News

2010

September

01

• Why privacy on the Web isn't dispensable. Predicting the future of the Internet is a high-risk undertaking. But there are trends afoot, which, if unchecked, may threaten our basic values or put excess power or control in the hands of particular interests.…

August

30

• Blocking out online friends. Esthela Gonzalez's friends are talking to her, but she's not listening. The chatter is coming at Gonzalez not over a cup of coffee or at Five Guys, but through her iPhone, on Twitter. Gonzalez, bored…

29

• Retargeting ads follow surfers to other sites. The shoes that Julie Matlin recently saw on Zappos.com were kind of cute, or so she thought. But Ms. Matlin wasn’t ready to buy and left the site. Then the shoes started to follow her…

27

• For a 'free gift card,' simply give away your personal information. You've probably heard it a thousand times: There's no free lunch. But sometimes it helps to get a little reminder. And so we turn our attention to e-mails making the rounds from something called BestShoppingRewards.

26

• Hackers invade iTunes accounts. Cybercriminals are stepping up the hijacking of Apple iTunes accounts, often leaving consumers distraught. Hijackers buy iTunes logons from e-mail phishers expert at tricking you into typing your credentials at spoofed websites. ITunes logons also…

24

• The customer always comes last. The credit card industry is working hard to subvert the Credit Card Act of 2009, which banned many of the industry’s most predatory practices. The Federal Reserve Board, which oversees and coddles this industry, needs…

23

• Tougher medical privacy rules sought. The Obama administration is rewriting new rules on medical privacy after an outpouring of criticism from consumer groups and members of Congress who say the rules do not adequately protect the rights of patients. Democratic…

20

• A health insurance lesson for students. Unless your soon-to-be-roommate mentioned on Facebook that she has a mysterious and potentially contagious rash, you probably haven't given much thought to what you'll do for health insurance when you start college this fall. But…

• Work claims by disabled hit high. More people with disabilities filed charges of discrimination against their employers last year than at any other time in the 20-year history of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Almost 21,500 ADA-related charges were filed with…

19

• Facebook 'Places' knows where you are. PALO ALTO, Calif. — Facebook introduced a long-anticipated service called Places on Wednesday that could help the company tap local and small-business advertisers and sharpen its competition with Google. [Also read: Facebook Places stirs privacy…

• Celebrity searches invite online dangers. If you're looking for Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts or Jessica Biel online, look out! The movie stars top the latest list of the most dangerous celebrities to search for online, according to new research by…

17

• Wireless fraud uncovered in Chinese speaking community (Consumer Action and AT&T expose the problem, provide tips to protect consumers). FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE You can also click here to read our Chinese version of the Press Release [華人社區常會發生之手機交易詐騙案件]. San Francisco, California — Consumer Action and AT&T are working together to protect Chinese speaking consumers from…

16

• Google-Verizon plan raises privacy fears. When elephants fight, the saying goes, only the grass gets trampled. Last week, two elephants — Google and Verizon — came together to propose a vision for the Internet that represented what many characterize as…

• Second credit report not required for mortgages. Mortgage giant Fannie Mae said Friday that lenders who sell mortgages to the company are not required to run a second credit report before a borrower closes a home loan application. The government-controlled company earlier…

15

• How FTC debt settlement rules protect you. The advertisements for debt settlement are nearly irresistible to the overextended. They make the process sound almost painless; some even promise that government programs will stomp down debts. Sounds great, except in reality debt settlement…

09

• These 'cookies' aren't tasty. What if the next time you visited your local mall, a gaggle of detectives quietly followed you around taking notes on every store you visited, every item you bought, every movie you saw. Let's say…

• Angry customers venting online. You've been cheated or mistreated by a business, and no one from the company seems to care. Now what? Thousands of jilted consumers have turned to complaint websites, where they anonymously share with the Internet…

• Consolidating financial accounts may not be ideal. Q: I have opened a number of accounts with several brokerages and mutual fund companies. Is it worthwhile to consolidate those accounts with a single firm? A: There's something to be said about financial simplicity.…

08

• Online coupons aren't always great idea. Never pay retail. The marriage of the Internet and advertising has created a hot new trend — coupons that you buy to get deep discounts on everything from clothing to kayaking. That's got some experts…

• 'Debt tagging' by collection agencies a growing problem. Michael L. Hughes started getting the harassing phone calls several months ago. He figured they were from scammers and he tried to ignore them. Sometimes he'd pick up the phone just to hang up on…