Marriott International has agreed to pay $52 million and make improvements to improve its data security in order to satisfy state and federal claims stemming from catastrophic data breaches that affected over 300 million of its customers globally.

On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission and a consortium of attorneys general from 49 states and the District of Columbia announced separate settlement agreements with Marriott. The FTC and the states conducted parallel investigations into three data breaches that occurred between 2014 and 2020.

Marriott Agrees To Pay $52 Million, Beef Up Data Security To Resolve Probes Over Data Breaches

According to the FTC’s proposed complaint, the data breaches enabled “malicious actors” to collect passport information, payment card numbers, loyalty numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, and/or personal information from hundreds of millions of consumers.

The FTC stated that the breaches were caused by weak data security measures at Marriott and its subsidiary Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Specifically, the agency said that the hotel operator failed to secure its computer system with proper password management, network monitoring, or other data-protection methods.

As part of its proposed settlement with the FTC, Marriott agreed to “implement a robust information security program” and give all U.S. customers with a method to request the deletion of any personal information connected with their email address or loyalty rewards account number.

Marriott also paid similar charges filed by a group of attorneys general. In addition to committing to improve its data security processes, the hotel operator will pay a $52 million penalty, which will be shared among the states.

Marriott, based in Bethesda, Maryland, stated on its website Wednesday that its agreements with the FTC and states included no acknowledgment of liability. It also stated that it has already implemented data privacy and information security measures.

In early 2020, Marriott discovered that an unexpected amount of visitor information was accessed using the login credentials of two workers at a franchisee location. At the time, the business assessed that the personal information of approximately 5.2 million guests worldwide may have been compromised.

Marriott Agrees To Pay $52 Million, Beef Up Data Security To Resolve Probes Over Data Breaches

In November 2018, Marriott reported a huge data breach in which hackers gained access to information on up to 383 million guests. In that case, Marriott stated that unencrypted passport numbers for at least 5.25 million visitors were accessed, as well as credit card information for 8.6 million guests. Starwood operated the affected hotel brands prior to its acquisition by Marriott in 2016.

The FBI spearheaded the investigation into the data theft, and investigators assumed the hackers were working for China’s Ministry of State Security, which is roughly similar to the CIA.

SOURCE | AP

(VOR News) – A partnership between Apple and Amazon is being formed in order to further strengthen their existing partnership in the streaming business.

An announcement that was issued by Amazon on Wednesday stated that beginning later this month, customers in the United States would be able to subscribe to Apple TV+ through Amazon Prime Video for a monthly charge of $9.99.

This will be available on Amazon.

Apple TV+ will be added to the broad selection of more than one hundred different subscription options that Prime Video now provides as a result of this move. HBO Max, Paramount+, and Discovery+ are some examples of platforms that could be considered for this category.

As part of Amazon’s overall goal to provide its consumers with a streaming experience that encompasses everything, this connection is a component of that strategy. Rather than having to handle several subscriptions on an individual basis, this technique gives consumers the ability to manage many subscriptions through a single platform and billing system.

Mike Hopkins, who is Senior Vice President of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, underlined the importance of simplifying the process by which customers may tailor their streaming experience within a single app. This initiative is intended to make it easier for customers to do so.

“We are proud to welcome Apple TV+ and its celebrated, critically acclaimed shows, films, and events to Prime Video,” he stated in addition. “We are excited to be a part of this partnership.”

As a result of the exceptional material that Apple TV+ has produced, such as “Ted Lasso,” “The Morning Show,” “Severance,” and “Shrinking,” the service has garnered a reputation for being of high quality. Not only does it offer live broadcasts of Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball, but it also offers exclusive films that are only accessible through this platform.

These films feature top Hollywood talent such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Casey Affleck, and they are only available through this platform.

When compared to other major platforms like Netflix, Apple TV+ has had a far higher amount of cancellations, which is proof that the service has struggled to maintain its user base.

They provide a vast array of Amazon titles.

Eddy Cue, who serves as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, has expressed that the business is filled with enthusiasm regarding the cooperation. According to him, Apple has the intention of making its critically acclaimed television shows and films accessible to a larger audience by exploiting the massive user base that Prime Video possesses.

