credit

Did credit card companies collaborate with the FBI's grocery data mining program?

The Congressional Quarterly's Jeff Stein recently reported that the FBI went trawling through grocery store records in order to track down Iranian terror cells. In his article, he writes, "like Hansel and Gretel hoping to follow their bread crumbs out of the forest, the FBI sifted through customer data collected by San Francisco-area grocery stores in 2005 and 2006, hoping that sales records of Middle Eastern food would lead to Iranian terrorists." The program, however, was short lived and was quickly "torpedoed by the head of the FBI's criminal investigations division, Michael A. Mason, … Read more

IBM offers 'green' certificates to data center power misers

IBM is launching an initiative to give its corporate customers a way to measure and potentially monetize energy-efficiency measures in their data centers using an emerging form of currency.

The computing giant on Friday detailed a program that will let companies earn energy-efficient certificates, which are awarded after a company undertakes a project to lower its data center power consumption. It's part of its Big Green Innovations program to invest in clean tech.

IBM is partnering with Neuwing Energy Ventures to verify the amount of kilowatt hours reduced through data center makeovers.

Companies can either claim those energy reductions … Read more

Company that detects credit card fraud gets $11 million

Fraud Sciences, which has developed systems that cut down on credit card fraud, has received $11 million in a new round of funding, according to VentureBeat. The lead investor was Redpoint Ventures.

The company has devised what it calls the SpotLight transaction verification system, which essentially confirms that the customer trying to use a credit card number on a computer is the owner of the credit card. The system cuts down on fraudulent transactions, but also lets merchants accept transactions that seem to be a bit suspicious, but in fact are genuine (i.e. a husband on an international business … Read more

eBay Trust & Safety forum hacked

In an audacious feat, someone posing as approximately 1,200 different eBay users posted credit card information to eBay's Trust & Safety forum. For the time being, eBay has suspended access to the forum.

In a statement on the site, eBay insists that the credit card information posted does not match the accounts on record for those individuals. eBay further believes the postings were part of a hoax. That could explain the mismatch between the account information and the credit card information.

Earlier, a YouTube.com video showed the postings as they appeared on the forum. YouTube has since … Read more

Card-sized MP3 player for cheapskates

Ah, the wonders of modern technology--and the hyperspeed of the global marketplace. At the beginning of the year, people were writing almost incredulously about an MP3 player the size of a credit card from an Israeli company called Walletex. Then it went on sale at $150 for a 2GB model.

Now, only a few short months later, a competing 2GB card-sized player is being offered for just $42 by Hong Kong-based Brando, the ultimate purveyor in products of the lowest common denominator. Speaking of which, as items like this continue to plummet in price, we'll be happy to wait--just … Read more

Pricing pollution a tricky business

SEATTLE--Carbon offsets, energy efficiency credits, renewable energy certificates. The lexicon of the new, niche business world of brokering in greenhouse gases was spoken at the Discover Brilliant conference Monday. (It felt like being in Charlie Brown's classroom.)

Carbon markets have begun to boom over the past year, offering corporations options for offsetting their emissions by trading them with cleaner companies. Many proponents of carbon trading want laws to force businesses to clean up their act.

"As long as companies can dump carbon without paying, they will," said K.C. Golden, policy director of Climate Solutions, a nonprofit … Read more

How to get your iCredit for your iPhone

I was one of the first guys out of the gate with an iPhone. I even waited in line for two hours on launch day. Then, a few months later, Steve Jobs drops the price $200. I have to admit, I was a little upset with the quick price drop, but then I heard there was a $100 store credit toward the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store for anyone who bought an iPhone at full price (before Sept. 5).

If you're wondering how to get your iPhone credit, it's … Read more

Give me my credit! Apple's $100 iPhone credit arrives

And, after the week Steve Jobs promised, the $100 credit comes to fruition. And, via text. Just click this link and the rest, after entering your phone number and serial number is handled via SMS text. It's pretty fast - I got my access code within 30 seconds! Paperless (unless you want to use it at physical retail store, in which case it'll print). Slick. Now, iPod classic or Apple care? Hrmmmm.

And on day 68: $100 iPhone credit

And, in case you hadn't heard, in a letter posted on Apple's site, Steve Jobs claims to have read "hundreds" of irate emails regarding the iPhone price drop and is therefore issuing $100 worth of Apple credits to us early adopters. Did he really read all of those emails? Hrmmmm.

While Apple is not under any obligation to do so, it was still nice of them. Now, I know some people will be like why not $200, or why not cash-money. May I repeat, not any obligation to do so. Besides, only us geeky types who … Read more