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Tag: McDonalds

  • $1 Felony Lands Florida Man Behind Bars: Twitter Reacts

    $1 felony may sound like some sort of gross injustice, but let’s consider the situation for a moment. Deputies in Naples, Florida arrested 52 year-old Mark Abaire at an area McDonalds after he filled a courtesy cup with soda and promptly left the restaurant. Abaire claimed he wanted water, but when presented with a wide variety of beverages, he opted for the drink that was going to cost him a little cash. When the manager approached Abaire and told him the refreshment would cost him one whole dollar, the defiant man refused to pay.

    Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, “It was only a dollar! Why in the world would the sheriff’s department waste their time and taxpayer dollars to toss a man in jail for such a petty crime?” And, in most causes, your concerns would be completely justified. After all, petty theft is considered a misdemeanor in the state of Florida. However, since Abaire has prior convictions for such a crime under his legal belt, the charge was upgraded to a felony, hence the unusually harsh nature of the situation.

    Unfortunately for Abaire, a third-degree felony in the state could send him to prison for up to five years. If that isn’t enough to cause the poor guy some sleepless nights, he’s also facing charges for trespassing and disorderly intoxication. Abaire currently remains behind bars. Considering he couldn’t find one dollar, four quarters, or 10 dimes to pay for his soda, I doubt he’ll be finding $6,500 for his bond anytime soon.

    Twitter fantastics seems to think that the charges are a little too steep, but if you ask me, this incident was just the final chapter in Abaire’s personal tale of petty crime. You can have a look at the public’s reaction below.

    (image)@ebrown08
    Mr. GRIND    How you get a felony held on $6,500 for allegedly stealing $1 cup of soda from McDonald’s?? WHAT???(image) 31 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@GearyAgent99
    Jackson Geary    A man faces a felony charge and is still imprisoned after not paying for a $1 cup of soda from McDonald’s….wow.(image) 22 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@SighWTF
    Kat    Once again, stupid headline. This is why no one trusts the media anymore. He was a stupid criminal. http://t.co/nGUfwugO(image) 2 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@OccupyUmd
    Occupy UMD    Good work officer! Fill the jails with more dangerous $1 coke stealers like this guy! http://t.co/WUpp9hEY Really? #JusticeNotJails #DOJ(image) 2 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@MichaelMcClead
    Michael McClead    @McDonalds I’ll pay 4 this guys soda if you drop your charges against him 4 his unfathomable crime of stealing a $1 pop http://t.co/Cg6YS5Ez(image) 47 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • McDonald’s Supersized To 1/2 The Size Of A Football Field

    The most popular fast-food chain in the world is opening up a new restaurant in London just to accomodate the Olympic games this summer, and while it will be made out of 100% recyclable materials, the decision to keep it open only for the six weeks of the games is a questionable one; they’ll be open from late July to September 9th.

    Because of the huge crowd the Olympics are expected to draw, the hamburger joint will be the largest in the world, measuring in at a staggering 1,500 seats and employing 2,000 people.

    With all the negative attention McDonald’s has garnered in recent years–being linked to childhood obesity and health problems in adults–the idea that they are sponsoring the Olympic games is viewed as laughable by some. And the news that they are opening such a huge restaurant for only six weeks has some people scratching their heads.

    (image)@KMAXedOut
    Merry Kaxey    McDonalds is opening a restaurant the size of half a football field in London for the Olympics. Gotta spread our obesity rates somehow #USA(image) 12 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Cherriez_On_Top
    CC    London is opening a McDonalds temp for 6 wks that is 1/2 the size of a football field and holds 1500 ppl JUST 4 the Olympics? Umm ok(image) 32 minutes ago via HTC Peep ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@NotDesmondsBoat
    Natasha.    Oh the irony! RT MetroUK: World’s biggest McDonald’s being built in time for the London 2012 Olympics http://t.co/q4O68Bfn”(image) 8 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@shaundooley
    Shaun Dooley    UK sending the right message to kids: “@olymp2012: World’s biggest McDonald’s with 1,500 seats to be built for games http://t.co/wFHpwxbT”(image) 9 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@LianneMurphy
    Lianne Murphy    McDonalds + Olympics = Doesn’t make sense… London 2012 Olympics to play host to world’s largest McDonald’s http://t.co/ATyBcqR6(image) 9 hours ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • McDonald’s Employee Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison for Spitting in Drinks

    I may never eat at McDonald’s for the rest of my life.

