| Volume 97 Number 11 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
"I agree" may mean more than you think. Every time you enter into an agreement on the internet you check a small box saying "I agree." Be careful what you agree to. It may look like a small box but it usually goes on for many pages. My advice is don't click until you read everything.
For more general information about the law, check out my website.
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Major Flaw Found in Internet Explorer
If you use Internet Explorer as your primary web browser, you may want to switch to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. The United States Department of Homeland Security issued an alert on Monday advising consumers to switch browsers in order to avoid security risks associated with flaws in the Internet Explorer browser. In fact, the problem is so bad that hackers can completely take control of target computers, and all of the information on them, when users access infected sites.
Although Microsoft is expected to release an update to close the security hole, it will not release a fix for consumers running
Windows XP.
How can you protect yourself against Internet Explorer hackers?
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Target Switches to Chip & Pin MasterCards
At the end of 2013, Target was at the center of controversy after a security breach exposed sensitive personal information for as many as 110 million consumers. Since then, the company has been working to prevent any future breach from happening.
Shortly after hiring a new Chief Information Officer, Target announced plans to reissue cards using the MasterCard brand and chip and pin technology. In order to accommodate the switch, Target is having its stores outfitted to accept the more secure form of payment.
Chip and pin credit cards are almost impossible to duplicate because they are embedded with microchips that generate single-use
codes for every transaction.
With mass data hacks becoming so common, how long until other stores switch to chip and pin technology?
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Your Money
What is the impact of making extra payments on your debt?
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For the Lawyers
No federal presumption of arbitrability until court finds valid arbitration agreement.
A recent Eleventh Circuit case discusses when the federal presumption of arbitrability applies. The court found that the presumption only applies to whether the scope of an arbitration agreement is broad enough to encompass the parties' dispute, not whether a valid arbitration agreement exists between the parties.
The court noted that in Granite Rock, SCOTUS said courts may apply "the presumption of arbitrability only where a validly formed and enforceable arbitration agreement is ambiguous about whether it covers the dispute at hand." It also cited the Second Circuit which has explicitly recognized that "the presumption does not apply to disputes concerning whether an agreement to arbitrate has been made."
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