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No Room For Privacy: How Airbnb Fails To Protect Guests From Hidden Cameras

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Airbnb | PixaBay Image

Another victim filed a lawsuit after her fun-filled vacation turned into a voyeuristic nightmare: A woman was secretly caught undressing at a rental property, and her photographs were saved on the computer of an alleged sexual predator accused of spying on unsuspecting renters for years.

Airbnb, one of the world’s leading short-term rental providers, has encountered this situation before. Typically, the company works to resolve hidden camera instances quickly and confidentially.

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Airbnb | CNN Image

No Room For Privacy: How Airbnb Fails To Protect Guests From Hidden Cameras

But this one turned out differently.

An Airbnb representative testified at a court-ordered deposition early last year, providing a rare glimpse into the company’s hidden camera problem: Over the previous decade, Airbnb has received tens of thousands of customer support calls related to surveillance equipment.

During the hours-long deposition, the Airbnb employee also stated that when a guest complains about a concealed camera, the company does not typically alert law police, even when a child is involved. The business may, however, contact hosts about complaints as part of internal investigations, which law enforcement experts warn could impede criminal investigations by giving suspects time to erase evidence.

A CNN investigation discovered that Airbnb regularly fails to protect its visitors despite knowing that hidden cameras are a recurrent issue in the industry. Airbnb’s corporate practices have also tried to prevent regulation of the short-term rental sector, allowing the corporation to avoid responsibility for guest safety and privacy.

Law enforcement officers recovered thousands of pictures from short-term rental hosts. According to CNN’s review of court and police records, as well as interviews with nearly two dozen guests who discovered surveillance devices at short-term rental properties or were informed by police that they had been secretly recorded, hidden cameras placed in bedrooms and bathrooms show guests during their most private moments – changing clothes, being with their children, and even having sex.

Victims say they live in terror that their intimate moments will become online fodder.

“This is neither my Social Security number nor my email address. “This is my naked body,” remarked one woman, whose host secretly recorded her having sex with her spouse in a Texas cottage.

Airbnb denied CNN’s request for an interview. However, in a written statement, a representative stated that hidden camera complaints are uncommon, but when they occur, “we take appropriate, swift action, which can include removing hosts and listings that violate the policy.”

The representative continued: “Airbnb’s trust and safety policies lead the vacation rental industry and include background checks on US-based hosts and guests.”

CNN discovered that several of Airbnb’s policies include considerable disclaimers.

The company’s website warns consumers against relying on its background checks to identify “all past criminal convictions or sex offender registrations … or other red flags.”

Even if Airbnb discovers a user’s criminal history, convictions for “murder, terrorism, rape, or child molestation” do not automatically disqualify them under the company’s policy.

‘The Wild West’
Brian Chesky was unemployed when he and his roommate came up with the idea for Airbnb in 2007 while trying to pay rent in San Francisco. They opened their home to three guests for $80 per night, providing them with air beds, breakfast, and WiFi. They named their startup Air Bed and Breakfast. Thirteen years later, the business went public with the greatest IPO of 2020, valued at $47 billion.

Today, Airbnb, worth more than Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Marriott International combined, continues to pursue the benefits of being a global hotel chain while bearing few expenses or obligations.

Unlike hotels, Airbnb does not own the properties it promotes or employs on-site personnel such as security guards, receptionists, or cleaners. Instead, it shifts the burden of maintaining and protecting short-term rentals to hosts.

And although hotels can be held legally liable for visitor injuries on their premises, Airbnb typically does not. Airbnb has battled such liability in court, claiming it has little influence over what happens at its listings while earning approximately 17% of each booking.

The multibillion-dollar short-term rental sector paints a bright picture, with commercials emphasizing how home sharing fosters human connection and provides intimate, private settings for busy travelers.

Nonetheless, violent crime, prostitution, and visitor deaths have regularly thrust Airbnb and its competitors into the international spotlight.

Hidden cameras are a security problem that Airbnb and the rest of the short-term rental business have mostly overlooked. Airbnb has been aware of the problem for at least a decade, and the firm has periodically informed its shareholders about it in annual reports since going public.

“We were aware of it; there were a large number of cases coming in,” claimed one former Airbnb employee who requested anonymity owing to a non-disclosure agreement with the company. The employee, whose team dealt with safety and privacy issues, stated that hidden cameras were one of the group’s main worries.