    According to The Huffington Post, Marvin Washington, Jr., an employee at a Simpsonville, South Carolina McDonald’s, was arrested for allegedly spitting phlegm and “bodily fluid” into a mother and daughter’s unsweetened tea. The customers returned the drinks because they had ordered their drinks sweet, only to receive the wrong tea a second time. Instead of going back to complain, they simply took their drinks home, popped off the lid, and prepared to add their own sweetener to the cup. Much to their absolute horror, they discovered that Washington had left them a little surprise.

    The gift, of course, was a hefty wad a sticky spit, placed right on top of their delicious beverage. The customers were understandably horrified, and took measures to punish the one responsible.

    After taking pictures of the soiled tea, the pair alerted authorities, who watched the entire scene play out on the McDonald’s surveillance footage. Apparently Washington, 19, can be seen leaning suspiciously over the drinks, adding his own personal sugar substitute to their order.

    The owner of the McDonald’s franchise has asked customers not to jump to any conclusions until the investigation is completed, but I think it’s safe to say that the location will probably experience a dramatic loss of business. One would hope so, anyway.

    Tampering with food is a federal offense, which means that Washington could face up to 20 years in prison if he’s found guilty of the crime. On Wednesday, Washington was released from jail on $5,000 bond. Not surprisingly, several individuals on Twitter were outraged by the incident, and have graciously shared their thoughts with the world. You can read a few select posts regarding this disgusting crime below.

    Image courtesy of @Aido_Potato

    (image)@robinsax
    robinsax    Spitting in the iced tea ….love when the customers spit back in the form of a lawsuit http://t.co/vF0ffNwC(image) 24 minutes ago via Safari on iOS ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@OrignalBabydoll
    Toks Mama Bear©®™    NOT lovin’ it: McDonald’s worker faces felony charges after being caught ‘spitting in customers’ drinks’: http://t.co/TGyt9eVS(image) 1 hour ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@uniquebeauty27
    Krista ?    This man is facing 20 years in prison for spitting in customers drink at mcdonalds…smh(image) 1 hour ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@ppe5217
    Peter    That’s why I’m nice to them @xBOMBCHELLE @kare11: Sec cam bust SCarolina McDonald’s worker spitting in customers drinks http://t.co/XsU7j1Ro(image) 3 hours ago via Twitter for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@LoveShawnieceee
    Shawniece M. S.     a mcdonalds worker was arrested for spitting in two customers ice teas. never ever trust that place!(image) 2 hours ago via UberSocial for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Burger King’s Menu Update: McDonald’s-Rival Worthy?

    Fast-food giants McDonald’s and Burger King have been rivals for years–and the rivalry was so hardcore at one point, McDonald’s sued BK for a commercial that claimed their burgers had 20% more meat than McD’s patties. They also sued a tiny, 4-year old Sarah Michelle Gellar–better known to some of us as Buffy the Vampire Slayer–who starred in the commercial.

    You may be asking, “How can a multi-national corporation sue a 4-year old?” And while that’s a good question, there are no immediate answers…only that they settled about a year later after including the ad agency who came up with the idea for the commercial in the suit.

    Here’s the commercial, from 1981:

    Since taking third in the world for best burger earlier this year–behind McDonald’s and Wendy’s–BK has decided to amp up their menu a bit, taking cues from the guys in the lead to offer what they call “healthier choices“, such as chicken strips, salads, and wraps. The company has already changed their fries, making them thicker (and quite a bit like Wendy’s fries, although it was a much needed change if you ask this writer) in an effort to keep them hot longer. About ten additional items were added today to their whopper-friendly menu. Many think this is a flailing attempt to keep up with the times that should have been implemented years ago.

    The president of Burger King’s operations, Steve Wiborg, says the reason for the change is simple.

    “Consumers wanted more choices. Not just healthy choices, but choices they could get at the competition.”

    Interesting, then, that they’ve enlisted some big-name stars to help them sell the new menu, including David Beckham, Jay Leno, Salma Hayek, and Steven Tyler.

    (image)@michelleisawolf
    Michelle Wolf    Burger King offers new menu items including snack wraps, salads and coffee drinks. So “have it your way” really means have it like McDonalds(image) 2 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Jaddy2442
    Zack Jadzak    Can’t wait to get ahold of Burger King’s new menu!!!!!! BK>McDonalds(image) 2 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@BurgerKing
    BURGER KING    Look who is ?racing? into a BURGER KING

  • Wendy’s Beats BK: That’s a Delicious Burger!

