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☆ I started using dating apps in my 50s and quickly grew frustrated. Coming up with the 'burned haystack' dating method helped.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Jennie Young | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

At 50, Jennie Young started using several dating apps and felt that they were all toxic. The Burned Haystack Dating Method began as an academic project and now has a Facebook group with over 128,000 members. In February 2023, she started a Facebook group for the Burned Haystack Dating Method. Articles from 2024 alone included: "It's Not You: Dating Apps are Getting Worse" in The New York Times; "America is Sick of Swiping: Dating Apps are Falling Back to Earth" in The Atlantic; and "Why Gen Z is Ditching Dating Apps" in Time. The project evolved into a new dating method that I named the Burned Haystack Dating Method.

Persons: Jennie Young, Young, —, I'm, I've, swiped, swipes, it's, Albert Fox Cahn, Cahn, respresentive, Bumble Organizations: Service, University of Wisconsin, The New York Times, Facebook, Match Group, Match Locations: Green, The

☆ Dating Apps Helped Me Find Love. Now They've Become a Total Scam.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

I spent some time alone after things ended, but by the end of 2012, I was ready to re-embrace online dating. Within a few years, my fellow millennials and I were reportedly spending 10 hours a week on dating apps. "Dating apps are designed to be a miserable experience," Stephanie Rodgers, the founder of the forthcoming dating app Verb, said. Increasingly, it feels like dating apps make things more monotonous and cumbersome to incentivize us to pay for upgrades. And while dating apps' cost in terms of harassment, threats, and violence is paid disproportionately by women, its financial cost is disproportionately paid by men.

Persons: —, I've, I'd, it's, undateable, Phil, begrudgingly, Tinder, Charlotte Fox Weber, Weber, Swiping, Koshiro, Stephanie Rodgers, Rodgers, you'll, we're, curt, It's, I'm Organizations: Congressional, New York Times, Harvard Law, Facebook, Match, The League, Upper East, Grand Central Locations: DC, Washington, Western Europe, East, Asia, Raya, Brooklyn, Americas

☆ AI Is Quietly Being Used to Pick Your Pocket With Personalized Pricing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Under the long-standing law, companies can face ruinous penalties for price discrimination only if they're discriminating against other businesses. Tyler Le/BII say low-grade shock because at the time personalized pricing discrimination was far less widespread and harmful than it is today. And many of those that don't disclose using personalized pricing still do it. AI pricing also means that those who are the most desperate and most vulnerable will often pay the most. So much of AI pricing acts as a regressive tax, charging those with the most the least.

Persons: I'm, I'd, Robinson, Tyler Le, Price, Uber, might've, it's, you've, Tinder, Nikolas Guggenberger, Guggenberger Organizations: American Prospect, Walmart, Smart, Mozilla, Consumers International, University of Houston Law Center, Zephyr Locations: London, United States

☆ Want to fire your real estate agent? Try this.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A $418 million legal settlement in March upended the residential real estate market. It's the brainchild of Lewis Buckley and Allan Wood who met during a private home sale process that — you guessed it — involved no real estate agents. In the US, commissions on home transitions have hovered between 5% and 6% of the sale price for decades. In the UK, real estate agents charge a 1% to 3% of the property sale price, and then sellers usually have to hire someone else to handle the legal stuff. Even with the lowest 1% commission rate of a traditional estate agent, a homeowner would save £4,605 if they paid Hiizzy's £395 flat fee.

Persons: —, Lewis Buckley, Allan Wood, Albert Fox Cahn Organizations: Service Locations: Hiizzy

☆ New Rule for Buying a Home: Fire Your Real-Estate Agent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

She had never purchased a home, and as a lawyer, I just assumed I knew how the system worked: The buyer has an agent, but the seller pays a commission (typically 6% of the sale price) that's split between their agent and the buyer's agent. So my agent wasn't going to find me my dream house, and the work of hunting was basically on me. But the real-estate industry has made it hard for many buyers to understand just how little having an agent can help. The class-action settlement with the NAR is going to make it a lot harder for sellers to be forced to pay for buyers' agents. Going forward, for people like me without an agent, a savvy seller may pay just 3% of the sales price to their own agent instead of 6% to be split with a buyer's agent.

