Source: http://nigelmcpherson.com/images/irs3.jpg

Information on social media sites has been used against employees in ways ranging from performance evaluation to legal risk. For example, when an employee files for disability compensation and during the same period posts pictures of physical activity. “There are real concerns in terms of how social media can affect your employment status and potential job opportunities by what you do on a daily basis on these sites,” says Porfilio.

Recently, a San Francisco-based civil rights advocacy group, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sued the Justice Department and five other federal agencies under the Freedom of Information Act to force the government to disclose its policies for using social networking sites in investigations, data collection and surveillance.

As a result of the lawsuit, the foundation obtained documents from the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service that describe the value of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and other sites.

However, the boundaries are still unclear. “These documents don’t really discuss any mechanisms for accountability or ensuring that government agents use those tools responsibly,” says Marcia Hofmann, a senior attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

“There needs to be a proper justifiable framework and procedure in place to understand the parameters for such type of activity to occur,” says David Navetta, founding partner of the Information Law Group and co-chair of the American Bar Association’s information security committee. “So far there is no procedure to hold the government responsible or remedies for individuals whose privacy may have been compromised as a result of these investigations.”

7 Tips for Job Seeker’s Safety
From a job seeker’s perspective, one needs to be consistent in one’s activities and information posted about employment history, business references and recommendations provided. “The slightest conflict in their profiles can make them a potential target for fraud and ruin their online reputation,” says Porfilio.

The employer, on the other hand, needs to ensure that online hiring practices are fair and not discriminatory. How do they source their candidates? What kind of background checks do they perform? What are their typical factors for selection? “These investigations are only likely to get more widespread and intense, pushing the need for transparency in the employer-employee relationship,” says Porfilio.

Tips for ensuring online safety include:

• Use Good Judgment: Consider how your comments would be perceived before you actually post them, and put logic above emotion at all times. “Before you hit ‘post,’ realize that this will be a permanent reflection of your identity, and it may never be erased,” says Porfilio. Assume that anything you put on a social networking site will be seen by third parties, and “ask yourself whether you would want that seen,” says Navetta.
• Know Your Contact: “The key is: know your contacts,” says Navetta. Do not accept friend requests from suspicious people. Use proper introductions when adding users as friends or connections. Once you connect with somebody, they will have access to your information, and — depending on who they are — you might not want them to have that level of access. A good practice is to go through your contact list frequently to ensure you have a tight and trusted network of people, says Navetta.
• Do Not Tag Photos: “Don’t allow individuals to tag your photo, as unflattering pictures could end up costing you or your friends their jobs,” says Porfilio. A big risk in your friend putting that picture up of you from college doing silly things, and then tagging the picture — It might also get picked up on a search engine. So, if a recruiter does a search, it could come up. There are settings in social media sites to prevent friends from being able to tag you.
• Change Your Passwords: often and do not use the same password for social networking sites that you use for your email accounts and online banking.
• Know Your Privacy Settings: Many sites such as Facebook provide users with a great deal of control over who can access their information. Those settings can be confusing, says Navetta, but there are websites like these that explain how to lock down Facebook’s privacy settings, including BusinessInsider.com. Note also that Facebook is creating simplified privacy settings for future use.
• Be Consistent: Using the same photo, consistent profile language, message and links on all social media sites reduces the chances of identity theft and generates trustworthiness and recognition among employers when conducting background checks. “Job seekers also need to think twice before clicking on any links in social media sites, as these links can show up on their online history and result in turning off recruiting and hiring managers,” says Porfilio.
• Avoid Controversial Statements: If you think that somebody could take offense with respect to a political view or offensive language or comments, don’t make them on a social media site that can be viewed by others, says Navetta. “Remember: if there is nothing offensive on your site, there is nothing for potential employers to get judgmental about.”

Before the new $100 bill arrives, be mindful that criminals will look to launder their old caches of $100 bills, says anti-money laundering expert Ken Rijock, financial crime consultant for World-Check, an international risk intelligence firm.

Narcotics traffickers keep a percentage of their money in large denomination bills, he explains. “When they see that a new bill is coming out, I expect that they will begin converting their large cash holdings into bank deposits.”

