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A Kansas City store owner thought someone made a fraudulent order on his website. It was actually a legit purchase for Taylor Swift.

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Taylor Swift attends a Kansas City Chiefs game on December 10, 2023.Jamie Squire/Getty Images
  • Taylor Swift attended a Kansas City Chiefs game on Sunday while wearing a vintage sweatshirt.
  • The garment came from Westside Storey, a small business in Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Owner Chris Harrington told Business Insider that he originally thought the order was fraudulent.

It was late October when Chris Harrington’s boutique in Kansas City, Missouri, received an online order for more than $1,200 worth of vintage clothes.

The receipt, he told Business Insider, was unusual. Curated, secondhand items are more expensive than other merchandise at his store Westside Storey, the 38-year-old business owner said, and shoppers typically buy only one or two vintage pieces at a time.

So when this mysterious online shopper requested five vintage Kansas City Chiefs sweatshirts priced over $100 each, the store’s online commerce platform Shopify sent a “medium risk” fraud alert.

“It was a larger dollar amount than we typically get, and there was a medium alert on it, so our online manager did some digging,” Harrington told BI.

After looking into the account that made the purchase, Harrington’s team felt confident that the order was “tied to Swift somehow.”

Taylor Swift attends the Kansas City Chiefs game on December 10, 2023.Taylor Swift attends the Kansas City Chiefs game on December 10, 2023.
Taylor Swift attends the Kansas City Chiefs game on December 10, 2023.Jamie Squire/Getty Images

But when the “Midnights” musician attended a game on December 3 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and wore designer duds instead of vintage Chiefs gear, the Westside Storey team began to doubt that they’d see her wear the clothes.

“I was holding out hope but also giving up hope,” Harrington said.

That’s when Swift arrived at Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Chiefs play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

“I started getting text messages — I had told some friends previously about the order — and they were going crazy,” Harrington recalled. “And then my girlfriend came running downstairs 30 seconds later and I was like, ‘It’s happening. She’s wearing it. This is amazing.'”

Harrington said he isn’t sure where Swift or her team heard about his business.

One possibility is tied to Chiefs star and Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce. He follows the store on Instagram, and Harrington recalls the athlete shopping at Westside Storey on at least one occasion a few years ago.

But even if Kelce had nothing to do with it, Harrington is thrilled about the experience.

“We’ve had hundreds of orders over the last 48 hours,” he told BI. “Sometimes our online store lights up after a Chiefs game when we win, but this is 100 times more than that and we lost the game. It was the Taylor effect.”

The Taylor Swift effect: Kansas City edition

Harrington’s journey with Westside Storey began more than 10 years ago. He lived next to a then-empty storefront and purchased it with a group of friends who wanted to see “what would stick.”

As the store grew, Harrington eventually bought out his partners and “leaned into the local movement,” selling artisan products made in Missouri and Kansas City-themed merchandise that appeals to tourists.

Another part of his business is secondhand clothes. Harrington said he’s always kept a few racks of vintage pieces on hand but really leaned into classic Chiefs merchandise five or six years ago.

“We were selling Chiefs sweatshirts for $20, and people weren’t really buying them,” he said. “It was pre-Patrick Mahomes and before vintage really took off to the level it’s at now.”

But as the Chiefs rose to nationwide fame, so did interest in Harrington’s vintage collection.

“Every year, it gets harder to find stock and everything becomes more expensive and sought after,” Harrington said. “But I have searches set up. I go to all the different fleas and markets that I know might have Chiefs stuff. And really, as a religion, I search for this stuff every day.”

Of course, Swift’s impact will likely make Harrington’s job harder in some ways. Now, it’s not just football fans who want vintage Chiefs gear — Swifties do, too.

But Harrington only sees that inevitability as a positive.

“I think it’s so cool that she’s leaning into it and making it more of a mainstream thing,” Harrington said of Swift shopping secondhand. “I’ve always been an advocate for vintage — not just for coolness, but for our economy and the environment — so I think she’s very thoughtful about her purchases, and I appreciate that as a vintage lover.”

Read the original article on Business Insider

 

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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