Monthly Archives: April 2017

Facebook and Google confirmed as victims of $100M phishing scam

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“Last month, the Department of Justice charged a Lithuanian man for fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering after documents revealed he scammed two major tech companies for over $100 million by masquerading as a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer. A Fortune report this week identified those two affected companies as Facebook and Google.”

Read more: http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/28/15468828/facebook-google-phishing-scam-rimasauskas

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Bill Bonner: Trump’s Tax Plan Would Bankrupt the Empire

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“Should we throw our bantam weight behind the president in search of personal gain? Or should we put on our Good Citizen lapel flag and rally round to save the country’s finances?”

Read more: http://bonnerandpartners.com/trumps-tax-plan-would-bankrupt-the-empire/

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Japan secretly funneled hundreds of millions to the NSA, breaking its own laws

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“The Intercept publishes a previously-unseen set of Snowden docs detailing more than $500,000,000 worth of secret payments by the Japanese government to the NSA, in exchange for access to the NSA’s specialized surveillance capabilities, in likely contravention of Japanese privacy law (the secrecy of the program means that the legality was never debated, so no one is sure whether it broke the law).”

Read more: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/24/the-whale-in-the-room.html

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Poll: A Record Number of Americans Say Government ‘Should Do More’

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“The shift also comes after a political campaign that saw party orthodoxy upended on both sides of the aisle.”

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/poll-record-number-americans-say-government-should-do-more-n749766

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That Other Threat: Electronics Thefts From Checked Luggage

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“In 2014, the Transportation Safety Administration said more than 500 baggage screeners had been fired since it was established in 2001, according to the Wall Street Journal. A CNN analysis found more than 30,000 property loss claims were filed by passengers with the TSA between 2010–14, most claiming valuables were taken from checked baggage. Under an international treaty known as the Montreal Convention (to which the US is a signatory), an airline’s liability for loss or damage to a passenger’s luggage is limited to the equivalent of about $1,360.”

Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/people-are-worried-new-rules-mean-laptops-will-be-stolen

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American Authorities Considering Personal Electronics Ban for UK Flights

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“The Guardian has revealed that the Trump administration is contemplating a laptop ban on US-bound passengers traveling from UK airports. If imposed, this new ban would mean that travelers headed to the US from the United Kingdom would be unable to bring laptops and possibly other electronic devices into the cabin as part of their carry-on luggage.  However, these bans have been met with widespread criticism by professionals within the technology sector.”

Read more: http://www.flyertalk.com/articles/american-authorities-considering-laptop-ban-for-us-bound-uk-travelers.html

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Challenge Red Light Cameras, Get Fined for ‘Practicing Engineering Without a License’

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“According to the board, Järlström’s research into red light cameras and their effectiveness amounts to practicing engineering without a license. No, really.  Järlström is now suing the state board over that fine, arguing that it’s unconstitutional to prevent someone from doing math without the government’s permission.”

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2017/04/26/after-challenging-red-light-cameras-oreg

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IRS deliberately targeted innocents for civil forfeiture program

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“The Treasury Inspector General released a report this month that reveals that the IRS deliberately targeted people they knew were not engaged in structuring for millions of dollars’ worth of seizures, such that 91% of seizures were made in error, taking money away from people engaged in lawful activity.  These seizures were ‘quick hits’ that allowed IRS enforcers the rack up impressive resolution stats because the victims were happy to negotiate a settlement, as opposed to actual criminal acts.  The result: for the IRS, depositing $10,000 or more was an inherently suspicious act; but so was depositing $10,000 or less.”

Read more: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/14/innocents-make-easy-marks.html

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Trump announces trade war with Canada, retroactive 20% tax on lumber

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“Claiming the U.S. has been ‘taken advantage of’ under the Clinton-era NAFTA trade deal, President Trump Monday night opened a trade war with Canada, announcing a retroactive 20 percent ‘tax’ on lumber imports, and promising a similar tax on Canadian milk.  ‘Canada has treated us very unfairly,’ the president said in impromptu remarks at a reception for conservative journalists. ‘We have been taken so advantage of,’ he said, speaking it the Roosevelt Room.  Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who accompanied the president into the reception, said that the ‘countervailing duty’ would be retroactive 90 days.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-announces-trade-war-with-canada-retroactive-20-tax-on-lumber/article/2621146

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Bose accused of spying on end users, data mining via headphone app

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“According to plaintiff Kyle Zak, the spying began when Bose released a mandatory Bose Connect application that all users must install to ‘fully operate its wireless products.’ What Bose didn’t draw much attention to, according to the suit, is that Bose Connect collects data on all the musical content or audio books that you listen to on its headphones. As the suit notes, this is a major invasion of privacy.”

Read more: https://www.extremetech.com/internet/248010-bose-accused-spying-end-users-data-mining-private-records-via-headphone-app

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