Current Events in December 2018

Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has said it’s working on closing the digital divide, new research finds that almost half of the U.S. population doesn’t use broadband service.

Researchers from Microsoft determined that 162.8 million people don't use broadband service. Of that figure, 19 million live in rural areas. The new findings were delivered on Tuesday at a company event by Microsoft’s President Brad Smith.

Previous estimates by the FCC put the figure of U.S. consumers lacking access to broadband internet at about 24.7 million. The new findings show that the disparities in internet access are most dramatic between rural and urban areas.

Expanding access

Microsoft says it’s aiming to shrink the digital divide by expanding its Rural Airband Initiative. The company hopes to reach 3 million people by July 4, 2022, which is more than the 2 million goal it announced in 2017.

"Without a proper broadband connection, these communities can’t start or run a modern business, access telemedicine, take an online class, digitally transform their farm, or research a school project online," Smith wrote in a blog post.

He cited numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that the highest unemployment rates are often found in regions with the lowest broadband availability.

“By this time next year, we will expand our Airband Initiative to reach 25 states,” Smith said. “In these states we will both pursue Airband infrastructure projects and expand the work we are doing to offer skills training in rural communities. We will also continue to advocate for public policies to accelerate the investment in TV white spaces technologies that are needed.”

Microsoft is also pushing for larger broadband subsidies from the FCC and Department of Agriculture.

Underestimating availability

Some advocates and policymakers say the FCC overestimates how many consumers have access to broadband, partially due to the fact that the agency relies on surveys that don’t paint a complete picture of broadband availability.

Microsoft said its recent research provides a more accurate representation of broadband use, which Smith said indicates that “the problem is bigger than we thought it was.”

Last month, Wells Fargo admitted in an SEC filing that it wrongly denied mortgage modifications to 870 eligible borrowers, resulting in 545 people losing their homes in foreclosure proceedings.

The company said at the time that it would set aside some money to compensate the victims, though how much exactly wasn't made clear.

Now, it appears that Wells Fargo is pinning the amount at about $25,000, according to one of the victims who is now going public with his story.

That doesn’t begin to cover actual losses, an attorney for former homeowner Jose Aguilar told CBS News.

Denied loan modification

Aguilar lived in a house with his wife and children in upstate New York, not far from the manufacturing plant where he worked. Problems for the family’s living situation began when they found mold in the house and couldn't afford to pay for both the repairs and their monthly mortgage.

The family applied for a mortgage modification, and Aguilar says Wells Fargo suggested he might qualify.

Aguilar then waited for an official answer from Wells Fargo amid delays. It took over a year before the bank responded with instructions to apply for the modification once more.

When he did, the bank denied the application. Since he had already fallen behind on payments over the past year, the foreclosure proceedings began.  

The family lost their home in October 2015, and Aguilar's wife left him as a result, he told ABC.  

Then Wells Fargo sent Aguilar a letter earlier this year, explaining that the loan modification should have been approved. The bank also gave him a $25,000 check for his troubles.

"Wells Fargo has not been transparent at all about how this happened," Aguilar’s lawyer added.

Aguilar now lives in a friend’s basement with his son because the foreclosure ruined his credit, making it impossible to secure a rental.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 52 model year 2018 Jeep Wrangler four-doors.

The right rear passenger door latch may not be in the correct location, possibly preventing the door from latching properly.

If the right rear passenger door opens unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of injury.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will repair the right rear door latch reinforcement, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin December 28, 2018.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is UB6.

Two U.S senators are reportedly making a last-ditch effort to pass a bill that would allow carmakers to deploy tens of thousands of experimental self-driving test cars on roadways.

As a concession to safety advocates who have criticized the House version of the bill for months, Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Gary Peters (D-Michigan) made changes that would allow people injured or killed by the technology to sue. They made the changes after critics pointed out that a loophole in the House version of the bill would have sent all legal disputes to forced arbitration.

The new Senate version also includes language asking automakers to ensure that pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists would be detectable by the technology. Among other additions, the new version includes a requirement that crash reports be submitted specifically involving Level 2 systems, or the semi-autonomous technology currently available to consumers in the form of Tesla’s Autopilot or General Motors’ Super Cruise.

The bill otherwise caters to auto and tech industry demands for an easy and fast self-driving test program.

