Your Devices Spy Even More on You: Barometric Readings and Google’s Passkey Default
Some sightings on the “your smartphone is a spy”
Is That ATM Safe? 8 Tips to Protect Your Debit or Credit Card
PC Mag: “The idea of looking for ATM skimmers before you insert your card isn’t new. But checking for tampering on a point-of-sale device can be difficult, and until recently, it wasn’t necessary since those devices were usually operated by human employees.
Now that more retailers are ditching human cashiers for self-checkout options, there are more chances for thieves to attach credit card skimmers to payment machines and ATMs and steal your money. For more about the motives and technology behind these kinds of crimes, check out our deep dive into the world of credit card shimming and skimming. To protect yourself from these kinds of attacks on your bank account, read our tips below and keep them in mind whenever you use an unattended payment machine…”
Is The Internet Less Fun Now?
Privacy professionals need to be aware of tech abuse
iapp, Simson Garfinkel, CIPP/US: “Features designed to improve privacy and protect children in online services, apps and networked devices also make it easier for abusers to maintain control in abusive relationships. “Ever since caller ID and GPS became part of our lives, we’ve known that digital technologies can be used by abusers to harm or track their victims, and that’s only become more complicated and more prevalent as technology has,” Clinic to End Tech Abuse Director of Operations Lana Ramjit told an audience of cybersecurity professionals and academics at the the USENIX Association’s Enigma 2023 Conference in January. Ramjit’s clinic, one of three in the U.S. dedicated to helping people in abusive relationships where technology plays an important factor, recently published a toolkit for others seeking to set up their own tech abuse clinics. Few technologists or privacy professionals have first-hand experience or training in tech abuse, Ramjit said. The result is that well-intentioned privacy and security features can backfire when put into use. To avoid such traps, privacy pros need to be familiar with special tactics used by abusers and work with design teams to build defenses into products and services.
For example, abusers frequently use family telephone plans to maintain control. Such plans typically allow the account “owner” to enable location tracking and monitor phone numbers called, with the hope of protecting children. These same features let an abuser maintain control in a relationship, for example by turning off a partner’s phone service for a few days as “punishment” if they do something the abuser finds displeasing…”
Half of Americans can’t install solar panels. Here’s how they can plug into the sun
Washington Post [read free] – “Half of Americans can’t install solar panels. Here’s how they can plug into the sun…If you live in a state with a robust community solar market, subscribing is easy. Marketplaces like EnergySage aggregate projects signing up new subscribers.
I typed in a Zip code in St. Paul, Minn., a hotbed of community solar activity, and was presented with six projectsoffering savings of $68 to $135 per year, along with 10 tons of greenhouse gases. The marketplace allows you to quickly compare details such as fees, locations and billing. Once I selected a project, I could create an account, link this to my utility and start a subscription. To get the best terms, say project developers and nonprofit groups, you should look for contracts that uphold a few key terms:
- Get a discounted electricity rate: Community solar projects tend to offer 5 percent to 15 percent off prevailing electricity rates.
- Ensure you can cancel any time: Sellers should allow you to cancel your subscription immediately or within a few months to finalize credits on your bill.
- Avoid cancellation fees: Choose a plan that doesn’t force you to pay if you want to end your subscription.
- Source close to your home: Ideally, projects should be within 10 or 15 miles of where you live, says Jeff Cramer, CEO of the Coalition for Community Solar Access. This ensures that you decarbonize your local grid…”
