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Equifax CEO Retires After Major Data Breach

Reginald Edward
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Equifax CEO Retires After Major Data Breach

The CEO of Equifax has suddenly retired after a major data breach that left over 100 million people affected.

Richard Smith is the CEO and chairman of Equifax. On Tuesday, he retired following a data breach at the credit-reporting service that affected the private information of 143 million people, according to Equifax. As a result, Equifax shares dropped 1.6% in early Tuesday trading, which is on top of the double-digit drop that occurred this month after the company revealed the data breach.

The announcement was made by Mark Feidler, who is a current board member. In the meantime, Paulino do Rego Barros, Jr., president of company’s Asia Pacific region, has been appointed as the interim CEO.

In a statement on Tuesday, Feidler said, “The Board remains deeply concerned about and totally focused on the cybersecurity incident. We are working intensely to support consumers and make the necessary changes to minimize the risk that something like this happens again.” He added that the board had formed a special committee to focus on issues stemming from the breach.

Smith became the CEO and chairman of Equifax in 2005 after spending 22 years at General Electric. He is set to appear at a Senate Banking Committee hearing next week, where is the only executive set to testify. He is also set to testify at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The data breach has sparked multiple investigations at the state and federal level, including the Department of Justice in Atlanta and the Federal Trade Commission. But, it is important to point out that the company’s CEO is not the only executive who has retired this month. Equifax revealed the chief information officer and the chief security officer retired in September.

The biggest criticism against Equifax is the report the chief financial officer and several other executives sold $1.8 billion of company stock just days after the company discovered the breach internally but weeks before Equifax announced to the public.

Twitter Reveals Why They Never Banned Donald Trump

Jonathan Antonio
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Twitter Reveals Why They Never Banned Donald Trump

Twitter has responded to critics who claim the social network has given President Donald Trump a pass on his inflammatory tweets.

On Monday, a company spokesman said that it takes into account “newsworthiness” and public interest when deciding whether or not a particular tweet violates the company’s rules for appropriate conduct.

The statement came after critics called out Twitter and demanded the company to take action against the president’s account for a tweet threatening North Korea over the weekend. The North Korea government then claimed the tweet was a “clear declaration of war,” and an argument could be made that it broke Twitter’s rules prohibiting harassment and content that incites violence.

Twitter’s rules about what is and what is not inappropriate are relatively vague and subjective. CEO Jack Dorsey seemed to acknowledge this in a tweet on Monday in which he promised his company would “do better” with transparency.

Dorsey tweeted, “We’re putting significant effort into increasing our transparency as a company and commit to meaningful and fast progress. Will do better.”

Monday’s statements point out the first time the company has argued “newsworthiness” as a criterion in enforcing its rules. As a result, Twitter’s decision to provide some editorial leeway makes the social network seem like more of a media company, instead of a social network.

Twitter
JUNE 13, 2017: Close-up of a mobile phone screen with the Twitter account of Donald Trump. The American President has over 32 million followers on Twitter. (Editorial credit: Tero Vesalainen / Shutterstock.com)

“This has long been internal policy and we’ll soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it,” Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wrote in a blog post. “We need to do better on this, and will.”

This is not the first time Twitter has faced pressure over Donald Trump’s tweets. Twitter has mostly stayed quiet on the issue, pointing to company policy to not comment on individual comments.

Report: Facebook Infiltrated By Hackers Months Before the Election

Jonathan Antonio
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Report: Facebook Infiltrated By Hackers Months Before the Election

A group of hackers connected to Russia’s military intelligence unit, the GRU, started creating fake Facebook accounts to boost stolen emails as early as June 2016, according to a new report by the Washington Post.

The report comes weeks after Facebook announced that fake accounts linked to Russia were able to use the social network and spread fake news and purchase $100,000 worth of political ads during the election.

The Facebook accounts were reportedly linked to the GRU’s hacking group, called APT28, or Fancy Bear, reportedly set up an account called DCLeaks and one under the name Guccifer 2.0, which helped spread the emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee in late 2015.

