An anonymous reader quotes a local NBC news report:
Stories are starting to pour in about those impacted by last month’s massive Equifax data breach, which compromised the private information of more than 140 million people. Katie Van Fleet of Seattle says she’s spent months trying to regain her stolen identity, and says it has been stolen more than a dozen times. “I kept receiving letters from Kohl’s, from Macy’s, from Home Depot, from Old Navy saying ‘thank you for your application,'” she said to CNN affiliate KCPQ. But she says she’s never applied for credit from any of those places. Instead, Van Fleet and her attorney Catherine Fleming say they believe her personal data was stolen during the massive Equifax security breach… Fleming has filed a class-action lawsuit against Equifax, saying they were negligent in losing private information on more than 140 million Americans… “Countless people, I mean, I’ve really, truly lost count, and the stories that like Katie’s, the stories I hear are heart-wrenching,” Fleming said.

But are things about to get worse? Marketwatch reports:
It will become harder for consumers to sue their banks or companies like Equifax… The Senate voted Tuesday night to overturn a rule the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau worked on for more than five years. The final version of the rule banned companies from putting “mandatory arbitration clauses” in their contracts, language that prohibits consumers from bringing class-action lawsuits against them. It applies to institutions that sell financial products, including bank accounts and credit cards. Consumer advocates say it’s good news for companies like Wells Fargo or Equifax, which have both had class-action lawsuits filed against them, and bad news for their customers… Lisa Gilbert, the vice president of legislative affairs at Public Citizen, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., said the Senate vote shouldn’t impact cases that are already ongoing. However, there will “certainly” be more forced arbitration clauses in contracts in the future, and fewer cases brought against companies, she said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot – While Equifax Victims Sue, Congress Limits Financial Class Actions

“In Portugal, with no net neutrality, internet providers are starting to split the net into packages,” argues a California congressman — retweeting a stunning graphic. An anonymous reader quotes BoingBoing’s Cory Doctorow:
Since 2006, Net Neutrality activists have been warning that a non-Neutral internet will be an invitation to ISPs to create “plans” where you have to choose which established services you can access, shutting out new entrants to the market and allowing the companies with the deepest pockets to permanently dominate the internet… the Portuguese non-neutral ISP MEO has mistaken a warning for a suggestion, and offers a series of “plans” for its mobile data service where you pay €5 to access a handful of messaging services, €5 more to use social media; and €5 more for video-streaming services.
The congressman notes this arrangement offers “a huge advantage for entrenched companies, but it totally ices out startups trying to get in front of people, which stifles innovation.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot – Portuguese ISP Shows What The Net Looks Like Without Net Neutrality

“Feeds need to die because they distort our views and disconnect us from other human beings around us,” argues TechCrunch’s Romain Dillet:
At first, I thought I was missing out on some Very Important Content. I felt disconnected. I fought against my own FOMO. But now, I don’t feel anything. What’s going on on Instagram? I don’t care. Facebook is now the worst internet forum you can find. Twitter is filled with horrible, abusive people. Instagram has become a tiny Facebook now that it has discouraged all the weird, funny accounts from posting with its broken algorithm. LinkedIn’s feed is pure spam.
And here’s what I realized after forgetting about all those “social” networks. First, they’re tricking you and pushing the right buttons to make you check your feed just one more time. They all use thirsty notifications, promote contrarian posts that get a lot of engagement and play with your emotions. Posting has been gamified and you want to check one more time if you got more likes on your last Instagram photo. Everything is now a story so that you pay more attention to your phone and you get bored less quickly — moving pictures with sound tend to attract your eyes… [F]inally, I realized that I was missing out by constantly checking all my feeds. By putting my phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ for days, I discovered new places, started conversations and noticed tiny little things that made me smile.
He concludes that technology has improved the way we learn, communicate, and share information, “But it has gone too far…

“Forget about your phone for a minute, look around and talk with people next to you.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot – TechCrunch Argues Social Media News Feeds ‘Need to Die’