Of course, this has been suspected/known for a long time, but Ars Technica covers the story of cities that seem to be changing the timing of traffic lights to ever shorter durations in order to increase revenues from red light cameras.
Not too long ago, I put an item on my Christmas wishlist that my wife bought, but I put a link to a fraud company as a place to buy it. If I had bothered to check it out first, I would have quickly realized as much and saved us both a lot of trouble.
So before you pull out your credit card, you should check them out.
Lifelock is that company run by the dude who boasts, "Here's my Social Security Number! I can't be hurt by ID Theft Man, I'm In-VINCIBLE!!!!" or some such nonsense.
First of all, he was robbed by some guy in texas which proves the point I've been trying to make all along: Lifelock doesn't PREVENT ID theft. But more important than that is how this company advertises. Besides having ads just damned everywhere on the web, I've found a wealth of fake sites that pretend to be 3rd party recommendations, but have little to no content other than Lifelock ads disguised as reviews. Whether this is the direct result of Lifelock marketing or the fault of over-zealous users of a Lifelock affiliate program, but either way, having sites like this really damage what little reputation Lifelock has.
Though the site has a ton of links and categories, the only actual page I can load is the one under identity theft which contains lines like "I was skeptical at first" and "Lifelock does a lot more than I thought".
[+] Sixfold's only article
Here's their whole ''article'' (a.k.a. Lifelock ad)
[-] Sixfold's only article
"Imagine Knowing Your Identity Is Secure."
–by Jim Stone, (founder)
We at SixFold Security are committed to your peace of mind. And nothing can steal your peace of mind like the possibility of having your identity stolen.
Identity theft is very much on the rise. Anonymous hackers in foreign countries are getting better and bolder.
And the effects can be devastating. It can ruin your life. That's not an overstatement. It can lead to massive debt and eventual bankruptcy — even though YOU didn't do anything wrong.
Given how serious it is, and how much identity theft has risen over the last 5 years, it might now be my number one security-related concern.
That's why, in spite of some initial skepticism . . .
I am now encouraging all members of SixFold Security to become members of LifeLock. to prevent identity theft.
(And if you visit the page I arranged above, you can get a 10% discount.)
I Was Skeptical At First
I've heard LifeLock's commercials on the radio for about a year now, and they've got a very attention-getting way of promoting their service. Their founder, Todd Davis, actually publishes his social security number. In fact, here it is: 457-55-5462.
When I first heard about it, I thought it was a cheap way to cash in on people's fears.
In fact, I thought, "they're just playing the law of large numbers. They probably don't do anything to secure your identity. They just get enough people enrolled, and limit their payouts, and they can afford to pay out the occasional claim without doing anything for the client at all."
However, . . .
LifeLock Does A Lot More Than I Thought
After researching their service, I learned that they do the following:
First, they guarantee up to $1,000,000 in losses related to identity theft.
Second, they actually initiate a fraud alert with all the credit bureaus to make sure no one already has been mis-using your personal information. That alone brings peace of mind. And they repeat the process every 90 days, unless you tell them to stop for some reason.
Third, they send out requests to get your name off of "pre-approved" credit card lists (a major source of identity theft).
Fourth, they get your credit reports for you every year. You can do this yourself for free, but they hassle it for you.
Fifth, if your identity is stolen, they will put their best lawyers, investigators, and accountants on the case for you. And, if you lose any money, they'll replace it for you.
I find this service to be a great value.
Nothing (and I mean nothing) has threatened people's security more in the last 5 years than personal identity theft. It's a bigger threat than armed burglars, and terrorists.
And now there is finally a sensible solution.
Now, LifeLock is not perfect. You still have to be careful with your information. But LifeLock will probably reduce your risk by over 90%, and they will be there for you (with their lawyers, their accountants, and their money) in the event that something does happen.
It's about $10/month, and, unless you're having trouble putting food on the table, it's a true bargain for the immense peace of mind it will bring.
We Got Hooked Up With LifeLock
We are impressed, and are recommending LifeLock to all our members and visitors, and have arranged to get you a 10% discount. All you have to do is Click this link and sign up for LifeLock.
http://www.lifelock4me.com
Created: Sept 2007 by Marketing Partners INC. St Joseph, MI
This site has no content other than a few pages explaining things about Lifelock.
http://www.igotmyidentitystolen.com
Created: Feb 2008 by Domains by Proxy, Scottsdale AZ
I found this site originally because the very first comment on my "Lifelock Sucks" article was from a guy who left this url with his comment. The comment appeared to be reasonable, if wrong, criticism of my position. But when I went to the site, I found out that it was a thinly disguised front site. Though there are a few articles on it not related to Lifelock, the page navigation consists only of "About Lifelock", "Features", "How Lifelock Protects You", and "Order".