Cybersecurity also believes the same group, Fancy Bear, was also behind the DNC hack.

According to the Post, Facebook contacted the FBI but determined the accounts were financially motivated and not linked to a foreign government.

It is important to note that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said shortly after President Donald Trump victory, that it was “crazy” to believe his company had been used a platform for Russian propaganda. But the social network began to look again after Zuckerberg was pulled aside by then President Barack Obama later that month, according to the Washington Post.

Aides to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama analyzed the data and shared it with the Senate Intelligence Committee. But, it would take four months later to discover the Russia-linked accounts had purchased ads targeting certain districts and demographics during the election.

Facebook reportedly does not know the extent of Russia’s advertisement purchases, or whether these unidentified ad buys are still on the social networking site. This is because the Russia-linked entities could have used the site’s self-device tool to purchase ads and bypass the social networking site’s employees.

Facebook also added that the Russia-linked groups took it to another level with more than just buying advertisements and sharing memes. The groups tried to organize anti-immigrant, anti-Hillary Clinton rallies in Texas and Idaho.

Zuckerberg said in a statement on Thursday that the company is reevaluating how the social networking algorithms were used during the presidential election to promote advertisements or other content on the platform.

YouTube Now Lets Marketers Make Thousands of Commercials

Jonathan Antonio
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YouTube Now Lets Marketers Make Thousands of Commercials

YouTube is releasing a new tool called Director Mix, which will make it easier for advertisers and marketers to create hundreds of variations of video ads.

The video-streaming company is on a mission to capture advertisers and create more relevant ads that are tailored to a certain viewer’s profile.

While it sounds pretty straightforward, many big advertising companies still only use TV ads for web platforms. They cannot create thousand advertisement variations.

Director Mix is set up to allow an advertising agency to upload multiple advertising blocks, similar to different cuts of commercial video footage, voice-overs, and copywriting, and the tool will automatically create thousands of ads.

“It’s the layering of intent or intention on top of demographics that makes this powerful,” says Tara Walpert Levy, VP of agency and media solutions at Google. “Maybe it’s a Gen X woman, a millennial or an older man—who the heck knows—but the fact you know they have a passion for skiing means it’s much more likely that you’re connecting with them something they care about.”

Campbell’s Soup ran ads on YouTube clips from Netflix’s Orange is the New Black with the tagline, “Does your cooking make prison food seem good? Campbell’s showed people watching Beyonce’s Single Ladies music video a similar spot, but with the tagline “Dinner for one?”

These are examples marketers can use to create targeted advertising on the YouTube platform.

To use Director Mix, marketers must provide YouTube with the building blocks of video, voice-overs, background, and copy. YouTube explains that it will take this data and then create “hundreds or thousands of versions to match audience segments.”

YouTube is also releasing Video Ad Sequencing will allow marketers the ability to connect a variety of different ad types. For instance, marketers can show a 15-second TrueView ad to build awareness, followed by a longer advertisement to further the brand story and a 6-second bumper ad to drive sales.

YouTube is also adding Nielsen’s Matched Panel Analysis so advertisers can measure their online media, not across YouTube or Google.

NFL Reacts to Trump Tweets

Jonathan Antonio
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NFL Reacts to Trump Tweets

At 6:44 a.m. on Sunday, Donald Trump renewed his demand that NFL owners “fire or suspend” players who kneel during the national anthem in protest. Moreover, Trump called on his supports to boycott games if players continue to protest the National Anthem.

“If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!”

30 minutes later, Trump later tweeted: “NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S.”

This news comes after a political rally for Senator Luther Strange (R-Alabama) where President Trump demanded the NFL owners to fire players who kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest. Trump started his tirade against NFL players on Friday night. In his remarks, he alluded to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose decision last season to take a knee sparked national attention to police violence against non-whites. Trump demanded coaches to get the “son of a b—“ players off the field if they continue to kneel.

Those initial remarks, which the President lamented on Sunday morning, triggered reactions from many athletes, coaches, NFL executives, and front offices.

