Topics

31

Off-Topic / Amazon to Pay $30M Over Ring and Alexa Data Privacy Violations

« on: June 01, 2023, 03:25:34 pm »Message ID: 1375697

 


 

https://www.gpkmedia.com/news/national/amazon-to-pay-over-30m-due-to-ring-and-alexa-privacy-violations/video_e4546336-33f4-54ac-961e-973fdc45e0b0.html

Amazon will pay two separate penalties for privacy violations: $25 million for allegedly not deleting children's data and $5.8 million for failing to restrict access to Ring security videos, the Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday.
Amazon to Pay $30M Over Ring and Alexa Data Privacy Violations



(FTC) made the announcement on May 31, CNET reports. . Amazon must pay two individual privacy violation penalties. . $25 million will be shelled out "for allegedly not deleting children's data," . and $5.8 million will be paid for not restricting access to Ring security videos, CNET reports. .

The settlement follows a complaint alleging that parents weren't able to delete their kids' voices and location data acquired by Alexa. Amazon then allegedly used that data for years to enhance Alexa's algorithm. Amazon then allegedly used that data for years to enhance Alexa's algorithm. [The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule] does not allow companies to keep children's data forever for any reason, and certainly not to train their algorithms, Samuel Levine, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, via statement. As for the penalty against Ring, employees and contractors were allegedly able to access customer videos with relative ease. . One employee over several months viewed thousands of video recordings belonging to female users of Ring cameras that surveilled intimate spaces in their homes such as their bathrooms or bedrooms. , FTC, via statement. The employee wasn't stopped until another employee discovered the misconduct, FTC, via statement

Ref:

Locked Topics:

https://www.fusioncash.net/forum.php?topic=86310.0


https://www.fusioncash.net/forum.php?topic=88936.0

32

Off-Topic / Holidays coming up 2023

« on: May 23, 2023, 05:19:57 pm »Message ID: 1375588

 

 

 


Memorial Day: Monday, May 29
Juneteenth: Friday, June 16
Father’s Day: Sunday, June 18
Independence Day: Tuesday, July 4
Labor Day: Monday, September 4
Indigenous Peoples’ Day (also observed as Columbus Day): Monday, October 9
Veterans’ Day: Saturday, November 11 (Observed Friday, November 10)
Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 23
Christmas: Monday, December 25

33

Off-Topic / Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of every May

« on: May 20, 2023, 11:08:41 am »Message ID: 1375544

 

https://nationaltoday.com/armed-forces-day/


* holiday was established in 1949. The creation of a single day celebration for all five branches of the United States military

Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of every May, this year falling on May 20

BY THE NUMBERS
1950 – the year when America first celebrated Armed Forces Day.

30 – the number of American presidents who served in the U.S Army.

2 – the number of presidents who became five-star generals, Dwight Eisenhower and George Washington.

1 – the number of presidents awarded with the Medal of Honor — Theodore Roosevelt.

1,760 – the number of PlayStation 3s used to assemble a supercomputer for the Department of Defense.

30 million – the acres of land owned by The Department of Defense.

800 – the number of military installations overseas by the United States.

1817 – the year when bell-bottom trousers were introduced for the Navy men.

4.6 billion – the gallons of fuel used by the U.S. military annually.

95% – the percentage reduction in the ripping noise on soldiers’ uniforms achieved by the U.S. Army by using a silent type of Velcro.

34

Off-Topic / $8300 AquaDam saves Hundreds of Thousands Dollars

« on: May 05, 2023, 04:17:49 pm »Message ID: 1375383

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/to-protect-his-home-from-flooding-a-texas-man-spent-8300-encircling-his-home-with-400-foot-aquadam/ar-AA1aNFwh?cvid=62ce238a54e2468baaa7011dcd27c362&ei=17&ocid=hpmsn

Installing the Aquadams
Wagner recruited the help of two men, and together the 3 men filled 400-feet of 30-inch-high tubes made of plastic and fabric with water. Interestingly, Wagner and his family stayed in their home, watching as the water rose to nearly 3 feet high. However, it never seeped through! His house was still standing and his family was safe. Costing a little less than $10,000, the Aquadam saved him, and his insurance company, hundreds of thousands of dollars. "$8,300 is to me a small investment on a house that could have two feet of water in it." he said.

Randy Wagner, a Rosharon, Texas resident found a DIY Aquadam online and decided to try it out. Despite the mostly dry conditions, there was a warning from the Brazos River Authority informing residents of a massive flood that was predicted to hit the area. Wagner faced some criticism from neighbors but still made the long drive to Louisiana to pick up the Aquadam. In May of 2015, his outlandish idea would pay off. Thousands of homes were evacuated in Brazoria County, due to severe flooding. Sadly, many of the homes were damaged or destroyed.


