How Mastercard sells its ‘gold mine’ of transaction data
Mastercard knows where people shop, how much they spend, and on what days - and it sells that information online.
Report
Ringing in Our Fears 2023
More than 5,000 phone companies still haven't installed robocall defense equipment. Tens of millions of consumers lost money to scam calls last year, with a median loss of $1,400. We look at what's being done to fight robocalls and robotexts, and what's next.
Electric Vehicles Save Money for Government Fleets
State and local governments around the country could save a total of nearly $11 billion in lifetime expenses by purchasing EVs as opposed to gasoline-powered vehicles for their light-duty fleets over the next 10 years.
The Threat of “Forever Chemicals”
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, are dangerous for public health. Because these “forever chemicals” are nearly indestructible, PFAS build up in the bodies of humans over time and persist in the environment. PFAS can cause kidney cancer, thyroid disruption, reduced responses to vaccination, and other health problems.
Food for Thought Part 2: An analysis of food recalls for 2022
The Cost of Prescription Drug Patent Abuse
‘Chromebook Churn’ report highlights problems of short-lived laptops in schools
The pandemic pushed schools to provide every student with their own device, often turning to Chromebooks. A laptop for every student is likely here to stay, but now this new tech is failing. That’s because while we know milk goes bad, it turns out Chromebooks have expiration dates too.
The Plane Truth
Passengers fed up with airlines' performance; analysis of DOT data shows complaints quadruple, cancellations soar
Big credit bureaus, record complaints
This is the 26th report in PIRG’s series of reports based on complaints in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s public consumer complaint database. Consumer complaint totals set new records in 2021 and again in 2022, rising 61% from 2021 (496,000) to 2022 (800,394). Total consumer credit reporting complaints nearly doubled, from 2021 thru 2022.
The Whole Foods Plastic Problem
Whole Foods can do more and do better to reduce single-use plastic packaging.