While many favored the form of protest Kaepernick chose, NFL owners, players, and coaches issued statements defending the rights of players to express themselves in ways they are passionate about including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA’s executive director, DeMaurice Smith. The two spoke on Saturday on behalf of their organizations.

Early Sunday morning, nearly half of the NFL’s 32 owners issued a statement. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who a vocal Trump supporter and seven-figure donor to the Trump’s election campaign, wrote that he was “disappointed by the tone of the comments” President Trump issued on Friday.

“There is no greater unifier in this country than sports and, unfortunately, nothing more divisive than politics,’ Kraft wrote in his statement. “I think our political leaders could learn a lot from the lessons of teamwork and the importance of working together toward a common goal. Our players are intelligent, thoughtful and care deeply about our community and I support their right to peacefully affect social change and raise awareness in a manner that they feel is most impactful.”

Other NFL teams voiced their support of their players’ decision to protest and express themselves including the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Giants. That said, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, had no comment “at this time,” according to the Washington Post.

Seattle Seahawk’s head coach Pete Carroll was the first to issue a statement on the Trump’s comments. On Twitter and Facebook, he said, “there’s no longer a place to sit silently. It’s time to take a stand.”

Carroll continued, “We stand for love and justice and civility. We stand for our players and their constitutional rights, just as we stand for equality for all people. We stand against divisiveness and hate and dehumanization. We are in the midst of a tremendously challenging time, a time longing for healing. Change needs to happen; we will stand for change. May we all have the courage to take a stand for our beliefs while not diminishing the rights of others, as this is the beating heart of our democracy. As a team, we are united in a mission to bring people together to help create positive change. We can longer remain silent.”

Pittsburgh Steelers are finding other ways to handle the National Anthem protest. The Washington Post reports, Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said in an interview on Sunday that his players will remain the locker room during the playing of the national anthem before the game in Chicago.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended Trump’s comments about the NFL players demonstrating during the national anthem on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Mnuchin said, “This is about respect for the military, the first responders,” he said. “I think the president can use whatever language he wants to use.”

Mnuchin also added that this is the first of more actions to improve race relations in America.

Uber Responds to the London Ban

Reginald Edward
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0
Uber Responds to the London Ban

Uber is willing to make a deal to ensure their ability to license and operate in London.

Tom Elvidge told the Sunday Times they are willing to make concessions. “While we haven’t been asked to make any changes, we’d like to know what we can do.”

Elvidge added, “That requires a dialogue we sadly haven’t been able to have.”

This news comes after Transport for London (TFL) told the ride-sharing app company that it was unfit to hold a private hire operator license.

A TFL spokesman later said a comment would be inappropriate to comment on the decision at this time. However, according to the BBC, Uber has been asking to meet with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, since his election in May 2016 but those requests have been rejected.

That said, Uber is not taking the decision laying down. More than 630,000 people have signed an online petition to keep Uber operating in London after its license expires on September 30th.

Uber will have 21 days to appeal the decision and can continue to provide services in the city “until the appeals process has been exhausted.”

Why was Uber banned in London?

Uber Investigation
Editorial credit: Pe3k / Shutterstock.com

The TFL argued failures to report serious criminal offenses, insufficient background checks on drivers and other safety issues were among the reasons for not renewing Uber’s operating license. However, concessions such as driver safety and benefits, limits on working hours and holiday pay, may be up for grabs to reinstate Uber in London.

Uber said via on Twitter on Sunday that it would challenge the decision “in the courts to defend the livelihoods of drivers & consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use Uber.”

“Drivers who use Uber in London are licensed by TfL and have been through the same enhanced DBS [Disclosure and Barring Service] background checks as black cab drivers.

“We have always followed TfL rules on reporting serious incidents, with a dedicated team that works closely with the Metropolitan Police.”

It is important to note Uber has very little competition. Despite there being other apps including Mytaxi and Gett, which allow passengers to hail black cabs in London, as well as minicab companies.

Uber in the United States

lyft
BestStockFoto / Shutterstock, Inc.

