The New York Times – “2020 has changed the way we shop. As more and more people commit to online purchasing for items big and small, the unfortunate truth is that you’re far more likely to run into scammers and scalpers. And the last thing you want after spending your hard-earned money and dealing with numerous shipping delays is… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Commerce
Gifts From Cyberspace
The New York Times -“Searching for a last-minute gift … that may take months to arrive? Here’s an alternative gift guide, to delight and surprise.” There are some odd items here – but who cares – it has been an odd year! Continue Reading
Why Do Banks Share Your Financial Information and Are They Allowed To?
GAO WatchBlog – In a word: yes. If you’ve ever applied for a loan, you know that banks and credit unions collect a lot of personal financial information from you, such as your income and credit history. And it’s not uncommon for lenders to then share your information with other vendors, such as insurance companies… Continue Reading
Amazon Publishing in Talks to Offer E-books to Public Libraries
Publishers Weekly – The potential deal would be a breakthrough moment in the library e-book market as Amazon currently does not make its digital content available to libraries. It would also be a major coup for the Digital Public Library of America’s upstart e-book platform and its SimplyE library reading app…Such an agreement would be… Continue Reading
Six Reasons Why Google Maps Is the Creepiest App On Your Phone
Vice – Google knows where you are, and so do advertisers: “Google Maps knows everything. Not just about every street, and every cafe, bar and shop on that street, but the people who go to them. With 1 billion monthly active users, the app is embedded in people’s lives – directing them on their commute, to… Continue Reading
Amazon announces new employee tracking tech, and customers are lining up
Mashable: “.Amazon-powered employee tracking is coming to a warehouse, and possibly a store, near you. The ecommerce, logistics, and (among other things) cloud computing giant quietly previewed Tuesday new hardware and software development kits (SDK) which add machine learning and computer vision capabilities to companies’ existing surveillance camera networks. And in what should come as… Continue Reading
Google’s Shopping Gift Guide will show you what everyone’s buying
engadget – “Google has unveiled the Shopping Gift Guide, a microsite that lets you browse trending categories, compare prices and find local buying options. When you first launch it, you can go into product areas for chefs, athletes, techies, decorators, “wellness gurus,” gamers and kids. Once you click on the “techies” area, for instance, it… Continue Reading
How to watch out for scams as a coronavirus vaccine nears
ICE pivots to combat COVID-19 vaccine fraud with launch of Operation Stolen Promise 2.0 – via AP: “Homeland Security Investigations officials are preparing for a crush of new scams when the coronavirus vaccine is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which could come in a few weeks. A few things to keep in… Continue Reading
For the best deals on almost anything, check these 3 sites first
Fast Company – “We’re now officially neck deep in holiday deal ads, even though it feels like the holiday shopping season lasts half the year. The problem with every store in the history of retail offering holiday deals is that they each expect you to visit their sites to sift through all the would-be bargains.… Continue Reading
How to Block Spam Calls on Android and iPhone
Lifehacker: “In the time it takes you to watch the video above, you will probably receive 3-5 spam calls. Or at least it feels like that. Robocalls are hard to block because they 1) always come from a different number and 2) often come from your own area code, to make you think it’s someone… Continue Reading
The Substackerati
Did a newsletter company create a more equitable media system—or replicate the flaws of the old one? – “Substack, established in 2017 by three tech-and-media guys—Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, and Jairaj Sethi—is a newsletter platform that allows writers and other creative types to distribute their work at tiered subscription rates. Newsletters go back at least… Continue Reading
Gifting a gadget? Check its creep factor on Mozilla’s ‘Privacy not included’ list of shame
TechCrunch: “Buying someone a gadget is a time-honored tradition, but these days it can be particularly fraught, considering you may buy them a fitness tracker that also monitors emotions, or a doorbell that snitches to the cops. Mozilla has put together a helpful list of popular gadgets with ratings on just how creepy they are.… Continue Reading