Both the House and Senate versions of the AV Start Act allow carmakers to deploy up to 100,000 self-driving test cars that are exempt from existing auto safety standards on U.S. roadways. According to safety advocates, that’s all a major problem.

“The AV START Act, is being raced through the Senate under the guise of advancing safety, despite not even requiring autonomous vehicles (AVs) to meet all of today’s safety standards,” says an open letter signed by advocacy groups representing police chiefs, bicyclists, wheelchair-users, pedestrians and brain injury victims.

Safety advocates seek higher safety requirements

Numerous professional associations signed off on the letter, including the American Public Health Association, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Emergency Nurses Association, and the National Association of Police Organizations.

While safety advocates acknowledge that self-driving cars should be exempt from some safety standards -- a fully autonomous car probably won’t need a wheel -- they say that the current version of the bill doesn’t spell any of those specifics out.

“The AV START Act would allow for potentially millions of exempt vehicles to be sold, not just used for testing,” the letter continues.

The coalition says it would be satisfied if the bill were rewritten to include minimum safety and testing standards, among other requirements.

But without those changes, the groups say that the test cars would be under-regulated and create dangers for “pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, wheelchair users, emergency responders, construction workers and others.”

Deploying more vehicles

Currently, federal legislation allows up to 2,500 self-driving test cars to be deployed on roadways. Federal regulators only have voluntary guidelines  for the technology and otherwise have let states iron out the specifics.

California law requires self-driving test companies to submit crash reports, but other states like Arizona have taken a more lax approach to regulation.

At least two motorcyclists in California have been involved accidents involving self-driving cars, though the industry in both cases blamed human error, not the technology. And in Arizona, a woman walking her bike across the street last year was killed by a self-driving Uber that had its emergency braking system disabled by the company.

At a presentation several years ago at the International Motorcycle Conference in Germany, one researcher claimed his work showed that the forward collision warning systems in the self-driving technology he evaluated did not detect motorcyclists in 41 percent of cases.

Meanwhile, trade groups representing major players in the automotive, telecommunications, and self-driving technology industries say that passing the bill soon will save lives.

“Government data shows that human choice or error is a factor in approximately 94 percent of all crashes on U.S. roads -- crashes that took the lives of an estimated 40,000 men, women, and children in 2017,” says an open letter published in September by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

Auto industry leaders are happy with the latest version of the bill, with Politico reporting that the industry is “relieved their priorities remained untouched.”

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai said it’s a “fact” that there was Russian interference in the public comments filed ahead of the net neutrality decision last year. Pai said a “half-million comments” were submitted from Russian email addresses.

Pai’s claims, made via a memorandum this week, were issued in response to a lawsuit brought by the New York Times. A few weeks ago, the Times requested access to the IP addresses and server logs of those who submitted comments during the agency’s net neutrality docket.

In obtaining the records, the newspaper said it hoped to “shed light to the extent to which Russian nationals and agents of the Russian government have interfered with the agency notice-and-comment process about a topic of extensive public interest.”

Withholding server logs

During the time the FCC was seeking public comments ahead of the controversial vote to roll back net neutrality rules, the agency reportedly received more than 23 million comments. In October, a study found that 99.7 percent of unique comments filed on the FCC’s website ahead of the vote were in favor of keeping net neutrality protections.

Pai said this week that the FCC chose not to release the records because the information must be kept private in order to help prevent cyber attacks. Releasing the data logs would also violate the privacy interests of Americans who commented on the net neutrality repeal, he said.

The same memorandum also included a statement of a different tone from Jessica Rosenworcel, the Commission’s only Democrat, who said, “something here is rotten— and it’s time for the FCC to come clean.”

Earlier this year, Rosenworcel said in an op-ed for the Washington Post that the agency “logged about half a million comments sent from Russian email addresses. It received nearly 8 million comments from email domains associated with FakeMailGenerator.com with almost identical wording.”

The Commission’s decision not to release the data logs comes a few months after the agency admitted that it lied about a so-called cyberattack on its comment system ahead of its ultimate repeal of net neutrality rules in December of 2017.

Prior to the admission, the agency had told the media on numerous occasions that the comment system had been targeted by hackers, preventing consumers from voicing their opinion on the vote.

“We look forward to challenging in court the FCC’s refusal to provide this information, which the public is entitled to have,” a spokesperson for the New York Times told Gizmodo.

On Tuesday, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) passed new minimum wage requirements for drivers working for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. Going forward, drivers will be paid $17.22 per hour.

