Current Events in April 2018

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating possible antitrust violations over the way some colleges share information about applicants who were accepted early through early-decision programs, according to an Inside Higher Ed report.

The pending investigation centers around whether colleges are using the information they share with each other to ensure that students attend institutions where they have been accepted.

The DOJ has remained fairly tight-lipped about its inquiry, saying that it is only examining “a potential agreement between colleges relating to their early-decision practices.”

Sharing admissions lists with competing institutions

The Department of Justice sent letters to a number of colleges last week asking them to maintain documents detailing agreements to share the identities of accepted students with people at other colleges.

Admissions officials at several colleges with early-decision programs told Inside Higher Ed they don’t share any information. However, some colleges may still be engaging in the practice of exchanging information about applicants admitted through early-decision policies, officials say.

“It’s a very informal I-show-you-mine, you-show-me-yours kind of thing,” an anonymous admissions official told The Chronicle. “We don’t want to put out offers of admission to students who’ve committed to other places. This process is just verifying that somebody hasn’t been admitted to another college under a binding early-decision program.”

Another enrollment official said that there is “no admissions information, like grades or test scores, that gets shared. It’s just names.”

Common App asks applicants to consent

When students apply early through the Common Application, they (as well as their parents and high school counselors) sign a statement saying that they are aware that colleges that admit them early may share their information.

For this reason, several enrollment officials said they believed the practice didn’t raise any legal issues.

Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president for government relations and public affairs at the American Council on Education, said he did not know if the waiver of privacy rights for early applicants was enough to change the legal repercussions for colleges.

Hartle said the sharing appears to affect only the small number of students accepted early through the early-decision process who want to back out of their commitments.

"These practices have been around a long time, and it's not a bad idea to shed light on them," Hartle told Inside Higher Ed. "They either will withstand scrutiny or they won't."

Best buy customers who used a payment card for purchases should monitor their accounts closely. The company reports a data breach has compromised some customer payment information.

But this data breach is a little different. Hackers didn't penetrate Best Buy's system; they broke into a company that manages Best Buy's customer chat platform.

The company in question is [24]7.ai. Between September 27 and October 12 of last year, it suffered a breach of its network system. Hackers were able to access all kinds of company data, including Best Buy customers' payment card information.

“Since we were notified by [24]7.ai, we have been working to determine the extent to which Best Buy online customers’ information was affected,” the company said in a statement. “We have done that in collaboration with our third-party vendor and have notified law enforcement.”

Best Buy says only “a small fraction” of the company's online customers have been affected. However, it says customers didn't have to use the chat function to be compromised.

Best Buy customers who think they could have been affected are encouraged to visit this website for more information about the breach.

“We will contact any affected customers directly and want to assure them that they will not be liable for fraudulent charges that result from this issue,” the company said. “Additionally, free credit monitoring services will be available if needed.”

What to do

Consumers who learn their payment card information was compromised should contact the card's issuer and report it. The institution will likely issue a new card.

It is also important to carefully monitor accounts and look for fraudulent charges. By law, consumers' liability for fraudulent credit card charges is limited to $50 if the charge is reported promptly. In this case, Best Buy says affected customers will not be liable for any fraudulent charges.

Best Buy customers who see fraudulent charges on their credit or debit card accounts should also inform Best Buy at 247incident@bestbuy.com.

This month, four of the largest credit card companies -- American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa -- will stop requiring a signature for purchases made with a card that uses a security chip.

Credit card companies say the computer chips embedded in cards are much more effective at preventing fraud than scribbled signatures, since merchants rarely verify a person’s signature after asking for their credit card.

Experts say consumer signatures have become virtually meaningless in the age of chip cards and contactless payment systems (like Apple Pay), so phasing them out won’t likely have much of an impact.

Transitioning away from signatures

The change is optional, meaning some shops and restaurants -- such as those without chip card compatibility, for instance -- may not adopt the change right away. However, major retailers like Walmart have already decided to stop requiring signatures on card transactions.

Walmart considers signatures “worthless as a point of sales verification” and has already stopped recording them on most transactions, according to a company spokesman. It plans to get rid of them completely in the near future. Target will eliminate signature requirements this month.

The change will likely speed up the checkout process and likely won’t even be noticed by many consumers.

According to research by Mastercard, nearly one in five Americans (17 percent) don’t remember the last time they used their signature outside of a sales receipt, while 20 percent of those 18-34 years and 14 percent of those 55 and older don’t remember.

