Sunday, June 10, 2018

This scam is not as dangerous as SWATting, but could lead to some serious confrontations.
Denver homeowner's house listed as for-rent on Craigslist (and it's definitely not)
The Chens closed on their first home in Park Hill in May. As recent as June 5, a Craigslist ad was posted listing Chen's home for-rent. The ad used a similar description for the home as the one used to list it as "for-sale" on online real estate listing services.
Chen said they noticed something was off as soon as they started moving in.
… Over the last two weeks, Chen said she and her husband have gotten a few door rings and knocks and people milling outside the home.
“Finally, someone who came to the door asking us if the house was for rent decided to show us the Craigslist ad saying that it was for rent,” Chen said. “I was like, 'That's our house.' Sure enough, the pictures were the same, anything you can find on Zillow or Redfin.”
… Chen sent an email to the alleged scammer who had listed her home on Craigslist.
The alleged scammer responded to Chen with: “I AM DEAF, and I have been transferred out of state for job on a contract, am spending 2 - 3 years and am planning to buy another house over here., I want you to know that you are free to go to the house and view the vicinity but you wont be able to go in because the keys are with me here. If you like the house we can now move forward on how to get key sent to you.... I'm ready to accept either monthly or upfront mode of payment.. Depending on the one you're most Comfortable with.”




I’m not sure what the law says here in Colorado. Same rules for medical and recreational pot? How easy is it for employers/insurers/etc. to connect you to your pot buying records?

California Weed Dispensaries Can Legally Sell Customer Information to Data Brokers

Daniel Oberhaus reports:
In states with legal weed things are a bit different today. Every gram of legal weed is tracked using sophisticated surveillance networks and many dispensaries keep meticulous records of their customers’ information, including their phone number and address, even if they aren’t required to by law. Privacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation are concerned this customer data may be sold to third-party data brokers or handed over to federal law enforcement officers.
Some states with legal pot, such as Oregon and Alaska, have explicitly prohibited the collection and sale of cannabis customer data. But until recently the privacy implications of legal pot have mostly gone unchecked in California, which is expected to become home to the largest marijuana industry in the United States.
Read more on Motherboard.




SWIFT lost some of its glamour because of the Bangladesh hack, even though it probably was the bank’s fault. Still, the potential to lose a billion dollars woke up lots of players.
Ripple and Swift slug it out over cross-border payments
… Ripple caused a stir in the payments industry in April by teaming up with Banco Santander to launch a service based on its blockchain messaging technology that allows the Spanish bank’s customers in the UK, Spain, Poland and Brazil to send money in many currencies around the world.




Perspective. Yes, war is a bad idea. Most likely in my estimation: Scenario Three, the North Korean government collapses.
Here’s Exactly Why War With North Korea Would Be Hell, According To New War Games
If war erupts with North Korea, then the U.S. military will have problems, according to a series of war games conducted by the RAND Corporation.




Not all disruptions go smoothly.
Santa Barbara City Impounds Ride-Share Scooters
Santa Barbara awoke [Friday] morning to about 100 electric scooters lining Downtown State Street sidewalks. The company Lime Bike, based in San Mateo, CA, placed the electric scooters despite conversations with City Officials about existing Municipal Code regulations that conflict with the scooter deployment. “We see the electric scooter share as potentially having transportation and economic vitality benefits to the City. But we are also concerned about the safety of our citizens and their use of the scooters,” said Rebecca Bjork, Public Works Director.
Electric scooters are placed on the sidewalk with onboard indicators to use a phone app to pay for and use it. When done with a ride, the user leaves the scooter and it becomes ready for the next user. The phone app lets users know where to find a scooter, among other information.
… Although riding an electric scooter by state law requires a helmet, the companies typically do not provide them.
… While City staff stressed to the staff at Lime Bike the importance working with the Santa Barbara community and working within the process, it has chosen to put scooter out on the street [Friday]. The City notified Lime Bike immediately by phone and in writing that scooters will be impounded [Friday] at 1:00pm. The impounding [was in process Friday afternoon] and is being conducted by Public Works with assistance as needed from the Police Department.


(Related)
Bye-bye, Bird? Denver starts impounding dockless electric scooters
True to its word, Denver Public Works is impounding the electric scooters that have created a minor controversy in the city.
Denver officials —one wearing a vest emblazoned with the words "Denver Special Police" — were spotted Thursday confiscating a Bird scooter at 17th Avenue and North Broadway. DPW issued a statement Friday stating it had ordered the companies to remove them from public right of ways. Today the agency confirmed it is confiscating the scooters if they are left unattended on sidewalks or other public areas.




Inevitable.
Spotify Has Started Licensing Songs From Artists, Completely Cutting Out Labels
The way it currently works, you can make it onto Spotify or any other streaming service by being signed to a label or going through a distribution service such as DistroKid or CD Baby. Spotify is looking to change that. According to a report by Billboard, Spotify is attempting to go straight to the artist and their managers.
Billboard says Spotify has begun licensing songs directly from artists and paying them "several hundred thousand dollars" for their tracks and then paying both the artists and managers a lower royalty rate afterward.
The upside to that is that despite the lower royalty rate, it's just the artist and their manager keeping all the money and not any being lost to a label.


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