    Wendy’s Beats BK: That’s a Delicious Burger!

    No Jules, it’s not a Big Kahuna burger, it’s from Wendy’s. America thinks they’re very delicious! In fact, Wendy’s has finally beat Burger King (BK) for the first time, taking the second place slot behind McDonald’s. Though BK still has many more restaurants than Wendy’s, Uncle Dave seems to have won-out in sales revenue.

    Here’s what the sales figures worked out to be for 2011; McDonalds earned just over $34 billion, Wendy’s was far behind with $8.5 billion, and BK was third with $8.4 billion in sales. Not too shabby, but I don’t think McDonald’s is worried.

    So that’s the story with the top hamburger joints and it used to be that these giants were tops overall for food service, but that has changed. McDonald’s is still number overall, but Subway and Starbucks have moved into the second and third places overall for food service respectively.

    Subway came in with sales reaching $11.4 billion and Starbucks was just behind them with $9.8 billion in sales for 2011. Impressive, Subway has become very popular. Of course Starbucks made the list, I heard they’re thinking about offering financing on their pricier beverages.

    As for Burger King’s poor performance, I can attest that their service has slipped several notches, as their employees are usually too stoned to get my order. This is unfortunate because I have really enjoyed their burgers in the past. They are no Big Kahuna burger, but then, few are.

  • McDonald’s New #Shamrocking Campaign Shows They Never Learn

    McDonald’s just can’t seem to learn their lesson after two botched Twitter campaigns. In recap, the restaurant launched a Twitter hashtag campaign in January called #McDStories that soon devolved into Twitter users bashing the fast food restaurant. They tried it again a week later with a new, less innocuous campaign called #LittleThings. Too bad for them the campaign was again hijacked by those wanting to mock the brand.

    Things have been silent lately on the Twitter front, but McDonald’s launched a new campaign this week to celebrate their annual Shamrock Shake. The hashtag is #shamrocking and it encourages fans of the shake to take a picture of themselves dancing an Irish gig while holding the drink.

    The pictures over on their Buzzfeed are pretty humorous and show people having fun. All seems good for McDonald’s now and nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

    As it turns out, Shamrocking is already slang in use that’s defined over at Urban Dictionary. Let’s just say it’s an adult form of art class.

    Fortunately, most of the tweets seem to be playing along in good fun. There were some people, however, who took the opportunity to make fun of McDonald’s or their misinformed choice of hashtag.

    Look McDonald’s, I like the Shamrock Shake more than most people do, but next time, read up on what the Internet thinks of your words. Chances are Urban Dictionary has already defined it, and it will be something filthy. I don’t want to dissuade you from using social media, but be prepared for the Internet to turn whatever you do into something completely different.

    [Source: PaidContent]

  • McDonald’s Angers Dog Lovers With Radio Ad

    McDonald’s has raised the hackles of a lot of dog owners with a new ad in which they suggest that eating McDonald’s food is less risky than petting a pit bull. The ad lists a lot of things that are supposedly riskier than eating at McDonald’s, including “shaving your head just to see how it looks” and “giving your friends your Facebook password,” and “naming your son Sue.” In comparison to such things, eating at McDonald’s “is about a zero on the old risk-er scale.”

    The ad, which is embedded below, has angered dog lovers. They contend that the ad propagates the consistently negative – and false – image the pit bull has in many people’s minds. Pit bulls, they point out, are excellent dogs when properly raised, and that the kind of upbringing that produces the stereotypical vicious pit bull would make any dog vicious, regardless of breed. Take a look at the ad, and see what you think:

    Now, to be fair, the ad does specify a stray pit bull, which absolutely something should be approached with caution. Of course, any stray animal should be approached with caution, which brings us right back to the ad singling out pit bulls as especially vicious. Besides, given the nutritional value of McDonald’s food, there’s plenty of room for debate on whether you’re safer petting a stray dog or eating at McDonald’s.

    What do you think? Is McDonald’s being unfair to pit bulls, or are the people who take offense at the ad being overly sensitive? Sound off in the comments.

  • Five Year Old’s Take On Popular Brand Logos

    Take a look at brand logos the next time you’re around them, and think about what they really look like. Adam Ladd, a graphic designer, took it upon himself to create a fun project where he showed his five year old daughter various brand logos to see what she thought of them.

