Headline News Archive

2019

December

06

• Uber says 3,045 sexual assaults reported in U.S. rides. Uber said that it had reports of 3,045 sexual assaults during its rides in the U.S. in 2018, with nine people murdered and 58 killed in crashes,

05

• China uses DNA to map faces. Beijing’s pursuit of control over a Muslim ethnic group pushes the rules of science and raises questions about consent.

02

• Holiday scams are heavy on naughty, lacking in nice. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. But for consumers, it’s also the most dangerous. From gift card rackets to

November

26

• Democrats unveil new online privacy bill, promising tough penalties. Senate Democrats proposed tough new punishments for Facebook, Google and other Silicon Valley tech giants that mishandle their users’ personal data, unveiling a sweeping

• Fraudsters cost her $6,500, and she had to hire computer expert to prove it. Julie Poncela lost thousands of dollars as a result of fraud, but the bank didn’t believe her until she hired a computer expert

25

• Hospital alarms prove a noisy misery for patients. Tens of thousands of alarms shriek, beep and buzz every day in every U.S. hospital. All sound urgent, but few require immediate attention or

• Use this guide to fight back against online tracking. Protecting your digital privacy is a never-ending process that requires constant vigilance. But each of these steps is worth the time investment, and perhaps the

23

• Consumer watchdog downplaying a major Obama-era tool. The director of the country’s primary consumer watchdog, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), downplayed the role of the complaint database in its

21

• Uber embraces videotaping rides, raising privacy concerns. For several months, some Uber passengers in Texas have been recorded on video as they have been driven to their destinations. The video recordings are

• Millions in missing paychecks and workers left in the lurch. Nicole Ingram learned that her payroll check for working as a nursing assistant in New Jersey, which had been deposited into her account, was being

20

• Police can keep Ring camera video forever, share with anyone. Police officers who download videos captured by homeowners’ Ring doorbell cameras can keep them forever and share them with whomever they’d like

• As robocalls surge, feds scramble to act. A suspicious campaign bombarded Americans with an estimated 288 million robocalls pitching health insurance in October, according to the call-blocking smartphone app YouMail, contributing to the

• Thousands of Disney Plus accounts hacked, sold online. For sale: Disney Plus account, barely used. Within hours of the streaming service’s bumpy rollout last week, hackers commandeered user accounts: locking out

• Nebraska comparte expedientes de conductores con Censo. Nebraska es el primer estado en reconocer públicamente que compartirá sus archivos de licencias de conducir con la Oficina del Censo, ahora

• Amnistía Internacional: Facebook y Google abusan de derechos. Amnistía Internacional emitió una dura acusación contra las corporaciones de internet dominantes en el mundo, argumentando en un nuevo reporte

19

• Vicepresidenta de Google, también preocupada por contenido. Google está manteniendo muchas conversaciones internas ante la preocupación de los consumidores por el acceso a los datos y la manipulació

18

• Some Fitbit users, who don't trust Google, are getting rid of the devices. Several Fitbit users told CNBC they started searching for an alternative to their fitness trackers as soon as they heard of Google’s acquisition

• Facebook, Google donate heavily to privacy advocacy groups. Few companies have more riding on proposed privacy legislation than Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. To try to steer the bill their

15

• Public USB charging stations could drain your bank account. Just weeks ahead of the busy holiday travel season, people are being warned against using airport USB charging stations.

14

• Privacy, consumer groups seek to block Google-Fitbit deal. Privacy, social justice and consumer groups are calling for the U.S. government to block Google’s $2.1 billion acquisition of fitness-gadget maker Fitbit, citing

11

• How the algorithms running your life are biased. Software programs don’t just recommend books and movies you might like: they also determine the interest rate you’ll pay on a

08

• Zelle fraud emergency kit and FAQ. I’ve been writing about fraud at Zelle — and the mishandling of Zelle fraud claims by big banks — for more than a

07

• Silicon Valley lawmakers propose federal privacy agency. Democratic Reps. Anna Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren proposed a Digital Privacy Agency as part of a new federal privacy bill they introduced.  The DPA

06

• Facebook reveals new privacy mishap involving apps for groups. Facebook on Tuesday acknowledged another privacy mishap on its platform: This time, some app developers may have wrongly accessed names and profile photos of users

• ‘Game-changer’ warrant let detective search genetic database. For police officers around the country, the genetic profiles that 20 million people have uploaded to consumer DNA sites represent a tantalizing resource that could be