December 14, 2024 - It's the holiday season and between now and the end of the year, there will be lots of sales. Millions of Americans are looking for the best deal, and a large subset of those shoppers don't have any desire to walk into a brick-and-mortar store. They would much rather shop from home and have their items delivered. Fortunately, those shoppers have a lot of options to accomplish this. And not all of those options involve Amazon. Services like Shipt, Instacart, Uber Eats, and several others will be more than happy to send their shoppers into a store, shop for you and then deliver your purchases straight to your front door. But not all of these shopping services are equal, and choosing the wrong one has the potential to cause you frustration and possibly a higher price than you were counting on. 

December 6, 2024 - The holiday season is upon us, and millions of Americans are enjoying the convenience of online shopping. After all, who wants to fight the traffic and the crowds by going to a mall? Online shopping is not only convenient, but oftentimes the deals that are offered online are better than those that you can find in the store. But there are some downsides to it. Porch Pirates are one of the biggest.

November 30, 2024 - As the holiday season approaches, the scam artists are out, targeting our wallets and personal information. This year, scam artists are increasingly turning to Quick Response (QR) codes to deceive shoppers. These seemingly innocuous codes can lead to significant financial and privacy repercussions if you scan the wrong one.

November 27, 2024 - As the holiday shopping frenzy ramps up, cybercriminals are preying on iPhone users with a new wave of phishing scams designed to steal Apple ID credentials. The scams are particularly insidious, leveraging fake emails that mimic official Apple Support communications to trick users into divulging sensitive information.

November 22, 2024 - The New York Police Department (NYPD) has announced an expansion of its drone program, deploying 14 new drones and introducing the "Drone as First Responder" initiative. While officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, tout the technology as a leap toward efficient policing and public safety, critics argue that it raises significant privacy issues and threatens constitutional protections under the Fourth Amendment.

November 20, 2024 - Six Massachusetts-based regional banks have issued warnings to customers about potential debit card data breaches, advising them to remain vigilant and, in some cases, replacing their cards entirely. The affected banks include Eagle Bank, The Village Bank, Savers Bank, Webster Five, Watertown Savings Bank, and Main Street Bank.

November 14, 2024 - 23andMe, a leader in consumer genetics and personal genomics, is grappling with significant financial challenges that could impact its future operations and, more importantly, the privacy of its customers' genetic data. The company's recent actions and stock performance signal a turbulent period ahead, raising concerns about the fate of its vast DNA database.

October 31, 2024 -The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Data, Innovation and Commerce approved a revised draft of the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) during a voice vote held on May 23, 2024. This updated draft, which included substantial changes and new provisions is continuing to move forward. The bill would establish a comprehensive federal data privacy law.