The new minimum wage is the equivalent of the city’s $15 per hour minimum wage requirement for other employees. The extra few dollars account for the fact that drivers have to pay payroll taxes and don’t receive paid time off.

The new pay rules, which will be implemented in 30 days, are expected to raise the average app-based driver's pay by $9,600 per year, according to the TLC’s analysis.

"Today we brought desperately needed relief to 80,000 working families. All workers deserve the protection of a fair, livable wage and we are proud to be setting the new bar for contractor workers' rights in America," Jim Conigliaro, Jr., founder of the Independent Drivers Guild, said in a statement. "We are thankful to the Mayor, Commissioner Joshi and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, City Council Member Brad Lander and all of the city officials who listened to and stood up for drivers."

Criticism of proposal

Lyft and Uber contend that the move to increase the base pay rate will make it harder and more expensive to get around.

"The TLC's implementation of the City Council's legislation to increase driver earnings will lead to higher than necessary fare increases for riders while missing an opportunity to deal with congestion in Manhattan's central business district,” Jason Post, Uber’s director of public affairs, said in a statement.

Lyft issued its own statement voicing its discontent with the proposal, arguing that the rules will incentive short rides over long rides.

"Unfortunately, the TLC's proposed pay rules will undermine competition by allowing certain companies to pay drivers lower wages, and disincentives drivers from giving rides to and from areas outside Manhattan. These rules would be a step backward for New Yorkers, and we urge the TLC to reconsider them," Lyft said in a statement.

The Independent Drivers Guild has been campaigning for a new base pay rate for several years. The organization estimates that drivers are currently earning just $11.90 per hour after expenses.

The feel-good moment from the G20 summit in Argentina over the weekend prompted a huge stock market rally on Monday. It didn't last.

Second thoughts about what actually happened in the meeting between President Trump and President Xi of China, coupled with a number of other unsettling economic indicators, sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging 800 points the following day.

But does that mean the U.S. economy is in trouble? Not at all, says Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams. Williams says the U.S. economy is doing just fine and gave his support to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's policy of raising interest rates.

The Federal Reserve has been gradually raising its federal funds rate since late 2015 after nearly a decade of holding it at zero percent. But the stock market got hooked on that free money and hasn't reacted well to the prospect of higher rates, even if they are below 3 percent.

Why the Fed is raising rates

The Fed has embarked on a policy of raising interest rates for two reasons. First, it wants to guard against a rise in inflation, which has become more likely with last year's massive tax cuts. Second, it wants to be able to lower rates again in case of a recession.

“My own view is -- I think completely consistent with what Chairman Powell said -- is that the U.S. economy is strong, but there are definitely some risks on the horizon,” Williams told reporters Tuesday.

He added with the recent rate hikes the Fed is well positioned to react to an economic downturn. At the moment, Williams thinks a downturn is highly unlikely. He said he expects the economy to continue to grow slightly above trend.

Williams' comments are a reflection of the growing disconnect between what appears to be a very stable economy and a volatile stock market. Besides concerns about the Fed's interest rate policy, traders are also concerned about what could be a growing trade dispute with China.

Other concerns

Trump's meeting with President Xi produced an agreement not to raise tariffs for 90 days while negotiations continue, but there doesn't seem to be much more that was agreed upon than that.

The market is also concerned about the sudden and unexpected flattening of the yield curve, as the yield on the Treasury's two-year note rose above the yield on the five-year bond. That's often a sign of an impending recession, although the downturn could be as much as two years away.

The markets are closed today for a national day of mourning for former President George H.W. Bush, who died Friday.

Incorporating exercise into a daily routine can often be difficult and tiresome. However, for those consumers who aren’t feeling particularly inspired to get up and work out, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that one single workout can affect the metabolism for up to two days.

“It doesn’t take much exercise to alter the activity of...neurons,” said Dr. Kevin Williams. “Based on our results, we would predict that getting out and exercising even once in a semi-intense manner can reap benefits that can last for days, in particular with respect to glucose metabolism.”

Power of a workout

The researchers wanted to evaluate the effects of both long-term and short-term exercise on the brain. To test this, they had mice complete exercise regimens ranging from zero to 10 days.

The focus of the study was to see how exercise affects two neurons in the brain, shared by both mice and humans. One neuron works to increase appetite and reduce metabolism, while the other burns more energy, reduces appetite, and lowers blood glucose levels.