Despite these concerns, the corporation enabled hosts to monitor communal areas via video surveillance for years, as long as the cameras were revealed to visitors.

Chloe LeBrument, who visited London, Ontario, with her fiancé for a music festival last summer, discovered a camera placed in a charger in the bedroom of an Airbnb apartment.

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Airbnb | Pixa Bay Image

No Room For Privacy: How Airbnb Fails To Protect Guests From Hidden Cameras

LeBrument, whose host has been charged with voyeurism, believes many guests left the room unaware they were being recorded. LeBrument expressed anger and disappointment at the encounter.

“It felt really gross,” she explained.

In January, CNN began contacting former Airbnb employees to inquire about hidden camera concerns in the sector. In early March, Saturday Night Live parodied the issue’s prevalence in a spoof. Just over a week later, the business announced a ban on all indoor cameras beginning April 30. The corporation did not explain how it would force hosts to follow the guidelines.

Attorney Bianca Zuniga-Goldwater, who represents victims of hidden cameras in lawsuits against Airbnb and Vrbo, warns that if standards are not enforced, it’s similar to the Wild West.

CNN examined more than a dozen police investigations and lawsuits in the United States involving at least 75 victims and discovered that Airbnb frequently moves quickly to restrict user concerns and resolve them outside of court.

SOURCE | CNN

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Bank of America Insiders Sold US$4.1 Million Of Shares, Suggesting Hesitancy

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Bank of America

(VOR News) – The fact that a sizable portion of insiders at Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) sold a sizable stake in the company over the course of the last year may have piqued the curiosity of shareholders.

It is usually more useful to know whether insiders are buying rather than selling when analysing insider transactions. This is due to the fact that the latter sends a somewhat ambiguous message.

However, a high number of insider sales over a predefined period of time should raise the attention of shareholders as it may be a sign of questionable activity.

Even while insider transactions aren’t the most important consideration when it comes to long-term investing, we would still view this as unsafe if we were to ignore them entirely.

Actions Taken During the Previous Year by Insiders at Private Bank of America

The largest insider transaction of the previous year was overseen by Bernard Mensah, an insider. A total of US$3.7 million worth of shares, valued at US$39.81 per share, were purchased in this one transaction. This information suggests that United States shares were being sold by an insider for about 38.65 dollars.

Although insider selling is a bad practice in and of itself, the fact that shares are sold for less is far more harmful to us than the actual occurrence of insider selling. Although the deal was completed at prices that are fairly equivalent to the ones that are currently in effect, we are nonetheless wary.

All things considered, this is not a major cause for concern. Bank of America business insiders sold more company shares than they had bought during the preceding year.

This graphic breaks down the insider transactions by both firms and individuals over the course of the previous year. You may check the details of each and every internal transaction by just clicking on the graph that is situated below!

My opinion on Bank of America will change if I find out that there has been substantial insider buying. While we wait, have a look at this free list of affordable small-cap stocks that have recently seen notable insider buying activity.

Bank of America insiders are liquidating their firm’s stock.

Over the last three months, there has been a significant amount of insider selling at Bank of America. Insiders sold shares for a total of $4.1 million at that time; no acquisitions in other areas were seen.

Despite the fact that it is not the end all be all, this gradually makes us feel a little uneasy. As of now, Bank of America holds a sizable portion of insider ownership.

A check of these information is vital for a common shareholder to comprehend the quantity of shares under the supervision of firm insiders.

We search for quite high levels of insider ownership in the majority of cases. Insiders at Bank of America possess shares valued at approximately 424 million dollars, or 0.1% of the entire company.

Generally speaking, when business insiders possess a sizable portion of the company, there is a greater chance that the business will be handled in a way that benefits all of its stakeholders.

What kind of information would we be able to learn from Bank of America’s insider transactions?

Insiders at Bank of America have recently sold their shares of the company, but they have not bought any. From a wider vantage point, the long-term picture offers no consolation.

Even though the company has a sizable portion of ownership from within the company, we are a little apprehensive about participating in the company due to its history of share sales.

It would be wise to recognise the hazards that Bank of America is currently facing in addition to being aware of the insider transactions that occur today. For example, there is one warning sign regarding Bank of America that we think you should be aware of.

