Numlock News: June 28, 2018
Numlock News: June 28, 2018
By Walt Hickey
Fines For Exposing Data
The California legislature has until today to pass a consumer privacy bill before a ticked off rich man with goals gets a more robust privacy protection bill on the ballot. Basically, Alastair MacTaggart spent $3 million to fund a campaign to get the California Consumer Privacy Act on the ballot this November. If the legislature passes a version of it before Thursday, he won't put it up for an expensive plebiscite. If they fail, it goes on the ballot and MacTaggart and consumer groups will enter into political combat with tech companies who don't want the law. The MacTaggart version would hit businesses with a $1,000 to $7,500 fine for exposing information, while the bill in the legislature would be $100 to $750.
Votes
In what may be remembered as an earth-shattering political shift that can fundamentally alter the future of American politics, dogs might soon be able to sit in the patio area of Ohio restaurants. Definitely Wednesday's biggest political news, if not the biggest political news of 2018, the Ohio Senate passed a bill 32-0 that will allow vaccinated dogs to enter the patio area if it meets health department standards. The political news would have warranted unmitigated 24/7 media attention, but evidently a government official's unexpected retirement distracted media networks.
Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer
Distance Hurled Through Space
In an exciting success for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the Hayabusa 2 space probe successfully arrived at the asteroid Ryugu. The probe traveled 300 million kilometers in three and a half years. Hayabusa 2 will orbit the asteroid at a distance of 20 kilometers for several months, land on the asteroid, collect samples and return to earth sometime in 2020. Man, I would hate to be the guy who has to catch Hayabusa 2 up on everything that went down since it left the planet in 2014.
Open Cases
The FBI has 130 open cases related to cryptocurrencies, according to an agent in charge of the law enforcement agency's virtual-currency initiative. There's been an increase in crypto-related crime, which makes sense because they were invented like eight years ago and are worth thousands of dollars each. The FBI estimates that about 10 percent of global drug users purchase drugs on illegal online marketplaces with such funds.
Lily Katz and Annie Massa, Bloomberg
Days To Reunite
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reunite the more than 2,000 migrant children who were separated from their parents as part of the administration's zero-tolerance policy. The ruling on the suit — brought by the American Civil Liberties Union — orders that the administration must reunite the families within 30 days and in the case of children under the age of 5, must do so within 14 days.
Morgan Lee and Julie Watson, Associated Press
Bling
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is the subject of a sprawling money-laundering investigation that led to twelve properties owned by the politician being raided by police. U.S. investigators say Razak and associates laundered $4.5 billion from a state investment fund. Turns out their hunch was on to something, as the total value of the seized 2,200 rings and 1,400 necklaces and 2,100 bracelets and 2,800 pairs of earrings and 1,600 brooches and 567 handbags and 423 watches and 234 sunglasses and 14 tiaras was $273 million. Either this guy is a doomsday prepper for an apocalypse originating at the Met Gala or perhaps the investigators may be onto something.
Eileen Ng, The Associated Press
Frozen Foods
The freezer aisle of the supermarket is making a comeback as people realize that they can get all the convenience of takeout or delivery or those weird meal boxes with none of the price premium by buying frozen food. Sales of frozen food have begun to grow again after years of decline, rising 1.5 percent year-over-year in 2017 when as recently as 2013 sales were down 4.4 percent. The freezer aisle is also attractive for food brands because, at least for now, it's Amazon-proof due to how tricky and pricey delivery can be.
Craig Giammona and Ed Hammond, Bloomberg
They Leaned In Boss, The Rest Is On You
An analysis of 4,600 randomly-selected employees across 800 Australian workplaces challenges the previously-held idea that women were less likely than men to negotiate salaries. The data showed that women asked just as often as men did, but men who asked for a raise got a pay increase 20 percent of the time while women who asked for a raise only got it 15 percent of the time.
Benjamin Artz, Amanda Goodall, Andrew J. Oswald, Harvard Business Review
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Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips, or feedback at walt@numlock.news.
