The regulation guaranteeing net neutrality–the rule that an internet service provider can’t give preferential treatment to one kind of content over another–went belly up earlier this month when an appeals court struck it down. [More]
Government Policy
CFPB Outlines Common Sense Ways You Can Protect Yourself From Hacks
By 1.27.14
On the heels of yet another announcement of a consumer information hack, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a consumer advisory to help consumers protect themselves and where to get help if they suspect their information has been compromised. [More]
Ask Tax Dad: Send Us Your Questions For Consumerist’s Tax Columnist
By 1.27.14
It’s almost time for W-2s and other tax documents to start winging their way from employers to our homes, and for the anxiety-inducing yearly tax season to begin. But taxes don’t have to be scary if your dad is there to help. Or, if your own dad isn’t around or doesn’t know anything about taxes, how about my dad? [More]
Compromise In California: Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags, Charge For Reusable Ones
By 1.24.14
Lawmakers in California have been arguing about the prospect of banning plastic bags for the last decade. This isn’t just a prime example of “your government at work,” but is also a key consumer issue. Now there’s a new bill before that state’s Assembly that aims to banish the plastic bag scourge from stores. [More]
Flushmate III Toilet System Recalled Because Toilet Explosions Are Very Bad
By 1.24.14
Words that you never want to see in close proximity to each other: “toilet,” “explosion,” and “shatter.” That’s why the Flushmate flush-assist system has been recalled, though: one of the welds in the system can break, shattering the toilet tank and posing an “impact and laceration hazards to consumers,” as the Consumer Product Safety Commission elegantly explains. [More]
January Food And Supplement Recall Roundup: Dairy Invasion
By 1.24.14
Undeclared dairy products seem to be showing up in lots of places where they aren’t wanted: candy, gluten-free bread mixes, and even dietary supplements. Welcome to the January Recall Roundup for edible items. [More]
The Evolution Of Airport Security: From Carry-On Dynamite To No Liquids Allowed
By 1.24.14
Airports can be one of the most frustrating places in the world to spend an afternoon. Getting to the airport two hours early, waiting in security lines, taking off your shoes, walking through space-age like metal detectors, it can all be a huge hassle. But it wasn’t always that way. Before the days of 3.4-ounce liquids and random screenings, airport security was pretty simple. [More]
Nutrition Facts Labels Getting First Makeover In Twenty Years… Eventually
By 1.24.14
Pick up any package of food at the grocery store, turn it around, and there it is: the ubiquitous, standardized nutrition label. It’s second nature at this point: we all know exactly what it looks like, and what we can expect to find listed on it. [More]
CFPB Wants To Supervise International Money Transfer Operations
By 1.23.14
In Oct. 2013, new rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau kicked in that provided new disclosures and protections for people making international money transfers. While the CFPB has the ability to check in with the nation’s largest banks and credit unions to make sure they are complying with these new rules, it doesn’t yet have that authority for non-bank companies that offer this service. [More]
Nissan Scolded For Ad Showing Truck Doing The Impossible
By 1.23.14
You may remember the car ad from a couple years back in which a Nissan Frontier comes to the rescue of a stranded dune buggy, muscling up the mountain of sand and pushing the buggy over the top. The Federal Trade Commission believes that this sort of thing — showing off a feature of a vehicle that does not exist — is deceptive, and has slapped both the car company and the ad agency on the wrists over it. [More]
Advisory Panel Tells President To Stop Letting NSA Collect Everyone’s Phone Data
By 1.23.14
An advisory panel to President Obama is calling for an end to the NSA’s highly controversial phone data collection program. [More]
Netflix Would Ask Consumers To Protest If ISPs Try Blocking Or Throttling Service
By 1.23.14
The upshot of last week’s federal appeals court ruling that tossed out the core of the FCC’s net neutrality rule is that Internet Service Providers can now impede access to competing or data-hogging websites by downgrading or blocking these content providers. Netflix, the country’s single largest devourer of bandwidth, had been relatively quiet on this ruling, until yesterday, when it shared its view of the future of net neutrality with investors. [More]
DirectBuy Closed Members’ Local Showroom: Now What?
By 1.22.14
Longtime Consumerist readers might remember that we aren’t huge fans of the advertising or sales tactics that shopping club DirectBuy uses. But if someone does spend thousands of dollars to join, then they should be treated fairly by the company, right? Not when the nearest showroom closes down, and the company doesn’t understand why their new members can’t make an easy two-hour trip to the nearest one that remains open. [More]
Better, Stronger, Faster? New Federal Safety Rules Proposed for Child Car Seats
By 1.22.14
From a parent’s perspective, frequent changes in car seat regulations and standards can be daunting. Still, safety is paramount, and so the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing a round of new safety standards for child car seats. [More]
FTC: 12 Companies, Including 3 NFL Teams, Misrepresent Compliance Of Privacy Frameworks
By 1.21.14
Abiding by privacy standards is a big deal, even if those standards are voluntary. Twelve businesses, some that handle sensitive personal data about health and employment, were found to falsely claim they abided by international privacy frameworks. [More]
Microsoft Pays YouTube Users A Pittance To Promote Xbox One & Not Say Anything Bad About It
By 1.21.14
Dear Microsoft: If you’re going to ask YouTube video bloggers to sell out and shill for your Xbox One console, at least open up your wallet and spend some real money. Is all the negative publicity — and potential regulatory hassle — that’s destined to come of it worth a mere $3,750? [More]
No Big Surprise: TV Watchers Fleeing Premium Channels For Streaming
By 1.20.14
With more and more options in premium television popping up, consumer subscription habits are evolving. So it comes as no surprise that subscription video-on-demand services are on the rise, while premium TV channel subscriptions have declined. [More]
