Colin Lecher

Tax Filing Websites Have Been Sending Users’ Financial Information to Facebook

Major tax filing services such as H&R Block, TaxAct, and TaxSlayer have been quietly transmitting sensitive financial information to Facebook when Americans file their taxes online. The data, sent through a widely used code called the Meta Pixel, includes not only information like names and email addresses but often even more detailed information, including data on users’ income, filing status, refund amounts, and dependents’ college scholarship amounts. The information sent to Facebook can be used by the company to power its advertising algorithms and is gathered regardless of whether

Amazon can be held liable for defective third-party products on its platform, court rules

The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Amazon can be sued over third-party sales on its platform, setting a potentially damaging precedent for the company. While Amazon sells goods itself, it also allows vendors to sell their products through its Marketplace platform, taking a cut in the process. In late 2014, a woman named Heather Oberdorf ordered a dog collar from a Marketplace seller, but it broke on a walk, sending the leash flying and permanently blinding her in one eye. The seller hasn’t been found, but Oberdorf sued Amazon, accusing the company of negligence.

A 911 outage hit AT&T customers around the US

A 911 outage prevented AT&T customers from calling emergency services for hours during the morning of July 2, officials in multiple states said. Officials in TX, MN, WI, WA, and several other states reported issues. The company soon said its fixed the problem. “Earlier this morning some wireless customers may have been unable to connect to 911,” an AT&T spokesperson said. “This has been resolved and we apologize to anyone who was affected.”

First Amendment constraints don’t apply to private platforms, Supreme Court affirms

In a case closely watched for its potential implications for social media, the Supreme Court has ruled that a nonprofit running public access channels isn’t bound by governmental constraints on speech. The case, which the conservative wing of the court decided in a split 5–4 ruling, centered around a Manhattan-based nonprofit tasked by New York City with operating public access channels in the area. The organization disciplined two producers after a film led to complaints, which the producers argued was a violation of their First Amendment speech rights.

Ripping Huawei out of US networks could be a nightmare for rural providers

Joe Franell is a fan of Huawei’s equipment. As the CEO of Eastern Oregon Telecom, he’s responsible for providing internet to about 4,000 customers, many in small communities or remote farmland. He’s been lucky: the Huawei equipment he uses has never failed, which he hasn’t been able to say about everything else in the company’s network.

FTC complaint accuses Facebook of revealing sensitive health data in groups

A complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission is accusing Facebook of failing to protect sensitive health data in its groups. The complaint, filed with the agency in Jan and released publicly Feb 18, argues that the company improperly disclosed information on members of closed groups.

The Huawei crackdown could be a disaster for small carriers

The Trump administration has banned contractors from using Huawei tech, and major carriers do not use Huawei equipment that could compromise that contract work. But the same isn’t true for smaller companies without those contracts. In the face of the unfolding controversy, the Federal Communications Commission has proposed rules that could prevent companies from using agency funds to buy equipment from businesses deemed a security risk — or possibly from using equipment from companies like Huawei at all.

Facebook critics file FTC complaint over breach of 30 million accounts

A coalition of Facebook critics has filed a complaint against the company with the Federal Trade Commission, asking the agency to investigate 2018’s breach of 30 million user accounts. In Sept, the company first announced that 50 million users had their accounts improperly accessed because of a flaw in a Facebook feature, but it later revised the figure down. The company said hackers accessed data ranging from basic contact information to more sensitive information, like demographics and recent searches.

Why robocalls have taken over your phone

Washington (DC) has tried several tactics to stem the tide of automated calls, from passing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in 1991 to establishing the Do Not Call Registry in 2003. The Federal Communications Commission regularly hands down multimillion-dollar penalties against individual robocallers. But the calls keep coming, and the problem has only gotten worse. The issue is the ease of becoming a robocaller. Anyone with a minor amount of technical ability can run their own system by downloading the relevant software. 

Rep Blackburn Fought to End Net Neutrality, But Will It Matter to Voters?

