*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 wedding registry platform, which recently raised $100 million in fresh funding, is looking to expanding into every step of the wedding planning process "from engagement through to the first year of marraige," says CEO Shan-Lyn Ma.
Warren Buffett isn't betting on bitcoin anytime soon. Over the weekend at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting, Buffett said the digital currency is "probably rat poison squared." Buffett has long been skeptical about cryptocurrencies. At the conference, Buffett also made headlines when he said he regretted not investing in Amazon and Alphabet.
Starting Monday, Tesla will start kicking out contract workers unless a fulltime employee can vouch for them. In an email to employees, Elon Musk said Tesla employees will need to send HR a note affirming the character of the contractor, or else that person will be denied access to Tesla's facilities. Tesla employs around 40,000 people worldwide.
And we speak to Shan-Lyn Ma, co-founder and CEO of Zola, about the company's latest funding round. Zola has worked on improving the wedding registry process for couples. With this new funding, Ma says Zola will work to ensure every part of the wedding planning process is seamless, from budgeting to the honeymoon.
Zachariah Reitano's Roman Health is using the treatment of erectile dysfunction to save lives by helping men discover the sometimes very serious underlying causes of the condition.
David Klein, CFO of Constellation Brands, the owner of Corona, Modelo, and Pacifica, says Cinco De Mayo is not just great for sales, but allows the company to win the retail floor straight through summer.
Brian Deagon, senior reporter at Investor's Business Daily, says he understands why the Tesla CEO would be agitated by short sellers and hearing the same questions about production and cash flow every quarter.
The on-demand app that connects patients with doctors has seen rapid growth in the past few years, particularly in mental health services, and recently raised an additional $74 million in funding. "Not only does it make access to a doctor much, much easier, it also addresses a lot of the stigma associated with mental health," says CEO Hill Ferguson.
Ujo Music's co-founder Jesse Grushack says the music industry is broken, because artists can't get paid fairly or accurately for the music they create on all the platforms where it might appear. He says blockchain technology can help fix this going forward.
Glamour magazine's Morgen Peck, who recently wrote a story about the leading women in cryptocurrency, says their increasingly visible role may change the so-called bro culture of the industry.
Musk's behavior during his earnings conference call Wednesday surprised reporters and rattled some investors: Tesla's stock opened down more than 6 percent Thursday.
But Galileo Russell, the founder of the YouTube channel HyperChange TV, said retail investors found it “the most informative conference call they’ve ever heard from Tesla.”
The guided meditation app wants to make the ancient practice of mindfulness easier for people. You don't need "to sit down on the floor, cross-legged, light some incense," says the Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe, a trained Buddhist monk.
