The Consumers' Post:

As responsible digital citizens: Learn how laws, guidelines, and education can help you protect and empower kids online. Trust is defined as the belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, and effective. In today’s digital age, with a proliferation of available content, knowing whom and what we can trust is challenging. The internet has expanded its media domination over the last decade due largely to the advancement of mobile internet technologies. The frequency and ease with which children can access and connect have surged, bringing issues of trust to the forefront. BBB Trusted.org: ' Our Children’s Digital Future ' As digital citizens, we are all faced with the task of evaluating the credibility and biases of information, including advertising. This is complicated since the lines between entertainment and advertising are often blurred — making it difficult to tell when we are being advertised to. We are no longer dealing with the old-fashioned adver...

Retailers With the Best and Worst Policies Source: Article by Donna Rosato via Consumer Reports Tips for Returning Gifts: The Guide Some stores will let you return anything, even without a receipt. Others shackle returns with time limits and restocking fees. If you believe it’s the thought that counts, then you won’t be offended if the recipient of a present you've given can't use it for whatever reason. Shopping for other people is difficult. And sometimes even the best-intentioned gift-giver gets it wrong. According to a 2018 survey by the National Retail Federation (PDF), one-third of holiday shoppers say a store's return policy is an important factor when deciding which retailer to shop. Some retailers have a no-questions-asked policy. Others have strict rules that make returning purchases aggravating or impossible. So why not make it easy for your giftee to make a return by giving gifts from stores with generous return policies and avoiding those that don...

There’s Consumer Reports Let’s Keep It Honest: Sometimes there’s more to the story. Some fine print. A hidden catch. Or an important detail that makes all the difference. When you’re searching for answers, turn to CR; on your side since 1936. Let's Keep It Honest Sometimes there's more to the story. Some fine print. A hidden catch. Or an important detail that makes all the difference. When you're searching for answers, turn to us. We've been on your side since 1936. And that's where we'll stay. Consumer Reports investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence. Trusted information. Better choices for you and your family. A community that stands up for what’s right for consumers. Become a Member

Wirecutter is a list of the best gear and gadgets for people who want to save the time and stress of figuring out what to buy. 'Whatever sort of thing you need—tableware or TV or air purifier—we make shopping for it easy by telling you the best one to get.'— Wirecutter Recommendations are made through vigorous reporting, interviewing, and testing by teams of veteran journalists, scientists, and researchers. Wirecutter's best-of list for everyday things; a curated gallery filled with only interesting, useful objects; a thank-you note to the designers and engineers who create the stuff that makes lives better; a geeky friend with next-level research skills who tests everything they buy so you don’t have to. following rigorous journalistic standards and ethics, maintaining an editorial independence from their business operations. Wirecutter by Wirecutter Staff We put in another year and tens of thousands more miles of travel to test the best travel gear-and we stand...

E xperts Say: Self-Driving Test Cars Should Be Treated Like Inexperienced Teen Drivers. As companies test self-driving vehicles in the real world, these tons of steel guided by cameras and sensors and software should be treated more like nervous teen drivers prone to mistakes than the sophisticated technological marvels many imagine them to be, several experts told Consumer Reports. Since an Uber self-driving test vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian last week in Tempe, Ariz., CR has interviewed multiple experts to ask about the safety of test vehicles. They say the software behind pedestrian detection technology for Uber and other companies might not be advanced enough for public roads—even with so-called safety drivers monitoring the systems. Photo via CR: AV  "We think about these technologies as being highly intelligent. They’re not," says Bryan Reimer, Ph.D., associate director of the New England University Transportation Center at MIT. "What are machines d...

An ongoing mission to help consumers understand, engage with, and discuss the systems and forces that influence the marketplace, so that you, as a consumer can make better, more informed decisions.   Buyer Beware . Courtesy of Charlie Dean Archival 1960s CR: Consumers Want to Know The Truth Is In The Testing: Since its founding in 1936, Consumer Reports has fought for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves.  Founded in 2005, Consumerist is an independent source of consumer news and information published by Consumer Media LLC, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Consumer Reports. Consumerist, inside the box !