Yahoo to face class action lawsuit

Yahoo will face a US class action lawsuit for allegedly accessing the content of emails sent to its mail users from non-Yahoo Mail accounts.
A Californian judge ruled that people who sent emails to or received emails from Yahoo Mail users from 2 October 2011 can sue the company as a group, granting it class action status.
There is estimated to be over one million members in the privacy lawsuit.
Yahoo is accused of using the data to boost advertising revenue.
The non-Yahoo Mail users said the company intercepted and analyzed their emails, along with attachments with the goal of creating "targeted advertising" for its 275 million mail subscribers.
Last year, nearly 80% of Yahoo's revenue came from its search and display advertising.
The judge also ruled that a group of holders of non-Yahoo accounts in California since 2 October 2012 may also sue as a group for privacy infringement.
The accusers sought an injunction banning Yahoo from allegedly spying on emails, along with damages.
In its defence, Yahoo argued that some of the plaintiffs continued to email Yahoo subscribers, despite being aware of Yahoo's activities and in doing so consented to Yahoo accessing their emails.
A class action lawsuit can make it easier for the group to receive larger damages and more wide-ranging resolutions at a lower cost.

GM CEO: Robot Cars Coming, but Don’t Hold Your Breath

Will we eventually see cars that fully drive themselves on the road? And if so, when?

That was the question that Walt Mossberg posed to GM CEO Mary Barry at the Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. “I absolutely see it,” she said. But when asked for a realistic time frame: “It will be a journey.”
She didn’t say how long it might take, but implied that she believes the wait will be long.
There’s a lot that has to happen both in the areas of infrastructure on the roads to support cars that drive themselves, and new laws at the federal and state level. “Autonomous is a word that scares a ton of people,” Barra said. “It’s coming but there’s a ton that needs to come together.”
In the shorter term she said consumers are more interested in “intelligent driving systems” that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and their feet off the pedals more than they do now. One feature includes a “super cruise” mode that’s coming to Cadillac cars next year.
“It’s farther out than some people are predicting.” And by people, she means Google, which is predicting self-driving cars will be widely seen on the roads within five years.

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