The experiment showed that one workout -- which was three 20-minute runs on the treadmill -- was found to decrease the mice’s appetite for up to six hours.

The researchers found that the neurons responsible for burning energy and lowering glucose levels remained active for up to two days after a workout for mice that were on the exercise regimen.

For diabetes sufferers, these results might be even more significant, as the researchers believe the findings could incentivize healthcare providers to offer alternative forms of treatment and therapies for those trying to balance their glucose levels and metabolism.

“It is possible that activating [these] neurons may hold therapeutic benefits for patients one day, especially for diabetics who need improved blood-glucose regulation,” said Dr. Williams. “This research is not just about improving fitness...A better understanding of neural links to exercise can potentially help a number of conditions affected by glucose regulation.”

Exercise alternatives

For those who are unable to exercise, a recent study found that hot water treatment can help improve both inflammation and blood sugar levels.

Researchers found that the study’s participants experienced positive health benefits after just one hour of being immersed in 102-degree water. However, the longer the participants kept up with the treatment, the better the results.

After two weeks, participants were found to have lower levels of fasting insulin and blood sugar, as well as reduced levels of inflammation.

Merry Scam’mas!

Yep, ‘tis the season to be victimized, and the identity-stealing elves are working overtime.

In the last month alone, ConsumerAffairs has reported on several phishing and email scams. Now, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is checking in to remind consumers that, come holiday season, all bets are off.

“The holidays and tax season present great opportunities for scam artists to try stealing valuable information through fake emails,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Watch your inbox for these sophisticated schemes that try to fool you into thinking they’re from the IRS or our partners in the tax community. Taking a few simple steps can protect yourself during the holiday season and at tax time.”

Of all the U.S. government agencies, cyber scammers seem to love the IRS more than the others. Attempts to bilk taxpayers have risen 60 percent in 2018 alone.

As ConsumerAffairs readers know, IRS scams come in many forms. There’s the kind where scammers try to capitalize on a national tragedy to bilk consumers; the impostor scam where a supposed someone from the IRS tries to scare you into paying; and the W-2 scam where the scammer asks an employee to send a list of all company employees with their W-2 forms in order to pilfer multiple identities.

“These schemes can endanger a taxpayer’s financial and tax data, allowing identity thieves a chance to try stealing a tax refund,” the IRS said.

Forewarned is forearmed

The IRS can’t emphasize the importance of being cautious enough.

“There is no fool-proof technology to defend against [these attacks.] Users are the main defense. When users see a phishing scam, they should ensure they don’t take the bait,” the IRS reminds consumers.

Here are a few steps the IRS suggests consumers take to protect against phishing and other tax-related schemes:

• Be vigilant; be skeptical. Never open a link or attachment from an unknown or suspicious source. Even if the email is from a known source, approach with caution. Cybercrooks are adept at mimicking trusted businesses, friends, and family -- including the IRS and others in the tax business. Thieves may have compromised a friend’s email address, or they may be spoofing the address with a slight change in text, such as name@example.com vs narne@example.com. In the latter, merely changing the “m” to an “r” and “n” can trick people. Another telltale sign that a scammer is on the other end of the email are grammar and spelling errors.

• The IRS doesn't initiate spontaneous contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes asking for information via text messages and social media channels. The IRS does not call taxpayers with aggressive threats of lawsuits or arrests.

• Phishing schemes thrive on people opening the message and clicking on hyperlinks. When in doubt, don’t use hyperlinks; instead, go directly to the source’s main web page. Remember, no legitimate business or organization will ask for sensitive financial information via email.

• Use security software to protect against malware and viruses found in phishing emails. Some security software can help identify suspicious websites that are used by cybercriminals.

• Use strong passwords to protect online accounts. Password breaches continue to happen, and the IRS emphasizes that each account should have a unique password. Use a password manager if necessary. Criminals count on people using the same password repeatedly, giving crooks access to multiple accounts if they steal a password and creating opportunities to build phishing schemes. Experts recommend the use of a passphrase, instead of a password. You can do this by using a minimum of 10 digits, including letters, numbers, and special characters. Longer is better.

• Use multi-factor authentication when offered. Some online financial institutions, email providers, and social media sites offer multi-factor protection for customers. Two-factor authentication means that in addition to entering your username and password, you must enter a security code generally sent as a text to your mobile phone. Even if a thief manages to steal usernames and passwords, it’s unlikely the crook would also have a victim’s phone.

