[poll is at the bottom of this post]
Although the fiasco that happened at Epsilon last week doesn’t necessarily concern the Android platform, it most certainly affects users who use the applications made by the parties affected by the Epsilon break-in (Target, Chase, eBay, etc).
As of Monday, April 04, 2011, 7:06 pm, I have received seven emails from six different organizations regarding Epsilon, and how users (aka you and I) might be affected. Seven, which is absolutely insane. Why is it insane? I have no reason to be alarmed.
Epsilon is a company that organizations use to send out mass emails, like Target telling people about a one-weekend-only deal. They store your email and other signifiers significant to specific companies (ie your interests for personalized emails, etc).
Last week, some unauthorized files gained unauthorized access to the Epsilon files, and Epsilon is claiming that the only information the files might have been able to access were your email addresses. As vague as that may sound, you have no reason to be alarmed.
If what Epsilon said is true, the worst thing that could happen is that this anonymous third party could try and send you spam email, in attempt to obtain your login information posing as an administrator or a higher level employee at the company.
If you get an email from any sort of impostor, do NOT reply to it. According to most of the companies’ user agreements that you say you read and agree to, the said companies, under no circumstances, will not and may not ask you for your personal information for any reason whatsoever. Even if Mark Zuckerburg is giving away millions of dollars, Facebook is not allowed to directly contact you and directly request your confidential user credentials.
That being said, be careful about what you give to companies and how you give information. During a questionable time like this, where security is being breached even in the most “secure” of places, you shouldn’t be distributing your confidential information willy-nilly.
If you need to buy something on eBay and Target, I highly suggest you use your own personal computer, as opposed to your Android phone, because then you can keep a better track of your purchases, and they will be in one place on your computer.
So not to worry, this fiasco should not affect you, seeing as (according to Epsilon) emails were the only files that were accessed in an unauthorized fashion.
Too Lazy;Didn’t Read:
-Don’t worry about the Epsilon Hullabaloo
-Any emails you get from companies (like Target and Best Buy and eBay) demanding that you supply your email and/or other user credentials for “verification purposes” are FAKE. Just delete them.
