Remember back when candy bar phones and flip phones were the hot new thing, and all the wireless providers jumped into the fray trying to offer you rollover minutes to come sign up with them? Well, if the rumor mill is to be believed, we might all be climbing on board the rollover train again… this time, in the data era. [More]
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25 Total Mitsubishi, Nissan Models Affected By Fuel-Economy Issue; None So Far In U.S.
By 6.17.16
Two months after U.S. regulators opened an investigation into Mitsubishi over falsified fuel mileage data, the carmaker says its internal probe found that 20 of its models are affected, but none in the U.S. [More]
FBI Wants Computers To Scan Your Tattoos To Learn All About You
By 6.6.16
Law enforcement has long used tattoos as a way to identify people (“The suspect has the name ‘Marge’ on his forearm”), or as an indicator of group membership (“All members of the gang had the same exact tattoo on their forearms”), but the FBI’s in-development tattoo recognition program seeks to create an algorithm to make instant inferences about a person’s behavior based on their tattoos.
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The Way You Drive, Not Just Where, Is Yet Another Piece Of Totally Identifiable Personal Data
By 5.25.16
“Individuality” does not exactly spring to mind when you’re in the middle of the workday commuter crush, trawling the same roads at the same time as every other 9-5 worker who has to get to work and pick the kids up from school. And yet it turns out that you — yes, you — have a unique way of approaching that commute. So unique, in fact, that it only takes a few minutes of driving data for you to be completely identifiable. [More]
App Developers Warned: You Need To Tell Consumers First If You’re Going To Eavesdrop
By 3.17.16
Your phone has a microphone, and it listens — but not just when you’re making a call or practicing a second language on purpose. It listens whenever an app tells it to, and to whatever happens to be around you for it to hear. And if an app does that without telling you first, it could be in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission. [More]
Banks Turned Account Overdraft Fees Into $11.16B In Revenue Last Year
By 2.25.16
Banks with more than $1 billion in assets now need to report on how much revenue they bring in from overdraft fees and other charges. The first report on those numbers shows that banks made $11.6 billion last year from customers who overdrew their accounts.
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Senate Report Claims Takata Falsified Data On Airbag Inflators
By 2.24.16
Less than a month after an independent review panel hired by Takata — the company behind the ongoing recall of millions of defective, potentially dangerous, airbags — found that the Japanese auto parts maker lacks quality control processes and policies to address defects, a Senate panel report backed up the findings and found the company falsified some test data about certain airbag components. [More]
Phoenix Suns Trying To Lure Fans By Offering Free Verizon Data With Each Game Ticket
By 2.22.16
When you’ve got seats to fill at a professional sports game and the team isn’t doing so hot, any bit of extra incentive to get fans to buy tickets can help. In an effort to lure tech-focused fans, the Phoenix Suns have partnered with Verizon Wireless to offer free mobile data with every game ticket purchase. [More]
Report: Emails Show Takata Manipulated Data On Airbags
By 1.4.16
When a slew of automakers announced last fall that they would no longer use airbag inflators from Takata, at least one cited concerns that the company had “misrepresented or manipulated test data.” Recently unearthed emails from engineers and others within the Japanese auto parts maker suggest those alleged deceptions were blatant and widely known. [More]
Flaw In Target’s Wish List App Feature Can Expose Phone Numbers, Emails, Other Personal Info
By 12.16.15
There’s just something about the holiday season and Target that leaves customers’ personal information open for the taking. Two years after the retailer suffered a massive data breach affecting more than 100 million customers, another – albeit smaller – security flaw in the company’s mobile app has left the emails and phone numbers for some users vulnerable. [More]
Lending Startups Use Borrowers’ Smartphone Behavior To Decide If They Are Creditworthy
By 12.1.15
The wallet-sized – or larger – smartphone constantly tethered to your hand may often be seen as your connection to the outside world. Each time you surf the web, connect with friends, make purchases and check your bank account, it’s collecting mountains of data about you. And that data could soon be analyzed to determine if you’re creditworthy. [More]
VTech Hack Exposed Tens Of Thousands Of Photos & Chat Logs Of Parents, Kids
By 12.1.15
The recent breach of popular children’s electric toy maker VTech compromised the personal information of nearly five million parents and children, but a new report claims the hack exposed even more sensitive information: photos and chat logs between children and their parents. [More]
Hack Of Toy Maker VTech Exposes Data For Millions Of Parents, Kids
By 11.30.15
Let’s kick off the holiday shopping season with news of a data breach that may involve some toys you’ll be wrapping in the coming weeks. Popular children’s electric toy maker VTech has announced that customer information fell into the wrong hands earlier this month. [More]
Amazon Enables Two-Step Authentication To Give Users More Account Protection
By 11.18.15
Amazon joined a growing number of tech, social media and retail companies aiming to ensure your personal information is as secure as possible today, by enabling two-factor authentication for user accounts. [More]
Sprint To Pay $2.95M Over Claims It Violated The Fair Credit Reporting Act
By 10.21.15
Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Fair Credit Reporting Act, companies are required to inform consumers when they are offered services with less favorable terms than those offered to consumers with better credit standing. That apparently wasn’t the case for Sprint. [More]
FCC Now Sharing Weekly Robocall Complaint Data For Use In Building Call-Blocking Tools
By 10.21.15
The FCC has been on a bit of a crusade this year to try and curb the scourge of robocalls, one of consumers’ biggest complaints. To that end, they’re now going to share a new tool to help build weapons for that fight: consumers’ complaints. [More]
Verizon Announces $20/Month Bill Increase For Few Remaining Unlimited Data Plan Customers
By 10.8.15
If you’ve been bragging to everyone you know that you’re still part of Verizon’s $29.99/month unlimited data plan, you might want to quiet down just a bit. That’s because the wireless provider is increasing your monthly bill by $20. [More]
