When will they learn about Aussie consumer law?

Fitbit fined $11 million after misleading consumers about smart watches and fitness trackers.

Tech giant Fitbit will have to pay an $11 million fine in Australia after misleading consumers about smart watches and fitness trackers that were not fit for purpose.

The Federal Court issued the penalty against the US firm on Tuesday after it admitted making false, misleading or deceptive claims to 58 customers between 2020 and 2022.

In several cases, Fitbit representatives claimed customers only had 45 days to return a faulty device.

The case is the second brought against Fitbit by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) after it raised concerns about warranties offered by the company in 2018.

The ACCC launched its latest case against the billion-dollar firm, now owned by Google, in October last year saying it had misled customers about their rights under Australian Consumer Law.

Acting ACCC chairwoman Catriona Lowe said all goods sold in Australia must be of acceptable quality and fit for purpose, and retailers had to provide a repair, replacement or refund if this standard was not met....

And as a result.

...Fitbit now offers a two-year manufacturer's warranty on its products in line with Australian law.

FTC bans Rite Aid from using AI facial recognition in stores for 5 years

Among the mistakes, an 11-year-old girl was misidentified as a shoplifter and searched

Philips recalls 340 MRI machines because they may explode in an emergency

Rapid unscheduled disassembly not exactly a desirable quality for medical imaging equipment

All too true:



The Beauty of Finished Software
wrote:

... finished software provides a breath of fresh air. It's a reminder that reliability, consistency, and user satisfaction can coexist in the realm of software development...

... And exactly what greedy Marketing abhors in their never ending quest to sell you everything all over again, ad nauseam...


Enjoy?

IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

And exactly what greedy Marketing abhors in their never ending quest to sell you everything all over again, ad nauseam...

Nay, not marketing, the shareholders demand it, the fiduciary duty to make money.

Beware, beware:

Bricking it: Do you actually own anything digital?
wrote:

From ebooks, to videos and software, the answer is increasingly no...

Do you really want a licence for your life?...

IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Truth or a Big Lie?
Marketers Claim to Listen In on Households

A marketing company claims it can listen in to private conversations in peoples' homes and gather data for targeted advertising. It's not clear if Cox Media Group (CMG) is "revealing" a poorly kept secret or exaggerating its capabilities to boost business.

The claims were made by CMG's marketing team in a pitch to other marketers. The details were revealed through a leak to 404 Media. (Source: 404media.co)

According to the report of the leak, CMG promoted the technology as "Active Listening" and asked potential clients "What would it mean for your business if you could target potential clients who are actively discussing their need for your services in their day-to-day conversations? " It appears it claimed to be able to listen in through phones, devices and smart TVs.

The technology to do that is widely available and the abused consumers have gorged on buying that tech to become even more abused...

So, why not?...


Even if those smart devices are not streaming into 'the cloud' continuously every noise you make, almost all smart devices have more than enough capability to continuously 'record' all sounds and the connected activity, to then upload the last few seconds whenever some 'keyword' event is detected...

Well publicised examples are such as "Hey Siri/Alexa/Whatever"... How else can that work if not constantly 'monitoring' you. And everyone is more than important enough... No hiding in the crowds is possible...

Where is that telemetry going?...


All very profitable and all too easily done. So why not?...

IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

ps: Personally, I'm very deliberately non-smart. I'm not a machine to be turned on or off for the benefit of Marketing...

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

and you thought China was a police state

Claims TikTok siphons personal data of non-users without consent examined by Australian Information Commissioner.

TikTok is under the spotlight in Australia amid allegations of privacy breaches and personal data being collected.

The Australian Information Commissioner is inquiring into the social media giant's handling of personal data, as well as claims it has been taking data without consent from people who do not have its mobile app.

Preliminary inquiries will determine whether a full investigation should be launched.

"Strong privacy protections are critical to addressing the privacy risks faced by Australians online," the commissioner said in a statement on Thursday, confirming inquiries were being made.

The allegations relate to the use of a tool known as a tracking pixel to harvest data including internet history and personal information, even from people who don't have the social media app installed.

TikTok denies breaching privacy laws, saying tracking pixels are used industry-wide and are voluntary for advertising clients to use.....

Google pays up, but is it enough?

Google settles in $US5 billion consumer privacy lawsuit over browser settings.

Google pays up, but is it enough?

Enough as a down payment, only another 45M USD to go.

---

Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

NBC NEWS is covering for the Chinese
U.S. intelligence officials determined the Chinese spy balloon used a U.S. internet provider to communicate

The balloon connected to a U.S.-based company, according to the assessment, to send and receive communications from China, primarily related to its navigation. Officials familiar with the assessment said it found that the connection allowed the balloon to send burst transmissions, or high-bandwidth collections of data over short periods of time.

... The company denied that the Chinese balloon had used its network, a determination it said was based on its own investigation and discussions it had with U.S. officials.

NBC News is not naming the provider to protect the identity of its sources.

Surely some 'mistake'?

Irony alert: Lawsuit alleging Chrome’s Incognito Mode isn’t will settle on unknown terms
wrote:

Google accused of tracking you even when you think it won’t

IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Surely some 'mistake'?

Irony alert: Lawsuit alleging Chrome’s Incognito Mode isn’t will settle on unknown terms
wrote:

Google accused of tracking you even when you think it won’t

Nothing new to those "in the know" (technically advanced sleuths).

But not surprising as we are talking about one of the Internet giants (big brother) that makes most of their revenue off what people look for & do on the WWW.

IT is what we allow it to be...

You mean your hosts file doesn't have every Google and M$ IP set to 127.0.0.1?

IT is what we allow it to be...

You mean your hosts file doesn't have every Google and M$ IP set to 127.0.0.1?

Strangely enough, see:

Blocklist hosts file


Enjoy a cleaner internet!

Keep searchin'!
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Where have you been Martin, on the moon?

Message 2130528

The U.K. is not that big to be so isolated. ;-)

Where have you been Martin, on the moon?

Message 2130528

The U.K. is not that big to be so isolated. ;-)

For this place where I am at the extended moment, it may as well be beyond the moon... Mobile connection is patchy/limited also... See in the cafe for details...

Oh... Bit busy also.

Still good to give a second source and an alternative take on the story, thanks.

Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Micro$haft slurping more of your data
Outlook is Microsoft’s new data collection service

With Microsoft’s rollout of the new Outlook for Windows(new window), it appears the company has transformed its email app into a surveillance(new window) tool for targeted advertising.

Everyone talks about the privacy-washing(new window) campaigns of Google and Apple as they mine your online data to generate advertising revenue. But now it looks like Outlook is no longer simply an email service(new window); it’s a data collection mechanism for Microsoft’s 772 external partners and an ad delivery system for Microsoft itself[.