Following several PR crises by Uber, Lyft has done market share this year, which resulted in the firing of Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick last June. Consequently, Uber’s control of the ride-sharing market dropped from 91% in 2014 to 74.3% in August, according to the BBC. As a result, Lyft’s control int he market rose to 23.4% partly due to Lyft’s marketing campaign as a more responsible and ethical operator than Uber.

NASA Dedicates Research Facility to Hidden Figures Mathematician Katherine Johnson

Megan Diane
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NASA Dedicates Research Facility to Hidden Figures Mathematician Katherine Johnson

NASA’s Langley Research Center built a new state-of-the-art research facility in Hampton, Virginia and named the complex after Katherine Johnson, the NASA engineer, and star of the book and Oscar-nominated feature film Hidden Figures.

“You want my honest answer? I think they’re crazy,” Katherine Johnson said when she heard about the naming to he Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility.

The building was honored in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 22nd in an event attended by the Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe, Black Girls Code and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.

What is the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility?

The new facility is a $23 million, 37,000-square foot data center. The center was named after Johnson, who helped black women in the space program. Two years ago, Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work as a leader in the space program.

In 1962, when NASA began their orbital missions using computers, astronauts were apprehensive about using the technology. To make sure the calculations were accurate, John Glenn instructed scientists to “get the girl,” referring his trust in the hand calculations by Johnson, essentially NASA’s “human computer.”

The author of the book that inspired the movie Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly, was a keynote speaker at the event. Shetterly commented on Johnson’s legacy. “Telling your story has been an honor,” she said. “You work changed our history and your history has changed our future.”

Nearly 25% of Girls are Depressed by the Age of 14, Study Finds

Brent Edward
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0
Nearly 25% of Girls are Depressed by the Age of 14, Study Finds

Researchers from the University of Liverpool and University College London analyzed data on more than 10,000 children born in 2000 to 2001 and found nearly 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 10 boys are depressed by the age of 14.

As part of the Millennium Cohort Study, kids ages 3, 5, 6, 11 and 14, were study following a survey on children’s mental health. Researchers asked parents about signs of depression.

Based on the 14-year-olds reporting of emotional problems, 24% of girls and 9% of boys suffer from depression.

The study was published in the National Children’s Bureau, which also investigated links between depressive symptoms and family income. Based on the research, 14-year-olds from higher-income families were less likely to have symptoms of depression in comparison to teens from lower incomes.

Parents involved in the study also report emotional problems were nearly identical for both boys and girls throughout childhood. Increasing from 7% of children at age 7 to 12 percent at age 11. However, by the time children turn 14, emotional issues become more common in girls with 18% report having symptoms of depression and anxiety, in comparison to 12% of boys.

Problems with behavior such as fighting and being rebellions decreased from infancy to age 5, however, rose again at age 14. Boys were more likely than girls to exhibit behavior problems throughout childhood and early teenage years.

As 14-year-olds’ own reports of their emotional issues were different than their parents, the research illustrates why it is important to consider young people’s perspectives on their own mental health, according to a statement by the University of Liverpool.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Praveetha Patalay from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Psychology, Health, and Society, said in a statement, ““In recent years, there has been a growing policy focus on children’s mental health. However, there has been a lack of nationally representative estimates of mental health problems for this generation.”

Patalay added, “In other research, we’ve highlighted the increasing mental health difficulties faced by girls today compared to previous generations and this study further highlights the worryingly high rates of depression.”

The director of the Millennium Cohort study, Emla Fitzsimons argued that the research results “provide evidence that mental health problems among girls rise sharply” as they become teenagers.” That said, Fitzsimons argued, “further research using this rich data is needed to understand the causes and consequences of this”.

The study, entitled “Mental ill-health among children of the new century’, can be found here.

Robot Completes First Dental Implants Without a Dentist

Brent Edward
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0
Robot Completes First Dental Implants Without a Dentist

A robot dentist has completed the first implants without human touch. The robot has completed the very first successful autonomous implant surgery by fitting two new teeth into a woman’s mouth. While medical staff was present during the operation, they did not play a major role in the implant surgery.