    The results are adorable, insightful, and they provide a glimpse into what we subject our kids to on a daily basis. The video also provides a good reminder that your logos should be simple and impactful; lest you become like the Olympics, and your logo comes out looking baby toys. Hey, they do look like baby toys…

  • McDonald’s Replaces #McDStories With New Hashtag Campaign

    Remember last weekend when McDonald’s social media campaign #McDStories backfired on them? Well, the fast food giant is at it again.

    McDonald’s started a new social media campaign today called #LittleThings. The hope is that they can avoid the terrible stories from this past weekend of people claiming to have seen rats in their restaurants and other image destroying tweets.

    @McDonalds
    McDonald’s    No line at the bank, a large tax refund, & those extra fries at the bottom of the bag. What are some #LittleThings that bring you joy? 3 hours ago via Radian6  · powered by @socialditto

    With a hashtag as innocent sounding as #LittleThings, surely nothing can go wrong this time. Right?

    @xMandingox
    Manny Fernandez    Finding a $10 dollar bill in your jeans. @McDonalds #littlethings 1 day ago via McDonalds McBites · powered by @socialditto

    @sandyhills25
    shaunie    @McDonalds Being able to go outside and enjoy the weather #LittleThings 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    As you can see, things seem to be going much smoother this time. We can all just put this nasty business behind us and move on to a brighter Twitter future for McDonald’s. But wait, what’s that over the horizon?

    @doubletree
    DoubleTree by Hilton    Tell us what #LittleThings could improve your travel experience for a chance to win: http://t.co/sBoP6U5H 2 days ago via twitter ads · powered by @socialditto

    Would you look at that? Hilton’s line of Double Tree hotels is running the exact same campaign. They also paid for the #LittleThings hashtag as the Twitter ads platform indicate. McDonald’s is essentially crashing a paid hashtag campaign for another company. It remains to be seen if McDonald’s or Double Tree notices the simultaneous campaign.

    Oh, and before you go, you probably came here for new mean tweets directed at McDonald’s. While there has been nothing quite as mean as #McDStories, there have been some wonderful tweets made at the company’s expense.

    @wwjimd
    Zaq Mosher    Living in a town where their is a plethora of good food, unlike McDonalds…the #littlethings 12 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @JamSpo
    James Esposito    Heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and 10 year old Big Macs that don’t change shape! #littlethings 2 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @mggough
    Matt_Gough    #LittleThings Ground Beef that hasn’t been cleaned with chlorine and soaked in ammonia 4 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @BelindaK04
    Belinda Smith    Some people MAY want to check their 2nd hashtag campaign to be sure that someone ELSE isn’t already using it… #littlethings 6 minutes ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    @Candinook
    Nandi Cook    The pay packets of McDonald’s restaurant staff……. #LittleThings 5 minutes ago via Mobile Web · powered by @socialditto

  • #McDStories: Social Marketing Gone Bad (And Dirty)

    McDonald’s has tasted the dark side of Twitter, following the launch of a marketing strategy involving the hashtag: #McDStories.

    On 01/18, McDonald’s tweeted:

    @McDonalds
    McDonald’s    “When u make something w/pride, people can taste it,” – McD potato supplier #McDStories http://t.co/HaPM5G9F 3 days ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Then:

    @McDonalds
    McDonald’s    Meet some of the hard-working people dedicated to providing McDs with quality food every day #McDStories http://t.co/BoNIwRJS 3 days ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Others in the Twitterverse got a bit more creative. Here are a few examples:

    @JeTsOnJeTsOnJet
    Killuminati    i will never eat mcdonalds ever again after seeing that rat crawl threw the pack of buns on http://t.co/X7dM1lbT smh lol #McDStories 3 days ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @markzohar
    Mark Zohar    McDonald’s customers don’t want to tell #McDStories. They just want their fries, mechanically separated chicken parts & wallow in shame. 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @Undateable_Girl
    The Undateable Girl    #McDStories Paid for my food but almost left cause I was high and convinced that the workers called the cops and were using my food as bait 3 days ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @michellevegan
    Ms. Michelle    #McDStories @McDonalds scalds baby chicks alive for nuggets #MeetTheReality here & take action: http://t.co/I8qoqogX #UnhappyMeal 3 days ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @joshuabartky
    JB    “A woman is accused of offering sexual favors in the drive-through lane in exchange for McNuggets.” #McDStories 3 days ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @tomhelberg
    Tom Helberg    One time, the employees at McD’s let me behind the counter and took turns giving blowies. #McDStories #mustybutthole #McFail 2 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    You get the idea.