Chip is better at preventing fraud

Mastercard said the change had been a long time coming, but the decision to do away with signature requirements was delayed until cards embedded with chips became common. A separate report by Visa found that counterfeit fraud has dropped 70 percent since chip cards were introduced in October 2015.

“Our fraud capabilities have advanced so that signatures are no longer necessary,” said Jaromir Divilek, American Express’s Executive Vice President of Global Network Business, in a statement.

The four largest credit card companies in the nation will stop requiring merchants to ask for customers’ signatures starting April 14.

Singapore Airlines is the favorite carrier for international travelers while Southwest is consumers' favorite U.S. airline, according to the latest TripAdvisor rankings.

The travel website analyzed consumer feedback over a 12-year period, ranking the world's airlines for customer satisfaction.

Bryan Saltzburg, senior vice president and general manager for TripAdvisor Flights, says the industry has introduced new competitive fare products, along with new in-flight services. Those that can improve service and keep fares reasonable, he says, do well with consumers.

“Consumers continue to seek out the carriers that deliver value and a quality experience,” he said.

Among international airlines, carriers based in Asia did particularly well. Japan Airlines, EVA Air, and Korean Air joined Singapore Airlines in the top 10. Two airlines based in the Middle East – Emirates and Qatar Airways – also made the top 10.

Besides being the overall number one pick among travelers, Singapore Airlines won the categories of best first class and best economy class. Qatar Airways won the best business class category.

Southwest the highest-ranking North American carrier

Southwest Airlines was the highest ranking domestic airline in the international rankings, placing sixth behind Taiwan-based EVA Air and just ahead of Jet2, based in the UK. Southwest won praise for its on-time flights and the level of its service.

Posting a recent review on ConsumerAffairs, Murray, of Scottsdale, Ariz., also praised Southwest's service, saying he was treated like family.

“Last minute changes happen,” Murray wrote. “I was treated with such warm humility, I was blown away by the compassion and understanding on a very busy Sunday morning. Just wanted to say thank you from a very happy and homebound traveler.”

Among North American airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, and WestJet joined Southwest in earning travelers' praise. Southwest was voted the best economy class service and JetBlue took honors for best business class.

PFP Enterprises, also doing business as Texas Meat Packers of Fort Worth, Texas, is recalling approximately 7,146 pounds of raw beef products.

The products did not undergo federal inspection.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

The following frozen and fresh beef items, produced on March 23-24, 2018, are being recalled:

• 5-lb. vacuum-packed frozen packages of “BEEF SKIRT DICED FOR TACOS,” with a case code of 1470 in the upper left-hand corner of the label and a packaging date of 03/24/18.
• 5-lb. vacuum-packed frozen packages of “PRESEASONED BEEF FOR FAJITAS,” with a case code of 36989 in the upper left-hand corner of the label and a packaging date of 03/24/18 and a use-by date of 03/23/19.
• Varying weights of vacuum-packed packages of fresh “USDA CHOICE ANGUS BEEF, FAJITA SEASONED STEAK, BEEF FLANK STEAK FOR FAJITAS,” a packaging date of 03/23/18 and 03/24/18, a use or freeze-by date of 04/18/18, and an item code of 567248261 in the upper left-hand corner of the case label.
• Varying weights of vacuum-packed packages of fresh “USDA CHOICE ANGUS, FAJITA SEASONED STRIPS, BEEF FLANK STRIPS FOR FAJITAS,” a packaging date of 03/24/18, and a use or freeze-by date of 04/18/18, and an item code of 567248253 in the upper left-hand corner of the case label.

The recalled products, bearing establishment number “EST. 34715” inside the USDA mark of inspection, were shipped to institutional and retail locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should not consume them, but discard them or return them to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Shane Fresh of Patterson Foods, at (817) 546-3561.

Healthy Nut Factory of Bayside, N.Y., is recalling 7-oz. pouches of Organic Coconut Smiles that may be contaminated with Salmonella.

No illness have been reported to date.

