uFacebook Tweaking “Real Name” Policy To Make It Easier For Users To Verify That They Are Who They Claim To Ber

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  If you’ve ever tried to insist to Facebook that you really do go by the name Her Magnificence The Empress Of Catland and been frustrated at your efforts, things are about to change: the company announced it’s tweaking its so-called “real name” policy to make it easier for users to verify that they really do answer to a name other than their legal one.

  Facebook has long held onto its anti-pseudonym stance, one that it isn’t abandoning altogether. Instead, it’s offering easier recourse for those who lose access to their accounts over their name, allowing users to provide more context about their chosen name. It’ll also require others flagging those profiles for fake names to hand over more information.

  “We want to reduce the number of people who are asked to verify their name on Facebook, when they are already using the name people know them by,” wrote Facebook VP of Growth Alex Schultz in a letter the company released today (via Buzzfeed News). “We want to make it easier for people to confirm their name if necessary,” he added.

  So if, for example, your legal name is Frances but you’ve always, ALWAYS gone by Baby because you knew someday you’d be meeting a handsome dance instructor and he’d need to tell others not to put you in a corner, you can add those details when Facebook asks you to confirm your authentic self. This was something you couldn’t do before.

  “This should help our Community Operations team better understand the situation,” said Schultz. “It will also help us better understand the reasons why people can’t currently confirm their name, informing potential changes we make in the future.”

  Anyone who has an issue with your name will also have to fork over more information about why they’re reporting it, in the hopes of tamping down circumstances where someone might use the system as a weapon.

  “When people use the name others know them by, they are more accountable for what they say, making it more difficult to hide behind an anonymous name to harass, bully, spam or scam someone else,” he said.

  The changes are expected to begin taking effect in December.

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uWalmart Now Has An Internal “Swat Team” To Prevent Embarrassing Costumes From Hitting Shelvesr

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  Walmart and its website have a spotted history when it comes to questionable Halloween costumes, like the “Naughty Leopard” outfit for toddlers, or the entire section of Walmart.com dedicated to “Fat Girl Costumes.” In an effort to pre-empt this sort of embarrassment, the retailer now has an internal team tasked with heading off offensive costumes at the pass.

  Bloomberg reports that a “swat team” of around a dozen Walmart staffers in San Bruno, CA, are responsible for keeping Walmart’s costume selection out of the news headlines this season.

  Thus far, the team has apparently stopped a handful of potential embarrassments — like a costume mocking Caitlin Jenner; or a decapitated Cecil the Lion head, complete with dentist’s smock; or costumes targeting presidential candidates — from being sold in stores or on Walmart.com.

  The notion is to be proactive, explains Walmart. They read through the news each day and keep an eye out for attempts to cash in on controversy by selling risque or outright offensive costumes.

  But the Walmart team has already allowed some questionable outfits — like the Israeli soldier costume for kids that includes a toy machine gun, or the “Little Amigo” costume that lets you dress up your child like a mustachioed Mexican stereotype. These items were pulled, but not until after the public had already seen them.

  As Bloomberg notes, there is no shortage of potentially offensive costumes — including some of the ones mentioned above — for sale on Amazon, but that rarely seems to draw as much public outrage as Walmart costume gaffes. Perhaps that’s because Amazon shoppers are more used to the site selling just about anything, especially when it comes to items sold by third-party marketplace vendors.

  Or maybe it’s because parents can look on Amazon without having their children seeing these costumes, asking “What’s a naughty leopard and can I be one for Halloween?”

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uFord Improves Its Anti-Car Spider Technology, Keeps Them Out Of Fuel Linesr

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• Spider webs are more than cute Halloween decorations: usually they’re nets that catch pesky insects and maybe something to knock out of place when dusting. Yet there’s a species of spider that loves to build in the fuel lines of cars, affecting fuel pressure and the life and performance of cars. One automaker now has an actual solution meant to keep the creatures out.

  Yellow sac spiders ar always looking for new hunting grounds, and there’s something about the fuel lines of certain cars, especially sedans from Japanese carmakers, that they find irresistable. The webs affect fuel pressure and can lead the lines to crack, causing leaks and even fires.

  The good news is that Ford has been including spider-proofing screens on the vulnerable parts of their cars, since they have apparently also faced gas tank infestations. For the 2016 model year, CBS Philadelphia reports, Ford says that they’ve improved the spider-proofing device.

  You’re still on your own with spiders in the cabin of the car, though. The filter isn’t meant to help with those.

  Automaker Creates ‘Spider Screen’ To Keep Creepy Crawlers From Ruining Your Car [CBS Philadelphia]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uAmerican Airlines Flight Diverted After Passenger Allegedly Made “Alarming Statements,” Refused To Sitr

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  Every day, millions of people manage to board airplanes, sit quietly for the duration of the flight and make it to their destination with relative ease. We don’t usually hear about those folks, however. Instead, unruly, disruptive passengers — whether they act that way on purpose or not — are the ones who keep making it into our news cycle. To wit: an American Airlines flight had to be diverted recently when a passenger allegedly made “alarming statements” and refused to take his seat.

  The flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia yesterday made an unexpected landing in Phoenix, where the passenger in question was escorted off the plane, reports KPNX News 12.

  Phoenix police told ABC 15 that the passenger made “alarming statements” and refused to take his seat shortly after takeoff. The passenger started swearing and saying the government was after him, witnesses said, ranting about 9/11, and promising he’d be famous that very day.

  “I thought, ‘This is weird,’ ” a fellow traveler told KPNX. “I looked at him and he looked angry and he wasn’t wearing any shoes or socks.”

  After standing in the aisle, he eventually went back to his seat in coach, where he reportedly sat, muttering to himself. The flight crew approached him, causing him to jump up again and address the cabin. He was “seizing with anger” and making “threatening gestures,” the witness said.