In March of 2017, Congress had just voted to allow internet service providers to sell the browser histories of consumers, a move that was greeted by an overwhelming backlash online. At the time, it seemed the browser history vote was politically poisonous for the Republican Reps who pushed it through. Yet House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who became more identified than most lawmakers with the rollback, has not only survived politically, but is reaching higher.

A Mega-Merger in the Prison Phone Industry is in the FCC's Hands

Securus provides technology services to prisons and jails and has been slammed by inmates’ families who say they’re charged outrageous prices to phone loved ones. The controversy has extended into video call and email services, two other places the company has staked a claim. In October, the company was hit with a $1.7 million fine for allegedly misleading the Federal Communications Commission.

Verizon says throttling firefighters wasn’t about net neutrality — was it?

Verizon slowing California firefighters’ data speeds during a wildfire crisis, but was quick to say, “This situation has nothing to do with net neutrality or the current proceeding in court.” Verizon was throttling “unlimited” customers in less extreme circumstances who hit certain data thresholds well before the Federal Communications Commission repealed net neutrality rules in 2017. But under the rules adopted in 2015, customers had a path to complain to the FCC when they believed throttling was unfair.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh decided against net neutrality and for NSA surveillance

Judge Brett Kavanaugh's past rulings suggest a reliably conservative voice on tech. His addition to the highest court in the country could vastly reshape the digital landscape. 

Will regulators approve the massive T-Mobile-Sprint merger?

As the two smaller players in a wireless industry dominated by four companies, T-Mobile and Sprint argue that they need to link up to effectively challenge Verizon and AT&T, and the creation of a new wireless behemoth — with nearly 100 million customers — will allow them to build out a national 5G network. T-Mobile CEO John Legere has already raised the specter of Chinese competition on the next-generation network technology. And although that argument will be thoroughly questioned by critics, it’s one that could get some play in the Trump administration.

New York Gov signs executive order to keep net neutrality rules after the FCC’s repeal

Gov Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) said he has signed an executive order that would require internet service providers with state contracts to abide by network neutrality rules, even though the Federal Communications Commission recently voted to repeal those rules.  The new policy aims to protect consumers by using the state's lucrative information technology contracts as leverage over internet companies. It's similar to one enacted through executive order Jan 22 by Gov Steve Bullock (D-MT) and comes as states consider how to respond to the FCC repeal. 

26 senators are supporting a resolution to undo the FCC’s net neutrality repeal

As of Dec 20, 26 US senators have pledged to vote for a resolution that would overrule the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality repeal through the Congressional Review Act. Senators who have signed on to the resolution now include Ron Wyden (D-OR), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

18 attorneys general ask the FCC to delay net neutrality repeal vote

In a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission , 18 attorneys general from around the country called on the agency to delay the Dec 14 vote on a repeal of net neutrality protections. The 11th-hour letter, sent by the Oregon attorney general and signed by representatives of 17 states and DC, follows a high-profile press conference from the New York attorney general, who said the FCC had declined to investigate net neutrality comments posted under stolen identities.

The FCC's Democratic Commissioners on Net Neutrality Vote: 'We Have a Mess on our Hands'

In separate phone interviews conducted last week, The Verge spoke with Federal Communications Commissioners Clyburn and Rosenworcel about this week’s vote, and what happens next.

Anti-net neutrality spammers are impersonating real people to flood FCC comments

Thousands have posted comments on the Federal Communications Commission’s website in response to a proposed rollback of network neutrality internet protections, weighing in on whether and how to defend the open internet. But many others appeared to have a different point of view. “The unprecedented regulatory power the Obama Administration imposed on the internet is smothering innovation, damaging the American economy and obstructing job creation,” read thousands of identical comments posted this week, seemingly by different concerned individuals. The comment goes on to give a vigorous defense of deregulation, calling the rules a “power grab” and saying the rollback represents “a positive step forward.” By midday May 9, the thread was inundated with versions of the comment. A search of the duplicated text found more than 58,000 results as of press time, with 17,000 of those posted in the last 24 hours alone.

