26—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, January 3, 2016
www.clevelandbanner.com
Why you should consider freezing your credit reports
NEW YORK (AP) — Freeze your
credit reports before you get
burned.
That’s the message from security experts, consumer advocates
and some state Attorneys
General. They say more people
should consider a credit freeze as
a way to block identity thieves
from opening new credit cards
and other accounts in your
name. They recommend a freeze
even if your identity hasn’t been
stolen.
“It’s much better to shut the
door before it even takes place,”
says Mike Litt, a consumer program advocate at the nonprofit
U.S. Public Interest Research
Group. “You can save yourself so
much time and headache.”
I didn’t listen, and now I regret
it. Someone recently applied for
10 credit cards in my name and
opened two wireless phone
accounts. Removing the fraudulent activity off of my credit
reports took hours: I had to
make several phone calls, send
paperwork and fill out a police
report. And my credit score will
probably be hurt temporarily
until everything is removed. I
could have avoided all that if I
had frozen my credit reports earlier.
But there are some downsides
to a credit freeze to consider. It
also blocks you from opening
new lines of credit, so if you plan
to take out a mortgage or apply
for a new credit card you’ll need
to remember to unfreeze it each
time. And residents of some
states have to pay a fee for a
freeze.
Here’s more on how credit
freezes work:
Q: What happens during a
credit freeze?
A: New creditors won’t be able
to view your credit reports. That
prevents new credit cards or
loans from being opened since
lenders look at credit reports to
decide whether to offer you credit. Instead they’ll see that the
report is frozen. The freeze won’t
affect any credit cards or loans
you had before the freeze was
placed; those creditors will still
be able to see your reports.
Q: When should I freeze my
credit report?
A: It’s a must if an account has
been opened in your name or if
you’ve been notified that your
Social Security number was
taken in a data breach. Even if
identity theft hasn’t struck, you
still should seriously consider it,
since data breaches have become
so common. So far in 2015, there
have been 766 data breaches at
banks, government agencies and
big companies, exposing more
than 178 milli on records,
according to the nonprofit
Identity Theft Resource Center. A
breach of government records,
for example, exposed Social
Security numbers of about 26
million federal employees and
their spouses.
Q: How do I freeze my credit
report?
A: Contact each of the three
credit reporting agencies —
Equifax,
Experian
and
TransUnion. You’ll need to freeze
your credit report at all three
because some creditors only use
one. Contact Equifax at
www.freeze.equifax.com or 800349-9960, Experian at experian.com/freeze/center.html or
888-397-3742 and TransUnion
at
transunion.com/securityfreeze or 888-909-8872. They’ll
ask you for your Social Security
number, name, address and
other details.
Q: How much does a credit
freeze cost?
A: It depends on the state laws
where you live. Fees are typically
between $3 and $10 to freeze
each credit report, and you may
pay another fee to unfreeze.
Freezes are free at a few states,
including Indiana and Maine.
Fees may also be slightly different at each credit agency.
Equifax has a list of fees and
rules for each state at
http://bit.ly/1LUIF0P
Q: Will the freeze hurt my
Idaho man
finds art
in back hair
NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — One man’s
back hair is another man’s canvas.
At least that’s how Mike Wolfe,
35, of Nampa, Idaho, has decided
to approach manscaping.
Wolfe tells KTVB-TV that after
years of feeling ashamed of his
body hair, he asked a friend in
2008 to trim an American flag on
his back rather than undergoing
hair removal processes like shaving or waxing. Since then, the two
meet up several times throughout
the year to design a new creation
onto Wolfe’s back.
“Pssh, it’s manhandling back
hair,” said Wolfe. “It’s disgusting.
But it’s funny. You can’t deny it’s
funny.”
Tyler Harding, a former graphic
artist who has been friends with
Wolfe for more than a decade, says
it takes about an hour to complete
the artistic trim.
And the creations can now be
seen on a calendar — called a
Calend-hair — available for $20.
Some proceeds will benefit a charity at Wolfe’s church.
Designs are uniquely named,
such as Grim Reap-hair for
October and M-hair-achi Band for
May.
“Everybody always makes fun of
the guy with back hair,” Wolfe said.
