I’ve long said that identity theft is a just marketing program for banks and retailers. Corporations make it easy for criminals to steal so they can sell convenience to consumers, and if a few customers get hurt along the way, well, that’s a shame. That can always be fixed later. [Keep reading]
Angry Starbucks customers keep writing me to say their bank accounts are being drained via the coffee giant’s popular mobile app, more than a year after I first reported the disturbing problem. Such a heist ruined Jenna Veeve Farag’s Christmas morning. “They were able to wipe out my checking account,” she [Keep reading]
Equifax and Trans Union were smacked by federal regulators on the first business day of the year, as the credit bureau giants will pay millions to settle allegations they deceptively sold and advertised free credit reports and credit score products. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the two giant credit bureaus [Keep reading]
Could Amazon’s Alexa be a tattletale? Yes, as could any Internet-connected device in your home, we were all reminded this week. News outlets lit up on Tuesday with news that Amazon had been served with a search warrant in a murder case, as detectives in Bentonville, Ark., want to know [Keep reading]
It’s very hard to make privacy and security sexy. The folks at Mozilla and the Tactical Technology Collective have done just that this month with a clever art installation/ pop-up shop in lower Manhattan called “The Glass Room.” The Glass Room aims to inform and challenge visitors by making them [Keep reading]
There’s fresh evidence out Wednesday to show the ransomware epidemic has staying power. Why? Victims are paying ransoms for their data, that’s why. Madison County, Indiana made headlines last week because it admitted a recent ransomware attack will cost taxpayers there $220,000 — some to the hackers, most for security [Keep reading]
What does it mean to be “doing well” in America today? How much income would you need to feel — if not “set” for the future — but at least solidly middle class? The “disappearing middle class” isn’t simply a turn of phrase. The American middle class is literally disappearing. [Keep reading]
For two years, I’ve been chronicling what I called America’s “Restless” problem. Today, I begin a new chapter in this effort. The Restless Project: Trump’s Turn. There’s been a lot of yelling and screaming during the past 12 months, but underneath it all, I know this: People are hurting, and [Keep reading]
Fake news can have real consequences. A man with an assault rifle just walked into a busy pizza place a few blocks from me in Washington D.C., apparently inspired by an Internet conspiracy about a child pedophile ring connected to the Democratic Party. I’m writing this story not as politics [Keep reading]
Long live the credit card magnetic stripe! You won’t need those chip cards at gas stations for a looonggg time. The march towards protecting consumers from credit and debit fraud with newfangled chip cards is slow, but steady. How slow became apparent on Thursday, when Visa and Mastercard announced they [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan