Categories
Small Business Ideas

Federal government cracking down on dark patterns online [Video]

AUSTIN, TexasFrom subscription services that are nearly impossible to cancel, to hidden charges when you’re shopping online, companies these days are using some pretty dirty tricks to get even more of your money.

These tactics are called “dark patterns,” and they’re as shady as they sound. But now, the federal government is taking some steps to crack down on them.

Many of us have signed up for a streaming service, a cell phone plan, maybe a gym membership, and found it was way easier to sign up than back out.

“They make it really difficult either to figure out how to cancel or you have long wait times, or it just takes twice as long to cancel as it did to sign up,” said Stephanie Liebner, financial practices attorney with the Federal Trade Commission.

It was that kind of convoluted cancelation process at phone provider Vonage that led to a $100 …

Watch/Read More
Categories
Small Business Ideas

103-year-old veteran honored at Greensboro parade [Video]

IN GREENSBORO, THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED OUR COUNTRY WILL BE HONORED. A LITTLE BIT EARLY. TOMORROW IS THE ANNUAL VETERANS DAY PARADE, AND THIS YEARS GRAND MARSHAL IS A 103 YEAR OLD ARMY VETERAN. WXII 12 CHRIS PETERSEN MET UP WITH THOMAS FOSSETT AND HIS WIFE TODAY, WHO SHARED A STORY OF SACRIFICE AND SERVICE. THOMAS FOSSETT SPENT HIS LIFE SERVING HIS COUNTRY AND HIS COMMUNITY, AND NOW GREENSBORO IS HONORING HIM. HE WAS A HANDSOME GENTLEMAN. THOMAS FOSSETT JOINED THE ARMY ON MARCH 8TH, 1943, AT THE AGE OF 21. THREE BRONZE SERVICE STARS. FOSSETT SERVED IN THE ARMY BEFORE HE MET HIS WIFE OF 54 YEARS, ELIZABETH. SHE SAYS SHE HAD NO IDEA HE WAS IN WORLD WAR TWO UNTIL YEARS AFTER THEY HAD MARRIED. AT 103 YEARS OLD. ITS HARD FOR THOMAS TO SHARE HIS STORY OF SERVICE. I WASNT AWARE THAT HE HAD BEEN IN THE SERVICE AND SO IT WAS SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE I REALIZED I WAS JUST GOING THROUGH PAPERWORK. YOU KNOW, IN MY FILE. AND I LOOKED, I SAID, OH MY GOD, HE WAS IN THE SERVICE. ELIZABETH DISCOVERED THAT THOMAS WAS STATIONED IN ITALY AND SOUTHERN FRANCE FROM 1943 TO 1945. LOADING AND UNLOADING SHIPS. AFTER SHE FOUND HIS PAPERWORK, IT TOOK SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE SHE RECEIVED HIS MEDALS. AFTER THE WAR, FOSSETT SPENT 40 YEARS WORKING FOR THE POST OFFICE. BUT IN GREENSBORO, HES FAMOUS FOR SERVING THE STUDENTS OF PECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. FOSSETT WAS A CROSSING GUARD THERE FOR 36 YEARS, RETIRING THIS PAST JUNE, AND HE ALWAYS ASKED, WHO AM I GOING TO WORK? NO. YOURE FINISHED. YOU ARE FINISHED. BUT HE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED. FOSSETT FLEW TO WASHINGTON, D.C. WITH THE TRIAD HONOR FLIGHT IN OCTOBER. HE AND OTHER VETERANS TOURED THE WORLD WAR TWO MEMORIAL AND VISITED THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER. ELIZABETH HAS THIS MESSAGE FOR HER HUSBAND AND ALL VETERANS. ITS JUST AN HONOR TO BASICALLY HAVE A LIVE WITH A PERSON THAT HAS SERVED OUR COUNTRY, YOU KNOW? AND IF IT WASNT FOR THEM, YOU KNOW, WE WOULDNT HAVE THE FREEDOM THAT WE HAVE NOW. THE PARADE STARTS AT NOON AND RUNS THROUGH DOWNTOWN GREENSBORO. ITS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HONOR THOSE WHO SACRIFICED SO MUCH FOR OUR COUNTRY AND OUR COMMUNITY. AT THE CAROLIN