CNET – “With increasingly invasive digital surveillance from advertisers and law enforcement over the past few years, securing your mobile phone from privacy threats in 2022 should be a key resolution. But don’t stop short. Changing a few settings in your phone and apps isn’t enough. To get the most privacy, the key ingredient to… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Commerce
5 Used Things You Can Feel Safe About Buying On Craigslist
Make Use Of: “Craigslist is one of the web’s oldest websites for ordinary people looking to buy from or sell to one another. It’s been around since 1995. While its services have changed to some extent over the years, it’s always been an open, (usually) free place to post and to respond to classified ads… Continue Reading
How to Opt Out of Verizon’s Custom Experience Tracking
Wired: “Verizon users are now automatically enrolled in a data collection program tracking information like websites visited and mobile app usage. Recently reported on by Input, the telecommunications company runs a two-tiered tracking program and automatically enrolls every customer in the first tier. The Verizon Custom Experience and Custom Experience Plus programs are a rebranding… Continue Reading
How Your Returns Are Used Against You at Best Buy, Other Retailers
WSJ [paywall – alternative free source] – “At Best Buy, returning too many items within a short time can hurt a person’s score, as can returning high-theft items such as digital cameras. Every time shoppers returns purchases to Best Buy, they are tracked by a company which has the power to override the store’s touted… Continue Reading
That Fun TikTok Video? It’s Actually an Ad
The New York Times – “Brands are flocking to the platform like never before, drawn by its more than 1 billion users and its algorithm, which can make an ad seem like just another video…TikTok has been working to make the platform more lucrative for marketers and the creators they work with. And TikTok’s popularity… Continue Reading
The ‘most serious’ security breach ever is unfolding right now. Here’s what you need to know.
Washington Post: “Much of the Internet, from Amazon’s cloud to connected TVs, is riddled with the log4j vulnerability, and has been for years…The fact that log4j is such a ubiquitous piece of software is what makes this such a big deal. Imagine if a common type of lock used by millions of people to keep… Continue Reading
How Consumers and Retailers Can Reduce Returns
Wharton@Knowledge: “Americans return about 30% of their online purchases, costing retailers billions of dollars and creating mountains of environmental waste. Gad Allon, a Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions, wants to change that. He’s working with companies and researching ways to improve the reverse supply chain. He also believes that raising consumer awareness is… Continue Reading
What Happened to Amazon’s Bookstore?
The New York Times – “A 2011 thriller was supposed to cost $15. One merchant listed it at $987, with a 17th-century publication date. That’s what happens in a marketplace where third-party sellers run wild. John C. Boland was poking around the Amazon bookstore when he saw the science thriller “Hominid” for sale at dizzying… Continue Reading
Google v Commission (Google Shopping): A Case Summary
Moreno Belloso, Natalia, Google v Commission (Google Shopping): A Case Summary (November 17, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3965639 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3965639 “On June 27, 2017, the European Commission imposed a record fine of 2.4 billion EUR on Google for violating EU competition law. More specifically, the Commission issued a decision finding that Google had infringed Article… Continue Reading
The TKSST Gift Guide
“Around 600 smart gift ideas for all ages, curated by The Kid Should See This™. Your purchases support TKSST via affiliate links. This year I’m also sharing products from museum shops, Bookshop.org, Book Depository, Uncommon Goods, Earth Hero, Etsy, and directly from companies and creators. Please buy early, local, and indie when you can. 🚀Learn… Continue Reading
6 Ways to Make It Harder for Data Brokers to Collect Your Data
MakeUseOf: “Data brokerage is the underground economy that powers online advertising today. They follow us so much everywhere online; it’s hard to believe that this practice of buying and selling our data is even legal. The real-world equivalent of this practice is someone stalking you 24/7, noting your every move, with little or no consequence.… Continue Reading
Amazon’s Dark Secret: It Has Failed to Protect Your Data
Wired – “Voyeurs. Sabotaged accounts. Backdoor schemes. For years, the retail giant has handled your information less carefully than it handles your packages…According to internal documents reviewed by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and WIRED, Amazon’s vast empire of customer data—its metastasizing record of what you search for, what you buy, what shows… Continue Reading
