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Showing posts from April, 2021

The FTC Directed 30 More Marketers to Stop Making Unsupported Claims That Their Products and Therapies Can Effectively Prevent or Treat COVID-19

Almost 400 sellers and marketers who received FTC warning letters have pulled unsubstantiated claims in the last year The Federal Trade Commission announced that 30 more marketers nationwide have stopped making unsubstantiated claims that their products and therapies can prevent or treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The marketers removed these claims after receiving FTC warning letters citing the agency’s new civil penalty authority under the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act. This is the tenth set of warning letters the FTC has announced as part of its ongoing efforts to protect consumers from health-related COVID-19 scams. In all, the Commission has sent similar letters to almost 400 companies and individuals . Some of the actions involved products and “treatments” the FTC warned companies about previously, including intravenous (IV) Vitamin C infusions, ozone therapy, peptide therapy, and supplements. Others involved more obscure products and therapies tha

FTC to Host Virtual Workshop to Examine Digital Dark Patterns

WHAT: The Federal Trade Commission will host a virtual workshop to examine digital “dark patterns,” a range of potentially deceptive or unfair user interface designs used on websites and mobile apps. WHEN: Thursday, April 29, 2021, 10:30 a.m. ET – 4:30 p.m. ET WHERE: The workshop will be held online. A link to view the workshop will be posted the morning of the event to ftc.gov and the event page. WHO: The workshop will feature opening remarks by FTC Acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., as well as five panel discussions. TWITTER: The event will be tweeted live from the FTC’s Twitter page ( @FTC ) using the hashtag #DarkPatternsFTC . The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to protect and educate consumers . You can learn more about consumer topics and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at ReportFraud.ftc.gov . Like the FTC on Fa

Create Web Page Shortcuts in Google #Chrome for #Windows

Open the Chrome web browser and go to a web page. Go to the Chrome menu, located in the upper right-hand corner of the browser and represented by three vertically aligned dots. Select More tools and choose either Add to desktop, Create shortcut , or Create application shortcuts (the option you see depends on your operating system). Type a name for the shortcut or leave the default name, which is the title of the web page. Select Create to add the shortcut to your desktop.

Beavers chewed through a cable and knocked out internet

Beavers chewed through a cable and knocked out internet service to hundreds in a Canadian town

FTC Testifies before Congress on its Work to Curb COVID-19 Scams and Warn Consumers about Pandemic-related Frauds, Cons, and Swindles

Testimony follows agency’s first complaint filed under COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act In testimony today before the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, the Federal Trade Commission provided an update on its work to protect consumers from scams and frauds related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The testimony noted that since the crisis began, the agency has filed more than a dozen law enforcement actions, directed the removal of deceptive claims made by more than 350 companies, and issued more than 100 alerts to educate consumers and businesses about recognizing and avoiding these schemes. Testifying on behalf of the Commission, Acting Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection Daniel Kaufman said that the FTC filed its first action under the newly enacted COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, seeking monetary penalties against a company that deceptively marketed vitamin D and zinc products as scientifically proven to treat

To protect the privacy of information communicated over the Internet, the latest version of the industry-standard cryptographic protocol should be used

Transport Layer Security (TLS). TLS secures communications over a network by using security certificates to encrypt a connection between machines. TLS 1. 3 is faster and more secure than the earlier versions: TLS 1. 0-1.2 and SSL 2-3, which are all considered legacy protocols.

Ontario hot spot residents aged 45 and older eligible for #vaccine

#Military to provide medical personnel to help #Ontario

3 Letter Consonant Words

dbx 14 bff 12 cwm 12 mmm 12 hmm 11 tfw 9 pht 8 tch 8 shh 7 tsk 7 brr 6 nth 6 lsd 5

CEFR stands for the ‘Common European Framework of Reference’ for languages,

CEFR is a description of the language abilities of students at different levels of learning.  The CEFR can be used to compare standards in language learning and create teaching programmes. It grades language skills at six levels: A1 and A2 indicate elementary and pre-intermediate levels of ability. B1and B2 indicate lower- and upper-intermediate levels. C1 indicates advanced level. C2 indicates complete proficiency in the language.

Google Dictionary is an online dictionary service of Google that can be accessed by using the "define" operator and other similar phrases in Google Search.

Google Dictionary is also available in Google Translate and in the form of an extension for Google Chrome.  The dictionary content is licensed from Oxford University Press's OxfordDictionaries.com.