If taxpayers question the validity of any email, the IRS has staff on-call to review those emails. Taxpayers can forward these email schemes to phishing@irs.gov and the IRS will authenticate those messages.

Common foods that are dietary staples, as well as common practices such as flushing the toilet, may increase your exposure to harmful toxins.

That's the conclusion of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA), an organization whose mission is to look closely for ordinary things that could hurt us. At the top of the list, SRA puts rice, barbecued meat, and tap water.

Rice is a huge part of consumers’ diets in many regions of the world, but the SRA assessment warns that human activity -- particularly the use of pesticides -- has led to an increase in arsenic pollution that shows up in rice samples.

In fact, SRA says rice is now the largest food source of “inorganic” arsenic, which is more toxic than naturally-forming arsenic and can easily be absorbed into the human gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms can take a long time to develop, but people who include rice as part of their regular diet may run the risk of developing heart disease and cancer, the analysts say.

Barbecue risks

The group also cites meat cooked with intense heat, such as over a flame, warning that it may contain high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a class of chemical components classified as a class-1 human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

SRA isn’t the first to report this finding. Previous studies have raised similar concerns, and they have been reiterated by the National Cancer Institute. To minimize the risk, SRA suggests limiting the use of barbecue grills as a way to prepare meat; the analysts also suggest reducing the amount of regular meat consumption.

That brings us to water and what the SRA says is an unintended consequence of water conservation efforts. They say the growing use of low-flow fixtures, such as toilets, means that water is retained in pipes for longer periods of time.

With water remaining in pipes for long periods of time, SRA says there is a reduction in disinfectant residual, an increase of pipe materials leaching into the water, and an increase in the growth of a number of pathogens.

The analysts say consumers should test their tap water on a regular basis, particularly if the water comes from a private well.

Just a few months after logging its first 10 million autonomous miles, Waymo has launched its first public self-driving service in Phoenix, Arizona.

Initially, the service -- called Waymo One -- will only be available to Phoenix-area members of Waymo’s Early Rider program, which the company debuted in 2017. Waymo said it plans to expand the availability of the service over time, but it emphasized that it’s navigating its next steps carefully.

“Over time, we hope to make Waymo One available to even more members of the public,” Chief Executive John Krafcik wrote in a blog on Wednesday. “Self-driving technology is new to many, so we’re proceeding carefully.”

Gaining insights

Waymo, which is owned by Google, says it will have Waymo-trained safety drivers behind the wheel of each autonomous vehicle. The company said it plans to phase out these drivers eventually but didn’t provide a timeline for when this might happen.

Early riders who are invited to use the Waymo One service will help the company gain important insights about the capabilities of its technology.

“They’ll help test early features before graduating to Waymo One where new capabilities can be accessed at scale by the public over time,” Krafcik wrote.

Waymo’s vehicles can accomodate up to three adults and a child, “so there’s plenty of room to bring friends and family along to share the experience,” Waymo said. The service will operate similar to the way Uber and Lyft operate, and riders will be charged fares for riding in the autonomous taxis.

“Riders will see price estimates before they accept the trip based on factors like the time and distance to their destination,” the company said.

“Slow and timid”

After taking a ride in one of Waymo’s taxis, Reuters described them as “slow and jerky at times,” noting that even in favorable conditions, “Waymo’s technology performed much like a student driver: slow and timid.”

“The vehicle was hyper-aware of pedestrians and had trouble distinguishing their intentions. For example, it stopped for a man standing at a crosswalk talking on his cell phone even though it was clear that he was not going to cross the street,” Reuters said.

“The car slowed well ahead of stop signs and drove at a snail’s pace over speed bumps. Yet it sometimes executed lane changes with an unsettling jerk as an automated voice over the speaker system called out ‘left’ or ‘right.’ That is a feature Waymo says helps riders understand what the car is doing.”

However, some capabilities of the vehicles did impress the news outlet. For example, the vehicle was able to cross three lanes of oncoming traffic to execute a left turn into a parking lot. The safety supervisor “never touched the wheel during the entire drive,” Reuters noted.

Waymo was granted the first permit in California to begin driverless testing on public roads back in October.

The job market in 2018 has been one of the best on record. Unemployment is ending the year at near record lows.

