Cynja
The Cynja, Vol. 14: More than playing games or watching videos
Read all the Cynja series
Cybercrime / Privacy
If an algorithm sees you naked, should you care? My ‘Is Privacy Dead’ feature story for Super Lawyers
“Being in a state of constant observation will be the new normal. Everyone will come to expect it whether at work or at play.” — Lisa Sotto, cyberlaw expert. A chilling thought, no? Pun intended. Is privacy dead? People ask me this all the time, as one of the few [Keep reading]
Debt Collection Files
When a debt collector pretends to be the pizza guy
When the phone rang, the message on the caller ID display was a surprise. Sometimes it said, “Flower Shop.” Or “Pizza Delivery.” Or the name or number of a family member. Or “Repossession Services.” When consumers answered the phone, the ruse continued. An operator gave the impression that flowers or [Keep reading]
Cynja
Cybercrime / Privacy
The perils of LinkedIn promiscuity — it’s just business, so don’t be too friendly
Who turns down a LinkedIn invitation? You never know — that one connection could be the first step towards a new job, or a new client, or a lucrative contract. Or, it could be the first step towards getting hacked. In the latest cautionary tale about overly-promiscuous social media sharing, investigators [Keep reading]
The Restless Project
The annual pay raise is dead; what are the implications for budgeting…and optimism?
Think about your last raise. Struggling? You’re not alone. Raises are all but dead, I reported recently for CNBC.com. My editor there, Jennifer Barrett, recently pointed me towards a study with some curious findings: First, company bonus pools are falling short, so bonuses will be a bit disappointing this year. Second, [Keep reading]
Gotchas / Consumer
Buying a home just changed drastically; here’s what you need to know
The process of buying a home changed dramatically on Oct. 3. Here’s what you need to know about Know Before You Owe. What Is Know Before You Owe? That’s the name the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has given to changes in the procedure for buying a home, and specifically, in [Keep reading]
Gotchas / Consumer
DraftKings, FanDuel temporarily ban employees from playing for money after controversy erupts
Daily fantasy sports giants FanDuel and DraftKings have temporarily banned employees from playing online fantasy sports for money. The ban comes after a controversy erupted during the past few days involving allegations of something akin to insider trading. I covered that here, with much of that story repeated below to [Keep reading]
Gotchas / Consumer
Major fantasy sports sites FanDuel and DraftKings face discussion of potential ‘insider trading’ issue
To the surprise of (hopefully) no one, hard-charging fantasy sports non-betting sites are suddenly embroiled in controversy that includes discussion of something akin to insider trading. While there is no evidence of anything fraudulent occurring, the incident has shined a bright light on a potential lack of transparency and external [Keep reading]
Gotchas / Consumer
Accessing your money gets more expensive; ATM fees climb again, ‘free’ checking has more strings attached
It’s getting more expensive to park and access your own money, but you probably knew that. Bankrate.com’s annual survey of checking account fees came out Monday, revealing that the average cost for withdrawing money from a not-your-bank ATM has risen to $4.52, a record. Some checking account fees are up, too, [Keep reading]