As it was predicted, so it has come to pass: In an effort to combat “porch pirates” who love swiping any boxes left outside, Amazon is launching a new service that allows delivery people to walk into customers’ homes to drop off packages. [More]
somebody’s watching you
Facebook Messenger Adds Option To Share Your Location Live With Friends
By 3.27.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
For anyone who’s ever planned to meet up with friends in a crowded area, you know it can be frustrating to nail down exactly where you are, texting things like: “I’m on the corner by the bodega.” “Which corner/bodega?” “The one with the ATM sign.” “You’re dead to me.” Facebook thinks it can solve this problem by allowing Messenger users to share their location live. [More]
We Can’t Decide If Carnival Using Facial Recognition To Sell Passengers Photos Is Creepy Or Cool
By 11.17.16
As the world we live in becomes more and more digital, there are definitely some conveniences, but there is also the chance to feel a bit too connected. THat’s why we can’t decide if a cruise line using facial recognition software to identify passengers in photos is a cool bit of tech or is just downright creepy. [More]
Subway Worker Accused Of Filming Women In The Restroom
By 10.14.16
A Subway employee in Seattle is facing charges of voyeurism and possession of child pornography after allegedly filming women in the restaurant’s bathroom without their knowledge. [More]
Uber Driver Accused Of Creeping Around Outside Passengers’ Apartment
By 9.6.16
Another day, another story of an Uber driver going outside the bounds of a normal interaction with customers: police in St. Petersburg, FL say a man who uses the Uber platform was arrested for prowling outside the apartment of two female passengers he’d dropped off earlier. [More]
Police: Phone Repair Tech Sent Female Customer’s Personal Photos To Himself
By 8.30.16
Sometimes, we have no choice but to leave our smart devices in the hands of another. But after she left her phone for repair, a woman in the Atlanta area was shocked to find out that someone had been text messaging an unknown number from her phone. [More]
UPS Will Now Let Customers Follow Packages Out For Delivery In Real Time
By 5.13.16
No more wondering what your package gets up to while it’s out for delivery — did it stop for a drink and miss its connecting flight? — with a new service UPS is rolling out that allows customers to track their shipments in the final stage, from one second to the next. [More]
Worker’s Lawsuit Claims Company Fired Her After She Removed App That Tracked Her Location 24/7
By 5.13.15
It’s perfectly acceptable for a company to want to know what its workers are up to on the job, but one woman in California says her employers took it too far when they allegedly required her and others to not only keep their phones on around the clock, but submit to GPS monitoring via an app she says had to install as a condition of her employment. [More]
FAA Steps Up Oversight Of United Airlines, Citing Violations Of Pilot Qualifications & Scheduling Issues
By 4.10.15
The Federal Aviation Administration has been fixing its baleful stare on United Airlines for the last two months, after writing in a letter to the airline pointing out potential risks due to alleged repeated violations of mandatory pilot qualification and scheduling requirements. [More]
Retailers Only Have Eyes For You With Latest Online Marketing Efforts
By 4.1.15
On the one hand, it can be very convenient to get a coupon emailed to you based on your obsession with tacos. On the other, having every website you visit blast your eyes with ads for the same darn pair of lime green shoes you already bought as part of a Halloween costume and never intend to buy again. But some retailers say they’re working on tailoring such marketing efforts down to each person individually, to maximize effectiveness and cut down on irritation. [More]
iPhone Owner Watching Thief’s Selfies Post To Her Facebook Account
By 3.27.15
Vanity, thy name is smartphone thief: We’re no strangers to the tale of the narcissistic villain who’s ultimately caught after uploading photos taken on the pilfered phones somewhere the owner can see them. That’s the ending one iPhone owner is hoping for, as she’s been watching the person who stole her device unwittingly send them straight to the owner’s Facebook account. [More]
Study: Some Popular Android Apps Tracking User Location Once Every Three Minutes
By 3.24.15
While it can be very useful to have say, a weather app on your smartphone that knows where you are when you want to find out current conditions for your location, does that mean that those apps should be able to know where you are even when you aren’t using the app? That’s a question raised by a new forthcoming study that found about dozen apps for Android smartphones are not only tracking where you are right now, but three minutes from now. And three minutes after that. And so on. [More]
Restaurant Co-Owner Accused Of Creeping On Women With Camera Hidden In Bathroom
By 2.24.15
Police in Maryland say the co-owner of a local restaurant group took advantage of his customers in one of the most invasive ways possible, by allegedly setting up a video camera in the women’s restroom at one of his restaurants so he could secretly film them going to the bathroom. And cue those shudders, folks. [More]
Beware What You Share: Cops Say Facebook Posts About Inheritance Inspired Robbery
By 2.9.15
When you’re posting on social media, you never really know who out there is reading your posts, watching and waiting for the perfect time to take advantage of your willingness to share the details of your life. So if you’ve suddenly come into a bunch of money, be careful where you go talking about that exciting news. [More]
GM: This Is Awkward, But Those Corvette Valet Cams Might Be Illegal
By 9.29.14
Having an extra pair of eyes and ears to keep watch over your expensive ride might sound like a wonderful idea, but GM is now warning owners of its new Corvette that those valet nanny cams might be illegal, depending on where you live. [More]
Online Gamers Watch Home Invasion Unfold Live At Fellow Player’s House Via Webcam
By 6.9.14
While your computer’s webcam can be a source of scariness if someone is watching who shouldn’t be, it could also be a valuable witness when things go awry. To wit: Police in Tempe, Ariz. have arrested one suspect and are looking for another, after online gamers from around the world watched a home invasion unfolding live via their fellow player’s webcam. [More]
Russian Official To Hotel Critics: We Have Surveillance Videos Of You In The Bathroom
By 2.6.14
What’s that, Olympic Games attendee? You’ve got a dirty hotel room with beers under the bed in Sochi? Your room has no hot water, or no water at all? Well, your complaints are aimed at trying to sabotage Sochi’s shining moment, said one official in response to Western critics. [More]
LG Admits Its Smart TVs Collected Info, Promises Fix So Customers Can Actually Opt Out
By 11.22.13
Remember how a few days ago, we found out that LG’s Smart TVs were a little too smart, and were not only monitoring what customers watched in order to pitch better ads — whether or not you turned that setting off — but they also gathered filenames from connected USB drives? It’s backpedal time, ladies and gents: LG has issued a statement apologizing and promising to make everything right. [More]
