Tech Week: CA, VA Push in Opposite Directions on Gas-Powered Cars, Potential Settlement of Facebook Lawsuit & More

CA Pushes for End of Gas-Powered Cars

Last month the California Air Resources Board adopted the world’s strictest rules for shifting to zero-emission vehicles. Under those rules all new cars, SUVs and pickup trucks sold in the state will have to be electric- or hydrogen-powered by 2035. The move is likely to significantly alter the U.S. auto market, with 10 percent of sales coming from California. (INSURANCE JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES)

Meta Agrees to Settle Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica Lawsuit

Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., has agreed to settle a four-year-old lawsuit accusing Facebook of letting third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, access user’s private data, according to a federal court filing. The joint filing by Meta and the plaintiffs indicated that they have reached a tentative agreement but didn’t provide any additional details. The filing requested a 60-day stay of the lawsuit now before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. (WALL STREET JOURNAL, INSURANCE JOURNAL)

FTC Sues Data Broker over Sale of Location Data

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against data broker Kochava, alleging the company sold location data for hundreds of millions of mobile device users that could be used to track their movements, including to sensitive locations like reproductive health clinics and places of worship. The suit is consistent with the agency’s recent pledge to crack down on harmful commercial surveillance. (CNBC)

Musk Cites Whistleblower Allegation as Justification for Terminating Twitter Deal

Elon Musk’s legal team sent a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission saying that the testimony of a whistleblower justifies his backing out of the $44 billion deal to buy the microblogging platform. Earlier this month former Twitter security chief Peiter Zatko alleged that the company had deceived its board of directors, federal regulators and the public about significant security issues. (CNET)

NLRB Rules Tesla Pro-Union Clothing Ban Violated Workers’ Rights

The National Labor Relations Board ruled last week that Tesla violated the rights of its workers when it told them they weren’t allowed to wear shirts with pro-union insignia at the company’s factory in Fremont, California. The decision contradicts a 2019 NLRB ruling allowing Walmart to limit - but not ban - employees from wearing apparel with pro-union insignia while on the job. (CNBC)

Amazon’s Rooftop Solar Plans Plagued by Problems

Solar panels on the roofs of Amazon fulfillment centers caught fire or experienced electrical explosions on six separate occasions between April 2002 and June 2021, a rate an internal report said was “unacceptable” and “above industry averages.” Rooftop solar is an element of the company’s plan to reach zero emissions by 2040. (CNBC)

MI Awards $285K in Transportation Innovation Seed Money

Michigan awarded $285,000 to four companies in connection with its Michigan Mobility Funding Platform. The aim of that initiative is to fund the testing and deployment of transportation technology that supports the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure ecosystem. (GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY)

-- Compiled by KOREY CLARK