 In Canada, when the Ottawa River had reached record-breaking depths and heights, the community pooled resources and bought an Aquadam. Costing around $70,000, it too saved hundreds of thousands of dollars

35

FusionCash / No Surveys on the Survey Tab?

« on: May 02, 2023, 12:33:01 pm »Message ID: 1375327

 

No Surveys?  All the other sites have surveys!  Is it me?   

36

Off-Topic / 30,000 Dollar a yr for Three year Cruise

« on: April 28, 2023, 05:18:29 pm »Message ID: 1375279

 

 

on Tellwut today:

Life at Sea Cruises is selling places on board the MV Gemini, which sets sail from Istanbul on November 1, 2023 on a 3 year epic global journey that will take in most of the planet’s prime cruising destinations. In total, the MV Gemini will stop at 375 ports over its three-year voyage, with 208 of these including overnight stays. The ship will stop everywhere from India to China to the Maldives to Australia, with some multi-night stopovers. The cheapest rooms on the MV Gemini cost around $30,000 per year, including a discount for solo travelers. -CNN Travel

37

Off-Topic / SNAP Food assistance decreases as Pandemic order expires

« on: April 23, 2023, 03:52:04 pm »Message ID: 1375211

 

 

Provided By - Video Elephant on April 21, 2023

Many of the more than 40 million families who receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, are seeing less money this month than they did at the start of the year. In February, a pandemic-era emergency order that gave families the maximum amount of benefits each month expired. Alan Gossett and his husband John Howe are two of the people seeing less in their monthly SNAP checks. Howe has primary lateral sclerosis, a rare disease similar to ALS."I am going to be very disabled for the rest of my life," Howe said from his hospital bed inside the home the couple rents outside Seattle. Gossett is not only Howe's husband, he works as his caregiver full-time a job that doesn't pay, but one he does 70 to 80 hours every week. The couple relies on roughly $26,000 a year in Social Security benefits as income. They also qualify for SNAP benefits. Low-income families who qualify get SNAP benefits based on household size, and then it's a sliding scale based on income and other expenses. The pandemic-era emergency order gave the maximum amount to all who qualified without factoring in that sliding scale. Howe and Gossett received $516 a month. "Before, we were pretty much breaking even," Gossett says. SEE MORE: Pandemic-era SNAP benefits end as millions face rising costs Congress let the emergency order expire, and while Gossett and Howe are still low-income and still qualify for SNAP, their income is now factored in, and their benefit dropped to $13 a month. "I was stunned. I was absolutely stunned. And I thought this has to be a mistake," Gossett said. The more than $500 monthly decrease is far more than the national average of roughly $90 less per month per person, according to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, which runs the state's SNAP program, wouldn't get into specifics about Howe and Gossett's case. A spokeswoman responded by email saying the agency worked to alert families that a change in benefits was coming when the order expired. Gossett said he had no idea their drop would be so steep until a letter arrived in January from the state. "Benefits vary from household to household. That, of course, is a horrible situation to go down to that extent," says Emily Vollinger, SNAP director at the Food Research and Action Center, or FRAC.FRAC is advocating for more government support to fight food insecurity, pointing to issues like the rising cost of food and an increase in need being reported at food pantries nationwide since the emergency order ended.SEE MORE: How did America's food assistance program get started?"There is no way that $13 a month is calibrated to something that would be meaningful and realistic. Everyday people would know that right off the bat," Vollinger said.While lawmakers in Washington, D.C., debate the future of SNAP and how much money will be included for it when the Farm Bill, signed in 2018, expires in September, in Washington state, Gossett and Howe face a grim reality. "Long term we can't  absorb that $500 a month. We don't have the funds to make that up," Gossett said. Gossett is now making plans to put Howe into a state-sponsored nursing home. He says they can't afford food on top of the cost of over-the-counter medicine and supplies since their SNAP benefit dropped. "It just seems like a waste of a life because I'll never get to come home again after that," Howe says. Gossett and Howe say they are relying on a GoFundMe campaign to make ends meet.Gossett also launched petitions on Change.org, calling on President Biden and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to address the challenges households with family members with disabilities are facing when it comes to SNAP benefits and support. "I love him. I just can't imagine my daily life without him in it," Gossett said. 

38

Off-Topic / up to $9000 Covid Funeral assistance

« on: April 15, 2023, 04:11:16 pm »Message ID: 1375102

 

 

TellWut today:

....searched for the info online and found out that this (FEMA) policy will pay up to $9000 to the family of the deceased for funeral assistance if the cause of death is COVID related. Do you know anybody who receive this kind of assistance?