The comments seem to be posted by different, real people, with addresses attached. But people contacted said they did not write the comments and have no idea where the posts came from. “That doesn’t even sound like verbiage I would use,” says Nancy Colombo of Connecticut, whose name and address appeared alongside the comment. “I have no idea where that came from,” says Lynn Vesely, whose Indiana address also appeared, and who was surprised to hear about the comment.

Billboards target lawmakers who voted to let ISPs sell user information

When Congress voted in March to block Federal Communications Commission privacy rules and let internet service providers sell users’ personal data, it was a coup for the telecommunication industry. Now, the nonprofit, pro-privacy group Fight for the Future is publicizing just how much the industry paid in an attempt to sway those votes.

The group unveiled four billboards, targeting House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Rutherford (R-FL), as well as Sens Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Dean Heller (R-NV). All four billboards, which were paid for through donations, were placed in the lawmakers’ districts. “Congress voting to gut Internet privacy was one of the most blatant displays of corruption in recent history,” Fight for the Future co-founder Tiffiniy Cheng said in a statement on the project. The billboards accuse the lawmakers of betraying their constituents, and encourage passersby to call their offices.

The FCC’s legal battle over prison phones just took a weird turn

In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission moved in to cap what many consider to be exorbitant rates for inmate phone calls. Shortly thereafter, the agency was sued by the prison phone industry, which challenged the agency’s authority to set rates for calls within state lines. The lawsuit has been advancing, but the presidential election brought a new administration to the White House. Ajit Pai, the new, Donald Trump-appointed Chairman of the FCC, said in a letter that the agency would no longer defend the agency’s in-state rate caps in court.

Although that would seem to suggest a legal win by default for the phone industry, that’s not the case. Instead, a hearing continued as scheduled, with the FCC simply refusing to make its case. Other parties, however, continue to advocate for the caps in court, with the FCC on the sidelines. “It’s harder than usual to figure out what’s going on,” says Georgetown law professor Andrew Schwartzman, who argued for the rate caps in front of the court. “I’m not at all sure, however, that [Pai’s] letter… doesn’t have legal significance,” one member of the three-judge panel said as the court heard arguments. “There’s not a lot of precedent to deal with this kind of situation,” Schwartzman says.

Trump is reportedly still using his unsecured Android phone

President Donald Trump’s long-held Android phone is a security nightmare for a high-level politician, but according to a report from The New York Times, the newly inaugurated president is still using the device. In a profile of the president’s time so far in the White House, the Times reports that President Trump has held on to his “old, unsecured Android phone” — previously reported to be a Samsung device — despite some protests by his aides.

According to the Times, he used it to tweet Jan 24, suggesting he would “send in the Feds” to Chicago. (The tweet was apparently sent in response to a Bill O’Reilly segment.) Another Times report said Trump “traded in his Android phone for a secure, encrypted device approved by the Secret Service with a new number that few people possess,” but Trump has reportedly kept the Android phone to continue tweeting, and is even getting calls on it. In the Times profile, Trump did have kind words for the security of the White House phones, saying “words just explode in the air.” What he meant was that no one was listening in and recording his words.

Trump campaign using targeted Facebook posts to discourage black Americans from voting

While the Trump campaign continues to flounder weeks before Election Day, a new report is providing some inside information on the candidate's strategy, including an unorthodox use of Facebook. Businessweek explains how the Trump team has quietly organized a data enterprise to sharpen its White House bid. The campaign is meanwhile attempting to depress votes in demographics where Hillary Clinton is winning by wide margins. In one move, the Trump campaign reportedly created a cartoon animation with Clinton repeating her now-infamous line about "super predators," pairing it with the text, "Hillary Thinks African Americans are Super Predators."

Businessweek reports that the Trump campaign is planning to use the ad in so-called "dark" Facebook posts — targeted, paid posts — to convince black voters not to come out for Election Day. Certainly there's nothing new about political ads trashing an opponent — but using Facebook to target the opposition's supporters is a different strategy. As Businessweek points out, there's no widely available evidence that such a plan will work. It may even backfire, unintentionally convincing some Americans to vote instead. But, the data the Trump campaign has built may be the foundation for a Trump project launching well past Election Day.