But what does 2019 have in store? ADP, which monitors payrolls on a monthly basis, is projecting even better times for people looking for a job.

First, let's review what happened this year. The jobless rate fell to a nearly 50-year low as the economy added more than two million jobs. After years of no pay raises, the average hourly wage rose $1 an hour. People who changed jobs this year saw an even larger pay bump.

"With 2018 employment levels at an all-time high and broad-based wage growth taking root, the U.S. job market is more dynamic than ever," said Don Weinstein, chief product and technology officer at ADP. "In 2019, employers and workers will increase their focus on issues ranging from the personalization of pay to an increasing mosaic of workers that span full time to gig, data privacy issues, and more."

2019 job market trends

ADP has identified a number of trends in the 2019 job market, including something it calls the personalization of pay.

Among the expected changes in the workplace, ADP believes digital accounts will become more common, allowing employees greater access to their paychecks. In fact, the time schedule for pay may evolve into schedules that meet the needs of individual employees.

ADP's research shows that 86 percent of employees are interested in using non-traditional financial tools to manage their compensation. These tools include ways to manage and budget take-home pay while automatically tracking spending and suggesting budgets.

More work for freelancers

ADP also predicts that organizations will increase their reliance on freelancers and part-time employees to fill the skills gap. You're also more likely to see wide ranges of age in the workforce as employers take advantage of boomers retiring from full-time work but who want to stay engaged in their profession.

Employers are also likely to become more dependent upon data. Human Resources departments will increasingly tap into artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to serve up insights in real time. ADP projections suggest that workers will also have more access to data through financial wellness and professional development tools that support their goals both inside and outside the workplace.

In the cold winter months, many consumers lament the loss of the warmth and sunshine they enjoyed during the summer. And with that sadness, many tans begin to fade.

Though the risks associated with indoor tanning beds have long been documented, researchers from Penn State University recently found that the decision to use a tanning bed may depend on where consumers get their health and beauty news.

“We are really trying to find out why young women engage in this behavior when most are well-aware and knowledgeable about the link between indoor tanning and skin cancer, yet they persist,” said researcher Jessica Myrick. “We wanted to see if media use -- particularly how young women use media to get information about beauty and how they talk to their friends and family about beauty and health -- might influence those beliefs about the risks of indoor tanning.”

The source matters

To understand the effects media might have on young women’s perception of indoor tanning, the researchers recruited nearly 600 sorority members from a southeastern university.

The researchers had participants complete a survey regarding where they get their health and beauty information (either news sites, social media, or family and friends), their feelings towards indoor tanning, and their indoor tanning habits.

Those who frequented traditional news sites were less likely to frequent indoor tanning beds, which Myrick and her team credit to the harsher take many news sources might have towards the practice. Similarly, those who opted to consult with their family were also less likely to go tanning indoors.

“If they received information about health and beauty from their family, they were less likely to think that tanning is a good way to improve their mood and so, when you decrease that link between tanning and mood benefits, then you’re less likely to tan,” Myrick said.

Alternatively, participants who consulted either their friends or social media sites were more likely to use indoor tanning beds. The researchers found that these participants were more likely to ignore the associated health risks, as tanning was thought to make them feel better about themselves and feel more confident.

Based on this study, Myrick and her team believe that organizations that work to prevent skin cancer should start spreading their messages over social media in an effort to dissuade young women from the practice. Additionally, they say that skin prevention efforts should be intensified moving forward, and more consumers should be educated on the dangers that come with indoor tanning.

Avoiding tanning beds

In an effort to prevent consumers from using tanning beds -- and reduce the risk of developing skin cancer -- Planet Fitness gyms dropped free tanning from their promotional packages.

Though legislators found that the gym was violating several state tanning requirements, the move to end free tanning was believed to decrease gym-goers’ risks of developing skin cancer, in addition to helping the immune system and halt premature skin aging.

Last summer, a study found that several states were violating mandates that ban minors from indoor tanning. At the time of the study, researchers found 20 percent of states were letting minors tan, while also misinforming them of the health risks that come with spending time in the tanning bed.

The researchers found that many tanning salons were telling patrons that tanning would treat skin diseases, increase vitamin D production, and improve the skin aesthetically -- none of which are true. Just a few months later, a new study found that over one-third of tanning salons were ignoring the minor ban.