  Other passengers jumped in to assist the flight crew, corralling him back to his seat, making him sit and putting his seatbelt on. Flight attendants were ready with handcuffs, while one of the witnesses said he was told to duct tape his hands and feet together if he tried to get out of his seat again.

  The flight landed safely in Phoenix, where police escorted him off the plane and took him to an urgent psychological care center for evaluation. He may face charges for interfering with the flight crew, police said.

  “American Airlines Flight 754 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Philadelphia (PHL), diverted to Phoenix (PHX) due to a disruptive passenger,” American Airlines said in a statement. “The passenger was removed, and the flight re-departed for Philadelphia. For more information, please contact local law enforcement.”

  In case you need a refresher, here are a few of the recent unruly passenger stories that have bedeviled American Airlines specifically in the recent past (not to mention numerous incidents on other airlines):

  • Can’t We Just Get Along? Yet Another Flight Diverted Because Passengers Argue Over Reclining Seat

  • American Airlines Flight Diverted After Unruly Passenger Allegedly Kissed, Then Punched Attendant

  • American Airlines Flight Diverted Because Of Yet Another Unruly Passenger

  • Woman Booted From Flight Because No One Asked For Her Best Whitney Houston Impression

  Plane diverted to Phoenix for unruly, 9/11 ranting passenger [KPNX]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uJury: Cox Violated Antitrust Laws By Forcing Customers To Rent Set-Top Boxesr

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  Should you be forced to be required to pay your cable company extra money for a set-top box in order to get cable TV service you’re already paying for? According to a federal jury in Oklahoma, which recently returned a $6.31 million verdict against Cox Communications, the answer is no.

  The jury verdict is the conclusion (for now) of a class action suit alleging that Cox violated state and federal antitrust laws by making set-top box rental a condition of getting full access to premium cable service from the company.

  According to court documents [PDF], the plaintiff contends that Cox was able to make the rented boxes a requirement “because it has substantial market power with respect to the provision of Premium Cable in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.”

  But Cox countered that customers in the area could get pay-TV service from DirecTV or Dish. Additionally, the cable operator said boxes from TiVo and others could be purchased at retail and would have provided access to most of the same features provided by a Cox box.

  However, these commonly available devices did not provide access to all the services Cox makes available, like pay-per-view video.

  Cox contended that there were some third-party boxes — so-called “two-way” devices — available for purchase that would have provided Oklahoma City customers full access to Cox programming, but that it’s not the company’s fault that these weren’t readily available from retailers in the area.

  After a trial at a federal court in Oklahoma earlier this month, the jury came back with a $6.31 million verdict against Cox. Plaintiffs’ attorneys say the final award could be trebled, putting the total at just short of $19 million.

  But this is likely not the end of the road. In court documents filed yesterday [PDF] Cox argues that the verdict should be overturned “as the jury did not have a legally sufficient evidentiary basis to find for plaintiff.”

  The company says, among other claims, that the plaintiff failed to demonstrate that Cox coerced customers into renting set-top boxes.

  “In fact, the evidence in the record is that Cox told its subscribers that they could use retail two-way devices if the manufacturers of those devices decided to sell them at retail,” reads the filing, which contends that Cox tried to work with multiple manufacturers to make set-top boxes available at retail, but that it does not run those businesses and can’t tell them what to do.

  “Cox could not and did not control the go-to-market decisions of set-top box manufacturers,” argues the cable operator.

  [via MultiChannel.com]

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uMicrosoft Will Push PC Users Into Upgrading Next Year With Update That Automatically Downloads Windows 10r

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  Though Microsoft has been very eager to get PC users to upgrade from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10, it’s also been a bit restrained in its efforts so far, luring customers with a reservation system that allowed them to upgrade for free. But next year, Microsoft is going to get a little bit pushier.

  In early 2016, Microsoft will try to add even more devices to the 110 million already running Windows 10 by re-categorizing it as a “recommended update,” reports The Verge. It won’t automatically install Windows 10 without your permission, but the upgrade process will download and start all on its own.

  “A user will be presented with a choice to install Windows 10,” Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s head of Windows and devices, told The Verge. “They’ll come back to their PC and there will be a dialog where they can choose to upgrade to Windows 10 or choose not to upgrade to Windows 10.”

  The plan right now is to have that happen only once, so you won’t see multiple reminders to update after you’ve opted out. The Windows 10 upgrade is free for Windows 7 and 8 users through July 29, 2016. Beyond that point, it’s unclear if or how much Microsoft will charge.

  Microsoft planning to automatically offer Windows 10 to existing PCs [The Verge]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uSome Skippy Peanut Butter Recalled Because No One Enjoys Small Metal Shavings In Their Snackr

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• When it comes to peanut butter, the great war wages on between chunky-lovers and smooth-o-philes, but one thing both sides of that battle can agree on is that peanut butter should not contain metal shavings of any sort.

  That’s why Hormel has announced a recall of 153 cases (1,871 total pounds) of Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread.

  The company says it discovered the possibility of “small metal shavings” in some of its product thanks to a magnet check during routine cleaning at one of its facilities. It claims to know of no injuries to, or complaints from, customers.

  Hormel says the recall is limited to 16.3 ounce jars with a “Best If Used By” date of DEC1416LR1 (found on top of the lid) and a package UPC code of 37600-10500 (found on the label that wraps around the jar).

  The company doesn’t know many of these jars were sold, but says they were shipped to distribution centers for Publix, Target and Walmart located in Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware and Arkansas.

  If you bought some of the recalled Skippy, you should return it to the store where purchased for an exchange or call Hormel Foods Customer Relations at 1-866-475-4779, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time.

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist