The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • B9

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017 The Boston Globe B9 Business Sonos triggers a fight over privacy Customer sues; says rejecting data rules means audio system will stop working purchasers use their devices through the software that makes them work. For instance, the Chinese drone maker DJI has announced a mandatory update of the software for its Spark drones. Any Spark drone not updated by Sept. 1 will be deactivated, or "bricked," in tech speak. Sonos makes high-fidelity SONOS, Page B14 he refuses to share more information.

Sonos, which is based in Santa Barbara, but maintains an engineering office in Massachusetts, said the customer and his attorneys have misunderstood the policy. But the conflict illustrates a growing sensitivity about the sharing of personal information with Internet-based companies. It also taps into the concern that makers of computer-based devices, from audio speakers to farm tractors, may try to control how By Hiawatha Bray GLOBE STAFF The endless debate over Inter-net privacy is now coming through home audio systems. Sonos a maker of high-end wireless speakers with offices in Massachusetts, triggered a backlash with a new privacy policy that requires consumers to agree to provide more information about how they use the speakers. The controversy was ignited when a Sonos spokeswoman said that failing to agree to the policy could eventually cause Sonos speakers to stop working altogether.

That statement prompted a lawsuit Wednesday, from a Boston resident and Sonos customer who argued he shouldn't lose the use of his $1,000 audio system if Sonos has issued a new policy on data collection. 'In East Boston, they're getting rid of poor people. I'd rather stay here and help fix it up." JOSE VELASQUEZ (below), tenant, 298-300 Meridian East Boston (left) Amazon: Grocer's prices to move lower Giant set to finalize Whole Foods deal By Janelle Nanos GLOBE STAFF Amazon.com Inc. won't complete its acquisition of Whole Foods until Monday, but the Internet giant is already promising lower prices for consumers and more perks for Prime members. Amazon, which is paying $13.7 billion for Whole Foods, said Thursday that shoppers will begin to see changes next week.

Amazon promised to begin discounting many of Whole Food's best-selling staples such as organic avocados, almond butter, organic baby kale, and Whole Trade bananas. Amazon also said it would soon begin installing lockers for Amazon delivery pickups at Whole Foods stores, and will integrate the Prime membership into the Whole Foods loyalty program, allowing members to get lower prices and other "in-store benefits." Shoppers will also soon be able to purchase Whole Foods' store brand, 365 Everyday Value, online and through Amazon's grocery delivery services. 'We're determined to make healthy and organic food affordable for JEFF WILKE, chief executive, Amazon Worldwide Consumer JONATHAN WIGGSGLOBE STAFF Renters worry about sudden evictions bedbugs, cockroaches, and rat infestations. So when word got around in the spring that a new owner had taken over the building, residents hoped it meant improvements were coming. Instead, they received eviction notices in June.

"I was petrified," said resident Tonya L. Hector. "I didn't know what I was going to do next." The tenants, who have month-to-month leases, were supposed to move out by Aug. 1. Renters in all but six units did leave, with the remaining tenants fighting to stay put.

Their ouster is on hold for now since the new owners have yet to file a complaint in housing court. This kind of mass eviction known as a building clearout has become increasingly commonplace in Boston neighborhoods like East Boston, Dorchester, and Roxbury as investors continue to ride a wave of new development and construction that has pushed up property values and inflated rents. Typically, developers renovate the properties and charge higher, market-rate rents, or convert the units into condominiums. But it's hard to know exactly how prevalent these evictions have become. The city doesn't track them, and housing advocates say they only keep tabs on cases brought to their attention.

EAST BOSTON, Page B13 Boston doesn't track the number of tenants forced out of their homes, but housing advocates say building clearouts are on the rise in the city By Katheleen Conti GLOBE STAFF WW hen his landlord sent him a barely I working stove to replace the broken I one in his East Boston apartment, Jo-' se Velasquez decided to install his own a newer model given to him by friends. A few doors down in the same building, Juana Sanchez stretched her budget to buy a $60 part to fix a bathtub faucet that wouldn't stop running, after calls to the same former landlord went unanswered. Those aren't their only stories about living conditions in the 14-unit apartment building at the corner of Meridian and Lexington streets others involve "We're determined to make healthy and organic food affordable for everyone," Jeff Wilke, chief executive of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, said in a statement. Analysts said this is evidence that Amazon has decided to make a mass-market play in its continued push to compete against Walmart. William Masters, an economist at the Tufts' Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, said that it was telling that the company chose to announce discounts for a mix of products, not just organic items.

It signals a potential widening of the Whole Foods audience, he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if this democratizes access to existing locations," he said. The introduction of the 365 Everyday Value Brand to online shoppers is also a direct challenge to traditional packaged-goods manufacturers, Masters said, many of which have already been struggling with a loss in market share as shoppers increasingly opt for fresh groceries instead. "This is potentially the emergence of a very powerful private label AMAZON, Page B14 These companies are eager to pay FDA fees Goal is fast reviews Based on those drafts and on the for OTC products. But during a stake goals letter, each new application for an additional ingredient, product, indication, or dosing method would carry a $500,000 fee.

A second tier of requests would exist for more minor MORE RETAIL holder meeting on the topic earlier this week, it was clear that many of the specifics will be foggy until Congress acts. Though the cause seems to have received bipartisan support Senator John Isakson, a Georgia Republican, and Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, introduced one discussion draft in May a bill has yet to reach the floor of either the House or Senate. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price sent a goals and procedures document outlining the proposed program to Congress in June. of OTC products By Kate Sheridan STAT Makers of over-the-counter drugs may soon pay for federal reviews of their products, just like maceutical makers. And they're fine with the change.

After years of discussion, the Food and Drug Administration appears poised to make that change as part of a sweeping overhaul of its regulations Sears adds 28 Kmart stores to long list of closings bio changes, for which the fee would be lower. Dr. Karen Mahoney deputy director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research's Division of TECHNOLOGY Non-prescription Drug Products, estimated USER FEES, Page B14 Apple to unveil set-top box with 4K video capability bio.