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Payments Start In $725M Facebook Settlement: How Much You Could Get Payments Start In $725M Facebook Settlement: How Much You Could Get
Payments Start In $725M Facebook Settlement: How Much You Could Get If you had a Facebook account from 2007 to 2022, you may soon see money from a massive class action settlement. Payments have begun in Facebook's $725 million privacy settlement. Every Facebook user in the US between Thursday, May 24, 2007, and Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, was eligible for payouts. The case stems from Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm tied to far-right strategist Steve Bannon, the Associated Press reported. Cambridge Analytica harvested data from millions of Facebook users to support President Donald Trump’s 2016 election win. In December 2022, Me…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
FTC Fines Disney $10M For Collecting Kids' Data Improperly On YouTube: Here's How FTC Fines Disney $10M For Collecting Kids' Data Improperly On YouTube: Here's How
FTC Fines Disney $10M For Collecting Kids' Data Improperly On YouTube: Here's How Disney has agreed to pay $10 million after the company was accused of allowing personal data from children under 13 to be collected through mislabeled YouTube videos. The Federal Trade Commission announced the settlement in a news release on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Federal regulators said Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC failed to properly designate some of its kid-focused videos as "Made for Kids." By mislabeling the uploads, the FTC said that Disney enabled YouTube to collect data from young viewers and use it for targeted advertising. …

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by Chris Spiker
News
Aflac May Have Exposed Social Security Numbers, Other Info Aflac May Have Exposed Social Security Numbers, Other Info
Aflac May Have Exposed Social Security Numbers, Other Info Aflac has confirmed a cybersecurity breach that may have compromised sensitive customer information. The company is the latest target in a string of attacks on major insurance providers. The company said the intrusion was first detected on Thursday, June 12, prompting an immediate internal response.  While systems remained operational and no ransomware was involved, investigators say the breach was part of a broader cybercrime campaign against the insurance industry. Aflac said the attacker used social engineering tactics to infiltrate its US network. A review of impacted files is sti…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
WhatsApp Reportedly Banned From House Staffers' Devices: How Meta Responded WhatsApp Reportedly Banned From House Staffers' Devices: How Meta Responded
WhatsApp Reportedly Banned From House Staffers' Devices: How Meta Responded Meta is pushing back after WhatsApp has been reportedly banned from all US House staffers' government-issued devices due to security concerns about how the app handles user data. Axios first reported on the ban after obtaining an internal email on Monday, June 23. The House's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) told staffers on Monday that WhatsApp is banned due to a lack of transparency about its data privacy and security practices. The ban applies to all versions of the messaging platform, including mobile, desktop, and web apps. "The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed What…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
TikTok Ban Delayed Again Despite Doubts About Trump's Legal Power: Reports TikTok Ban Delayed Again Despite Doubts About Trump's Legal Power: Reports
TikTok Ban Delayed Again Despite Doubts About Trump's Legal Power: Reports TikTok will reportedly stay available in the US for at least three more months despite legal questions surrounding President Donald Trump's authority to keep delaying enforcement of the ban. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will sign an executive order to extend a pause on the ban for 90 more days, CNBC reported. An extension would push the Thursday, June 19, deadline to Wednesday, Sept. 17. The divest-or-ban bill became law in April 2024. The ban's enforcement has been postponed for a third time under Trump, who once advocated for banning the popular video app. The …

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by Chris Spiker
News
Beware Of These Airport Mistakes, TSA Says Beware Of These Airport Mistakes, TSA Says
Beware Of These Airport Mistakes, TSA Says Think twice before you plug in or log on at the airport. Travelers who rely on free Wi-Fi or public charging stations could be putting their personal data at serious risk, federal officials say. In a warning aimed at cyber-safety during peak travel season, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) flagged two common behaviors that could make travelers targets for hackers: Avoid USB charging stations. Hackers can install malware at public ports — a method known as “juice jacking” or “port jacking.” Instead, use a TSA-compliant power bank or wall charger. Don’t trust public Wi-Fi. Ne…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
EXCLUSIVE: NJ Cop Accessed Police Records In Personal Dispute, Complaint Alleges EXCLUSIVE: NJ Cop Accessed Police Records In Personal Dispute, Complaint Alleges
Exclusive: NJ Cop Accessed Police Records In Personal Dispute, Complaint Alleges New details have emerged in the case of Scott T. Palmer, the 29-year-old Phillipsburg police officer arrested last month on criminal computer charges. Palmer, who was arrested Friday, May 30, is accused of accessing the Phillipsburg Police Department’s Records Management System while off duty to locate the address of someone he had a personal dispute with, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Daily Voice. The affidavit obtained by Daily Voice Friday, June 13 states that Palmer entered PPD headquarters around 4:25 a.m. on April 8, saying he needed to use a computer. He then used the…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NYU Langone Patients Can Soon Check In By Scanning Their Hands: Here's How NYU Langone Patients Can Soon Check In By Scanning Their Hands: Here's How
NYU Langone Patients Can Soon Check In By Scanning Their Hands: Here's How A New York City-area healthcare system will allow some patients to check into its facilities with just the palm of their hand. NYU Langone Health is rolling out Amazon One, a contactless palm-scanning system, to speed up patient check-ins across its facilities, the online retail giant said in a news release on Monday, Mar. 3. The rollout of the new check-in system will begin on the week of Monday, Mar. 10. The technology, already used at Amazon Fresh grocery stores, stadiums, and airports, is being integrated into NYU Langone's check-in process to enhance efficiency and security. "One…

