California

Cigna sued for using software to deny healthcare insurance claims

It's just some if-then statements, no AI here, insurer sniffs

Applications26 Jul 2023 | 31

Restaurant hired 'priest' to extract workplace confessions from staff

With now $150K to pay out, that's what we call fine dining

Bootnotes21 Jun 2023 | 38

California rolls closer to requiring drivers in driverless trucks

Next: Alcohol in non-alcoholic booze, bacon in vegan salads. We kid, we kid

AI + ML01 Jun 2023 | 22

Meta threatens to pull all news from California rather than pay El Reg a penny

And, ahem, other publishers

Personal Tech01 Jun 2023 | 55

Cash App founder stabbed to death in San Francisco

Tributes paid to former Square CTO Bob Lee, 43

Personal Tech06 Apr 2023 | 31

Uber and Lyft gig worker win overturned: You're a contractor, Harry

'Today's ruling certainly isn't going to stop us' says campaigner

Offbeat14 Mar 2023 | 6

Four charged with swiping $1m+ of gear from Microsoft cargo trucks

Talk about off the back of a lorry

Personal Tech08 Mar 2023 | 11

Used EV car batteries find new life storing solar power in California

Putting theory into practice, hopefully without a lithium fire

Systems08 Feb 2023 | 40

Cali puts mobile app makers on notice over privacy

Let customers opt out, or start adding zeros to compliance fines

Software31 Jan 2023 | 7

California toys with digital vehicle titles on private DMV blockchain

Because this is necessary, definitely can't go wrong

On-Prem28 Jan 2023 | 43

How to track equipped cars via exploitable e-ink platemaker

Miscreants could have tracked, modified, deleted digital plates

Research10 Jan 2023 | 90

Tesla fails to push racial discrimination lawsuit into arbitration

Plaintiff was offered direct employment with an arbitration agreement, but never signed the letter

On-Prem05 Jan 2023 | 34

San Francisco terminates explosive killer cop bots

I'll be back, or perhaps not

Security07 Dec 2022 | 44

California wildfires hit CTRL+Z on 18 years of CO2e removal

Time to start considering forest blazes alongside industrial sources of greenhouse gases, say scientists

Science20 Oct 2022 | 33

California legalizes digital license plates for all vehicles

Which is great news for the single company that makes them

Offbeat11 Oct 2022 | 165

City isn't keen on 5,000 erratic, traffic-jam-causing GM robo-cars on its streets

Analysis 'Cruise AV automated driving system is still under development' is putting it politely after vehicles block roads

AI + ML27 Sep 2022 | 65

California to phase out gas furnaces, water heaters by 2030

It'll reduce emissions a bunch, but stress the grid even more

Science26 Sep 2022 | 124

Tesla Megapack battery ignites at substation after less than 6 months

It's better to burn out than to fade away

Personal Tech21 Sep 2022 | 219

California Governor signs child privacy law requiring online age checks

Get ready for face scans, expanded surveillance, violated rights, and more, say critics

Personal Tech15 Sep 2022 | 63

California asks people not to charge EVs during heatwave

Not a great look for the state that just vowed to phase out gas-powered cars in favor of battery-powered ones

Personal Tech01 Sep 2022 | 169

California to try tackling drought with canal-top solar panels

Watt an interesting idea

Science31 Aug 2022 | 91

California to phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2035

Air board votes unanimously to approve wind down of gas guzzlers

Science25 Aug 2022 | 218

Apple ends corporate COVID mask mandate

Now will you all please return to our $5b headquarters?

On-Prem02 Aug 2022 | 35

California state's gun control websites expose personal data

And some of it may have been leaked on social media

Security30 Jun 2022 | 66

California's attempt to protect kids online could end adults' internet anonymity

Websites may be forced to verify ages of visitors unless changes made

Personal Tech28 Jun 2022 | 50

Comcast fixes broadband cables 'peppered' with holes after Oakland drive-by shooting

Bullet-proof hosting? Can't help you there. Will you settle for rapid repairs?

Networks01 Feb 2022 | 52

Tesla driver charged with vehicular manslaughter after deadly Autopilot crash

Prosecution seems to be first of its kind in America

AI + ML19 Jan 2022 | 233

California files appeal in latest bid to intervene in Activision Blizzard's $18m discrimination lawsuit settlement

Super Cali goes ballistic, this deal is atrocious

Personal Tech11 Jan 2022 | 10

Amazon cuts a relatively tiny check to disappear claims it broke the law by withholding COVID-19 data from staff

Settlement is little more than a minor cost-of-business expense

Personal Tech16 Nov 2021 | 4

Three thousand sea birds abandon nests amid nature reserve drone crash hullabaloo

Breeding season takes a tern for the worse

Offbeat07 Jun 2021 | 28

California’s net neutrality rules good to go after judge boots Big Cable’s lawsuit

Judge Mendez also suggests trying to use 1934 law in 2021 is... sub-optimal

Networks24 Feb 2021 | 14

Let's check in now with the new California monolith... And it's gone, torn down by a bunch of MAGA muppets