 This policy is covered under the Public Health Emergency and National Emergency declarations for COVID-19 and it will end on May/11/2023 meaning COVID related illnesses are no longer a pandemic health threat as it once was. Do you think this policy should end earlier than the stated date because COVID-19 has not been a major threat for over a year now?

 So far this policy has paid out 2.8 Billion to eligible applicants for COVID-19 funeral assistance

39

Off-Topic / Avoid Free Charging Stations USB port

« on: April 11, 2023, 05:13:48 pm »Message ID: 1375034

 

 

https://itsonnews.com/fbi-warns-against-using-public-charging-stations/

FBI Sends Warnings Across America

“Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead,” the FBI officials advised.

The FBI is warning people to not use public phone charging stations, which have become increasingly popular in places like airports and shopping malls.

Travelers and shoppers should avoid public free phone charging portals, warning that “bad actors” could use these stations to install malware and tracking software onto computers and phones.

This is the practice commonly known as “juice-jacking.”

“Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices,”

FBI officials announced Thursday in a tweet.

https://twitter.com/FBIDenver/status/1643947117650538498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1643947117650538498%7Ctwgr%5E29ada983e44d8d8ed9d7c32072e03e808784e3a2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fitsonnews.com%2Ffbi-warns-against-using-public-charging-stations%2F

40

FusionCash / From: Dan's Cartoons

« on: April 11, 2023, 12:21:55 pm »Message ID: 1375033

 


 

"From: Dan's Cartoons"  has been missing a few days now.  Is it just me? 

41

Off-Topic / Taxes Due April 18 2023

« on: April 06, 2023, 12:20:08 pm »Message ID: 1374956

 

 

Just finished 2022 taxes, don't owe anything, now waiting for a refund! 

42

Off-Topic / Keep America Beautiful 25th YEAR

« on: April 01, 2023, 02:16:50 pm »Message ID: 1374901

 

 


Keep America Beautiful month is observed in?


 February
 March
 April
 May

Answer:  April

https://kab.org/ 

Great American Cleanup’s 25th YEAR
Keep America Beautiful is celebrating the Great American Cleanup’s 25th year in 2023, between March 21 to June 22. Click below to learn more and get involved!

43

Off-Topic / March Holidays 2023 and St Paddy's Day

« on: March 07, 2023, 01:32:11 pm »Message ID: 1374552

 


 


Read the whole month of March here:

https://nationaltoday.com/march-14-holidays/


So many to choose from:

MAR 14     National Potato Chip Day

MAR14     National Dog Theft Awareness Day

MAR 15  Ides of March
              Beware the Ides of March! Why? Well, in 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated by his BFF.

MAR 17   ST. PATRICK'S DAY – MARCH 17, 2023
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Unless you’ve been living under the Blarney Stone you…

44

Off-Topic / RECALL 2 million air fryers made by Cosori Fire Hazard

« on: February 24, 2023, 07:07:11 pm »Message ID: 1374424

 

 
The issue is due to a wire connection in the air fryers, which can overheat, posing a fire hazard, CPSC said.

Cosori has received 205 reports of the air fryers catching fire, burning, melting, overheating and smoking.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/two-million-air-fryers-recalled-over-burn-hazard/ar-AA17T3Ca?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=720af5261cad47ddbfee32346fa2419d

2 million air fryers made by Cosori, sold between 2018 and 2022, are being voluntarily recalled after an internal investigation reve   ale  an electrical malfunction may pose serious safety risks.

Cosori asked customers to immediately stop using the air fryer and go to recall.cosori.com to request for a replacement of their choice. Customers must send a photo of the recalled product but do not need a receipt to be eligible.

45

Off-Topic / Article on Daylight Savings Time 2023

« on: February 20, 2023, 04:08:44 pm »Message ID: 1374356

 

 


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/when-does-the-time-change-do-we-lose-or-gain-an-hour-what-to-know-about-daylight-saving-time/ar-AA17mhGO?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=968a3c4309de45f491b8416a536dee46

excerpts: 

Like it or not, our annual ritual of changing our clocks to daylight saving time is coming on Sunday, March 12, at 2 a.m



Do some states want year-round DST?

Yes. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in the past five years, 19 states have "enacted legislation or passed resolutions to provide for year-round daylight saving time, if Congress were to allow such a change, and in some cases, if surrounding states enact the same legislation. Because federal law does not currently allow full-time DST, Congress would have to act before states could adopt changes."


Who's in charge of time?

Surprisingly, the U.S. Department of Transportation is in charge of daylight saving time and all time zones in the U.S.

"The oversight of time zones was assigned to DOT because time standards are important for many modes of transportation," according to the department's website.

What is the future of daylight saving time?: Year-round change depends on federal vote.