Rijock warns compliance officers to be on the watch for large amounts of the old series. “Because once the new bills come out,” Rijock says, “any amount of these old series bills will draw attention to them, because the bank will want to know ‘Where did you get all of these old hundreds from?’”

At the very least, compliance officers will want to take note of the deposits, and where warranted, file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) on the transaction, Rijock says.

Even non-banks that take cash transactions should be on the lookout for these old bills. People buying large ticket such as luxury cars or high end items in cash, especially when paying with hundred dollar bills, should be scrutinized as possible money launderers, Rijock says. Approximately $6.5 billion of the old $100 bills remain in circulation, according to Treasury estimates.

Source: Bankinfosecurity.com

Chapters and institutes can use this month to showcase the value of the internal audit activity in a wide variety of ways including, but not limited to:

• Hosting special events such as luncheons or receptions to present local area business leaders with an overview of the ways internal auditors support executive management in achieving organizational goals and objectives;
• Submitting a request for a proclamation from a local government official formally acknowledging International Internal Audit Awareness Month; or
• Participating in a local college or university career night to promote internal auditing to students who may be unaware of the various opportunities available within the profession.

Regardless of how chapters and institutes choose to share the purpose and value of internal auditing with their community, the most important message to take away is that building awareness takes time and consistent effort.

Tools & Resources
The IIA has developed the following tools and resources to help you:

• International Internal Audit Awareness Month Planning Guide - Start planning your Awareness Month activities now with this guide that includes ideas, resources, and templates designed to help you “talk up” the profession.
• About the Internal Audit Profession -Brochures that describe the practice of internal auditing and can help you promote the profession.
• Your Audit Team (PPT) – Presentation designed to help you educate internal audit stakeholders about your role in the organization. (Spanish, French)
• Invest. Involve. Inspire. – Information on how you can raise awareness of the profession through The IIA’s partnership with Junior Achievement.
• What Does It Take To Build Awareness? (PDF) – General brochure with tips on how you can build awareness and celebrate the great value that internal auditors bring to an organization and its stakeholders.
• Tree Brochure (PDF), Tree Poster (PDF), Spoon Poster (PDF), and Speak Up! (PPT) – Do you find it difficult to get others to understand what internal auditing is? This campaign can help!.
• Advocacy Starts Here – Learn more about The IIA’s global advocacy strategy and access tools to help you promote, support, and further the internal audit profession.
• Promoting the Profession Worldwide (PDF) – A general manual that provides chapters and institutes with tips for implementing comprehensive campaigns to promote the profession, work with the media, and make presentations.
• IIA Annual Report
  Provides year-end highlights of IIA accomplishments, goals, and information about our financial status as well as updates on the state of the internal audit profession around the globe.
• Awareness Month Archive – Visit this archive and find out how others have promoted the profession around the world and start to formulate your strategies now.

Contact PR@theiia.org for hard copies of any of these resources.

Source: theiia.org

Jon Han

Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections (PDF)

“I don’t know of another time in the department’s history when we’ve stood up for passengers and said enough is enough,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, mentioning the overnight stranding of passengers on a plane in Rochester, Minn., last summer as the tipping point prompting government action.

“There were actually personnel in the terminal who could’ve let people off the plane — that was ridiculous,” Mr. LaHood said.

Even before the latest rules, which went into effect April 29, the government had fined airlines for violations of existing regulations that cover baggage-reimbursement policies, fare advertising and compensation when passengers on over-booked flights are denied boarding.

It seems carriers may be getting the message. Although airline executives predicted “unintended consequences” and widespread cancellations if planes were required to return to the terminal after sitting on the tarmac for three hours, there have been no reports of this happening in the two weeks after the rule took effect. And tarmac delay problems have declined significantly ever since government officials signaled they would take action after the Rochester incident.

In fact, other provisions in the new rules may ultimately have an even bigger impact on travelers. The Transportation Department is also requiring carriers to better inform passengers about frequently delayed flights before a ticket is purchased, improve processes for dealing with complaints and develop more transparent customer service plans.