Good to see the youth being productive

Bootnotes04 Dec 2020 | 123

Alleged Ponzi mastermind on the run from FBI hid in lake with sea-scooter, collared after he surfaced half-hour later

Suspect left a trail of bubbles for agents to follow

Bootnotes18 Nov 2020 | 41

California backs Proposition 22: Great news for Uber, Lyft as their drivers can work as indie contractors

And bad news for Facebook, Google after Golden State favors online privacy measures

Science04 Nov 2020 | 32

California outlaws wording, webpage buttons designed to hoodwink people into handing over their personal data

Sorry not sorry, Facebook

Personal Tech13 Oct 2020 | 21

Ex-Uber chief security officer charged, accused of covering up theft of personal info from databases by hackers

Say it ain't Joe?

Security20 Aug 2020 | 10

Bratty Uber throws tantrum, threatens to cut off California unless judge does what it says in driver labor rights row

Final update CEO says making cyber-cabbies employees would be a bridge too far

Science12 Aug 2020 | 116

Super Cali COVID count is somewhat out of focus, server crash and expired cert makes numbers quite atrocious

Computer glitch followed by senior public health resignation in Golden State

Systems10 Aug 2020 | 28

The Devil's in the details: Church of Satan forced to clarify that no unholy rituals taking place in SoCal forest

What a shame

Bootnotes15 Jul 2020 | 57

Happy privacy action day in California: If you don't have 'Do not sell my information' in your website footer, you need to read this story right now

Golden State AG prepares crackdown

Legal01 Jul 2020 | 22

Nothing fills you with confidence in an IT contractor more than hearing its staff personal records were stolen by ransomware hackers. Right, Cognizant?

Employees bag commiseration prize of free ID protection

Security18 Jun 2020 | 12

California bigwigs rule Uber, Lyft dial-a-ride drivers are employees, not contractors

Good news: You may get basic rights. Bad news: No one is hailing cabs

Science10 Jun 2020 | 49

Remind us again, why work for AWS? Petty Amazon sues marketing veep after he defects to Google Cloud

Hyperscalers spar in non-compete, NDA spat

SaaS10 Jun 2020 | 15

California emits fine-print of its GDPR-ish digital privacy law, complete with Google and Facebook-sized holes

Sure, companies will probably just ignore its most important component, but what you gonna do?

Personal Tech03 Jun 2020 | 19

Apple owes us big time for bungled display-killing cable design in MacBook Pro kit, lawsuit claims

iGiant not only screwed up the wiring, it knew it was shipping dodgy gear, it is claimed

Personal Tech08 May 2020 | 58

California’s privacy warriors are back – and this time they want to take their fight all the way to the ballot box

Politicos watered down earlier efforts, so data defenders will fight to the end

Security06 May 2020 | 9

ICANN delays .org sell off after California's attorney general intervenes at last minute, tears non-profit a new one over sale

DNS overseer accused of ignoring the very people it is supposed to represent

Networks17 Apr 2020 | 30

California emits latest layoff statistics. March's numbers are ugly. It's 19,000 total, including many in tech

Symantec, Cisco, Uber, loathsome Juul, others shed staff amid pandemic

On-Prem27 Mar 2020 | 8

Not a Genius move after all: Apple must cough up $$$ in back pay for store staff forced to wait for bag searches

California Supreme Court skewers iGiant for stiffing loyal drones

Personal Tech13 Feb 2020 | 101

California’s Attorney General joins the long list of people who have had it with Facebook

As thousands of internal files leak revealing antisocial biz's pressure on app makers

Personal Tech06 Nov 2019 | 40

The results are in… and California’s GDPR-ish digital privacy law has survived onslaught by Google and friends

Analysis Five amendments to law approved before deadline, none undercut core goals

Personal Tech16 Sep 2019 | 19

The gig (economy) is up: New California law upgrades Lyft, Uber, other app serfs to staff

Analysis Rules may blow up bug bounty upstarts, too

Science11 Sep 2019 | 87

Uber, Lyft and DoorDash put $30m apiece into ballot battle fund to kill gig-economy employee benefits

We love our employees, sorry, contractors, so much we’ll spend a small fortune stopping them from getting overtime, workers’ comp etc

On-Prem30 Aug 2019 | 31

Choc-a-block: AWS sues sales exec for legging it to Google Cloud. Yup, another bitter battle over non-compete clauses

Amazon demands restraining order preventing bod from jumping ship to Chocolate Factory

SaaS05 Aug 2019 | 15

California's politicians rush to gut internet privacy law with pro-tech giant amendments

Analysis Meanwhile, the only pro-privacy proposal gets quietly pulled

Personal Tech23 Apr 2019 | 44

Hey, remember that California privacy law? Big Tech is trying to ram a massive hole in it

Analysis Amendment would exempt, um, Google and Facebook

Personal Tech16 Apr 2019 | 38