According to Science and Technology Daily, the one-hour procedure took place in Xian, Shaanxi on Saturday. The implants were fitted within a margin of error of 0.2 – 0.3 mm, reaching the new required standard for this type of operation, according to the report.

The technology was designed to help fulfill China’s shortage of qualified dentists and decrease the number of surgical errors.

The technology for the surgery was developed by the Fourth Military Medical University’s affiliated Stomatological Hospital, which is also based in Xian, and the robot institute at Beihang University in Beijing. The project took four years to implement and according to Dr. Zhao Yimin, the mainland’s leading oral rehabilitation specialist, the robot illustrates the dentistry expertise and benefits of technology.

Ultimately, the robot conducts the surgery by itself so it can avoid issues caused by human errors. Not to mention, the artificial teeth were created by 3D printing, Dr. Yimin explained.

It is important to note how common dental implants are in China. Approximately, one million implants are carried out in China every year and poor quality of the surgery can cause further issues, discomfort, and problems.

The report on the robot illustrates that dental surgeons are working within a small space in the mouth, which is hard for humans to see. As a result, human errors are common and the surgery is difficult to carry out. By using robots, it can further decrease surgical errors and increase the number of dental implants in the country.

How does it work?

Before the operation, dental staff fitted position orientation equipment on the patient. The staff then programmed the robot to move into the correct position to carry out the procedure and determined the movements, angle, and depth necessary to fit the new teeth inside a cavity in the patient’s mouth. The team then tested the movements and collected data to make the necessary adjustments before giving the women local anesthetic and carrying out the operation. During the operation, the robot was able to make changes in line with the patient’s movements.

Recently, robots have been used to assist dentists with other operations including root canal surgery. Last March, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the use of a newly developed robot system called Yomi, which is designed to help human surgeons when fitting dental implants.

Overall, recent reports have found Chinese spending on technology and innovation is outpacing the United States thanks in part by cloud-based services. Moreover, artificial intelligence and robots are further taking jobs that were once heavily dependent upon human involvement.

CVS To Limit Opioid Prescriptions to Seven Days

Brent Edward
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0
CVS To Limit Opioid Prescriptions to Seven Days

CVS announced a limit on all opioid prescriptions to a week supply. As a result, the major retail giant will be the first to do so following the outbreak of the opioid epidemic.

CVS Caremark, the company’s pharmacy benefits manager, is using their management program to limit opioid prescriptions to only allow a seven-day supply, limiting the number of opioids dispensed based on the strength of the drug, and requiring immediate-release formulations of opioids over extended-release opioids are dispensed. Also, the CBS Health Foundation has also added $2 million to previous investments to limit prescription drug abuse.

Larry Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Health said in a press release, “Without a doubt, addressing our nation’s opioid crisis calls for a multipronged effort involving many healthcare stakeholders, from doctors, dentists and pharmaceutical companies to pharmacies and government officials.”

Merlo added, “With this expansion of our industry-leading initiatives, we are further strengthening our commitment to help providers and patients balance the need for these powerful medications with the risk of abuse and misuse.”

Oxycodone CVS
Oxycodone is the generic name for a range of opoid pain killing tablets. Prescription bottle for Oxycodone tablets and pills on metal table for opioid epidemic illustration

This news comes after a July study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also found the average opioid pill supply administered by physicians in the U.S rose from 12-days in 2006 to 18-days in 2015. Moreover, since the 1990s, U.S. opioid prescription rates rose more than 300% from 76 million in the early 1990s to 207 million in 2013.

A June 2017 study by Blue Cross Blue Shield found from 2010 to 2016, the number of people diagnosed with an addiction to opioids rose to nearly 500%. According to the report, researchers found in 2010 there were 1.4 incidences of an opioid addiction among every 1000 members. But, by 2016 the number increased to 8.3 rates of opioid use disorder for every 1000 members. Meanwhile, there was only a 65% percent increase in the number of people receiving treatment for their addiction despite the rise of 493% opioid addicted members.

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