I love their "About Us" page:
About Us
Here at IGotMyIdentityStolen.com we try to focus on protecting you from identity theft. Giving you tips and updating the site with the ever changing identity theft crisis changes. Criminals think of new ways every day to scam innocent people.
Identity Theft has been such a problem in the United States along with the world. So prevent yourself from identity theft.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Please feel free to drop us an e-mail at support@igotmyidentitystolen.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
- Trying to make your life easier,
Mr. Identity Theft Protector
Could you get more generic than that? Note that neither the domain registration information nor the comment left on my site has a name attached.
http://lifelockreviews.com
Created: April 2007 by Whoisguard (a company that shields the registrant)
You couldn't make a better search engine bait site than this. Lifelock is mentioned 55 times in 4 postings (the only four posts on the site) with titles like "A Review of Lifelock", "Lifelock Consumer Review", "Lifelock Million Dollar Guarantee", and "Lifelock - Identity Theft Security or Scam".
And of course, the first line in each "unbiased fair 3rd party review" is "LifeLock is the only Identity Theft Prevention Solution backed by a one-million dollar guarantee!Click here to get a 10% discount."
http://lifelockreviews.net
Created: April 2007 by Kurt from Tallahassee
Single page ad for Lifelock. No other content.
http://lifelockreviews.org
Created: March 2008 by Patty from Louisville
Four posts on a blog, all about Lifelock.
http://lifelockreviews.info
Created: Nov 2007 by Ken from Singapore
Single page ad for Lifelock.
http://lifelock-reviews.com
Started in April 2007, lifelock-reviews.com has put out a wealth of (sarcasm) useful unbiased information (/sarcasm)… into their only two categories "ID Theft" and "Lifelock". Of note, this site includes real news and videos unlike every other site I've seen so far, but the last line in EVERY post is something similar to this: "To purchase LifeLock or get more information please click here."
http://idtheftquiz.org
Created: Sept 2006 by Kurt from Tallahassee
There is nothing, nothing, on this site but a single page ad for Lifelock. I count is as a front site because of this:
We are proud to be working with Lifelock to offer the most comprehensive ID-Security programs available… blah blah blah
Correction: There is something besides the ad. If you look carefully through the ad, there are some links that go to other articles and such promoting Lifelock. There. Are you happy now George?
http://www.identitytheftlabs.com
Created: April 2007 by Domains by Proxy, Scottsdale AZ (another registrant shielding service)
This one is a bit curious. They have information about some other monitoring services as well and aren't as clearly a front site, but they've got the tell-tale signs. They were also started in April of '07 and their postings are heavily weighted towards Lifelock more so than the others they talk about (which, by the way, is only 2 other services).
http://lifelockworks.com
Created: Feb 2008 by Domains By Proxy, Scottsdale AZ
A single page ad for Lifelock. Most notable is that the normal links at the bottom of the page (Contact, TOS, Copyright, etc) all link straight back to lifelockworks.com. They're only there for looks.
This is getting dull so here are some more listed in no particular order
The electronics industry’s dirty little secret is that they have extremely thin margins on gear, so they make up the cost difference by up-selling you on extended warranties and incredibly marked-up cables.
This is completely true. When I worked at a big named retailer, I could buy a 30 dollar cable for about $6 with my employee discount. Things like extended warranties, add on-services, and accessories are all the same.
It's this easy to destroy someone. Just post an ad on Craigslist.com stating that everything on a man's property is free and people will rob the place blind. All that's required is for someone to know when you're out of town.
RateMyCop founder Gino Sesto says he was given no notice of the suspension. When he called GoDaddy, the company told him that he'd been shut down for "suspicious activity."
When Sesto got a supervisor on the phone, the company changed its story and claimed the site had surpassed its 3 terabyte bandwidth limit, a claim that Sesto says is nonsense. "How can it be overloaded when it only had 80,00 page views today, and 400,000 yesterday?"
I wouldn't touch GoDaddy hosting with a ten foot pole. If you're hosted with them, find someone else. Now.
If you didn't know this already, stores make massive profits on cables and connectors. Most of these cost anywhere from 3 to 60 dollars for the store, but are sold from 19.99 to 179.99 or more!
There's just no way to get a good deal on cables from a regular retail outlet so buy them from an online outlet instead.
For a bonus, head over to the Consumerist for a full price sheet from Radio Shack showing their cost versus your cost on their stock of Monster brand cables.
Warning! Warning! You have found a RANT. Articles in this section are sounding boards for my frustrations. They usually (more like always) lack impartiality and may include arguments and "facts" that may not be supported.With time I may calm down and make this a real article, but for now, you have been warned...