SOURCE: SIMPLY

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The Boeing Strike Poses a Challenge to Aircraft Manufacturing and Company Recovery.

TikTok Heads To Court Over US Law That Could Lead To A Ban On The Popular Platform

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The Boeing Strike Poses a Challenge to Aircraft Manufacturing and Company Recovery.

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Boeing

(VOR News) – Boeing’s Chief Financial Officer, Brian West, recognised that the worker strike, which started just after midnight on Friday, will negatively impact aircraft deliveries and “put the recovery of the company in jeopardy.”

This state of affairs resulted from the industrial workers’ massive walkout and rejection of a new labour contract that the corporation was offering.

Resuming talks in order to “reach an agreement that is good for our people, their families, and our community” is Boeing’s primary goal at the moment, according to West. This is the main goal that wants to accomplish.

Boeing’s stock fell by nearly four percent on Friday after the company announced that it would be going on strike.

Fitch Ratings has warned that an extended strike may increase the likelihood of a downgrade, which could raise the cost of borrowing money. Moody’s has placed all of Boeing’s credit ratings under review for the possibility of a downgrade. Every one of Boeing’s credit ratings is being reviewed by Moody’s.

Boeing’s debt is rising and will get worse.

Regarding Boeing’s ability to meet its goal of producing 38 737 Max aircraft per month by the end of the year, West did not provide any confirmation. West withheld any information pertaining to this attempt. According to Sheila Kahyaoglu, an aerospace analyst at Jefferies, Boeing might lose up to 1.5 billion dollars in the event of a thirty-day strike.

A tentative labour deal was put out by Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers as a possible fix. A twenty-five percent pay raise spread over four years is also part of the agreement, along with adjustments to healthcare and retirement benefits.

Conversely, employees demanded a forty percent salary rise, claiming the offer was inadequate in light of the rising cost of living. They were also asking for an increase in the offer.

Ninety-six percent of workers supported the strike, which started on Friday just after midnight, while ninety-four point six percent of workers opposed the idea.

The production of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft, which are produced in Renton, Washington, and are sold to a wide range of consumers, is anticipated to be impacted by the strike.

“The strike will have an impact on production and deliveries as well as our operations, and it will put our recovery in jeopardy,” West declared in a statement. West wrote his statement in reaction to the walkout.

Boeing’s future goal is to cut cash outflows, he said.

The objective that will be pursued is this. Additionally, Kelly Ortberg, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Boeing, will work hard to mend the company’s relationship with the union.

Boeing, which has already been coping with a number of production problems and safety concerns, is anticipated to encounter more difficulties as a result of the strike.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decided in January to stop from increasing the production of its Max aircraft due to a door plug leak that occurred on a virtually new Boeing 737 Max 9.

Additionally, Boeing had to work to raise its quality and safety standards since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) increased the number of inspections conducted at its operations.

Inspectors would stay at installations for the duration of the strike, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday. The most recent strike by machinists took place in 2008, and it caused a work halt that lasted about two months.

SOURCE: BPM

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TikTok Heads To Court Over US Law That Could Lead To A Ban On The Popular Platform

Walgreens To Pay $106M To Settle Allegations It Submitted False Payment Claims For Prescriptions

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TikTok Heads To Court Over US Law That Could Lead To A Ban On The Popular Platform

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The United States government and TikTok will face off in federal court on Monday, as oral arguments begin in a pivotal legal issue that may determine whether or not a popular social media platform used by nearly half of all Americans will continue to operate in the country.

Attorneys from both parties will appear before a panel of judges at the federal appeals court in Washington. TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, are appealing a US law that mandates them to cut ties or face a ban in the US by mid-January. The legal dispute is expected to reach the United States Supreme Court.

The measure, signed by President Joe Biden in April, marked the end of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government views as a national security danger due to its ties to China. However, TikTok claims the rule violates the First Amendment, while others contend it echoes crackdowns witnessed in totalitarian regimes around the world.

TikTok Heads To Court Over US Law That Could Lead To A Ban On The Popular Platform

In court documents filed this summer, the Justice Department emphasized the government’s two main concerns. First, TikTok captures massive amounts of user data, including sensitive information about viewing patterns, which may fall into the hands of the Chinese government if coerced. Second, the United States claims that the proprietary algorithm that drives what users view on the app is susceptible to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to mold information on the platform in ways that are difficult to detect.

