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Equifax settlement for data breach will only cost it $4 per person
The reports of an impending Equifax settlement were true. The company has agreed to settle with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, attorneys general and New York's Department of Financial Services over its massive 2017 data breach. It will pay between $575 million to $700 million to victims, states and regulators, including a restitution fund that will pay up to $425 million to provide credit monitoring for up to 10 years. About $300 million is guaranteed for the monitoring payout, with $125 million more waiting if that initial amount runs low.
Senators grill FTC over reported $5 billion Facebook settlement
Facebook's reported $5 billion settlement with the FTC isn't even official yet, but that isn't stopping politicians from bristling at it. Senators Richard Blumenthal, Josh Hawley and Ed Markey (pictured) have sent a letter to the FTC requesting answers about the rumored settlement, expressing worries that the penalty would be "woefully inadequate" given privacy violations like the Cambridge Analytica affair. The questions cover not just the rationale behind the supposed deal, but the evidence gathering methods and punishments beyond the fine.
WSJ: Facebook reaches $5 billion FTC settlement
The inevitable has happened for Facebook. After weeks of reports that the company was working to settle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its privacy practices, the two parties have finally come to an agreement. The Wall Street Journal reports that commissioners voted to approve a $5 billion settlement -- something Facebook had already accounted for -- for the social network over its "privacy missteps," with three Republicans voting to approve the deal and two Democrats opposed.
Google will pay owners of faulty original Pixel phones up to $500
A group of OG Pixel and Pixel XL owners filed a lawsuit against Google back in 2018 accusing the company of knowingly selling devices with faulty microphones. Now, the tech giant has agreed to settle the class-action complaint and will pay those customers up to $500. Some early adopters of the first Google-branded smartphones started reporting that one or more of their devices' three mics stopped working shortly after the devices were released. The company admitted in early 2017 that users were experiencing problems due to a "hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio codec."
Tenants win right to have physical keys in NY smart lock case
The landlords of one Manhattan apartment building have agreed to provide physical keys to tenants who don't want to use smart locks. The decision was reached in a preliminary settlement after tenants sued their landlord for installing Latch smart locks last year. As CNET reports, this marks one of the first times legal professionals have had to weigh in on how landlords can use smart home technology.
Facebook reportedly invites federal oversight of its privacy practices
During Facebook's F8 keynote this week, the company repeatedly hammered one idea: the future is private. While its privacy-focus might be flawed, it looks like Facebook is putting its money where its mouth is. According to The Washington Post, the company told the US government it's open to greater oversight of its data-collection practices, in exchange for ending a federal probe into a series of privacy flops that surfaced last year.
$5 billion Facebook, FTC deal could add more privacy oversight
While previous rumors about a possible settlement between Facebook and the FTC over its privacy failings focused on dollar figures and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Politico reports that it could also create new executive positions. That could mean "appointing a federally approved privacy official" in addition an oversight committee that could include Facebook board members. The New York Times also reported on the negotiations, and both outlets followed up previous reports that suggest Zuckerberg could add the title of "head compliance officer" in a move to make him personally liable for any potential failings in the future. This week at Facebook's F8 event Zuckerberg pushed a "The future is private" mantra, but it fell flat to many ears. Facebook and its CEO have told the world, and the FTC, that they will do better when it comes to privacy and we've seen how that turns out -- even after a potential $5 billion fine and some C-suite restructuring it still sounds like the same promises all over again.
Qualcomm expects to make $4.5 billion from Apple settlement
The costs of Apple's truce with Qualcomm are now much clearer. Qualcomm now estimates that it will pull in revenue between $4.5 billion and $4.7 billion from the settlement in the third quarter of the year, including both the one-time payment from Apple as well as the elimination of obligations. It's certainly not a trivial amount, although Qualcomm made clear that this won't dramatically alter its fortunes.
Apple and Qualcomm settle royalty lawsuits with new patent agreement
And just like that, the bitter feud between Apple and Qualcomm is already over. The two companies have settled their patent royalty dispute, ending all ongoing legal action (including with Apple's manufacturing partners). Apple has agreed to pay Qualcomm an unspecified amount, while both sides have struck a six-year patent license deal as well as a "multiyear" wireless chipset supply deal.
Google and Huawei will pay Nexus 6P owners for battery woes
Did your Nexus 6P get stuck in boot loops and randomly shut down due to battery issues? If so, you might be in line for some cash. Google and Huawei have reached a preliminary agreement to settle a class action lawsuit with compensation for owners of the Android reference phone. Provided the court approves the settlement on May 9th, anyone who bought the 6P from September 25th, 2015 onward will be eligible for as much as $400 if they provide documentation. Those who already received a Pixel XL as part of a warranty exchange can only qualify for a maximum of $10.
