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New York joins Massachusetts investigation of Facebook's data use
All eyes are on Facebook as more and more information rolls out regarding Cambridge Analytica, its involvement in recent elections and forums and how it came to obtain 50 million Facebook users' profile information. Now, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is joining those demanding more information from the social network giant. "Consumers have a right to know how their information is used -- and companies like Facebook have a fundamental responsibility to protect their users' personal information," Schneiderman said in a statement. "Today, along with Massachusetts Attorney General Healey, we sent a demand letter to Facebook -- the first step in our joint investigation to get to the bottom of what happened."
23 attorneys general refile challenge to FCC net neutrality repeal
The FCC's order to overturn net neutrality protections was officially published in the Federal Register today and soon thereafter, the attorneys general of 22 states and Washington DC filed a lawsuit challenging the FCC's order. The coalition filed a suit earlier this year, but agreed last week to withdraw it until the FCC published the order, Reuters reports. "Today, the FCC made official its illegal rollback of net neutrality -- and, as promised, our coalition of attorneys general is filing suit," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. "Consumers and businesses in New York and across the country have the right to a free and open internet, and our coalition of attorneys general won't stop fighting to protect that right."
Senators ask the FCC to delay its net neutrality vote (updated)
A group of senators has sent a letter to the FCC asking the commission to delay its December 14th vote on proposed net neutrality protection rollbacks, The Hill reports. Led by Senator Maggie Hassan, 28 senators signed the letter, which pointed to evidence that the proposal's public comments were rife with fraudulent posts. "A free and open internet is vital to ensuring a level playing field online, and we believe that your proposed action may be based on an incomplete understanding of the public record in this proceeding," they wrote. "In fact, there is good reason to believe that the record may be replete with fake or fraudulent comments, suggesting that your proposal is fundamentally flawed."
New Yorkers can report identities used in fake net neutrality comments
Last week, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman posted an open letter that blasted the FCC for refusing to investigate the allegedly fake anti-net neutrality responses to the agency's public comment portal. Now Schneideman is taking matters into his own hands with a new web portal for New Yorkers to check and see if their identities were used without consent, then report to the Attorney General's office if they were.
New York AG blasts FCC for refusing to help fight net neutrality spam
Were you frustrated that the FCC did nothing to look into bots flooding its public comment system with anti-net neutrality spam before deciding to kill net neutrality? So was New York. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has posted an open letter chastising the FCC for refusing to help investigate this "illegal conduct." New York made requests for records "at least 9 times" between June and November, and asked key FCC officials (including Chairman Ajit Pai) for help, all to no avail -- there was "no substantive response" to any of the inquiries, Schneiderman said.
Hilton data breaches lead to $700,000 penalty
The attorneys general of New York and Vermont both announced today that their joint investigation into two Hilton data breaches has resulted in a $700,000 penalty and a promise to strengthen security. In February of 2015, Hilton was made aware of a cybersecurity breach that occurred between November and December of 2014. A second breach that exposed sensitive customer data between April and July of 2015 was uncovered that July, but the company waited until November of that year to inform those affected by the breaches. In all, over 363,000 credit card numbers were exposed.
NY Attorney General takes aim at high-tech ticket scalpers
The state of New York has been known to take the lead on matters of consumer protection, and it looks like Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will do so once more. Schneiderman's office released a report titled "Obstructed View: What's Blocking New Yorkers from Getting Tickets" that details the "fixed game" of trying to secure admission to high-profile events. Following a three-year investigation, the report discusses an online ticketing business where brokers are use bots and other tech to nab loads of tickets in seconds. Of course, those tickets are then resold at higher prices based on demand.
NY Attorney General wants public to report broadband speeds
If you're a New York resident, here's your chance to tell the state government how bad your internet service really is. The state's Attorney General wants the public to test their broadband speeds and report the findings as part of an investigation into ISP speed and service claims. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman asked citizens to pitch in on Sunday as his office continues to examine whether or not the likes of Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision provide lower broadband speeds than what customers are paying for.