Other rules regarding topics like baggage fees and fare advertising are in the works, and the Transportation Department expects to issue a proposal in June soliciting comments on its next round of regulations. Here’s an overview of what’s been adopted so far, and what’s under consideration.

No More Nights On the Tarmac

If an aircraft sits on the tarmac, airlines now have to give passengers the option to deplane after three hours (with exceptions for safety and security), and offer snacks and drinking water at the two-hour mark. They must also maintain working lavatories and provide medical attention, if necessary, and publish plans outlining how they will deal with lengthy tarmac delays.

Since the most egregious examples of passengers being stuck inside a plane on the tarmac have occurred because lower-level employees did not know what to do or even whom to call, the requirement to have a plan — and a designated airline representative to make decisions — may be the most effective way to prevent further headline-grabbing embarrassments. The three-hour time limit applies only to domestic flights; for international flights, carriers can set their own time limit but must disclose it in advance.

Late-Flight Records Will Be Exposed

The Transportation Department granted airlines a 60-day extension on a less-publicized new rule: a requirement that carriers publish each flight’s on-time record and how often it has arrived more than 30 minutes late within their search results. Special note will be made of flights that have arrived more than a half-hour late more than half the time. Airlines will also have to indicate the cancellation rate for any flight canceled more than 5 percent of the time.

Although the rule takes effect in late June, carriers will have until late July to begin publishing this information, since it is based on the previous month’s statistics for each flight. This provision may end up reducing delays: if travelers start choosing flights based on a flight’s on-time record and avoiding flights that are frequently late, airlines will have to correct unrealistic schedules. The Transportation Department has also deemed it “an unfair and deceptive practice” to continue operating a chronically delayed flight and will fine airlines that do so.

Complaining Will Be Easier

Another less-publicized new rule is that carriers now have to publish contact information for consumer complaints on their Web sites and on all e-ticket confirmations. The Transportation Department has also redesigned its aviation consumer protection Web site, airconsumer.dot.gov, to make it easier for passengers to file complaints.

While it may seem like filing a complaint to a government agency is a futile exercise, it’s not, and may be more effective than complaining to the airline. Transportation officials say they review every complaint and investigate when there’s a clear violation of government rules or a pattern of misbehavior that needs to be addressed, and sometimes these investigations result in financial penalties to the airline. The complaints also help investigators spot emerging problems that may require further regulation, such as whether airlines should have to refund checked baggage fees if a passenger’s luggage is lost or late.

Charges Should Be Fair and Transparent

Even before the new rules went into effect, the Transportation Department was working on another set of proposed regulations, which it plans to announce and open for public comment in June. Among the topics under consideration: how extra fees — such as for baggage or seat reservations — are disclosed, how fares are advertised and how and when airlines should provide alternative transportation for passengers on canceled flights. Also under discussion is the possibility of prohibiting airlines from pre-selecting extra options for passengers buying tickets (like travel insurance), so that consumers don’t have to un-check a box to avoid paying additional charges.

Kate Hanni, founder of Flyersrights.org, the advocacy group that pushed for the tarmac delay rule, said that she had been communicating with legislators and transportation officials about addressing these and other issues for many months. Although it took years to get the tarmac delay rule adopted, she believes government action is key to getting the airlines to change.

“This is the only way we’re going to see any meaningful change in the way airline passengers are treated,” she said.

Stay tuned for the next round of regulations.

Source: travel.nytimes.com

• 2010 State of the States (PDF, 2.36MB)
  The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment

If your company wants to remain successful, change is essential and inevitable. Businesses must react to technological advances, government regulation, the economy, competition and other factors. Every change presents a new opportunity to increase efficiency and build the organization.