The recalled product, packaged in green rice paper pouches, with UPC Code: 8 13449 02099 3 and the expiration date 6/1/2018 on the back of the pouch, was sold at retail stores in New York City and Long Island.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product from August 22, 2017, through November 20, 2017, should return unused product to the store where it was purchased for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Healthy Nut Factory at 718-224-5096 Monday – Friday 9:30 am – 4:00pm, or by email at info@healthynutfactory.com.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 292,909 model year 2018 F-650s and F-750s equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions and model year 2018 Ford F-150s and Expeditions equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions (excluding Expeditions with a Rotary Gear Shift Dial on the console).

The gear shift cable clip may not be properly seated, allowing the transmission to be in a different gear than indicated by the gear shift lever position.

If the gear shift cable clip becomes unseated or dislodged, the gear shift lever position may indicate that the transmission is in 'Park' when it may be in a different gear.

Additionally, despite selecting 'Park', if the parking brake is not applied before the vehicle is exited, the vehicle may roll. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the shift cable locking clip and properly seat it, if necessary, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin April 16, 2018.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 18S10.

Police in Virginia are now investigating a hacking attempt to change grades at a local high school. Back in November, police say, an email purporting to be from the Oaktown High School’s Honor Council,  the school panel dedicated to “honor and integrity,” directed recipients to a link that they said had news about the school.

But users who opened the link were then targeted by malware that recorded their keystrokes and other data, allowing hackers to access log-in information to the school’s computer system. Shortly after the emails circulated, the school found multiple cases of grade changes being requested.

It’s unclear who was behind the hacking attempt, but it wouldn’t be the first time that students have hacked into a public school system to change grades, as the Washington Post reports.

While it may seem like a harmless crime to students, prosecutors have gone after such cases aggressively. One University of Iowa wrestler who attempted such a stunt now faces charges from the FBI.

Every Facebook user

Facebook admitted Wednesday that nearly every one of its users has had their data collected by “malicious actors.”

In response to the ongoing Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook published a blog post Wednesday updating people on changes they are making to privacy settings.

Buried in that blog post, Facebook announced that they are disabling a popular search feature that had let users search for each other by phone number and email. According to Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer, the feature posed a security risk for nearly every one of Facebook’s users.

“Until today, people could enter another person’s phone number or email address into Facebook search to help find them,” Schroepfer wrote. Hackers figured out how to “abuse” this feature, as well as the the account recovery feature, to scrape data from “most” Facebook users.

Pipelines

Environmentalists have long warned that the aging, cheap pipes that deliver oil and natural gas are ill-equipped at preventing natural gas explosions or leaks. As oil and gas companies have become more dependent on digital technology, it turns out that even these supposedly modern safety improvements also put people at risk.

Hackers reportedly launched a cyber attack on Latitude Technologies, a Texas-based firm that handles computer communications for the oil, gas, and utility industries. The hack forced four major natural gas pipeline companies, including Energy Transfer Partners, to temporarily shut down their computer systems.

It’s unclear what the motives of the hackers would have been, but a security expert told the New York Times that the energy industry’s increasing dependence on technology  poses an environmental and safety hazard. The systems may allow attackers to remotely cause “explosions, spills, or fires, which easily will threaten human life, property and the environment,” the expert said

Johnson & Johnson has been sued thousands of times over the past few years over its marketing of talcum powder. Many women have claimed the company knew of a link between ovarian cancer and talc use for decades.

Asbestos-related lawsuits are the most recent challenge for the pharmaceutical giant. The latest lawsuit to hit the company was filed by a man, Stephen Lanzo, who alleged that he developed mesothelioma after inhaling dust that was generated through his regular use of Johnson & Johnson talc powder products since his birth in 1972 to approximately 2003.

On Thursday, a New Jersey state court jury ordered Johnson & Johnson and Imerys SA to pay at least $37 million in damages in the case. The jury awarded Lanzo $30 million and his wife $7 million after finding Johnson & Johnson responsible for 70 percent of the damages and Imerys (the company’s talc supplier) responsible for 30 percent.

J&J denies claims

The second phase of the trial is set to begin next week. On Tuesday, the jurors will decide whether to award punitive damages. Johnson & Johnson said it was disappointed by the jury’s most recent decision.

“While we are disappointed with this decision, the jury has further deliberations to conduct in this trial and we will reserve additional comment until the case is fully completed,” Carol Goodrich, a spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement.

Johnson & Johnson maintains that its products are not carcinogenic and have never contained traces of asbestos fibers.