Windows Environment Variables List

Environment Variable Corresponding Path %SystemDrive% C:\ (Operating System drive) %SystemRoot% C:\Windows %WINDIR% C:\Windows %HOMEDRIVE% C:\ (Operating System drive) %HOMEPATH% C:\Users\<Username> %USERPROFILE% C:\Users\<Username> %APPDATA% C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Roaming %ALLUSERSPROFILE% C:\ProgramData %PROGRAMFILES% C:\Program Files %PROGRAMFILES(X86)% C:\Program Files (x86) %PROGRAMDATA% C:\ProgramData %TEMP% C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Temp %LOCALAPPDATA% C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local %PUBLIC% C:\Users\Public %COMMONPROGRAMFILES% C:\Program Files\Common Files %COMMONPROGRAMFILES(x86)% C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files

SSH public key authentication is a convenient, high security authentication method

SSH public key authentication combines a local "private" key with a "public" key that you associate with your user account on an SSH host. 

Show/hide Status Bar in VSCode

View > Appearance > Show Status Bar

Amazon Corretto is a no-cost, multiplatform, production-ready distribution of the Open Java Development Kit (OpenJDK).

Corretto comes with long-term support that includes performance enhancements and security fixes. Corretto is certified as compatible with the Java SE standard and is used internally at Amazon for many production services. With Corretto, you can develop and run Java applications on operating systems such as Amazon Linux 2, Windows, and macOS.

Stocks dropped

There are reports that President Biden is considering nearly doubling capital gains taxes on the wealthy to fund government spending.

#Ansible is the easiest way to automate #Docker

Ansible allows you to automate your Docker container build and deployment method in means that you’re likely doing manually.  Ansible seamlessly automates Docker and operationalizes the process of building and deploying containers.

Principle of DevOps

Infrastructure as a Code Continuous Integration Continuous Deployment Automation Continuous Monitoring Security

Organizations around the world are utilizing the innovation of #DevOps to meet the necessities of their customers.

Statement by FTC Acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter on the U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in AMG Capital Management LLC v. FTC

Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter issued the following statement regarding today’s decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in the matter of AMG Capital Management LLC v. FTC: “In AMG Capital, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of scam artists and dishonest corporations, leaving average Americans to pay for illegal behavior,” Acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said. “With this ruling, the Court has deprived the FTC of the strongest tool we had to help consumers when they need it most. We urge Congress to act swiftly to restore and strengthen the powers of the agency so we can make wronged consumers whole.” Over the past four decades, the Commission has relied on Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act to secure billions of dollars in relief for consumers in a wide variety of cases, including telemarketing fraud, anticompetitive pharmaceutical practices, data security and privacy, scams that target seniors and veterans, and deceptive business

FTC, Illinois AG Send More than $4M to Consumers Affected by Stark Law Phantom Debt Scheme

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Recipients will be refunded the full amount lost to scheme that threatened arrest The Federal Trade Commission and the Office of the Illinois Attorney General are sending payments totaling more than $4 million to more than 10,000 consumers who lost money to the Stark Law phantom debt collection scheme. According a suit filed by the FTC and the Illinois Attorney General , Stark Law used a host of business names to target consumers who obtained or applied for payday or other short-term loans, pressuring them into paying debts they either did not owe or that the defendants had no authority to collect. The defendants allegedly called consumers and demanded immediate payment for supposedly delinquent loans, at times threatening consumers with lawsuits or arrest, falsely claiming they would be charged with “defrauding a financial institution” or “passing a bad check.” Affected consumers are receiving full refunds, averaging $375 each. Those who receive checks should deposit or cash thei

FTC Testifies Before Congress on its Work to Protect Consumers from COVID-19 Scams, and Threats to its Ability to Return Money to Victims of Illegal Conduct

In testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee , the Federal Trade Commission updated lawmakers on its efforts to combat scams and address other consumer issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, while urging lawmakers to ensure the agency has the authority it needs to prohibit illegal conduct and return money to consumers who have been victims of illegal conduct. Testifying on behalf of the Commission, Acting FTC Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter along with Commissioners Noah Joshua Phillips, Rohit Chopra, and Christine S. Wilson detailed the FTC’s work to protect consumers through law enforcement actions and consumer and business education aimed at dispelling misinformation and warning about the latest COVID-19-related scams. The testimony noted that the FTC has brought law enforcement actions against those who have allegedly broken promises to quickly ship personal protective equipment and cleaning products, tricked consumers into paying for sanitizing products that were never d

FTC Sends Refunds to Consumers Unfairly Billed for ABCmouse Memberships

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206,814 consumers are receiving refunds, most via PayPal The Federal Trade Commission is sending refund payments totaling more than $9.7 million to consumers who were automatically billed for ABCmouse renewals and consumers who were prevented from canceling their memberships. According to an FTC complaint filed in September 2020 , Age of Learning, Inc., the company that operates ABCmouse, failed to adequately disclose key membership terms when marketing ABCmouse to consumers from 2015 until at least 2018. ABCmouse advertised “Special Offer” 6- or 12-month memberships, but it did not tell consumers that the plans would automatically renew and consumers would be charged indefinitely until they canceled. The FTC also alleged that ABCmouse made it difficult for consumers to cancel their memberships, which led them to incur additional, unwanted charges.  The settlement order required the company to pay $10 million to provide refunds to consumers harmed by its policies. The order al

WiFi 6 technology allows the blazing transfer speeds of up to 9.6 Gbps

The WiFi 6 standard significantly improves the latency of wireless networks, especially if several or more devices are connected to the same hub.