    The McDonald’s Twitter account hasn’t bothered to refute all of the tweets. I can’t imagine how long that would take. It has been on defense lately though, it seems:

    @McDonalds
    McDonald’s    .@peta That posting is absolutely FALSE McNuggets are NOT made from mechanically separated chicken. Only USDA inspected white meat. 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Maybe McDonald’s will have better luck with Google+.

  • Detachment Trailer, Mr. Belding on WWE Raw, & McDonalds’ Mouse

    A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, via social media, sharing sites, or good ‘ole email. Everyday we highlight some of the best that are currently viral and some that are trending that way.

    Today’s videos feature a trailer for a movie about FDR fighting werewolves, apocalypse surfing, inappropriate ‘WOO-ing’ on Saved by the Bell, and Wendy Williams’ Save the Twinkie campaign.

    This movie trailer had me at “and the acclaimed director of American History X“. Not to mention it stars Adrien Brody, along with a stellar supporting cast: Bryan Cranston, James Caan, and William Petersen.

    You might still have a NES laying around somewhere, but most likely it doesn’t look as cool as this one.

    Oh…RABBIT punch. I’m not going to explain what a donkey punch is. Just use Google if you’re curious.

    Spiders on camera lenses, stuffed spiders being thrown, and dancing cops. This is how the news should always be.

    If you’re having a stressful day then sit back, relax to the calm, peaceful sights and sounds of this video. Amazing effects.

    EXIST from niiyama on Vimeo.

    So FDR will be fighting werewolves this year, and Abraham Lincoln will be fighting vampires. I really think we’ve let the hype of Twilight affect us just a bit too much. Movie looks incredible by the way. (Warning: NSFW language and violence)

    Rapping about pancakes worked for another up-and-coming YouTube rapper, why not sandwiches? (Warning: NSFW language)

    So when the robots, aliens, and meteorites invade…ya just gotta catch one more wave brah. Very interesting video.

    The one question which has been plaguing the minds of people from my generation is, what has Mr. Belding, a.k.a Dennis Haskins been doing since Saved by the Bell? Apparently, watching wrestling ringside…nice.

    So how would your year look if you took just a second each day and chronicled it in one video? Somewhat similar to this, with a little less L.A. for many. March 14th is my favorite; irish whiskey in the Diet Coke…we’ve all been there.

    2011 from hey_rabbit on Vimeo.

    If you’re one of those people that can’t help but think of what they’re actually eating then don’t watch this, or steer completely clear of McDonalds for the rest of your life. The video cuts off around the 2:30 mark or so, but we’ve seen all we need to until that point.

    Just don’t steal the kid’s juicebox. Problem solved.

    I’ve never watched Wendy Williams’ show. From people who have seen it and told me about it, I should probably not watch it. I have to give her credit for this funny PSA vid though.

    It’s so weird how on a single day I’ll post about the same topic in different videos. Today, that topic is Saved by the Bell. In this video, someone purposefully, and hilariously messed up the “WOO-ing” track.

  • McDonald’s Starts Plant A Tree Movement, Reddit Decides To Help

    McDonald’s Starts Plant A Tree Movement, Reddit Decides To Help

    The power of the Internet can be summed quite nicely with the concept of crowdsourcing. Using the Internet to organize like-minded individuals for a common cause–in this case, McDonald’s and their Plant a Tree movement–has caused many different events and causes to reach a substantial level of viral popularity.

    As indicated, to coincide with their tie-in with the Smurfs movie, McDonald’s has started a Plant A Tree movement, one where the company promises to plant up to 100,000 trees every time a code is entered from a pack of Apple Dippers, which are available in McDonald’s line of Happy Meals. In order to enter the code, you have to navigate to the McDonald’s Happy Meal page, one that is currently engulfed with an almost-overwhelming Smurfs theme.

    The use of your computer’s mute button is a good escape if a loop of the Smurfs theme proves annoying.

    Now for the crowdsourcing aspect of the story. Word of McDonald’s act of charity, one that’s albeit cloaked in a “please buy Smurfs stuff” appeal, hit the Reddit wires, and now, the Reddit community is committed to making sure McDonald’s hits the 100,000 planted trees mark. So much so, in fact, one Reddit user posted a reusable Apple Dippers code for other Reddit users to enter.

    For those of you who’d like to contribute, the code is M4JE-3YKW-7L7J, and it was found courtesy of the the SlickDeals forum.