“Since the 1970s, talc used in consumer products has been required to be asbestos-free, so JOHNSON’S talc products do not contain asbestos, a substance classified as cancer-causing. JOHNSON’S Baby Powder products contain only U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) grade talc, which meets the highest quality, purity and compliance standards,” a statement on the company’s website reads.

More than 6,600 talcum powder lawsuits have been filed against the company by female plaintiffs who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer following years of genital talc use. The New Jersey verdict is the first trial loss for J&J in a lawsuit over claims that talc products contain cancer-causing asbestos, Reuters reported.

In his annual letter to shareholders, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon outlined some of the goals for his company’s new healthcare venture with Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway.

The CEO says his focus is on improving several failures with the US healthcare system, including poor outcomes, high administrative and fraud cost, and a high percentage of healthcare spending devoted to chronic care.

“While we don’t know the exact fix to this problem, we do know the process that will help us fix it,” he wrote. “We need to form a bipartisan group of experts whose direct charge is to fix our healthcare system. I am convinced that this can be done, and if done properly, it will actually improve the outcomes and satisfaction of all American citizens.”

Six focus areas

Dimon said the joint venture with Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway would focus on:

• Aligning incentives system-wide;

• Studying the amount of money spent on waste, administration, and fraud costs;

• Leveraging health data and telemedicine to drive a consumer-driven approach;

• Developing better wellness programs that focus on chronic diseases like cancer, stroke, and heart disease;

• Determining why costly and specialized medicine and pharmaceuticals are frequently over- and under-utilized; and

• Studying the costs associated with specialty care, drugs, and end-of-life care

“The effort will start very small, but there is much to do, and we are optimistic,” he wrote in the letter.

Dimon said the company plans to focus on using “top management, big data, virtual technology, better customer engagement and the improved creation of customer choice” to address critical problems and issues. However, he added that it could take “years” for notable progress to be seen.

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet also appeared to temper expectations in an interview with CNBC, in which he said that he’s “hopeful” about the new venture “but don’t expect any miracles out of us soon.”

An announcement of the joint venture was made back in January. At the time, Buffet referred to healthcare costs as “a hungry tapeworm on the American economy.”

Coinbase, a digital currency exchange, is opening Coinbase Ventures, a venture capital arm set on funding promising, early stage cryptocurrency companies.

“Our goal is simply to help the most compelling companies in the space to flourish,” the company said in an announcement. “Our focus is on building strong relationships and helping to spur on the development of the ecosystem. The digital currency ecosystem has the opportunity to transform the lives of billions of people, but we have only just scratched the surface of what’s possible.”

Asiff Hirji, Coinbase’s President & Chief Operating Officer, reiterated his company’s intent on CNBC’s “Fast Money” on Thursday. "It's not about investing in a token, it is really about helping these investments to mature," Hirji said.

If successful, the company’s new enterprise could help flip the shady narrative of cryptocurrency and give the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) the type of firms it wants to see.

Coinbase intends on being as fair-minded as possible with who it invests with. The company will tap into the braintrust of its alumni base to look for ideas to invest in, as well as companies in the same monetary exchange space Coinbase is in. In a statement, the company accentuated the positive side of those kinships.

“We may be comfortable investing in companies that are potentially competitive, because it’s in everyone’s interest to see the ecosystem innovate,” it said.

One good turn deserves another

Coinbase itself was built on the beliefs of others and seems glad to pay it forward. Since its 2011 launch, Coinbase has raised more than $100 million and has become the first Bitcoin start-up to achieve a valuation of at least $1 billion. Its 2017 revenue also topped $1 billion.

Over the course of the exchange’s rise, it formed partnerships with Dell, Expedia, Time Inc. PayPal, and others to leverage cryptocurrency as a viable and trustworthy payment option.

Now, seven years later, the company has more than 13 million users. Contrast that to Charles Schwab, which reported 10.6 million active brokerage accounts last year.

“In short, it’s in all of our interest to see this space evolve, expand, and mature. We’ll learn a lot along the way, and we’re excited to get started,” the company concluded in its announcement.

The US Surgeon General released a rare public health advisory on Thursday urging more Americans to carry naloxone, a drug which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Dr. Jerome M. Adams says keeping naloxone on hand -- and knowing how to use it -- can save a life. The drug, which is commonly known as Narcan, can restore normal breathing in someone suspected of overdosing on opioids, including heroin and prescription pain medications.