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by Chris Spiker
Politics
21 Resign From Elon Musk's DOGE Saying They Refuse To 'Dismantle Critical Public Services' 21 Resign From Elon Musk's DOGE Saying They Refuse To 'Dismantle Critical Public Services'
21 Resign From Elon Musk's Doge Saying They Refuse To 'Dismantle Critical Public Services' A mass resignation has struck the newly created Department of Government Efficiency
 (DOGE), overseen by billionaire Elon Musk.  “We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services," the group of 21 employees said in a letter addressed to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to the Wall Street Journal. The workers reportedly includes product managers, engineers, and data scientists. The development comes amid a wave of legal challenges aimed at halting or …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban: How The App Could Survive In The U.S. Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban: How The App Could Survive In The U.S.
Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban: How The App Could Survive In The U.S. The Supreme Court has upheld a new law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. unless its Chinese parent company divests from the very popular video-sharing social media app. The justices said the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" doesn't violate the First Amendment, according to the court's decision on Friday, Jan. 17. The ruling allows for TikTok to potentially be banned in the U.S. as early as Sunday, Jan. 19. TikTok, which has more than 170 million users in the U.S., has come under scrutiny over fears that ByteDance could allow the Chinese gov…

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by Chris Spiker
Politics
TikTok 'Cultivates Addiction' For Kids, Harming Their Mental Health, NY AG’s Lawsuit Alleges TikTok 'Cultivates Addiction' For Kids, Harming Their Mental Health, NY AG’s Lawsuit Alleges
TikTok 'Cultivates Addiction' For Kids, Harming Their Mental Health, NY AG’s Lawsuit Alleges TikTok knowingly harms young users’ mental health all in an effort to turn a profit, a new multistate lawsuit alleges. New York Attorney General Letitia James was among a bipartisan coalition of 14 attorneys general who filed a lawsuit against the social media platform on Tuesday, Oct. 8, alleging fraudulent and deceptive business practices, among other offenses. According to the complaint, TikTok falsely claims its platform is safe for young people despite “addictive features” that worsen their mental health and body image issues. Those features include around-the-clock notifications lea…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Data Breach Reported At School District In Northern Westchester Data Breach Reported At School District In Northern Westchester
Data Breach Reported At School District In Northern Westchester A data breach may have exposed information related to some students at a school district in Northern Westchester.  The breach was announced by Mount Pleasant Central School District Superintendent Peter Giarrizzo on Friday, Feb. 17, who said that several student email passwords may have been compromised by the incident.  After the data breach was discovered on Friday, an investigation into the matter found that several passwords belonging to Grade 7 students in the district had been posted to a shared Google Classroom during the 2020-2021 school year. After this document was …

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by Ben Crnic
News
Quest Diagnostics Says Nearly 12M May Have Had Financial, Personal Info Exposed In Data Breach Quest Diagnostics Says Nearly 12M May Have Had Financial, Personal Info Exposed In Data Breach
Quest Diagnostics Says Nearly 12M May Have Had Financial, Personal Info Exposed In Data Breach Millions of Quest Diagnostics patients may have had their financial, medical and other personal information exposed in a data breach, the company announced on Monday. Officials at Quest Diagnostics said Monday that 11.9 million peoples’ personal information, including Social Security numbers may have been compromised after one of its billing collectors reported a data breach. According to Quest Diagnostics, American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA) notified the company and a Quest contractor that uses AMCA’s billing services last month. The number of patients impacted was only recently dete…

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by Zak Failla
Business
AOL To Pay State $5M Fine In Largest Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Penalty Ever AOL To Pay State $5M Fine In Largest Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Penalty Ever
AOL To Pay State $5M Fine In Largest Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Penalty Ever The company that was once AOL will pay nearly $5 million for violating children’s privacy rights. Oath Inc., formerly known as AOL, has agreed to a record settlement for $4.95 million, the largest penalty ever levied in a Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA).  The settlement came after the company conduction billions of auctions with targeted ads on hundreds of children’s websites, violating COPPA. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said that her office found that AOL conducted billions of auctions for ad space on hundreds of we…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Change Your Password, Twitter Tells All 336M Users After Bug Found Change Your Password, Twitter Tells All 336M Users After Bug Found
Change Your Password, Twitter Tells All 336M Users After Bug Found Are you a Twitter user? Then you should change your password.  The social media company discovered a bug that saved user passwords on an internal log without proper encryption, it announced on Thursday. "We fixed the bug and have no indication of a breach or misuse by anyone," the company tweeted. "As a precaution, consider changing your password on all services where you’ve used this password." In a blog post you can read here, Twitter said, "we found this error ourselves" and is "implementing plans to prevent this bug from happening again."

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
NY Joins Investigation Of Facebook Data Use As Zuckerberg Responds NY Joins Investigation Of Facebook Data Use As Zuckerberg Responds
NY Joins Investigation Of Facebook Data Use As Zuckerberg Responds As the controversy heightens as to how data mining company Cambridge Analytica obtained 50 million Facebook users' profile information to aid Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, New York State has joined those demanding answers from the social media giant. "Consumers have a right to know how their information is used -- and companies like Facebook have a fundamental responsibility to protect their users' personal information," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. "We sent a demand letter to Facebook -- the first step in our joint investi…

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by Joe Lombardi