“Well now it’s my turn to shine,
right?”
Wolfe’s wife takes some credit for
him flaunting his fur. When they
went on their first date, Wolfe told
her he was hairy. He felt nervous at
the time, but she took it in stride.
“Looking back now this might be
because of me,” Jamie Wolfe said.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have given him
so much confidence in his back
hair.”
Perfect match:
Girlfriend to give
boyfriend kidney
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A
New Hampshire man found his
perfect match in more ways than
one when he first met his girlfriend
on a golf course last summer.
Forty-nine-year-old
Jack
Simard of Manchester is slated for
his second kidney transplant
around Valentine’s Day and the
donor is his girlfriend, Michelle
LaBranche.
WMUR-TV reports the two avid
golfers met at Stonebridge Country
Club in Goffstown and fell in love.
When LaBranche found out
Simard was seeking a kidney
donor, she tested to see if she was
eligible without telling him.
Doctors were surprised that her
kidneys turned out to be compatible.
Simard’s first kidney transplant
was 19 years ago. His sister was
the donor.
LaBranche says Simard is her
future, and she wants to help him
have a healthy life.
5 killed in house
fire in Alabama
BRYANT, Ala. (AP) — Authorities
say five people have been killed in
a house fire in northwest Alabama.
Jackson County Sheriff Chuck
Phillips tells multiple news outlets
that the fire occurred around midnight Saturday.
credit score?
A: No.
Q: Is this different than credit
monitoring?
A: Yes. Credit monitoring services, which you have to pay a
monthly fee for, alerts you if a
new account is opened or other
suspicious activity takes place. A
credit freeze is the only way to
stop criminals from opening new
accounts in your name. Some
experts don’t recommend credit
monitoring because it’s expensive, as much as $20 a month.
Instead, you can monitor your
credit report on your own. You’re
entitled to get a free copy of your
credit report from each of the
three agencies once a year at
www.annualcreditreport.com .
Q: When do I need to unfreeze
my credit reports?
A: If you’re applying for a mortgage or auto loan or credit card.
That’s because lenders check
your report to see if they should
lend to you. You can ask the
lender what credit reporting
agency they use and unfreeze
that one, says Litt. You can
unfreeze a credit report temporarily or permanently at any
time.
Q: How do I unfreeze my credit
reports?
A: By contacting the credit
agencies again. When you ask to
freeze your credit reports you’ll
AP File Photo
in ThiS MArch 5, 2012, file photo, consumer credit cards are
posed in North Andover, Mass. Security experts, consumer advocates and some state Attorneys General say more people should
consider a credit freeze as a way to block identity thieves from opening new credit cards and other accounts in your name. They recommend a freeze even if your identity hasn’t been stolen.
get a number that you will need
to save. That number will be your
key to unfreezing your account,
so keep it in a safe place. Losing
the number will delay removing
the freeze.
Q: Will a freeze protect me
from all identity theft?
A: No, it only stops thieves
from opening new accounts.
Thieves can still use your exist-
ing credit or debit cards to make
fraudulent charges, so you will
still need to check your statements every month. It also doesn’t protect against other types of
identity theft, such as taking out
prescription medication in your
name or filing fraudulent tax
returns, says Eva Velasquez,
president and CEO of The
Identity Theft Resource Center.
Gadgets around us will keep
getting smarter, like it or not
By ANICK JESDANUN and
DAVID HAMILTON
AP Technology Writers
Kaiser Permanente San Diego via AP
ThiS JAn. 1 photo provided by Kaiser Permanente San
Diego shows twins Jaelyn, left, and Luis Salgado, who were
born just minutes apart, bu t in different years, at the San
Diego Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center in San Diego.
Jaelyn was born in the last minute of New Year’s Eve 2015
and Luis in the first few minute of New Year’s Day 2016.
Two-year twins: Babies born
Dec. 31, Jan. 1 in San Diego
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Twins
in San Diego are getting
some attention because,
though born just minutes
apart, one has a birthday in
2015 and one in 2016.
Jaelyn Valenica was born
New Year’s Eve at 11:59 p.m.
Her twin brother, Luis
Valencia Jr., arrived at 12:01
a.m. on New Year’s Day.