What Does a “Change Agent” Do? While there is no specific job description, here are eight tasks a technology Change Agent might perform: 1. Analyze the forces of change and how they impact an organization’s vision, mission, strategy and principles. 2. Establish the reasons for change. Question the extent to which changes are reactive or proactive. 3. Identify and understand internal and external variables that will have an impact on the process. 4. Define specific project goals and establishes what will not change. 5. Create a “change message” that expresses the need for new technology (the discrepancy between the desired goals and the present situation). The message should reflect where the organization is now, where it wants to be, and why the end goal is necessary. 6. Target areas of resistance directly by structuring positive and negative incentives. Find ways to gain participation from resisters by giving them “ownership.” 7. Communicate with employees on a regular, structured basis. Provide a feedback loop, as well as the time and resources to deal with change related issues in the project. 8. Develop metrics and measure the success of change. And of course, find ways to improve performance and tune the new system.

As an owner or manager, you can respond to change two ways: You can acknowledge the need and be the master, or resist and fall prey to the unrelenting push of innovation. High performers treat change as a positive force for progress, and thus implement new computer systems and programs. However, once a decision is made to bring in new technology, the trick sometimes involves getting people to use it.

Bending the Status Quo

Some people see change as chaotic and fight it. Managers who don’t recognize that aspect of human nature set themselves up for disaster. The most efficient technology in the world can result in failure if your staff and customers bypass it, ignore it, or don’t use it effectively.

Common complaints heard from end-users of new technology include:

• “The new system works great, but it is costing us a lot of business.”
• “Our customers and staff just don’t like using it.”
• “Now that I’ve learned to side-step the new system, things are back to normal.”

If you hear comments like these at your company, you’ve got a costly failure on your hands. To prevent that scenario, managers should study how proposed new technology will affect staff members and customers, and include change management strategies in their project plans. That’s why, if you want to get a new system up and running, you may need help from a professional technology consultant or “Change Agent.”

Helping Ensure Success

A Change Agent’s first priority is to analyze the new technology and develop a strategy. Questions that need to be answered include: Is the change incremental, encompassing, or disruptive? What is the company reacting to? Is this the right technology change and will it be effective? What is the company’s state of readiness?

Next, the Change Agent determines how new technology is going to be introduced by answering questions such as: Should management use a “top down” directive style or develop a “bottom up” participative approach? How should the company communicate the need for change across the organization? Are the right people included in the process?

Finally, quality of life questions must be addressed including: What is the impact on personal lives in terms of overtime and stress? What kind of training is needed? Is the organization moving too slowly or stalled by too much planning? Is the staff suffering from change fatigue because too much is being introduced too fast? Is there resistance to change or fear of the unknown? To what extent is resistance justified and how can it be corrected?

As you can see, a Change Agent can help ensure the development of new technology that is successful. Keep in mind that systems implementers and application developers have well-tuned management skills. They are aware of the areas of potential internal resistance and often make good Change Agents. So, the next time you meet with a consultant or systems implementer about new technology, put change management on the agenda.

Source: Bizactions.com

Moreover, with their growing popularity, online poker rooms are taking their offerings into the mainstream, such as cable TV shows and land-based tournaments.

According to a recent survey by London-based Mintel, 12 percent of American adults visited an online casino in the past 12 months, most of which were online poker rooms. The ratio of men to women gamblers was about five to one.

American gamblers are apparently undeterred by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which effectively bans Internet gambling in the U.S. by outlawing the transfer of funds from financial institutions to gambling websites.

The UIGEA was supposed to go into effect last November, but its implementation was delayed until June 1. New legislation, notably a bill from Rep. Barney Frank, which would repeal the UIGEA and set up a mechanism for legalizing (and taxing) online gambling has so far not found any traction in Congress.

Although Barney Frank’s bill isn’t expected to be acted upon until late 2010 or early 2011, it’s interesting to note the companies that have lobbied for and contributed funds toward its passage.

According to a report that will be released later this week, Harrah’s Entertainment spent the most money, $1.22 million, lobbying for Internet gambling during the first quarter of 2010.

The Poker Players Alliance, a grass-roots advocate for online poker, was second with $785,000.

Other big spenders were online poker companies PokerStars and Betfair US.

Even though Harrah’s has lined up on the side of some form of legal online gambling, the issue is a tough one for many land-based operators.

“The elephant in the room is Internet poker and Internet gaming,” said Mark Macarro, chairman of the Pechanga tribe, which operates one of California’s largest casinos. “Most tribes are on the fence with this thing, including my tribe.”

