A law school professor is on a permanent campaign to argue that the telecommunications and cable industries have been overtaken by monopolists who resist innovation and overcharge consumers, David Carr writes. … Read More
Purchase power: App allows votes against Monsanto, for GMO labeling
The power that new technology gives to grassroots movements comes into focus occasionally. It did when people rallied to the protection of internet freedoms from SOPA/PIPA bills on the call from online giants. It did when Egyptian anti-government protesters or London rioters coordinated their action through Facebook and Twitter.The people behind Buycott, a new app for Apple devices, apparently eye the same direction. The program combines a simple barcode scanner with a database of corporate ownership and a website for user-suggested activism campaigns.A campaign lists companies that support some cause, like opposing factory farming or lobbying for the big oil, which supporters of the campaign would love or hate. When a barcode is scanned, the application tracks the product to the parent company that will ultimately profit from the purchase and checks against your selected campaigns. If there is a match, the app green-lights or red flags the product.Buycott is by no means the first mobile app to promote activism through boycotting or buying something. But it’s apparently the first one aiming to remain neutral and giving the users the choice of which cause they want to champion. At the moment the most popular campaigns denounce the conservative businessmen Charles and David Koch and promote GMO labeling, with both sporting more than 20,000 supporters, but there is no reason why opposite campaigns wouldn’t become popular too. Campaigns for opposing goals do exist even now.“I don’t want to push any single point of view with the app,” Ivan Pardo, the man behind it, told Forbes. “For me, it was critical to allow users to create campaigns because I don’t think it’s Buycott’s role to tell people what to buy. We simply want to provide a platform that empowers consumers to make well-informed purchasing decisions.”The Los Angeles-based 26-year-old freelance programmer spent the last 16 months to develop the app. It debuted in iTunes and Google play in early May, but since then the Android version had been suspended, because Buycott was caught unprepared for the sudden popularity and the technical difficulties it cause.“I simply didn’t set up the servers to be prepared to handle 10+ new users every second. I was expecting a more manageable rise,” Pardo explainedApart from managing the workload on servers and fixing glitches the company is busy updating its corporate database. The multitier ownership structure is quite intricate, and some brands do not quite link to their parent companies at the moment. They are also asking users to give info on products that are missing in their database. … Read More
Television Consumer Freedom Act aims to eliminate pay TV bundles
Senator John McCain introduced a piece of legislation today that would allow customers to pick and choose which television channels they want. The Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013 is designed to “help shift the landscape to benefit television consumers” and free them from an injustice being inflicted on the… … Read More
Fashion still doesn’t give a damn about the deaths of garment workers
A campaign launched this week aims to ensure the tragedy is a tipping point for both the industry and consumers A week on, the Rana Plaza catastrophe in Bangladesh is now the deadliest catastrophe in the history of the garment industry, with the death toll exceeding 500. The gruesome accounts of…
Microsoft’s new Windows phone ad has almost everyone fighting
Microsoft is constantly trying to push their mobile operating system into consumers' hands, but so far the adoption rate for Windows phones hasn't been all that great. When adding both versions 7 and 8 into the equation, the platform holds only 4.1 percent of the US market share, according to… … Read More
Repeal the sequester, already!
Economic forecasters exist to make astrologers look good. Most had forecast growth of at least 3 percent (on an annualized basis) in the first quarter. But we learned this morning (in the Commerce Department’s report) it grew only 2.5 percent.That’s better than the 2 percent growth last year and the slowdown at the end of the year. But it’s still cause for serious concern.First, consumers won’t keep up the spending.Their savings rate fell sharply — from 4.7% in the last quarter of 2012 to 2.6% from January through March.Add in March’s dismal employment report, the lowest percentage of working-age adults in jobs since 1979, and January’s hike in payroll taxes, and consumer spending will almost certainly drop.Median household incomes continues to decline, adjusted for inflation. Another report out today showed consumer confidence fell in April.Second, the recovery continues to be wildly lopsided. The only thing really keeping it going is the rip-roaring stock market. But the stock market only boosts the wealth of the richest 10 percent of Americans, who own 90 percent of stocks (including 401-K retirement accounts).Continue Reading… … Read More
Local produce ‘no panacea’ to climate change
Swedish consumers worried about climate change should cut down on meat rather than put their efforts into buying local produce, according to a new Swedish study. … Read More