Amazon Prime Video continues to increase its original content and live sports services, including the National Football League’s “Thursday Night Football,” despite the fact that it is behind Netflix in terms of overall viewing time in the United States. Other live sports offers include the National Football League’s “Monday Night Football.”

Prime Video recently announced that it has reached 200 million monthly viewers across all of its platforms.

Amazon’s goal is to reinforce its position as the industry leader by expanding the variety of content it provides to its customers through the inclusion of Apple TV+ to its roster of subscription services.

In the latter part of the month of October, Prime Video subscribers will have the opportunity to gain access to Apple TV+. This will give them with a convenient way to access Apple’s premium content in addition to the subscriptions they already have.

In the past, Amazon was successful in obtaining a partial victory in an antitrust action that was brought forward in the United States of America. According to the judge, certain allegations that were filed against the corporation were dismissed.

It is still possible that the technology corporation will be subject to an inquiry for additional accusations, such as allegations that its business practices hinder competition and restrict the number of options available to customers. This does not change the fact that the firm will continue to be investigated.

SOURCE: TET

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(VOR News) – The Biden administration has completed one inflation cycle.

On Thursday, the Labor Department reported the lowest consumer price increase since February 2021, when the president took office, in its last inflation data before Election Day.

Despite being hotter than expected, the data suggests reduced inflation, a solid labor market, and falling interest rates. September’s 12-month CPI was 2.4%, down from 2.5% in August but above the 2.3% expectation. Month over month, the index rose 0.2%, exceeding the 0.1% expectation.

Food and housing prices rose substantially. Food prices rose 1.3%, led by meat and eggs, while eating out rose 3.9%. Monthly housing costs rose 4.9% from the year before.

The latter measure pushed inflation higher.

Which excludes volatile energy and food costs, up 0.3% month over month and above the projected 0.2%.

Despite inflation stabilizing, many consumers are still adjusting to prices that are more than 21% higher than they were in 2020, with some commodities and services suffering even greater price increases. Over the previous two years, income increases have more than kept up. After inflation, September’s average hourly wage rose 1.5% over the previous year.

These net income growth have remained despite consumer pessimism. A federal study conducted this summer found that the average American worker can make $1,400 more and purchase the same products and services as in 2019.

The post-Covid U.S. economy has remained the envy of most developed nations. Still, growth appears to be decreasing.

Separate Labor Department numbers after Thursday’s inflation announcement showed unemployment claims rising. In pre-market trading on Thursday morning, the major stock indexes gave up some gains, but speculators upped the odds that the Federal Reserve will drop rates by a quarter point next month.

Voters’ main concern before November’s election is rising costs. Former president Donald Trump has accused Kamala Harris of staying silent when the Biden administration approved expenditures that he thinks contributed to the inflationary boom.

Many experts believe consumer behavior and supply chain issues have had a greater impact on inflation than fiscal stimulus. Trump has not offered a coherent economic strategy other than a broad range of tariffs up to 20%.

He claims it will generate jobs and inflation revenues.

Harris has proposed capping rent and grocery price increases, but experts doubt they will succeed. Harris has caught up to Trump in several polls about economic understanding, but Trump still leads.

Both candidates agree that rising prices hurt consumers, but their views on the economy vary nationwide. Republican economic appraisals are at an all-time low, while Democrats’ are almost three times more optimistic, according to the latest University of Michigan Consumer Survey.

An spike in gas prices has helped the Biden-Harris administration: AAA claims that the typical gallon of fuel costs 50 cents less than last year. Oil prices may rise again due to Middle East upheaval, yet one of the most clear indications of living expenses is still absent.

Today’s inflation figures may lower Wall Street’s expectations of a November Federal Reserve interest rate drop. Since last week’s shockingly excellent job numbers, speculators have almost eliminated the possibility of another half-point decrease. As of Thursday, the odds were higher than one in five.

The National Federation of Independent Business, which advocates for small business owners, found unprecedented uncertainty in its recent evaluation.

Bill Dunkelberg of the NFIB says “owners are hesitant to invest in inventory and capital spending when uncertainty persists, especially as financing costs and inflation continue to put pressure on their bottom lines.” “Many Main Street owners are left wondering whether future business conditions will improve, even though the holiday sales season holds some hope,” he stated.

SOURCE: NBC

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