by Paul Alan Levy Two voluntary takedowns of user-generated have been in the news lately, spurring some reflections, on the one hand, about the dangers of becoming overly dependent on certain platforms for free expression, and about how online service providers exercise their discretion under section 230 to remove material even though the providers cannot […]
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We've blogged a number of times (for instance, here and here) on NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to ban the sale of sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces. The idea is behavior modification: One factor in obesity is drinking sugary drinks, and the ban will force some consumers to drink less of them. […]
Beef Products, Inc., which saw a fair deal of public attention drawn to one of its beef products (something it calls "lean, finely textured beef" but which was popularly known as "pink slime") has sued ABC and others for, in essence, being mean to it. It filed a 263-page complaint in state court in South Dakota. […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued its 82-page second semi-annual report. It should be an interesting read. This article by Jenna Green notes that the report contains only "four sentences about the Office of Enforcement — even though the category "Supervision, Enforcement, Fair Lending" accounted for a hefty $63 million in agency spending through June […]
First, there were a handful of cities, such as New York, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, that required chain restaurants to disclose the calories in the foods they sell. Some counties followed suit. California joined in. Then, as part of the Affordable Care Act, Congress demanded calorie disclosure nationwide, but the new rules probably won't go […]
Yesterday we posted on the significant rise in U.S. wealth inequality. Now, the Census Bureau is reporting that income inequality continued to grow in 2011. The top fifth now takes in 50% of the nation's income.
That's what this report issued by the FDIC shows. A Washington Post story on the report says that In the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in history, more Americans have limited or no interaction with banks, instead relying on check cashers and payday lenders to manage their finances, according to a new federal […]
In 1962, the net worth of the wealthiest 1% of Americans had 125 times the net worth of the median household. That number is now 288, according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute. That study is discussed in this CNNMoney article. EPI's full report provides many more details. Note the chart below, which […]
Another company reacts to AT&T v. Concepcion. A Forbes article yesterday notes that Microsoft is now including forced arbitration and class-action bans in its customer agreements. The article explains: Recently, [Microsoft] made changes to the Services Agreement governing Hotmail, SkyDrive, Bing, Windows Live Messenger and other online services. The key provision in the Agreement requires […]
Of course, debt collectors always make money because people's loans are in default. But student loan debt appears to be especially attractive for debt collectors, as explained in this article by Andrew Martin. Why? Among other reasons, the government helps debt collectors track down many of the debtors, and it is very hard to discharge […]