GadgetComa – The state into which a gadget geek falls after acquiring a new techno-toy. Days seem to go by while he or she fiddles with said gadget and raves to others about how groundbreaking it is.
Neat concept, but I’d prefer to have a full-stocked bar follow me. If it’s summer where you live, you’re likely spending many hours outdoors. A cold beer is a refreshing companion on a hot summer day, but there’s a downside: having to lug around a heavy cooler full of cans. Read the full article at www.slashgear.com.
Amazon on Friday said it complained to Apple about an app called Fakespot, which it claims inaccurately identified fraudulent sellers and fake reviews, leading to the title’s removal from the App Store. Read the full article at appleinsider.com. Confusing, huh? Amazon got Apple to pull the Fakespot app claiming it violated App Store guidelines. Truth is, Fakespot easily spots fake...
Aside from the value WebMD provides by telling you a hangnail is a symptom of brain cancer, you can now read all about the privacy concerns from the site that is well above average … in terms of the number of ad tracking and third-party cookies. I make a point not to visit the site as it has so many...
Facebook has threatened to pack up its toys and go home if European regulators don’t back down and let the social network get its own way. From a report: In a court filing in Dublin, Facebook said that a decision by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) would force the company to pull up stakes and leave the 410 million people...
I think the headline should read, “Facebook algorithm found to actively promote anything that generates revenue regardless of how vile, fake, racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, etc.” Last Wednesday Facebook announced it was banning conspiracy theories about Jewish people ‘controlling the world’. Read the full article at www.theguardian.com.
READ MORE Facebook algorithm found to ‘actively promote’ Holocaust denial
Rather scary manipulation going on here. A new version of “read the fine print” is needed these days. A 2019 study by researchers at Princeton and the University of Chicago shows that an overwhelming number of websites use deceptive design tactics, known as “dark patterns,” to coerce shoppers into spending more money. Read the full article at www.popularmechanics.com.
READ MORE These ‘Dark Patterns’ Trick You Into Spending More Money Online
If the capabilities of this technology doesn’t scare you enough, the idea that Peter Thiel is helping finance it should. A little-known start-up helps law enforcement match photos of unknown people to their online images — and “might lead to a dystopian future or something,” a backer says. Until recently, Hoan Ton-That’s greatest hits included an obscure iPhone game and...
READ MORE The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It
It’s pretty ridiculous that you can do everything right to protect your account, but you cell carrier can’t ensure their staff are trained well enough to avoid social engineering. Or maybe they need to pay them enough so they’re not as open to bribes. Weak challenge questions by customer service reps make it easy for fraudsters to hijack a phone...
READ MORE Mobile Carrier Customer Service Ushers in SIM-Swap Fraud