Researchers discovered that if tanning salons were to effectively ban minors, they could prevent over 60,000 cases of melanoma, over 6,700 melanoma-related deaths, and save $342.9 million in melanoma treatment costs.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 6,136 model year 2017-2018 Alfa Romeo Giulias equipped with GME 280HP engines and All Wheel Drive.

The brake fluid line may contact a coolant hose clamp, possibly causing brake fluid to leak onto the exhaust and increasing the risk of a fire.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a bracket on the brake fluid line to prevent contact with the coolant hose clamp. If damage is found on the brake line, it will be replaced, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin January 15, 2019.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is UB9.

American Honda Motor Inc., is recalling 7,016 model year 2017-2018 Honda Civic Hatchbacks and Civic Type Rs, whose owners guide may have incorrect information.

The owners guide may have incorrect information for properly using the child restraint anchorage system, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the owners information kit, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin January 8, 2019.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O3A.

Question-and-answer website Quora says it was impacted by a security breach which may have exposed the personal data of as many as 100 million of its users.  

Adam D'Angelo, the site’s CEO and co-founder, said Quora discovered late last week that one of its systems had been hacked by “a malicious third party.”

“On Friday we discovered that some user data was compromised by a third party who gained unauthorized access to one of our systems,” D’Angelo said in a blog post. “We're still investigating the precise causes and in addition to the work being conducted by our internal security teams, we have retained a leading digital forensics and security firm to assist us.”

Information possibly compromised in the breach includes users' names, email addresses, and encrypted passwords, as well as data from social networks like Facebook and Twitter (in cases where people linked them to their Quora accounts).

The unauthorized parties also obtained details about users' activity on the platform, such as questions, answers, upvotes, and downvotes. However, anything posted anonymously wasn’t involved in the breach.

"The overwhelming majority of the content accessed was already public on Quora, but the compromise of account and other private information is serious," D'Angelo said. “While the investigation is still ongoing, we have already taken steps to contain the incident, and our efforts to protect our users and prevent this type of incident from happening in the future are our top priority as a company.”

Notifying affected users

Quora is now contacting the users whose data may have been compromised. Those users will be logged out and asked to reset their passwords. Those who reuse the same password across multiple sites are urged to change their password on those sites as well.

"It is highly unlikely that this incident will result in identity theft, as we do not collect sensitive personal information like credit card or social security numbers," Quora said. "We believe we've identified the root cause and taken steps to address the issue, although our investigation is ongoing and we'll continue to make security improvements.”

The site’s security breach comes just days after another massive breach. Last week, Marriott admitted that its reservation system had been hacked, potentially exposing the user information from 500 million of its Starwood guests.

Marriott says it will pay for new passwords for any Starwood hotel customers impacted by the breach of its reservation system, which began in 2014.

On Friday, the hotel chain disclosed that as many as 327 million people’s passport numbers may have been exposed in the breach. In obtaining passport numbers, bad actors could create false passports to enter the country or open financial accounts, Francis Dinha of security platform OpenVPN told MarketWatch.

To assuage customer concern of this happening, Marriott has now promised to reimburse affected guests for the cost of getting a new passport.

“As it relates to passports and potential fraud, we are setting up a process to work with our guests who believe that they have experienced fraud as a result of their passports being involved in this incident,” a Marriott spokesman told MarketWatch. “If, through that process, we determine that fraud has taken place, then the company will reimburse guests for the costs associated with getting a new passport.”

Pressure to pay for passport replacement

After Marriott admitted to the massive breach, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D- NY) and other lawmakers said the company should pay for passport replacements, which cost $110 for adults.

“Right now, the clock is ticking to minimize the risk customers face and one way to do this is to request a new passport and make it harder for thieves to paint that full identity picture,” Schumer said in a statement Sunday. “Marriott must personally notify customers under the greatest security risk immediately and then foot the bill for those folks to acquire a new passport and number should they request it.”

Security experts say customers who stayed at the chain’s Starwood-branded hotels should change their passwords, set up two-factor authentication, and keep a close eye on their financial records. Customers may even want to consider freezing their credit as a safety precaution.

The Marriott hack is one of the largest in history, ranking second only to a breach that impacted Yahoo in 2013, in which hackers stole the personal information of three billion users. Hours after disclosing the breach, the hotel chain was hit with two lawsuits. One lawsuit is seeking $12.5 billion in costs and damages.