Twitter has suspended the account of Sci-Hub, a site that offers a free gateway to paywalled research. The site is accused of violating the counterfeit policy of the social media platform. However, founder Alexandra Elbakyan believes that this is an effort to silence the growing support amidst a high profile court case in India. From a report: In recent weeks, Sci-Hub…
Tag: counterfeit
Ancient Egyptian hoard of counterfeit ‘dirty money’ unearthed
A shortage of silver caused by the collapse of leading Bronze Age civilizations around the eastern Mediterranean about 1200 BC resulted in the original “dirty money” — several hundreds of years before coins had been invented. Source: https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egyptian-hoard-counterfeit-dirty-money.html
Is Your Chip Card Secure? Much Depends on Where You Bank
A recent series of malware attacks on U.S.-based merchants suggest thieves are exploiting weaknesses in how certain financial institutions have implemented the technology in chip-based credit and debit cards to sidestep key security features and effectively create usable, counterfeit cards. Brian Krebs reports via Krebs on Security: Traditional payment cards encode cardholder account data in plain text on a magnetic stripe,…
Amazon Will Require Third-Party Sellers To Disclose Names, Addresses
Amazon announced a new policy Wednesday requiring third-party sellers in its marketplace to publicly display their names and addresses starting Sept. 1. Geekwire reports: The disclosure is already required in Europe, Japan, and Mexico. Amazon said it is updating its policy to “ensure there is a consistent baseline of seller information to help customers make informed shopping decisions” in a letter…
Trump Administration Lists Some of Amazon’s Foreign Websites as ‘Notorious’ Counterfeit Markets
The Trump administration Wednesday included Amazon’s foreign websites in Canada, the U.K., Germany, France and India in its annual report on “notorious markets” for counterfeit foreign goods, the first time a U.S. company’s overseas operations have been listed. From a report: The inclusion does not carry any penalty, other than the embarrassment for Amazon of being listed alongside other websites and…
Amazon To Ramp Up Counterfeit Reporting To Law Enforcement
Amazon is planning to give more data on counterfeit goods to law enforcement in a further crackdown on fakes listed on its e-commerce sites. Reuters reports: In the past, the world’s largest online retailer has informed authorities of counterfeit peddlers when it thought it had enough information for police to pursue a culprit. Now, the company plans to disclose merchant information…
PopSockets CEO Calls Out Amazon’s ‘Bullying With a Smile’ Tactics
At a House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee on competition in the digital economy, PopSockets CEO and inventor David Barnett described how Amazon used shady tactics to pressure their smartphone accessory company. Mashable reports: “Multiple times we discovered that Amazon itself had sourced counterfeit product and was selling it alongside our own product,” he noted. Barnett, under oath, told the gathered members of…
Germany Shuts Down Illegal Data Center In Former NATO Bunker
German investigators say they have shut down a data processing center installed in a former NATO bunker (Warning: source paywalled; alternative source) that hosted sites dealing in drugs and other illegal activities. Seven people were arrested. The Washington Post reports: Officials said Friday that the former military bunker in Traben-Trarbach, a picturesque town on the Mosel River in western Germany, was…