So the Department of Justice, in an attempt to prove once-and-for-all, that they hate us all, has argued that the over $200,000 award in the Thomas versus Captiol case is not unconstitutionally excessive. Excuse my french, but bull shit! What crime did this lady commit? She shared a few music files? Oh woe is us! Oh poor, poor Capitol! They lost so much money to this lady and her dastardly ring of theivery.
What we didn't realize is that she's actually the head of an international crime syndicate who's sole purpose is to lower the profit margins of Capitol records. Using her ability to speak 14 foreign languages, natural charisma, slight psychic power, and the ability to perfectly mimic a harmless American Citizen, she developed a web of deciet and criminal activity whereby she coerced otherwise upstanding people to peform acts of supreme depravity (like downloading or sharing music).
Thank you, thank you, Capitol Records, for taking a stand against Jammie Thomas, who is surely evil incarnate come to Earth to destroy us all.
Their new ad software broadcasts your current activities to your facebook friends. If you just bought a ticket to a concert, your friends might see an alert to that effect. If you just bought medication for your embarassing personal issue, they might see that too. But it gets worse:
Beacon will report back to Facebook on members' activities on third-party sites that participate in Beacon even if the users are logged off from Facebook and have declined having their activities broadcast to their Facebook friends.
A depressing report from a few California universities shows that most people have no idea to what extent their online activities are tracked and used against them. This report doesn't offer any solutions other than to try to opt-out of tracking (if it's even possible to do so) though they also state that many companies find clever ways of circumventing promises not to track and do it anyway.
Well this is different. I knew that posting online can have severe negative effects on the poster, but I hadn't considered the effect on the parents.
"Whether we're talking about dad's work secrets or problems between mom and dad with their relationship," Sgt. MacDonald said.
We asked him to show us just how easy it is to find incriminating posts. It didn't take long.
"Not only do I have to live with my nagging mom, my dad does drugs. This person, Tara, says her parents are lazy alcoholics," reads Sgt. MacDonald.
He says it's not hard for police, or employers, to uncover the identity of teens from the details in their profiles
While those people might deserve to get fired (if the teen poster is telling the truth and not just venting), the article lists another example of a mortgage broker finding out that one of his customers lost his job.
Privacy is starting to become harder and harder to protect, but also more important at the same time.
“When you receive complaints across the board, from firefighters to lawyers, from retirees to construction workers, all of whom feel they were unfairly manipulated by their cell phone company, you have a problem,” Attorney General Lori Swanson said. She was joined at a State Capitol news conference by a number of Minnesota consumers who described their problems with the company.
In other words, these aren't people who are not paying attention to the legal agreements and they're most likely not lying to get out of their agreements. In fact, the article says that Sprint has had over 30 thousand complaints against them in the last 3 years registered with the Better Business Bureau.
I knew ATT/Cingular was bad, but I didn't know about Sprint. That doesn't leave many carriers to choose from.
I have always said that Google has the best search engine and I still believe that (for now). But when it comes to their other offerings, they've proven to be a bit dodgy. Now comes news from someone who's been paying attention that according to their terms of service, any content you produce with their Google Apps belongs to them!
Write a love letter to your girl and find it on a greeting card later with no royalty fees or otherwise due to you.
It turns out that Comcast thinks they have the right to control how someone uses the Internet. Bittorrents, often, but not always used to distribute copyrighted content is one of the types of filesharing that big nasty companies like the RIAA target. Whether in the spirit of cooperation with the RIAA or just to save a little money by preventing heavy Internet users from actually using the Internet, Comcast is throttling Bittorrent shares and actually blocking seeders (people who provide the content originally).
If this disgusts you, now is a good time to become a supporter of net neutrality.
If you are a typical call center worker - unskilled, uneducated, living paycheck to paycheck off a generally low-pay and no-benefit job, being constantly driven by management to retain customers - what do you do when your numbers are low for the month: cancel Suzy Q.'s account and risk being fired, or sweep it under the table and be able to pay for your kids' school clothes? After all, if you call back tomorrow to see if the account's really cancelled, chances are this customer will reach a different CSR. Chances are, this call isn't one of the three or four calls a month that is actually monitored by someone. Chances are indeed very good that there will be absolutely no consequence to not canceling this customer's account, but there will definitely be a consequence if the account is actually cancelled.
You canceling your ISP's internet service or your magazine subscription is a very small matter to you. But it is a critical matter of employment to the CSR. Under such pressures, created by greedy companies, who can be surprised that "mistakes" are made.
The real villains here are the companies who aren't gusty enough to tell their call center people to do things illegally and immorally, but structure their centers in such a way to make it as likely as possible.
