U.S. stores.
Business Insider reported that Tesla's CEO Elon Musk asked engineers to halt putting Model 3 vehicles through a standard brake and roll alignment test before leaving the factory floor.
The federal investigation into Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal is expanding. AT&T raising prices on DirecTV Now by $5 a month. Trump’s shortlist for replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy's seat on the Supreme Court.
The e-cigarette company announced last week it was raising $1.2 billion, which would value it at $15 billion. Dan Primack, business editor at Axios, tells Cheddar that the "valuation is justified on the math," but questions the company's ethics. “Does it want to stop kids from getting these?”
The ride-sharing company is following rival Uber into the bike-sharing business, buying Motivate, the company that owns Citi Bike. The deal is estimated to be worth about $250 million and would give Lyft “exclusive rights” to contracts already existing in some cities, says Patrick Sisson, senior reporter at Curbed. Uber acquired electric bike company Jump Bikes earlier this year.
The SEC, FBI, and FTC are reportedly joining the Justice Department in investigating whether the social network withheld information about the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Shares of Facebook were down in early trade on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Elon Musk said the electric automaker produced 5,000 of the mass-market vehicles in the last week of June, finally hitting the target originally set for the third quarter of last year. A day later, the company announced its senior vice president of engineering Doug Field, who'd been on a leave of absence since May, had stepped down from his position.
The day the retail giant announced plans to acquire the online pharmacy company PillPack, competing retail pharmacy companies took a significant blow. Eight companies, including CVS and Rite Aid, dropped $17.5 billion in market cap in just one day.
The ride-sharing company announced plans to begin testing autonomous-vehicle operations, despite a fatal crash involving an Uber driverless car in Arizona back in March. “There are about 30,000 people that die in automotive crashes every single year and there is an expectation that this is a technology that could substantially reduce that number,” says Ben Fox Rubin, CNET News senior reporter.
The crowdfunding platform announced plans to help teams raise money in a more collaborative way. "We realized that market was under served," GoFundMe CMO Raquel Rozas tells Cheddar.