The advisory applies to patients taking opioids for pain, individuals misusing prescription drugs, people using illicit opioids like fentanyl or heroin, health care practitioners, family, and friends of possible abusers, and others who come into contact with people at risk for opioid overdose.

Combating the opioid epidemic

Adams noted that the number of overdose deaths from prescription and illicit opioids has doubled in recent years, from 21,089 in 2010 to 42,249 in 2016.

"Each day, we lose 115 Americans to an opioid overdose -- that's one person every 12.5 minutes," said Adams. "It is time to make sure more people have access to this lifesaving medication, because 77 percent of opioid overdose deaths occur outside of a medical setting and more than half occur at home."

“To stop the opioid epidemic, we must stop the bleeding,” Adams said.

The newly-released statement was the first public health advisory issued by America’s top doctor in more than a decade. The last surgeon general’s advisory focused on drinking during pregnancy.

CVS has announced it will accept and automatically apply a coupon for Narcan, a nasal spray version of the drug, for patients who don't have insurance. The reduced out-of-pocket cost will be $94.99.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Scott Gottlieb, also said this week that he would work to help better educate and guide doctors on the best ways to treat pain, including prescribing lower doses of opioids.

"When you have tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of prescriptions being written, that's a lot of potential for abuse," Gottlieb told CNN. "So, I think a key is to try to bring down overall exposure to these drugs."

Target has reached a settlement with plaintiffs who sued the retailer, claiming racial and ethnic discrimination in its hiring practices.

The company has agreed to pay $3.74 million and upgrade its hiring practices, although it did not admit to any wrongdoing.

The lawsuit alleged that Target's practice of using criminal background checks served to exclude racial minorities from its workforce. The plaintiffs charged that Target had "imported the racial and ethnic disparities" present in the criminal justice system into its hiring process. The result, the suit charged, was job applicants were rejected for convictions unrelated to the work they sought.

“Target’s background check policy was out of step with best practices and harmful to many qualified applicants who deserved a fair shot at a good job,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. “Criminal background information can be a legitimate tool for screening job applicants, but only when appropriately linked to relevant questions such as how long ago the offense occurred and whether it was a non-violent or misdemeanor offense.”

Ifill said the Target process was overly broad, unfairly limiting opportunities for minority applicants due to widespread discrimination at every stage in the criminal justice system.

"We commend Target for agreeing to this settlement, which will help create economic opportunities for deserving Americans,” Ifill said.

In a statement to the media, a Target spokeswoman said the company no longer asks applicants to list a criminal history but still conducts criminal background checks late in the hiring process.

Plaintiffs sought jobs as stockers

The plaintiffs are black and charged Target didn't hire them for jobs as stockers after the company discovered prior convictions. The Fortune Society, an organization that assists former prisoners reenter society, was also a plaintiff in the suit.

The suit was filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on race, gender, and other characteristics.

Under the settlement, which awaits a judge's approval, Target applicants who can show they were denied employment after a criminal background check may share $1.2 million of the settlement, or receive another chance at a job.

Non-profit groups that help people with criminal backgrounds reenter the workforce will receive about $600,000.

The nation's economy added fewer jobs than expected last month, but workers enjoyed a modest boost in wages.

In its monthly report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 103,000 new non-farm jobs in March, well short of estimates. However, February's robust growth of more than 300,000 jobs was revised higher.

The nation's unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent, and the labor force participation rate remained little changed at 62.9 percent.

Among demographic groups, the unemployment rates for adult men and adult women were the same -- 3.7 percent. Among ethnic groups, Asians have the lowest jobless rate, at 3.1 percent, followed by whites, at 3.6 percent. The unemployment rate among Hispanics was 5.1 percent and 6.9 percent among African Americans.

Sectors that added jobs

It was a little easier to find jobs last month in the manufacturing, healthcare, and mining industries. However, it was not a good month for workers in construction and retail. Both sectors lost employees.

After adding 65,000 workers in February, construction jobs fell by 15,000 in March. It was much the same story for retail, which added 47,000 jobs in February but gave back 4,000 of them last month.

It was easier to find a job in healthcare and manufacturing last month. Both sectors added 22,000 jobs. Over the last 12 months, U.S. manufacturers have added 232,000 jobs.

The mining industry added 9,000 jobs in March, with most of them in mining support jobs and oil and gas exploration.

Employees earned a little more money last month, but it wasn’t enough to set off inflation fears at the Federal Reserve. Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 8 cents to $26.82. Over the last 12 months, wages are up 71 cents, or 2.7 percent.