    According to one of the Reddit users from an earlier comment, the McDonald’s Plant a Tree count was near the 50,000 mark. The comment was made four hours after the initial link was posted to Reddit, and now, two hours since the 50K mark post, the McDonald’s tree program stands close to 77,000 commitments.

    Furthermore, I took a screenshot when I started writing this post, and the count was congruent with the 77K. I’ve since took another screenshot, which is about 30 minutes older than the first one I took. The difference in the count is almost 10,000:

    McDonald's and the Power of Reddit

    McDonald's and the Power of Reddit


    These images act as a perfect example about the power of crowdsourcing. Between the SlickDeals forum, Reddit’s voracious users–so much for them not driving traffic, right, Outbrain?–and other word of mouth resources, it’s almost a given McDonald’s will meet it’s 100,000 tree-planting commitment. The question is, will the Reddit users of the world stick around to see if the fast food king keeps it word?

    Crowdsourcing is great for drawing attention to various movements, but the follow-through is just as important, or else these efforts are for naught. With that in mind, I would still encourage you to use the code provided and make sure McDonald’s reaches it’s 100,000 limit.

  • Gawker Attack Sends Ripples Throughout the Web

    I can’t remember the last time we’ve seen so many hacking (and related) stories in the news, particularly in which so many big name brands were affected in such a short amount of time. Last week, of course the big stories were about "Anonymous" taking down MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, etc. 

    Now stories about brands like about Gawker, Yahoo, Twitter, McDonalds, and Walgreens are dominating the headlines. Last weekend, in case you haven’t heard Gawker was hacked, and passwords were taken. One of the biggest problems with this is that these passwords are often used at other sites around the web, and depending on which sites the perpetrators get access to with these passwords, the ramifications could potentially be disastrous for those whose passwords were stolen. 

    For example, if abusers were able to get into email accounts, there is no telling what kind of personal information they would gain access to – passwords to other sites, credit card info, etc. 

    According to the BBC, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Yahoo have all asked users to change their passwords to be safe. If you had a Gakwer account, you may want to consider changing all of your passwords, at least at any critical sites (banks, e-commerce sites, social networks, email accounts, etc.). 

    Gawker Attack Affects Other SitesArik Hesseldahl at NewEnterprise shares the following statement from Yahoo: "As part of our ongoing security measures we issued a password reset to some users. Yahoo! does this periodically to ensure the security of users." Hesseldahl speculates that this was directly related to the Gawker attack, however, as he had a Gawker account.  

    He also reports that Blizzard Entertainment, which makes the enormously popular World of Warcraft, sent an email to users, which said: "We’ve recently been informed that several Gawker Media websites have been compromised…To help minimize the effects of this compromise and help keep your Battle.net account safe and secure, we’ve reset your account password."

    McDonald’s was recently hit. Hackers reportedly broke into a database containing email addresses and birthday dates for consumers who signed up for the company’s promotions.

    Mark Darvill of security firm AEP Networks tells WebProNews, "High profile hacks such as the breach of the McDonalds database highlight the need for greater data protection. This breach follows a long strike of attacks on websites in light of the release of the WikiLeaks cables and companies across the world will be wondering what website will be next on the hackers’ list."

    "In this instance, McDonalds has lost nuggets of customer data rather than reams of sensitive personal information," adds Darvill. "The sad fact is, hackers will always have their eye on how they can steal sensitive personal data. Personal data is valuable as it aids identity theft and can prove a valuable source of income for hackers. This breach highlights the need for organisations to double check what security measures third parties have in place to protect their sensitive data.  Data protection is no longer just about protecting data when it is on your premise."

    Walgreens also sent an email to users recently saying:

    We recently became aware of unauthorized access to an email list of customers who receive special offers and newsletters from us. As a result, it is possible you may have received some spam email messages asking you to go to another site and enter personal data. We are sorry this has taken place and for any inconvenience to you.

    We want to assure you that the only information that was obtained was your email address. Your prescription information, account and any other personally identifiable information were not at risk because such data is not contained in the email system, and no access was gained to Walgreens consumer data systems…

    Incidents like these are bound to make consumer uneasy about online shopping at the worst possible time of the year. Still, online holiday spending in the U.S. alone reached nearly $22 billion during the first 40 days of the season according to comScore.Update: now that spending has reportedly hit $23 billion. 

    The FBI is reportedly investigating the Gawker attack.