FanDuel, DraftKings can operate in New York for now (updated)
FanDuel and DraftKings will not be allowed to operate in New York while the companies fight in court against state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who contends the sites constitute illegal gambling. State Supreme Court Judge Manuel Mendez ruled on Friday that the sites shut down until the legal battle is resolved, noting that the decision is "not a final determination of the merits and rights of the parties," The Wall Street Journal reports. Schneiderman fought for the temporary shut-down, while both sites (unsuccessfully) argued that they should be allowed to operate during the trial.
NY Attorney General targets Yahoo's daily fantasy sports next
Yahoo is no stranger to fantasy sports, and its foray into daily fantasy games grabbed the attention of regulators in New York. The internet company is being included in the inquiry into daily fantasy sports by the New York Attorney General's office. Yahoo was subpoenaed alongside DraftKings and FanDuel as Attorney General Eric Schneiderman looks to ban the games in his state. A distant third in the world of daily fantasy, Yahoo launched its version in July and continues to accept payments in the state of New York. However, the company shut down its daily fantasy option in Florida last month after an investigation of the industry began by a federal grand jury. With Schneiderman looking into other operators besides the two top names, it seems his goal is to rid New York of daily fantasy sports entirely and classify the games as gambling. And if he's successful, it'll be interesting to see if other states follow suit. [Image credit: Getty Images]
FanDuel and DraftKings are getting shut down in New York too
The New York Times and ESPN are reporting that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has followed his counterpart in Nevada by asking the two biggest daily fantasy sites to stop taking bets in his state. DraftKings and FanDuel have been struggling to escape a controversy that exploded when reports surfaced that employees were regularly playing, and winning, on the competing websites, and now are facing a future of tighter regulation. According to the letter Schneiderman has decided the games constitute illegal gambling under the laws of New York, and should be banned as games of chance. This is particularly complicated for FanDuel, which has its headquarters in New York. Update: DraftKings said in a statement to Engadget that "We strongly disagree with the reasoning in his opinion and will examine and vigorously pursue all legal options available to ensure our over half a million customers in New York State can continue to play the fantasy sports games they love." Meanwhile FanDuel says, "The game has been played -- legally -- in New York for years and years, but after the Attorney General realized he could now get himself some press coverage, he decided a game that has been around for a long, long time is suddenly now not legal." You can read both statements -- along with a quote from AG Schniederman -- in full after the break.
New York's Attorney General probing state broadband speeds
For an industry obsessed with accuracy, it seems hilarious that the broadband speeds that you pay for are so vague and ill-defined in reality. It's a situation that has angered New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (pictured), so he's launching a statewide probe into users internet speeds. Reuters is reporting that the official is targeting the state's big three providers, Verizon, Cablevision and Time Warner to see if, as he says, "many of us may be paying for one thing and getting another." The three firms have all been sent letters asking them to provide all disclosures made to customers about speed, as well as the details of any internal testing that they carry out.
Lyft pays $300k to get New York off its back
One downside of reinventing an industry is that you can sometimes forget that the red tape you're bravely circumventing was put in place for a reason. It's a lesson that Lyft has learned the hard way after being fined $300,000 by New York for operating a taxi service without the proper insurance. As far as Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is concerned, ride-sharing outfits are welcome in his state, but only if they're making sure they obey the rules and ensure that their customers are safe.
New York attorney general fights rule that curbs services like Uber
New York City isn't always kind to ridesharing services like Lyft and Uber, but those companies have just gained an important ally. BuzzFeed News has learned that state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently sent a letter to NYC's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) opposing rules that would limit firms to dispatching exclusively affiliated drivers unless they strike deals with rivals. To Schneiderman, that creates "serious antitrust issues." Companies would frequently have to collude with each other to grow, and the rule would favor well-financed outlets that can lure drivers away, such as Uber. Instead, the official suggests an approach where transporters can affiliate with any company that shares the same worker's compensation system.
SF, NY prosecutors launching 'Save our Smartphones' anti-theft initiative today
The Attorney General of New York and District Attorney of San Francisco are teaming up with police and government groups to cut down on smartphone-related muggings. George Gascón (SF) and Eric Schneiderman (NY) will announce "Save our Smartphones" at a summit in New York later today, after meeting with representatives from Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft. The scheme aims to introduce a universal "kill switch," similar to iOS 7's Activation Lock, that'll render stolen phones worthless across all makes and models -- preventing this sort of thing from becoming a hazard of modern living.