Gamers and streamers need reliable connections with very low latencies to provide a smooth gaming and streaming experience.

FREE Equifax® Credit Score and Report

FREE online Equifax credit score1 and report2 to all Canadian consumers. This includes: A summary of the factors impacting your credit score An easy to read summary of the information on your Equifax credit file https://www.consumer.equifax.ca/personal/products/credit-score-report/

In First Action Under COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, FTC Seeks Monetary Penalties for Deceptive Marketing of Purported Coronavirus Treatments

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Agency charges chiropractor with violating new COVID-19 consumer protection law by deceptively marketing Vitamin D and Zinc products to treat or prevent COVID-19 The Federal Trade Commission charged St. Louis-based chiropractor Eric Anthony Nepute and his company Quickwork LLC with violating the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act, by deceptively marketing products containing vitamin D and zinc as scientifically proven to treat or prevent COVID-19. This is the first case the FTC has brought under the new law. In a federal complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on the FTC’s behalf, the Commission is asking the court to exercise a provision of the new law to impose monetary penalties on Nepute and Quickwork, and to grant a preliminary injunction against the defendants. According to the complaint, the defendants marketed the vitamin D and zinc products under the brand name “Wellness Warrior,” and claimed that they were as, or more, effective

Facebook is testing a standalone dating app

Facebook is testing a standalone dating app called Sparked, for "video speed dating with kind people"

Microplastics are easily discovered in the fleshy portions of fish frequently consumed by humans.

FTC Staff Issues Note on Holder Rule and Large Transactions

The staff of the Federal Trade Commission has issued a note  correcting previous staff guidelines on the FTC’s Trade Regulation Rule Concerning Preservation of Consumers’ Claims and Defenses—commonly known as the Holder Rule . The Holder Rule protects consumers who enter into credit contracts by preserving their right to assert claims and defenses against any holder of certain loans and credit sales contracts, even if the loans or contracts are assigned to a third party. The new staff note corrects an erroneous statement in a 1976 pamphlet by FTC staff that the Holder Rule did not apply to transactions larger than $25,000. Those staff guidelines stated that the Rule incorporates the transaction cap that was present in the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). In the new note, staff points out that no such incorporation exists in the Rule, which was first issued in 1975, and that the erroneous guidance contradicts a statement by the Commission that the application of the Rule does not depend o

2021 Best Countries rankings

See the full rankings here . Overall 1. Canada 2. Japan 3. Germany 4. Switzerland 5. Australia

U.S. federal health agencies are recommending an immediate "pause" in the use of Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 #vaccine

Email is the key to your customer communication strategy.

DMARC is the key to improving Email Deliverability!

FTC Seeks Public Comment on Dark Patterns Topics ahead of Workshop

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking comment on topics related to the use of digital “dark patterns,” a range of potentially deceptive or unfair user interface designs used on websites and mobile apps, that will be discussed at the agency’s April 29, 2021 workshop. The FTC is seeking comment on several topics that will be discussed at the workshop, Bringing Dark Patterns to Light: An FTC Workshop , including: The definition of dark patterns; The prevalence of dark patterns in the marketplace; The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to design and deliver dark patterns; The effectiveness of dark patterns at influencing consumer choice, decision-making, or behavior; The harms dark patterns pose to consumers or competition; and Ways to prevent, mitigate, and remediate the harmful effects of dark patterns. More information about the request for comments and how to submit a comment can be found on the event page . Comments are due May 29, 2021 and will be posted to Regul

MongoDB data types:

Type Alias Double “double” String “string” Object “object” Array “array” Binary data “binData” Undefined “undefined” ObjectId “objectId” Boolean “bool” Date “date” Null “null” Regular Expression “regex” DBPointer “dbPointer” JavaScript “javascript” Symbol “symbol” JavaScript (with scope) “javascriptWithScope” 32-bit integer “int” Timestamp “timestamp” 64-bit integer “long” Decimal128 “decimal” Min key “minKey” Max key “maxKey”