KGTV-TV reports that the
babies were due at the end of
January, but doctors at San
Diego Kaiser Permanente
Zion Medical Center called
the mother in because one
was in a breech position.
The father, Luis Valencia,
called it a New Year’s blessing to have two healthy children.
Tamir Rice protesters want
Cleveland prosecutor to resign
CLEVELAND
(AP)
—
Protesters upset by a decision
not to indict two white police
officers in the shooting death of
Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black
boy who had a pellet gun,
marched to the home of the
prosecutor Friday and repeated
calls for him to resign.
More than 100 people stood
outside the home of Cuyahoga
County
Prosecutor
Tim
McGinty during the peaceful
protest, which also included
demands for a federal investigation into the shooting.
A march leader told protesters not to vandalize McGinty’s
home, which is in a neighborhood on the west side of
Cleveland.
Police
officers
accompanied the marchers and
stood in McGinty’s driveway
but did not intervene.
The protesters chanted, “New
year, no more!” and “McGinty
has got to go!”
Through
a
spokesman,
McGinty declined to comment.
Protesters have called for
McGinty’s resignation since he
announced Monday that the
officers would not face criminal
charges in Tamir’s death. But
criticism of him dates back
months as frustration grew
over the length of time it took to
reach a decision concerning the
November 2014 shooting.
Joseph Frolik, director of
communications and public
policy at the prosecutor’s office,
called Tamir’s death “clearly a
monumental tragedy caused by
a series of mistakes by the
Cleveland Police Department.”
“But we would hope that people will also respect the deci-
sion made (by) another group of
citizens — the members of the
grand jury,” Frolik said in a
statement. “They personally
see, hear and question witnesses, and they reach a decision
based on their oath. If you
don’t trust the grand jury, you
don’t trust your neighbors.”
Dozens of marchers lay down
on the sidewalk running past
McGinty’s house for four minutes, the time they say it took
medical responders to reach
Tamir after he was shot outside
a recreation center.
In announcing that charges
would not be brought, McGinty
said it was “indisputable” that
Tamir was drawing the pistol
from his waistband when he
was gunned down.
The prosecutor said Tamir
was trying to either hand the
pellet gun over to police or
show them it was not real, but
the officer who shot him,
Timothy Loehmann, and his
partner, Frank Garmback, had
no way of knowing that.
Tamir was shot by Loehmann
within two seconds of the officers’ police cruiser skidding to
a stop near the boy.
McGinty said police radio
personnel contributed to the
tragedy by failing to pass along
the “all-important fact” that a
911 caller said the gunman was
probably a juvenile and the gun
probably was not real.
On Thursday, Mayor Frank
Jackson and Police Chief
Calvin Williams said that as
protests continue, they plan to
balance public safety with protesters’ First Amendment
rights.
Our cars, our homes, our appliances and even our
toys: Things around us are going to keep getting
smarter. In 2016, we’ll entrust even more of our lives
and their intimate details to machines — not to mention the companies that run them.
Are we ready for that?
You might, for instance, like the idea of turning on
your TV with a spoken command — no more fumbling
for the remote! But for that to work, the TV needs to
be listening all the time, even when you’re not watching. And even when you’re discussing something
extremely personal, or engaged in some other activity
to which you’d rather not invite eavesdroppers.
How much should you worry? Maybe your TV
never records any of your casual conversations. Or
maybe its manufacturer is recording all that, but just
to find ways to make the TV better at understanding
what you want it to do. Or maybe it retains everything
it hears for some other hidden purpose.
You may never know for sure. At best, you can
hope the company keeps its promises on privacy.
More important, you have to trust that its computer
systems are really secure, or those promises are suddenly worthless. That part is increasingly difficult to
guarantee — or believe — as hacking becomes routine.
And here’s the chief quandary: Every technological
benefit comes with a cost in the form of a threat to
privacy. Yet not paying that price has its own cost: an
inability to participate in some of society’s greater
achievements.
Because smart gadgets thrive on data — data
about you and your habits, data about what large
numbers of people do or say or appear to want in particular situations — it’s difficult not to share pretty
much everything with them. Doing otherwise would
be like turning off your phone’s location services,
which disables many of its most useful features.