Airbnb reverses ban on West Bank listings
Airbnb is changing course on its earlier decision to ban listings for Israeli settlements in the West Bank. As part of a settlement with a pro-Israel law organization that had sued over the ban, Airbnb said it would allow listings in the hotly contested region. However, it vowed to donate any profits from listings to unspecified humanitarian aid groups. The company planned a similar move for other disputed territories, including the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in eastern Europe.
Yahoo could pay $117.5 million to settle data breach
Yahoo is back in the courtroom with a revised settlement proposal meant to make amends for its massive data breaches. If this proposal is approved, the company will pay $117.5 million.
Facebook limits ad targeting following discrimination settlement
Facebook has settled the lawsuit accusing the company of violating housing discrimination law through its ad system, and it's making changes to reduce the chances of future issues with housing ads and beyond. Marketers who want to run ads for credit, employment or housing will no longer have options to target using age, gender or ZIP code. They'll also have a "much smaller" range of categories to use in the first place, and won't have access to "detailed" targeting that relates to protected social classes. As a user, you'll eventually have access to a tool to search for housing ads targeted at locations across the US, even if you wouldn't normally see them.
Uber will pay $20 million to settle drivers' lawsuit
Uber's ongoing driver lawsuit issue could be winding down. The ride-hailing company has agreed to pay $20 million to settle a legal battle instigated by drivers nearly six years ago, according to court filings. Drivers for the company argued that they are Uber employees, not independent contractors as Uber states, and are therefore entitled to expenses and wage protections. Uber's proposed settlement sees drivers receive a payout for expenses, but will not change their status as independent contractors.
FTC fines TikTok $5.7 million over child privacy violations
The creators of TikTok are facing US penalties for allegedly doing too little to respect kids' privacy. The Federal Trade Commission has fined TikTok (aka Musical.ly) $5.7 million as part of a settlement over reported COPPA violations in its lip-syncing video app. Regulators said that TikTok not only collected personal information from under-13 users without their parents' consent, but made those profiles public and, until October 2016, let people share their location with nearby friends. The developers knew a "significant percentage" of users were under 13 but didn't change their ways even after "thousands of complaints," the FTC said.
Judge rejects Yahoo's proposed settlement over data breaches
Yahoo's proposed settlement over massive data breaches hasn't passed muster in the courtroom. Judge Lucy Koh has rejected the settlement from the company (now owned by Engadget parent Verizon) for not specifying how much victims could expect to recover. While the proposal included $50 million in damages and would pay $25 for every hour spent dealing with the breaches, Koh was concerned that it didn't reveal the scope of the settlement fund or the costs of the two years of promised credit monitoring. The judge was also worried the proposed class for the settlement was too large, as it didn't reflect the considerably smaller number of active users during the affected period.
Tinder settles lawsuit over age discrimination
Mature romantics just caught a break. Tinder has settled a lawsuit accusing it of age discrimination for charging the 30-and-up crowd double to subscribe to its premium Tinder Plus service. The Match Group-owned brand will pay $17.25 million in cash and in-app features (such as $25 checks, Super Likes and Plus/Gold subscriptions) to users who had to pay $20 per month instead of the $10 offered to younger customers. Tinder will also have to stop charging general age-based rates in California, although it will have the option of discounting service for people 21 or younger.
Fiat Chrysler settles with US over diesel emissions cheating
Fiat Chrysler is about to pay a stiff penalty for its alleged diesel vehicle emissions cheating. The automaker has reached a settlement with the Justice Department, EPA and California that will see it make amends for claimed violations of the country's Clean Air Act. It's launching a recall to fix the more than 100,000 diesel vehicles believed to be exceeding pollution limits. More importantly, there's a hefty financial punishment. Fiat Chrysler will pay as much as $800 million to address the case, including a combined $311 million in civil penalties, up to $280 million to address claims from owners (who get an average of $2,800 each) and $100 million for post-fix extended warranties.
Uber offers settlement to some drivers over worker status
Uber drivers may in the US are out of luck pursuing class action lawsuits that would force the company to treat them as employees. They might, however, get something for their trouble -- with some caveats. TechCrunch has learned that Uber has offered a tentative settlement to those drivers who've pursued individual arbitration cases over their worker status. Uber would pay them 11 cents for every mile they've driven during trips (including for services like Uber Eats). However, drivers would also have to drop all worker misclassification claims against Uber.
New York sets tougher standards for marketing internet speeds
New York isn't just asking Charter to clean up its act. The state has reached a settlement with Altice (Optimum's owner), Frontier, RCN and Engadget parent company Verizon that will have them adhere to stricter standards for advertising internet speeds. They'll have to back up their claims with regular speed testing, ensure they have enough network capacity to handle advertised third-party services and make clear that speeds on WiFi won't be the same as with a wired connection.
