*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 Facebook-owned company launched its new long-form video content platform on Wednesday, a bid to take on YouTube and Snapchat and introduce a kind of viral element that made the now-defunct Vine so popular.
Pandora Senior Vice President Lizzie Widhelm teased the new season of the wildly popular "This American Life" series as she explained to Cheddar why her company sees a ripe opportunity in what remains a very young platform for podcasts.
Employees of big tech companies hold their leaders to a high moral standard and force them to speak out, says Dana Wollman, executive editor at Endgadget. Microsoft staff recently protested against letting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been criticized for its treatment of migrant children at the border, use the company's Azure cloud technology.
The bidding war for Fox is on. Disney upped its bid for 21st Century Fox on Wednesday morning, offering $71.3 billion in cash and stock for Fox assets. Disney's latest bid tops Comcast's offer from last week, valued at $65 billion.
AT&T and Sprint are following in Verizon's footsteps to change their privacy practices. The wireless carriers vowed to limit their agreements with third parties that allows them to track the location of consumers through their phones.
Peter Naylor, senior vice president of advertising at Hulu, sits down with Cheddar founder and CEO Jon Steinberg at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Naylor talks about the role of advertising on its platform and why advertisers prefer streaming platforms to cable networks.
Dennis Williams, SVP at HBO, discusses how the AT&T-Time Warner merger will impact the company's programming. Plus, why you need to understand the evolution of technology to make amazing content.
The wireless company, fresh off its deal to buy Time Warner, wants to build out an ad platform to rival Facebook and Google.
The cannabis culture company launched an equity crowdsourcing campaign on its own website Tuesday ahead of an official IPO expected this quarter. CEO Adam Levin told Cheddar shares will be offered at $11 apiece.
The founder of the streaming platform, DeShuna Elisa Spencer, created KweliTV after realizing that there was barely any content she could relate to on other channels. KweliTV now has 30,000 paying subscribers and is home to independent films, shows, and documentaries by and for the black community.
IBM on Monday hosted a debate between live humans and an AI-powered robot that managed to hold its own, scanning through research and news reports to formulate arguments against its opponents. It even managed to convince the audience to favor its stance, displaying its nuanced ability to create persuading opinions. "This is a great tool for helping educate the public," says Arvind Krishna, SVP & Director of IBM Research.
Each team competing in the hugely popular esports competition, which culminates in the sold-out Grand Finals at Brooklyn's Barclays Center next month, is attached to a city, giving fans a reason to follow. "We wanted to make an esport league that was really easy to follow," says Overwatch commissioner Nate Nanzer.