The consequences aren’t restricted to phones and
TVs:
— Kids will be able to talk to more toys and get personalized, computer-generated responses. Does the
“don’t talk to strangers” rule apply if the stranger is
the Hello Barbie talking doll or Dino, the dinosaur
powered by IBM’s Watson artificial-intelligence system?
— Cars will work with GPS technology and sensors
in parking meters, roads and home appliances to help
route you around traffic and turn on your living-room
lights as you approach the driveway. But that can
also generate a detailed record of your whereabouts.
— Thermostats from Nest and others will get
smarter at conserving energy when you’re aw ay.
Potential burglars might find that information handy.
— Home security cameras are getting cheaper and
more plentiful, but they’re sometimes insecure themselves, especially if you set them up clumsily. There’s
already a website devoted to showing video from cameras with no passwords. Though they are mostly outdoor or business cameras, one was trained on a
baby’s crib, and another in a living room.
— Wearable health devices will track your heart
rate, fitness levels and more — and share achievements with friends and family. But slacking off may
carry a heavier cost than those extra holiday pounds,
particularly if your insurance company yanks discounts for meeting fitness goals.
— Software from Google and Facebook will get even
more refined to help you cut through the noise. That’s
great if Facebook is showing you posts from friends
you already interact the most with, but will a long-lost
friend’s plea for help go unanswered because you
don’t see it?
The pending onslaught of privacy trade-offs might
seem trivial when it comes to a talking — and listening — Barbie. But maybe it’s less so when your phone
knows enough about you to remind you it’s time to
leave for an important interview (if the alternative
would be losing a shot at that job) or your smart home
can really tell you if you turned off the oven before
leaving for an international trip.
“The encroachments on our privacy are often selfinflicted in the sense that we will accept the trade-off
one bit at a time,” says John Palfrey, co-author of
“Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly
Interconnected Systems.
And these trade-offs can be quite subtle.
Technological advances typically offer immediate,
AP File Photo
ThiS July 29, 2015 file photo made in New
York shows Amazon’s Echo, a digital assistant that
continually listens for commands such as for a
song, a sports score or the weather. The company
says Echo transmits nothing to Amazon’s data centers until you first say Alexa; or press a button. A
blue light also comes on to let you know it’s active.
tangible benefits that, once you’ve put enough of
them together, can indeed revolutionize daily life. Can
you imagine living your life without a smartphone? A
few years from now, you might goggle at the thought
of managing your day without constant advice from
Siri or “OK Google.”
As for the risks, they’ll tend to be diffuse, abstract
and often difficult to ascertain even if you’re paying
attention — and most people won’t. In a study
released Wednesday, the Pew Research Center says
about half of American adults have no confidence that
they understand what’s being done with their data,
and about a third are discouraged by the amount of
effort needed to get that understanding.
In short, convenience usually wins. Shiny new
things are inherently attractive, and it takes a while
for some of us to get uneasy about the extent to which
we may be enabling our own surveillance.
Humans have made this bargain with technology
for some time. When cameras were invented, legal
scholars debated how far you can go snapping pictures of people in public. That’s no longer an issue —
although the camera on a drone in your backyard is.
Over time, manufacturers will get better at putting
in safeguards, and consumers will get better at setting boundaries and taking charge.
For instance, this holiday season’s Hello Barbie
talking toy won’t listen in until your kid presses its
belt buckle. Though it does store conversations
between kids and their dolls to improve speech-recognition technology, its maker says there’s little personal information tied to those conversations — no first
or last names, no ages, no gender.
“We don’t need that information,” said Martin
Reddy, co-founder and chief technical officer of
ToyTalk, which developed Hello Barbie with Mattel.
“We don’t want that information. It just makes it more
difficult on our end.”
Of course, kids might simply tell their toys personal
details about themselves. ToyTalk employees who
review such conversations to improve the technology
are trained to immediately delete anything sensitive,
but they aren’t charged with actively monitoring
stored discussions.
So Step One in managing interactions with our
newly smart digital companions comes down to simple attentiveness. Parents, for instance, can be actively involved in what their kids are doing — in this case,
by taking the time to review and delete conversations
from ToyTalk’s website.