Persons: it's, vouched, Obvious, Stephen Brobeck, Alice, Wonderland, I'd, I've, —, cosmically, Brobeck Organizations: National Association of Realtors, Hunger, US Department of Justice, Realtors, Consumer Federation of America, New York City, NAR Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, McCarren, Williamsburg, New York

☆ My Apple Vision Pro nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

So when the Apple Vision Pro arrived, I was giddy with excitement to dive into the type of toy I'd dreamt of since childhood. The Vision Pro tries to answer the question of how you can use a computer without a mouse or keyboard. Apple Vision Pro marks the foundation of a new architecture of total digital isolation. Apple touted your ability to use the Apple Vision Pro to connect to your laptop, simulating a screen for your device. In the end, I followed the path of so many other Vision Pro early adopters and became an early returner.

Persons: Apple's, it's, peck, Apple, audibly, hadn't, Newton, keystroke, I've, I'd Organizations: Sony, Apple Vision Pro, Vision, Apple, Department of Justice, Disney, Cupertino colossus Locations: New York

“It isn't just sort of creepy,” said Washington state Rep. Vandana Slatter, the sponsor of a law her state adopted last year to rein in unauthorized use of health information. X-Mode was also found to have sold location data to the U.S. military. In Virginia, legislation that would prohibit the issuance of search warrants, subpoenas or court orders for electronic or digital menstrual health data recently cleared both chambers of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. “The next step to enforcing an abortion ban could be accessing menstrual health data, which is why I’m trying to protect that data,” Favola said in a committee hearing. “The software supply chain is extremely polluted with location tracking of individuals,” he said.

Persons: Roe, ”, Vandana Slatter, “, Albert Fox Cahn, Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyden, He’s, It's, Washington's, Andrea Frey, Democratic Sen, Barbara Favola, Glenn Youngkin, ” Favola, Favola, “ It’s, Republican Sen, Mark Peake, Youngkin's, Sean O'Brien, he's, ___ Mulvihill, Frank Bajak, Sarah Rankin Organizations: Democratic, Supreme, Wade, Oregon Democrat, Intelligence, The Veritas Society, Wisconsin, Federal Trade Commission, Securities Exchange Commission, FTC, ., Democrat, Republicans, Connecticut, Assembly, Virginia Gov, Republican, Yale Privacy, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Nevada, York, California, Maryland, ” Illinois, Hawaii , Illinois, Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Missouri, South Carolina, Vermont, In Virginia, Cherry Hill , New Jersey, Boston, Richmond , Virginia

☆ What Ozempic Taught Me About Shame — and Willpower
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

It will mean fundamentally reevaluating our conception of free will and human agency — and reckoning with our tortured relationship with shame. Many health plans have refused to cover GLP-1s for weight loss , citing limited approval from the Food and Drug Administration. I don't know when I first became overweight, but I remember the moment I was taught to be ashamed of it. They can stop the vicious feedback loop where our food choices and weight drive the shame that drives our food choices and weight. But no matter how heavy that burden was, one thing made it easier to bear: I wasn't weighed down by my shame.

Persons: I'd, They're, —, dieters, I've, Wayne LaPierre, David Vades Joseph, Mounjaro, …, you'd, would've, Kit Kat, they've, untangling, Stephen Spielberg's Organizations: National Rifle Association, NRA, Food and Drug Administration, New York City Marathon, Harvard Law School, GLP, BI Locations: York, Greenwich Village, darting, GLP

☆ Neighbors app floods police inboxes with alerts that have nothing to do with crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Lam Thuy Vo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

People can use Neighbors to publish footage alongside their posts; when the posts are forwarded to police officers, officers can click through to view the accompanying media. "All posts and comments on Neighbors are publicly viewable on the Neighbors feed by users and public safety agencies alike. As with Poole, other LAPD officers The Markup identified as using Neighbors to keep tabs on crime did not respond to requests for interviews. To familiarize LAPD officers with the platform, the company organized in-person training sessions as well as video calls. In this dataset, at least 26 LAPD officers posted in Neighbors at least once and received responses from users.

Persons: —, Poole, Craig Newmark, Detective Poole, Albert Fox Cahn, isn't, It's, Cahn, Ring, Mai Nguyen, Nguyen, Sarah Brayne, Peter Polack, Jamie Siminoff, didn't, Siminoff, Shaquille O'Neal, Neighbors, Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, Andrea Han, Drake Madison Organizations: Service, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Police Department, Ring News, LAPD, NYCity, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY, NBC, University of Texas, Employees, Intercept, Ebay, Neighbors Public Safety Service, Neighbors, Ring's, Los Angeles, Guardian, American University Washington College of Law, Data, didn't, Network Locations: Jeffry, United States, Neighbors, Angeles, Austin, Los, Shadow, Tuna, North Hollywood, RVs, Panera

☆ People are poking fun at NYC Mayor Eric Adams for trying to make a heart sign with the city's new armless patrol robot
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A user on X spotted NYC Mayor Eric Adams' attempt at making a heart with the new armless patrol robot. Adams unveiled the 5 feet 3 inches tall K5 patrol robot that weighs 400 pounds at a press conference on Friday. AdvertisementAdvertisementHonan's post has since racked up over 11 million views, and drawn reactions from a host of other users poking fun at the gesture and the city's new patrol robot. The new patrol robot is already drawing some criticism. The New York City police department and mayor's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Eric Adams, Adams, Katie Honan, Twitter —, Albert Fox Cahn Organizations: Service, New York City, Twitter, New York Police Department, Technology, New York Times, Boston Dynamics, New Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York City

BOSTON (AP) — Cars are getting an “F” in data privacy. Nineteen automakers say they can sell your personal data, their notices reveal. On security, Mozilla's minimum standards include encrypting all personal information on a car. “Sensitive personal information” collected includes driver's license numbers, immigration status, race, sexual orientation and health diagnoses. Mozilla's Caltrider credited laws like the 27-nation European Union's General Data Protection Regulation and California's Consumer Privacy Act for compelling carmakers to provide existing data collection information.

Persons: —, ”, Jen Caltrider, ” Caltrider, North America —, Albert Fox Cahn, Brian Weiss, Tesla, Mozilla's Caltrider, It's Organizations: BOSTON, Mozilla Foundation, Mozilla, Renault, Dacia, North America —, Harvard's Carr, for Human Rights, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, . House, Associated Press, Alliance, Pew, Nissan, Big Tech, Facebook, ”, Data Locations: telematics, Europe, North America, U.S, Japan

☆ Most major companies admit they may be selling your personal information, a new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Frank Bajak | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new study found many car companies can collect and sell your personal data, sparking privacy concerns. Most major manufacturers admit they may be selling your personal information, a new study finds, with half also saying they would share it with the government or law enforcement without a court order. Nineteen automakers say they can sell your personal data, their notices reveal. On security, Mozilla's minimum standards include encrypting all personal information on a car. "Sensitive personal information" collected includes driver's license numbers, immigration status, race, sexual orientation, and health diagnoses.

Persons: —, Jen Caltrider, Caltrider, North America —, Albert Fox Cahn, Brian Weiss, Tesla, Mozilla's Caltrider, It's Organizations: Nissan, Service, Mozilla Foundation, Mozilla, Renault, Dacia, North America —, Harvard's Carr, for Human Rights, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, . House, Associated Press, Alliance, Pew, Big Tech, Facebook, Data Locations: Wall, Silicon, telematics, Europe, North America, U.S, Japan

☆ AI-Targeted Internet Advertisements Fueling Looming Addiction Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

A new breed of direct-to-consumer services is aggressively using targeted ads to sell habit-forming medications. In short, AI and surveillance capitalism, which empower today's targeted ads, have joined forces with the deadly OxyContin playbook. As the Journal reported, after ADHD medications grew to 20% of the VC-funded company's business, driving a $4.8 billion valuation, things came crashing to earth. We as a society may have come to accept being stalked by targeted ads, but consequences are much graver when the product itself is a danger. But above all, we need rules that ban targeted ads for drugs that can get patients hooked.

