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Ed Mierzwinski, a consumer advocate at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group said of Wells Fargo, as well as several smaller banks, now turning customer spending data into profit by identifying potential retailers for the customer. While tech companies have notoriously been the ones to use data mining to tailor advertisements to increase profits, banks are transitioning their role and now “think they are the same as a department store or an online merchant.” (AP News — December 2, 2019)
The proportion of households nationwide that will be receiving paper copies of the 2020 Census by mid-March. As the Census shifts toward a primarily online platform, many counties, especially those in rural areas, are concerned about residents’ accessibility to participate. Some companies are even installing free Internet connections to ensure participation.
A cord will entangle suspects by wrapping around their arms or legs as a means to detain without force. The Los Angeles Police Department hopes that this will de-escalate situations and “It if can save lives, it’s better.”
Three of Spokane’s city council members voted against the slow-moving, self-driving bus, Olli, on Monday, which halted the pilot program’s progress. Now, the fate of the two shuttles is uncertain.
New York state’s Lockport City School District must make a few policy tweaks before their facial recognition programs will be okayed. The tweaks will “prevent students’ photos from being programmed into the system.”
Telemedicine has been growing in Indiana since 2015, but there are still gaps in the coverage. For many rural patients, “inadequate Internet speeds or unreliable services can be a major barrier” to adequate care.
The lack of technological awareness is becoming more difficult to work around as Congress is confronting the complexities of cryptocurrencies, facial recognition and digital privacy on an almost daily basis. It’s time for Congress to shake the dust off and catch up.
Companies like Facebook and Google have ushered in change — much of it positive — for individuals, communities and governments. But we still have a responsibility to ask whether they're serving the public interest.
Funding for public colleges peaked in 2000 at $9,443 per student. In 2018, funding was $4,552 per student, placing Pennsylvania among the bottom of states for percentage of tax revenues allocated to higher education.
It’s the largest-ever legal award against the state of Oregon. A jury determined last week that the state had breached its contract with 13 rural counties by failing to maximize logging revenues on state land.
By using a public-private financing model to overcome a revenue shortfall, the county has been able to move closer to building a new $267 million courthouse to replace one that once housed a trial for gangster Al Capone.
From reporting on congress to building the first mobile streaming news network, small-town, North Dakotan Ed O’Keefe has extensive media experience. And as CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, O’Keefe is creating an experience that preserves and shares Roosevelt’s legacy.
Joshua Tucker, professor of politics at New York University, said of Twitter’s permanent suspension of Danielle Stella for “repeated violations” of the platform’s policies. Danielle Stella, a Republican hopeful for Ilhan Omar’s Minnesota Representative seat, tweeted that Congresswoman Omar be tried for treason and hanged. (New York Times — November 30, 2019)
The value of sales purchased via smartphone on Black Friday, the most ever. The total amount spent online during Black Friday this year amounted to $7.4 billion.
With the switch to electronic storage, identity theft has become streamlined and efficient with just a few keystrokes. “You really can’t protect your information. All you can do is monitor it.”
As Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, continues to grow, transportation technology upgrades are inevitable and exciting. But officials don’t yet know which will solve the issues, so “they’re making plans for all of them.”
Colorado and California are already using technology that converts renewable energy into storable gas, and Maine hopes to be next. The technology could save Maine 75,000 megawatt hours of renewable power each year.
Our power plants may be dirty now. But unlike combustion vehicles, electric cars give us the chance to finally free ourselves from high-carbon travel
New technologies are poised to automate everything from infrastructure to traditionally human jobs, and some fear a coming robot takeover. But the real problem is it isn't happening fast enough.
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A culture change is happening. It’s been happening for a couple of decades now. Data is becoming more accessible through automation. But it’s not easy to make this transition.
Dr. Anna Slomovic, a data management and policy consultant, speaking about health and fitness data. As technology and health become more interconnected, some experts are developing concerns about how and where user health data is being shared. Many companies offer incentives for wellness programs, but before buying in the customer should understand the risks. (New York Times — November 27, 2019)
The increase in crypto theft between 2018 ($1.7 billion) and the first nine months of 2019 ($4.4 billion). Most crimes that amount to less than $5 million are often underreported and officials are seeing fewer attacks with “bigger wheelbarrows of cash.”
Denver, Colo., has a complicated transit system troubled by the national decline in public ridership. But officials are hopeful that they will find a new GM: “I think there are some excellent people out there.”
A study found that 9 percent of Ohio residents don’t have access to broadband, which could be an expensive problem for census takers, considering that the 2020 Census will be mostly digital.
San Francisco will implement new taxes, as high as 3.25 percent, on Uber and Lyft rides beginning in January. The revenue will go to fixing Muni’s biggest problem: shortage of drivers.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law requiring health insurers to keep online provider directories updated so that children who age out of foster care will be able to stay on MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program.
The Southern California startup FLOAT (Fly Over All Traffic) will begin flying passengers in January 2020. Flights will cost $60 a day and are targeted at super commuters who travel more than 90 minutes each way.
The Louisiana Department of Health has partnered with vendor MAXIMUS to streamline Medicaid enrollment, creating the Healthy Louisiana app. Eligible residents can use the app to compare health-care plans and find doctors.
During a last-minute hearing Friday, Louisiana Deputy CIO Neal Underwood revealed that last week's ransomware attack was the largest one to impact the state, but he stopped short of calling the attack catastrophic.
Sen. Maria Cantwell speaking during the introduction of an online privacy bill on Tuesday. The Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act “would enshrine online users’ right to privacy and bar companies from obfuscating what they are doing with users’ personal information.” This comprehensive privacy bill would be a first for the nation. (The Hill — November 26, 2019)
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