Polaris Industries of Medina, Minn., is recalling about 107,000 model year 2014-2018 Polaris RZR XP 1000 recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs).

If the exhaust silencer fatigues and cracks, the heat shield may not manage heat, which may lead to melting of nearby components or fire.

The company has received 30 reports of cracked exhaust silencers, including 3 reports of fire. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Model Year 2014-18 Polaris RZR XP 1000 ROVs.

The ROVs have “POLARIS” stamped on the front and back grilles, and “Polaris,” “RZR,” “1000,” & “XP” stickers on the side panels. 

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can be found on the right rear frame of the vehicle, to the rear of the engine. The full list of affected models can be found on the CSPC's website here.

What to do

The ROVs, manufactured in the U.S. and Mexico, were sold at Polaris dealers nationwide since December 2013.

Consumers should immediately stop riding the affected vehicles and contact a Polaris dealer for a free repair.

Consumers may contact Polaris at 800-765-2747 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday or online at www.polaris.com and click on “Off Road Safety Recalls” at the bottom of the page for more information.

Consumers may check their VIN on the “Product Safety Recalls” page to see if their vehicle is included in any recalls. Polaris is contacting all known affected consumers directly.

In updated estimates, Facebook says it’s possible that up to 87 million people had their data repurposed by Cambridge Analytica.

However, that metric comes with a precautionary warning.

“We wanted to take a broad view that is a conservative estimate,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an interview. “I am quite confident that given our analysis that it is not more than 87 million. It very well could be less, but we wanted to put out the maximum we felt that it could be as that analysis says.”

In response, Cambridge Analytica argued that figure loudly and defiantly.

“Cambridge Analytica licensed data for no more than 30 million people from GSR (Global Science Research), as is clearly stated in our contract with the research company,” the company wrote in a press release. “We did not receive more data than this.”

Cambridge wants its name cleared, too

Cambridge Analytica wants its name expunged from the list of entities behind any manipulation of data regarding Trump’s bid for the White House.

“We did not use any GSR data in the work we did in the 2016 US presidential election,” claims Cambridge Analytica in an attempt to define its position..

“When Facebook contacted us to let us know the data had been improperly obtained, we immediately deleted the raw data from our file server. We carried out an internal audit to make sure that all the data, all derivatives, and all backups had been deleted, and gave Facebook a certificate to this effect.”

Where do we begin?

The “millions” figures quoted by Facebook and Cambridge Analytica started out as 270,000 -- the number of respondents that used GSR’s “thisisyourdigitallife” app.

However, in addition to harvesting metrics on Facebook users who used the app, it has also been revealed that information was collected on those users’ “friends” on Facebook. That, in turn, raised the number of affected individuals exponentially.

Cambridge Analytica used the statistics it collected to build user profiles. The company credited the use of those profiles in helping the Trump ‘16 campaign take advantage of key biases and demographic changes.

All finger pointing aside, how does this get fixed?

Whether this is a matter of misdirection or re-direction, the PR battle between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica probably isn’t going away soon. But for Facebook users, it appears that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is being proactive, and things are getting better.

“So, now we have to go through every part of our relationship with people and make sure that we’re taking a broad enough view of our responsibility,” assured Zuckerberg. “And it’s not enough to give people tools to sign into apps, we have to ensure that all of those developers protect people’s information too. It’s not enough to have rules requiring they protect information, it’s not enough to believe them when they tell us they’re protecting information — we actually have to ensure that everyone in our ecosystem protects people’s information.”

At the top of Facebook’s list of new promises is a rather adamant pledge: “We’re not asking for new rights to collect, use or share your data on Facebook. We’re also not changing any of the privacy choices you’ve made in the past.”

Lining up right behind that pledge are more plums for any concerned Facebook user:

• Personalized experience: Everyone’s experience on Facebook is unique, and we’re providing more information on how this works. We explain how we use data and why it’s needed to customize the posts and ads you see, as well as the Groups, friends and Pages we suggest.

• What we share: We will never sell your information to anyone. We have a responsibility to keep people’s information safe and secure, and we impose strict restrictions on how our partners can use and disclose data. We explain all of the circumstances where we share information and make our commitments to people more clear.

• Advertising: You have control over the ads you see, and we don’t share your information with advertisers. Our data policy explains more about how we decide which ads to show you.