Persons: Taylor Swift, they're, haven't, Van Zee, OxyContin, prescribers, Dr, David Sack, Anthony Yeung, recreationally, Yann Poncin, shih, Ryan Haight, Ryan Haight Act's, Albert Fox Cahn Organizations: Circle, Purdue, American, of Public Health, Sackler family's pharma, Physicians, Yale School of Medicine, Bloomberg, Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Health, Human Services, Ryan, Twitter, FDA Locations: Canadian, California, United States, New Zealand, New York

☆ Should parents decide what their kids do online? These states think so
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

That, at least, is the vision emerging from a growing number of states introducing — and in some cases passing — legislation intended to protect kids online. Now, in the absence of federal legislation, states are taking action, and raising some alarms in the process. On the surface, providing more guardrails for teens is a step forward that some parents may welcome after years of worrying about the potential harms kids face on social media. “Not all parents are passionate, kind and supportive of their kids, and even the ones who are don’t have the capacity or time to deal with the 24/7 nature of social media,” said Heitner. “It’s an unfair burden.”Enforcement issuesGiven that the bills are unprecedented, it’s unclear how exactly social media companies will adapt and enforce it.

☆ NYPD's robot dogs are back after backlash. NYC Mayor Eric Adams says 'we cannot be afraid' of the technology.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The NYPD's robotic dogs are "out of the pound" again, mayor Eric Adams announced earlier this week. Adams announced during a press conference earlier this week that the city spent $750,000 on two robotic canines the NYPD calls "Digidogs. " He said the dogs can "save lives" in situations where "you can't have police officers going inside because it's dangerous." The announcement comes just two years after the NYPD halted an experiment with the robotic dogs. In addition to the robot dogs, the NYPD will begin testing the StarChase pilot, a device that shoots a GPS-tracker to a stolen car, and the K5 ASR, an outdoor security robot, Adams said during the press conference.

☆ The TSA's facial recognition technology, which is currently being used at 16 major domestic airports, may go nationwide next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The TSA may expand its facial recognition identification system nationwide next year, WaPo reported. Facial recognition is currently used in 16 domestic airports for identifying passengers. The TSA has used various biometric technologies since the 9/11 terror attacks. In addition to the TSA, facial recognition technology is currently utilized by other agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which uses the tech to track migrants. Its use by law enforcement is even illegal in some cities, including San Francisco as, in some cases, racially-biased facial recognition scans have led to false arrests and even jail time for a Black man who was misidentified.

☆ Amazon's latest product announcements are a reminder the company is always watching
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-02 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But the event was also another reminder of just how much Amazon’s many products are watching us. The new Halo Rise sleep tracking device, for example, sits on the nightstand and monitors a person’s breathing and micro-movements as they sleep without the need to wear a sleep tracker. Amazon is far from the only tech company offering products that monitor users or collect data with the promise of improved conveniences, productivity and safety. In the months leading up to the product event, Amazon made two big announcements that could expand its reach into our lives even more. The Halo Rise sleep tracking device, meanwhile, encrypts the collected data and stores it in the cloud, according to the company.

New York, home of the largest rapid transit system in the country, will install surveillance cameras in every New York City subway car by 2025, Gov. The move is aimed at increasing riders’ confidence in subway safety, Hochul said, as ridership numbers are still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels. But the decision to install cameras on subway cars worries some privacy advocates, who say it will increase the level of surveillance of New Yorkers without necessarily making the subway safer. Subway stations in the city already have surveillance cameras. Instead, Hochul framed the matter of cameras in subway cars as purely one of public safety and rider confidence.

Authorities in Virginia violated the Constitution when they used Google location data to find people who were near the scene of a 2019 bank robbery, a federal judge ruled last week. The evidence provided by a geofence warrant alone is not enough to charge someone with a crime, police say. The judge stressed that her ruling was not meant to say whether geofence warrants should ever be used. In the end, the judge wrote, the future of geofence warrants should be taken up by lawmakers. She cited a bill in New York that seeks to ban the use of geofence warrants.

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