What ailment is so devastating that its symptoms can range from an incorrect medical diagnosis, to (virtually) killing you, to hurting your kids’ chances of getting college financial aid? That distinctly digital-age malady? Identity theft. In a world of overused metaphors, this one is spot-on: If Franz Kafka were writing [Keep reading]
“We’re improving ads based on apps and sites you use, and giving you more control,” says the notice I received this morning from Facebook. Uh oh. Any time a company says they are giving me “more control,” I know something bad is happening. When did I lose control? I clicked [Keep reading]
“I already swept the floor” said the annoyed woman behind the cash register, yelling over her shoulder to no one in particular. She managed to take my order, and my money, without ever looking at me. It was the 100th transaction recently that occurred at this particular brand of coffee [Keep reading]
Like father, like son. Hey, if the NSA can do it, why can’t we? A Wisconsin town council is considering an ordinance that would require every bar owner to install cameras, record every patron that comes in and out of the bar, store the video for 21 days, and……here’s the [Keep reading]
Verizon Wireless is rewarding long-term customers by tricking them into joining a ‘rewards’ program that A) Feels and works just like those yucky penny auction sites B) let’s Verizon consume and sell immense amounts very sensitive personal information about you. A very strong “boo,” to Verizon. Please stop abusing my [Keep reading]
The floodgates opened on the Right to be Forgotten this weekend, with 12,000 requests landing at search engine giant Google within the first 24 hours of a temporary form being made available. You’ll recall that a European court recently ruled that EU citizens enjoy a Right to be Forgotten, [Keep reading]
How do you think the big computers in the sky see you? Are you “Rural Everlasting” or a “Mobile Mixer?” Are you a “Married Sophisticate,” a “Senior Product Buyer,” a “dog owner,” and “winter activity enthusiast,” “Bible Lifestyle” or an “Affluent Baby Boomer?” Maybe you are “Financially Challenged,” or “Plus [Keep reading]
During Memorial Day weekend, a Facebook product manager named Mike Hudack published a sarcasm-dripping rant about the state of media, and the failure of new entrants into the marketplace. (“Personally I hoped that we would find a new home for serious journalism in a format that felt Internet-native and natural [Keep reading]
When you see the word “optional” attached to a new Facebook feature, watch out. And when you see that word in the headline of a blog post announcing the feature, you should really watch out. That means Facebook is so worried whatever this new thing is will spook people that [Keep reading]
Use email outside of work, and odds are 1 in 2 that you experienced a lot of stress yesterday. Maybe that’s no surprise, but it’s still more evidence that your smartphone might be killing you. Even worse: It’s killing you softly. People who work outside of work *think* their lives [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan