Google, YouTube To Pay $170 Million Penalty Over Collecting Kids’ Personal Info
September 4, 2019, Capitol Radio NPR
Google and its YouTube subsidiary will pay $170 million to settle allegations that YouTube collected personal information from children without their parents’ consent, the Federal Trade Commission. The companies allegedly collected information of children viewing videos on YouTube by tracking users of channels that are directed at kids. YouTube allegedly failed to notify parents or get their consent, violating laws that protect children’s privacy, according to a complaint filed against the companies by the FTC and the New York attorney general.
An off-road thrill that can end in flames
September 6, 2019, The New York Times
For almost two years, James Bingham’s off-road vehicle had provided endless fun on camping and hunting trips in Idaho. The vehicle, a four-seat Polaris RZR, could zip across the sand hills at up to 80 miles an hour. But there was another side to the RZR history. The manufacturer’s safety record indicates more than an occasional problem. From 2013 to 2018, Polaris Industries issued RZR recalls 10 times for fire hazards, far more than for any competing product. There have been more than 180 RZR fires, often leaving little more than scorched earth and a skeletal metal frame. Four people have been killed and at least 30 others have been burned, according to a tally from recalls, lawsuits and reports to federal regulators.
Popular YouTube Toy Review Channel Accused of Blurring Lines for Ads
September 4, 2019, The New York Times
Can young viewers tell the difference between advertisements and product reviews on the popular YouTube channel Ryan ToysReview? The watchdog group Truth in Advertising says no. On Wednesday it filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, accusing the channel’s administrators of deceiving children through “sponsored videos that often have the look and feel of organic content.”
Consumer Alert: Recalled kids products not listed on companies websites
September 5, 2019, Denver Channel.com
The child safety watchdog group Kids In Danger (KID) found dozens of recalls involving children’s products were not listed on the companies’ websites. The report, released Thursday, calls into question the effectiveness of recalls for keeping unsafe products off the market. KID says by failing to publicize recalls on their websites, companies are limiting consumers’ ability to resolve the issue and get a refund on the product.
How to cure your kid’s addiction to technology
September 6, 2019, Haaretz.com
Nir Eyal’s 2014 book, “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products,” was a favorite among executives in the high-tech industry. It starred on The Wall Street Journal’s best-seller list and has become Amazon’s top-selling book in the industrial and product design category. Officials from Google, Facebook and Instagram have come to consult with the person who claims to know how to create addictive technology of the kind that consumers will never want to stop using. The new book addresses the other side of the equation – those same users – and offers tools for staying focused in a technological world that offers us endless distractions.
What parents need to know about infant walkers
September 6, 2019, WNDU
Researchers say infant walkers are still sending 2,000 babies a year to the emergency room, despite federal safety standards and years of warnings. It’s exciting for parents to watch their babies up on their feet, but infant walkers with wheels are toys that emergency room doctors and pediatricians have come to hate.
CDC confirms five vaping-related deaths– what we know about mysterious illness so far
September 7, 2019, Newsweek
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are cautioning Americans against the use of e-cigarettes after the fifth death from a mysterious illness connected to vaping was reported Friday. Three deaths in Indiana, Minnesota and California were verified by the CDC Friday—after the first and second vaping-related deaths in Oregon and Illinois at the end of August. Experts at the CDC went on to say that there are currently 450 reported cases of severe respiratory illnesses among vape users in 33 states across the U.S. Most were between the ages of 18 and 25.
Boris Johnson has lost control and more talks are pointless says EU
September 4, 2019, The Times
The EU fears that Boris Johnson has “lost control” and that any new negotiation on the Irish backstop is “pointless” because his government is powerless to push it through the House of Commons. European ambassadors will today hold confidential talks on Brexit and what steps the EU should take next after the prime minister’s heavy defeat and loss of his parliamentary majority yesterday.
Doctors working emergency rooms raise red flag on electric scooters
September 4, 2019, WOWT
The injury numbers are in, but they only begin to tell of the concerns local doctors have about electric-scooters. The City of Omaha is halfway through a six-month trial period with the scooters, and there are calls for some legislation. Nebraska Medicine told 6 News their emergency room is seeing about two scooter-related injuries each week, but it’s not so much the number that has them concerned, it’s more the nature of the injuries. “The most common injury a lot of centers are seeing are extremity injuries, fractures and then the second most common would be head injuries,” said Dr. Emily Cantrell, a trauma doctor at Nebraska Medicine.
CFC Underwriting Enhances Product Recall Coverages
September 4, 2019, Insurance Journal
CFC Underwriting, the London-based specialist managing general agent, announced it has upgraded its product recall suite of coverages. The new extensions include regulatory advisory coverage which addresses the emerging need for coverage in the recall market for outbreaks and public health warnings.
