Ama-Scam (and the 16 billion leaks)

It's not a great leap from Amazon scam, to Ama-Scam (not a word) to Abacab (also allegedly not a word) which is my ear worm for the last couple of days.

I particularly like the Moog synthesizer intro to Abacab by Genesis. I haven't thought about a Moog for donkey's years. I am assuming the instrument in question is indeed a Moog. Genesis is on the list as using it.

That song (Abacab) seems to be an anthem about lover's remorse and paranoia. The point-of-view character (sung by Phil Collins) has seduced the girlfriend of someone dangerous, and now he fears retribution, perhaps by suffocation after being wrapped alive in cellophane.

Dark! But, Mr. Collins had a number of dark and angry songs.

His opening stanza reminds me of the Apple "Flock" advertisement, with lyrics directing the listener to look at the wall, the floor, under the bedding, behind a door to notice disturbing details that are suggestive of surveillance.

Amazon isn't the worst, but Amazon did blast out a warning that well-informed scammers are crafting convincing emails with spoofed Amazon-sender-addresses. These spear phishing emails aren't just about frighteningly large purchases, but also plausible, month-end warnings about Prime subscriptions coming to an end, or being auto-renewed at an alarming new price.

Other sites warn that 16 billion Americans' email accounts, passwords, phone numbers, and personal details are for sale on the dark web. No wonder some of these texts and emails fool busy people! Also, while not absolutely illegal, data-brokers make a business out of violating privacy and endangering Americans' identity.

EFF writes about how some of these data brokers are slow walking consumer protection reforms and making it difficult to opt out.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/why-are-hundreds-data-brokers-not-registering-states

The most egregious tracking technique to spy on our web browsing might belong to "Meta".  It's "the Meta pixel". This tracking technique (allegedly) bypasses core security protections built into phones and browsers in pursuit of surveillance advertising. 

EFF explains what it is, how it works, why it is so sneaky, and how you can protect yourself.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/protect-yourself-metas-latest-attack-privacy?ref=jul2effector

Convenience is our downfall. We should never click a link in a text or email (unless we are sure that it was shared by a trusted friend.) Apparently, even the standard "Unsubscribe" text link is not safe to use! 

If no one responded to targeted advertising, or cleared a browser and went to find a wanted product through a direct website visit, perhaps surveillance advertising would not be profitable, but there is little chance of that!

On the upside, I have a family member who is fascinated by videos of blacksmiths treating pus-filled, abscessed cow hoofs. So far, I have not seen a single sidebar advert for blacksmith tools or farm animal veterinary products. 

All the best,

Rowena Cherry