Indeed, the tribes in California seem to be split on the issue. A proposal in Sacramento last year by Morongo, a Southern California tribe, to have tribal casinos and commercial card clubs join forces to offer online poker in California didn’t go anywhere, but that isn’t expected to be the end of the movement.

Commercial casinos seem to have taken a “wait and see” stance, with the American Gaming Association officially taking a “neutral” stance toward Internet gambling, which is actually an improvement from its original negative position toward off-shore operators.

Here is the AGA’s official position on Internet gambling: “Historically, AGA members have questioned the adequacy of technological safeguards to prevent money laundering, underage gambling and participation by residents of jurisdictions where it is deemed illegal. After considerable study, however, our concerns about technology have been eliminated by advancements in the field, and the AGA believes that the technology now exists to properly regulate Internet gambling with appropriate law enforcement oversight and to provide appropriate consumer protections for individuals gambling online.

However, the AGA also believes that existing laws do not adequately protect the millions of Americans who gamble online every day.

Thus, the AGA acknowledges that a properly regulated legal framework for Internet gambling is the best way to protect consumers. The AGA also believes that online gambling operators (commercial casinos) and suppliers should be held to the same level of probity to which AGA members adhere in their traditional land-based operations.”

Regardless of the current regulatory minefield, online poker rooms continue to make headway into the American mainstream.

PokerStars, for instance, recently concluded its first ever North American Poker Tour, which had tournament stops in Las Vegas (The Venetian Hotel & Casino) and Connecticut (Mohegan Sun).

PokerStars also sponsors land-based tournaments in Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Asia and Australia.

And starting this month, PokerStars will produce a TV show filmed in Las Vegas and broadcast on Fox TV affiliates beginning on June 14.

The show is called “The Big Game,” and will feature the world’s best poker pros playing alongside top amateurs, plus one “Loose Cannon,” a qualifier from PokerStars.net (the company’s non-cash website).

The Loose Cannon will be staked with $100,000 with which to take on the best players in the game.

The TV show will include other segments, such as interviews with poker professionals and a profile of their varied lifestyles.

Other off-shore poker parlors, such as Full Tilt and UB.net and GR88.com have also made inroads into American pocketbooks. Most of them feature tournaments that offer satellite events for major tournaments such as the World Series, and UB.net even has a TV show of its own, Poker2Nite, which is broadcast regularly on the Versus network.

-This article was provided by David Stratton of Gaming Today, visit their website at www.gamingtoday.com

Gov. Charlie Crist has signed into law a 20-year gaming deal with the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida that will pay the state about $1.2 billion in the next five years.

Crist signed the bill (SB 622) Wednesday, which gives the Seminole exclusive rights to have blackjack and other table games at three Broward County casinos and others in Immokalee and Tampa. All seven tribal casinos can keep operating Las Vegas-style slot machines.

After rejecting a compact last year, state lawmakers were able to agree this time. Some legislators opposed the compact because it substantially expands gambling opportunities and is expected to further cut into wagering at the state’s horse and dog tracks and jai alai frontons.

This article was provided by Staff and Wire Reports of Gaming Today, visit their website at www.gamingtoday.com

The Federal Reserve’s new rules for credit card companies mean new credit card protections for you. Here are some key changes you should expect from your credit card company beginning on February 22, 2010.

What your credit card company has to tell you

• When they plan to increase your rate or other fees. Your credit card company must send you a notice 45 days before they can
  • increase your interest rate;
  • change certain fees (such as annual fees, cash advance fees, and late fees) that apply to your account; or
  • make other significant changes to the terms of your card.

  If your credit card company is going to make changes to the terms of your card, it must give you the option to cancel the card before certain fee increases take effect. If you take that option, however, your credit card company may close your account and increase your monthly payment, subject to certain limitations.

  For example, they can require you to pay the balance off in five years, or they can double the percentage of your balance used to calculate your minimum payment (which will result in faster repayment than under the terms of your account).

