A tracking firm that quietly captured information about 9 million consumers wandering in, out, and nearby retail stores, largely without consumers’ knowledge, was slapped on the wrist by the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday. The commission vote on the order was 3-2, meaning the slap was given reluctantly, with two of five commissioners [Keep reading]
It’s already hard enough to find an affordable home or apartment to rent (especially if you live in one of these cities). Rental prices are rising fast around the country, even in unexpected places like Kansas City and Portland. But as more people turn to online help to find a [Keep reading]
There’s something about computers that brings out the worst in us. And there’s something about retaliatory violence against these boxes of frustration that makes (many of) us cheer from a place deep inside. Computer rage is a real thing; there’s a whole section on it in my book proposal about [Keep reading]
Was talking to a very smart friend recently about the latest expensive solution looking for a problem, the Apple Watch. He convinced me that there actually is a problem, it’s just not *your* problem. It’s every company’s problem. The real market for the $400-$17,000 watch is the industrial market. Human [Keep reading]
Yes, airplanes can be hacked, just as power plants can be hacked. No, it’s not a widespread problem right now. Yes, we should talk about it before it becomes a widespread (and quite deadly) problem. No, we shouldn’t be harassing and detaining people who research these problems for a living. [Keep reading]
Now here’s a good idea. Discover Card consumers who lose track of the credit cards, but aren’t sure the cards are really lost yet, can temporarily “freeze” the cards with a new feature called “Freeze It.” New charges will be declined, which automated payments will continue, while the consumer continues [Keep reading]
It’s great that more folks are backing up their files using cloud-based services like DropBox. While hacker and virus writers get all the headlines, I think hardware failure is really the biggest risk most consumers face.Cloud services have become such a part of the way we live, however, that we’ve [Keep reading]
There was recently a very public debate about how awful airline travel is…vs. how whiney airline passengers are. In the New Yorker, Tim Wu argued that airlines actually create “calculated misery,” in order to trick you into paying more. Criminy, people pay extra now just to board the airplane early,theoretically [Keep reading]
It’s obvious that smartphones and driving are a dangerous combination. At this point, it should be obvious that ever-more-drastic laws banning cell phone use while driving have been ineffective, other than as another revenue-producing tool for law enforcement. A new study of teen drivers offers some insight into why. Experts [Keep reading]
A Georgia firm called millions of consumers attempting to
Bob Sullivan