TikTok has frequently stated that it does not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and that the government’s worries have never been proven. In court documents, attorneys for TikTok and its parent business said that members of Congress attempted to punish the platform based on propaganda they thought to be on TikTok. The corporations also stated that divestiture is impossible and that the app will be forced to close by January 19 if the courts do not intervene to prevent the law.

“Even if divestiture were feasible, TikTok in the United States would still be reduced to a shell of its former self, stripped of the innovative and expressive technology that tailors content to each user,” the businesses claimed in a legal brief they submitted in July. “It would also become an island, preventing Americans from exchanging views with the global TikTok community.”

Opponents of the bill argue that a prohibition would disrupt the marketing, retail, and lives of many diverse content providers, some of whom sued the government in May. TikTok is paying the legal fees for that litigation, which the court has clubbed with the company’s complaint and another filed in favor of conservative creators working with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc.

Though the government’s primary justification for the statute is public, major portions of its court papers contain classified information that has been redacted and concealed from public access. The firms have requested that the court reject the secret files or appoint a district judge to sift through the data, which the government has resisted since it will cause a delay in the case. If permitted into court, legal experts believe the secret documents could make it practically difficult to know some of the elements that could influence the final decision.

In one of the redacted statements submitted in late July, the Justice Department claimed TikTok received direction from the Chinese government regarding content on its site, but did not provide any other information about when or why those occurrences occurred. Casey Blackburn, a senior US intelligence official, said in a legal declaration that ByteDance and TikTok “have taken action in response” to Chinese government orders “to censor content outside of China.” Though the intelligence community had “no information” that this had occurred on TikTok’s platform in the United States, Blackburn stated that it “may” happen.

In a separate court filing, the DOJ stated that the US is “not required to wait until its foreign adversary takes specific detrimental actions before responding to such a threat.”

However, the corporations contend that the government might have adopted a more customized approach to addressing their concerns.

More than two years ago, during high-stakes negotiations with the Biden administration, TikTok submitted the government with a 90-page draft agreement that allowed a third party to supervise the platform’s algorithm, content moderation processes, and programming. TikTok claims to have spent more than $2 billion voluntarily implementing some of these steps, including putting U.S. user data on Oracle-controlled servers. However, a settlement was not struck since government officials effectively walked away from the bargaining table in August 2022.

Due to TikTok’s scale and technical complexity, justice officials claim that compliance with the draft agreement is difficult or would need enormous resources. The Justice Department also stated that the best way to address the government’s concerns is to cut ties between TikTok and ByteDance, given the porous relationship between the Chinese government and Chinese enterprises.

However, some experts have questioned whether such a move would hasten the so-called “decoupling” between the United States and its strategic foe, especially since other China-founded enterprises, such as Shein and Temu, are also making a major mark in the West. Last Monday, the Biden administration proposed rules that would restrict duty-free products exported straight from China.

TikTok Heads To Court Over US Law That Could Lead To A Ban On The Popular Platform

ByteDance has openly said that TikTok is not for sale. Despite this, several investors, like former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and millionaire Frank McCourt, have announced offers to buy the platform. However, even if such a transaction were to materialise, it would most likely be devoid of TikTok’s vaunted algorithm, raising concerns about the platform’s ability to serve up the type of personally tailored videos that users have grown to demand.

The political alignments on the topic are playing out in unexpected ways.

The measure, which passed with bipartisan support in Congress, sparked opposition from several progressive and Republican politicians who expressed worries about handing the government the authority to block a platform used by 170 million Americans. Former President Donald Trump, who attempted to prohibit TikTok while in office, is now opposed to a ban because it would benefit its competitor, Facebook, a platform Trump continues to criticise since his 2020 election loss.

In court, free speech and social justice organisations have filed amicus papers in support of TikTok, alleging that it violates users’ First Amendment rights and suppresses minority community speech by interrupting a tool that many of them use to fight for causes online. Some libertarian groups with ties to ByteDance investor Jeff Yass have also submitted briefs in defence of the company.

Meanwhile, more than 20 Republican solicitors general, former national security officials, and China-focused human rights organisations have backed the Biden administration in its request that the court preserve the statute.

SOURCE | AP

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