  The company does not have to send you a 45-day advance notice if

  • you have a variable interest rate tied to an index; if the index goes up, the company does not have to provide notice before your rate goes up;
  • your introductory rate expires and reverts to the previously disclosed “go-to” rate;
  • your rate increases because you are in a workout agreement and you haven’t made your payments as agreed.
• How long it will take to pay off your balance. Your monthly credit card bill will include information on how long it will take you to pay off your balance if you only make minimum payments. It will also tell you how much you would need to pay each month in order to pay off your balance in three years. For example, suppose you owe $3,000 and your interest rate is 14.4%–your bill might look like this:

  New balance	$3,000.00
  Minimum payment due	$90.00
  Payment due date	4/20/12

  Late Payment Warning: If we do not receive your minimum payment by the date listed above, you may have to pay a $35 late fee and your APRs may be increased up to the Penalty APR of 28.99%.

  Minimum Payment Warning: If you make only the minimum payment each period, you will pay more in interest and it will take you longer to pay off your balance. For example:

  If you make no additional charges using this card and each month you pay. . .	You will pay off the balance shown on this statement in about. . .	And you will end up paying an estimated total of. . .
  Only the minimum payment	11 years	$4,745
  $103	3 years	$3,712 (Savings = $1,033)

New rules regarding rates, fees, and limits

• No interest rate increases for the first year. Your credit card company cannot increase your rate for the first 12 months after you open an account. There are some exceptions:
  • If your card has a variable interest rate tied to an index; your rate can go up whenever the index goes up.
  • If there is an introductory rate, it must be in place for at least 6 months; after that your rate can revert to the “go-to” rate the company disclosed when you got the card.
  • If you are more than 60 days late in paying your bill, your rate can go up.
  • If you are in a workout agreement and you don’t make your payments as agreed, your rate can go up.
• Increased rates apply only to new charges. If your credit card company does raise your interest rate after the first year, the new rate will apply only to new charges you make. If you have a balance, your old interest rate will apply to that balance.
• Restrictions on over-the-limit transactions. You must tell your credit card company that you want it to allow transactions that will take you over your credit limit. Otherwise, if a transaction would take you over your limit, it may be turned down. If you do not opt-in to over-the-limit transactions and your credit card company allows one to go through, it cannot charge you an over-the-limit fee.
  • If you opt-in to allowing transactions that take you over your credit limit, your credit card company can impose only one fee per billing cycle. You can revoke your opt-in at any time.
• Caps on high-fee cards. If your credit card company requires you to pay fees (such as an annual fee or application fee), those fees cannot total more than 25% of the initial credit limit. For example, if your initial credit limit is $500, the fees for the first year cannot be more than $125. This limit does not apply to penalty fees, such as penalties for late payments.
• Protections for underage consumers. If you are under 21, you will need to show that you are able to make payments, or you will need a cosigner, in order to open a credit card account.
  • If you are under age 21 and have a card with a cosigner and want an increase in the credit limit, your cosigner must agree in writing to the increase.

Changes to billing and payments

• Standard payment dates and times. Your credit card company must mail or deliver your credit card bill at least 21 days before your payment is due. In addition
  • Your due date should be the same date each month (for example, your payment is always due on the 15th or always due on the last day of the month).
  • The payment cut-off time cannot be earlier than 5 p.m. on the due date.
  • If your payment due date is on a weekend or holiday (when the company does not process payments), you will have until the following business day to pay. (For example, if the due date is Sunday the 15th, your payment will be on time if it is received by Monday the 16th before 5 p.m.).
• Payments directed to highest interest balances first. If you make more than the minimum payment on your credit card bill, your credit card company must apply the excess amount to the balance with the highest interest rate. There is an exception:
  • If you made a purchase under a deferred interest plan (for example, “no interest if paid in full by March, 2012″), the credit card company may let you choose to apply extra amounts to the deferred interest balance before other balances. Otherwise, for two billing cycles prior to the end of the deferred interest period, the credit card company must apply your entire payment to the deferred interest-rate balance first.
• No two-cycle (double-cycle) billing. Credit card companies can only impose interest charges on balances in the current billing cycle.

Source: Federalreserve.gov