Home Security Company 'ADT' Employee Arrested, After Spying On Over 200 Customer's Home Cameras...

Telesforo Aviles, a 35-year-old, was working as a support technician for ADT, a provider of home security services.

Aviles's job involved installing home video surveillance cameras at customer premises and configuring the devices to work exclusively with the ADT Pulse application.

But prosecutors said that Aviles strayed from company policy, and started adding his personal email address to clients ADT Pulse accounts.

Prosecutors said Aviles accessed more than 200 customer's home CCTV systems on more than 9,600 occasions...

Aviles was charged in April 2020 and pleaded guilty yesterday.

He currently faces a sentence of as long as five years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000, as indicated by court archives. . He was conditionally released earlier this week.

ADT notified its customers of the incident when they became aware. The New York Post revealed that the organization attempted to persuade clients to consent to a privacy arrangement in return for money, so word of Aviles' activities wouldn't hit the web.

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Martin Tello
Silicon Valley News Team

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While AirBNB Goes Full Paranoia Mode, Canceling DC Reservations For The Inauguration - Competitor VRBO Steps In...

VRBO has no plans to cancel reservations in the DC area during the inauguration next week, although competitor Airbnb has already done so.

VRBO first reported in a blog post on Friday afternoon that it was "encouraging" hosts to cancel bookings during that time "if they believed a guest was violating their policies but stopped short of blanket cancellation.

Following the January 6th attack on the Capitol, officials said they encouraged Americans to "virtually attend" the inauguration. 

VRBO confirmed in his blog post that officials reported "the potential for violence and armed protests" in DC and in state capitals over the coming weeks. "The safety of our guests and hosts is of the utmost importance to us," says the blog post. “If you plan to travel during this time, please follow local regulations and check the latest news for updates. “

Airbnb is blocking all reservations in the Washington, DC area during Housewarming Week. Airbnb announced that there were reports of "armed militia and known hate groups" wanting to come to DC. 

So They Did What Anyone Would Do... Assume All Their Customers Were Nazis. 

Existing Airbnb reservations were canceled in order to issue guests full refunds, and Airbnb said this would Compensate hosts - the owners of the rental property - for the amount they would have made for the canceled bookings. 

Airbnb had previously said it was working to ban members of the mafia who attacked the Capitol from its platform and had banned some people who were part of the mafia or were connected to hate groups.


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Author: Garrett Kain
Silicon Valley Newsroom

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What's Up With WhatsApp?! Company Gives More Details On How Much Data They'll Collect, To Help 'Confused' Users.

WhatsApp has extended the deadline by which its two billion users must either agree to its updated terms and conditions or stop using the service.

The original deadline was February 8, but users now have until the 15th. May to act.

They want to end any "confusion" about their stance...

Since the announcement and notifications have been broadcast on its platform, millions of people around the world have downloaded alternative encrypted messaging apps such as Signal and Telegram.

Originally, WhatsApp said personal messages have always been encrypted and will be kept private, adding that its practice of sharing certain user data with Facebook was nothing new, and was not going to be extended.

 "The update includes new options that people will have for messaging a business on WhatsApp, and provides greater transparency on the how we collect and use data” he said. 

In an FAQ article, WhatsApp explained that the data it already shares with other Facebook companies includes: phone number and other information provided during registration (such as name)  information about your phone, including make, model and mobile company your IP address, which indicates the location of your internet connection  all payments and financial transactions made through WhatsApp.

However, this does not apply in Europe and the UK, where privacy laws already ban some of the practices.

So, what WhatsApp is doing seems pretty clear - now decide if you're willing to be a part of it. 

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Martin Tello
Silicon Valley News Team

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There's A New, High Tech, Anti-Virus 'Smart Mask' That People May Actually WANT To Wear....

It's called Project Hazel and it was developed by Razer. It is the world's smartest mask and it just debuted at CES 2021.

Designed to provide a safe, social, sustainable, comfortable, and personalized experience, it gives the wearer the highest degree of safety and peace of mind with the best quality of life enhancements.

Considering masks and cell phones are the two things everyone has with them when they leave the house, it's no surprise people are already looking for their own "mask 2.0".  

Unfortunately, they'll still have to wait since this isn't for sale to the public yet.

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