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Category Archives: E-Commerce

Executive Excess 2024

Institute for Policy Studies – The “Low Wage 100” corporations are enriching CEOs at the expense of workers and long-term investment. Introduction Key findings Recommendations Social Toolkit Download full report At a time of intense political divisions, Americans across the political spectrum share enormous common ground on at least one problem facing our nation: the… Continue Reading

YouTubers Are Almost Too Easy to Dupe

The Atlantic [unpaywalled]”Perhaps the most accurate cliché is that if a deal appears too good to be true, then it probably is. To wit: If a “private investor” of unknown origin approaches you through an intermediary, offering you $400,000 a month to make “four weekly videos” for a politically partisan website and YouTube page, you… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 7, 2024

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 7, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading

Retailers Locked Up Their Products and Broke Shopping in America

Bloomberg no paywall: “…In retailers’ eyes it might be their best option, but it’s one that appears to be backfiring. Neil Saunders, managing director of the retail practice at the firm GlobalData, describes the locking up of merch as “a blunt instrument.” Several years into this experiment, the instrument’s outcomes are becoming clear: miserable workers,… Continue Reading

New web crawler launched by Meta last month is quietly scraping the internet for AI training data

Fortune [no paywall]: “Meta has quietly unleashed a new web crawler to scour the internet and collect data en masse to feed its AI model. The crawler, named the Meta External Agent, was launched last month according to three firms that track web scrapers and bots across the web. The automated bot essentially copies, or… Continue Reading

Invisible Rulers – What Really Drives Online Content

Mark Scott, Digital Bridge, Politico: “After years of tracking online disinformation, propaganda and other digital nastiness, Renée diResta sees patterns where others see chaos. In her new book, “Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality,” the former Stanford University researcher tries to parse together a theory about why, seemingly out of the blue,… Continue Reading

Etsy for Guns?

Court Watch: A 3D Etsy print shop sells ghost gun parts. “When we think about products typically sold on Etsy, it conjures up images of lovely espresso martini scented candles or maybe even drink coasters you can customize as mini vinyl records with your favorite album covers. After all, Etsy describes itself as “the global… Continue Reading

FTC Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials

The rule will allow agency to strengthen enforcement, seek civil penalties against violators, and deter AI-generated fake reviews. The final rule announced today follows an advance notice of proposed rulemaking and a notice of proposed rulemaking announced in November 2022 and June 2023, respectively. The final rule prohibits: Fake or False Consumer Reviews, Consumer Testimonials, and… Continue Reading

Hackers may have stolen the Social Security numbers of every American. How to protect yourself

LA Times via Yahoo: “…Data breaches have been so common over the years, some security experts say sensitive information about you is almost certainly available in the dark corners of the internet. And there are a lot of people capable of finding it; VPNRanks, a website that rates virtual private network services, estimates that 5… Continue Reading

FTC Outlines Remedy Concerns in Amicus Brief After Jury Finds Google Illegally Monopolized App Store

“The Federal Trade Commission filed an amicus brief in a case brought by online video game maker Epic Games Inc. against Google LLC’s app store, which outlines how the court should consider potential remedies when determining effective relief to restore competition after Google was found liable for illegal monopolization. The FTC filed its amicus brief… Continue Reading