• One company: Facebook is part of the same company as WhatsApp and Oculus, and we explain how we share services, infrastructure and information. We also make clear that Facebook is the corporate entity that provides the Messenger and Instagram services, which now all use the same data policy. Your experience isn’t changing with any of these products.

• Device information: People have asked to see all the information we collect from the devices they use and whether we respect the settings on your mobile device (the short answer: we do). We’ve also added more specific information about the information we collect when you sync your contacts from some of our products, including call and SMS history, which people have recently asked about.

• Addressing harmful behavior: We better explain how we combat abuse and investigate suspicious activity, including by analyzing the content people share.

When will Facebook users see these changes?

Facebook can quickly make shifts in controls users can click on or off and start its path towards cleaning up its act, but that’s only a start.

“I wish I could snap my fingers and in three to six months solve all these issues,” Zuckerberg said. “I think the reality is complex. I think this is a multiyear effort.”

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who will testify before a House committee next week, took questions from reporters on a conference call Wednesday and discussed his company's efforts to better protect users’ data.

Zuckerberg took responsibility for the data leak and pledged to make the system better. However, he cautioned his listeners not to expect instant results.

"These are big issues," he said. "This is a big shift for us to take a lot more responsibility. It's going to take some time and we're committed to getting that right, and we're going to keep investing until we do."

'Surveillance as a business model'

Last August, long before concerns about Facebook privacy made front page news, the Harvard Gazette interviewed cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier about internet privacy.

Schneier, a fellow with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, suggested that surveillance is now the business model of the internet.

"Everyone is under constant surveillance by many companies, ranging from social networks like Facebook to cell phone providers," he told the newspaper. "This data is collected, compiled, analyzed, and used to try to sell us stuff. Personalized advertising is how these companies make money, and is why so much of the internet is free to users. We’re the product, not the customer."

In 2017, it was hard to get the public to take that fact seriously. Many users found it harmless if Facebook wanted to target them for a new pair of sneakers or a new phone. But using profile information to influence an election is apparently a bridge too far.

Facebook now finds itself in an uncomfortable position because some of the data it collected was misappropriated by a political marketing firm that targeted select Facebook users with pro Trump ads during the 2016 election. Did it make a difference? Who knows, but to some the whole issue is unsettling.

Separating fact from fiction

Robert Darden, a journalism professor at Baylor University, says consumers not only have to worry about their privacy while online, but they also need to weed out misinformation from what's true.

"I spend several lectures telling my students how to identify the fake news and clickbait," Darden told ConsumerAffairs. "I also advise them to read several mainstream, reputable news sources each day. And if something seems too good, too outrageous, too hateful to be true -- it is probably all of the above."

What remains to be seen is whether new concerns about privacy, along with some other well documented internet annoyances like autoplay videos and pop-up ads, begin to make the internet less attractive to consumers.

It's already trendy in some circles to "unplug from the grid" and trade in a smartphone for an old fashioned flip phone. Writing in the Daily Beast, Taylor Lorez suggests that teens are already bored with the internet, mindlessly opening and closing apps in hopes of finding something engaging.

“You think that we’re so entertained because we’re on our phones all the time, but just because we’re on it, doesn’t mean we’re engaged or excited," one 17 year-old told her. "I get bored on my phone all the time."

On his conference call, Zuckerberg said there has been no material drop in user activity and ad revenue since the scandal broke last month, but we could be in the early innings of any new trend.

Darden says the feedback he has gotten from his students recently is that they don't trust Facebook and don't use it.

An online customer chat service company used by Delta Air Lines and other major corporations has been hacked, exposing an unknown number of customers’ credit card information.

In a statement, Delta Airlines said that he attack occurred from September 21 to October 12 last year,  “and that during this time certain customer payment information... may have been accessed.” However, the airline denied that customer’s passport or government IDs were accessed.

The airline told Bloomberg News that the breach could have exposed the payment data of “several hundred thousand customers.” The actual hack targeted a chat service provider called [24]7.ai that is used by numerous companies, including Sears. The retailer released a similar warning to consumers.

Delta says they are currently working with law enforcement to see who was behind the beach. In the meantime, the airline promises that any fraudulent purchases will be refunded.

Customers who entered their credit card payment manually are at risk; the airline says its automatic popular payment program called Delta Wallet was not breached.