*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).
Global internet speed is picking up. In 2017, world internet speeds increased more than 30%. Adriane Blum, Head of Communications at Ookla, a company specialized in broadband testing, network diagnostic applications, and data, was with us to discuss what's driving this improvement.
The Federal Communications Commission just killed net neutrality. The agency voted to repeal regulations that make the future of the internet and the way consumers use it a lot murkier. Andrew McCollum, CEO of Philo, an internet television company that recently introduced a streaming live TV service, joined us to share why he is worried about a world without net neutrality.
The wait is over for Taylor Swift fans. Tickets for T-Swift's "Reputation" stadium tour are officially on sale, and Ticketmaster is helping her fight the fraud bots. Together, the pair created an exclusive program called "Taylor Swift Tix.” Amy Howe, COO at Ticketmaster joined us to discuss how it not only helps the company and the artist, but also the fans.
Wikibuy is an automated shopping assistant that automatically does comparison shopping for users. Wikibuy is powered by the crowd of shoppers who use the Chrome extension. Currently, the extension is used by 1.5 million users.
The front page of the Internet, otherwise known as Reddit, is partnering with Microsoft to improve how you search. Reddit is working with Microsoft and their artificial intelligence technology to make search smarter for Bing users.
BlindLove is the newest dating app on the market that hides a users photo until the matches engage in conversation for an extended period of time. Federico Volinsky and Rembrandt Flores argue that BlindLove is a "love," app, not a dating app. The pair wants users to find meaningful relationships, not just another hookup.
Hello Alfred and real estate company Related have teamed up to offer unique butler services to the residents of Related buildings. Hello Alfred is a personalized assistant service that helps consumers gain back their freedom by handling groceries, dish cleaning, and whatever else you need.
At IBM, data scientists are aggressively recruited for, and yet, there is still a need at the company for more talent. For this reason, IBM is heavily investing in data scientist recruiting, education, and career opportunities.
This week Twitter rolled out a new feature called "Threads." This button makes it easier for users to create tweetstorms on the social platform. Symplegades Founder and CMO Ian Gertler explains how Twitter is introducing new ways to engage with its platform.
The Federal Communications Commission voted to rollback net neutrality rules on Thursday. The Webby Awards Executive Director David-Michel Davies responds to this announcement.
