Travelers! Here Goes Another Breach They’re Not Talking About
They are claiming less than 100,000 people have been breached in a cyber-attack incident, affecting the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. On June 10, travelers’ information had been compromised using cameras and video recordings at airports and border crossings, from a facial recognition program used to track people’s identity. The breach has included actual faces and license plates.
The breach happened through the use of a federal government subcontractor, contracted through the government to provide facial recognition services at specific locations. So far, no one has confirmed who breached this contractor, but they are reporting approximately less than 100,000 were affected. They are also not releasing the location of the breach; all that has been shared is that the photographs were taken for over a month and a half, at a single land border entry port. They also claim it was just photos and license plates – no passports or other official documents were breached.
An anonymous U.S. official claims the breach did involve any foreign nations, but it has raised concerns that it could expose people to identity theft. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), voiced his concerns about this matter:
“If the government collects sensitive information about Americans, it is responsible for protecting it — and that’s just as true if it contracts with a private company. Anyone whose information was compromised should be notified by Customs, and the government needs to explain exactly how it intends to prevent this kind of breach from happening in the future.”
One of our goals this year is to help you get out and travel more. In order to travel more, you’re going to have to know what’s a good deal, what’s a steal, and what sounds like a catfish vacation (we see plenty of your sharing catfish deals). We’ll get to all of technical stuff later; but for today, if you’re interested in getting your travel season off to a good start, then head over to JetBlue!
Jet Blue has decided to extend their Winter Flash Sale – these are one way only fares, and they start at $38! Now with these types of deals, you’re going to get limited dates, and limited cities you can fly to; but, go ahead and purchase TWO $38 one way flights and have yourself some fun in 2018. These flight disappear fast, so you can’t hesitate or wait. Jet blue is also offering $77 round-trip deals; the sale was supposed to end on January 4th, but now we have until January 10, 11:59pm EST in order to get these low deals.
Some great Flight deals out of Charleston, SC (which is one of the most expensive places in the country to fly in/out) one-way are:
CHS to Washington, DC – $49
CHS to Fort Lauderdale – $90
CHS to New York – $49
CHS to Boston – $89
Also, if paying with a Credit card, check with your company to find out if you earn points with these deals. Right now, if you pay with certain Credit cards, for example, if you are paying with American Express, you earn additional points on airfare (AMEX – 5x on flights booked) or (Chase – 3x on flights booked).
Your travel time must happen between January 16 through April 25 2018. There are even a few Caribbean locations listed, so ACT NOW – you don’t want to miss these deals! Go do something different in 2018!
It’s summer and Syllabus Magazine has plans of being out and about all summer long! If you’re a hard-working American, you may also have plans to take a break (or two) this summer to explore overseas islands, or to go and have a blast at a fun park with your kids. Everyone has #Travelgoals , but when making these plans, we should be aware that there are small gems located right here in the U.S. that many of us never knew existed. Making plans to go to Europe, or relaxing in the Caribbean is all good, but if you can, don’t forget about the not-so-popular places that may not get lots of attention right now, but they are filled with rich history and amazing African American stories.
Today we’re adding to our list of #TravelGoals ! It’s a small, brick house located alongside a serene stream on the Eastern shore of Preston, Maryland; and no, we’ve never heard of Preston, Maryland until this week, but people from across the world have been visiting this town just to get close to the memory of a real American heroine. In this quiet town rests a 19th century brick house that was once a way station on the Underground Railroad and a path where slaves made their way to freedom.
This house, owned by Jacob and Hannah Leverton, along with 36 other sites on a 125-mile route, is what they are calling the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.
Tubman is a real, prolific, American hero who escaped from Maryland and became an abolitionist who guided hundreds of other slaves to freedom along this Byway. The route, which has specific, designated sites, takes you on a detailed look at Tubman’s journey along the Underground Railroad. After 18 years of planning, the Byway gives visitors an emotional look at this intricate, yet informal network of places, landmarks, and landscapes that helped in freeing slaves. The journey, according to the Associated Press, has brought many visitors to tears.
One of the most loved stops on the Byway is the site known to many as, “Tubman’s first known act of defiance against slavery.” It’s called the Bucktown Village Store and has been restored to resemble what it may have looked like during the time of the Underground Railroad. At this store, many believe Tubman refused a slave owner’s orders to help him detain another slave. While the slave was escaping, the owner threw a 2-pound weight at the man, missing him but hitting Harriet Tubman on the head and causing an injury that would be bothersome for her for the remainder of her life.
An image of the Bucktown Village store taken on an Underground Railroad Tour for Preservation Maryland’s annual conference in 2010.
The store is also filled with Harriet Tubman related items which include a newspaper article advertising a reward for Tubman and two of her brothers. People from across the world are traveling to Maryland simply to get a glimpse of this store and take pictures.
The downside to the Biway is that many areas are still under development, and some that are significant to Harriet Tubman’s life are still not open to the public, or they are not designated stops on the Biway. Also, many of the sites don’t have regular operating hours because they are owned by private property owners, and visitors would have to wait until these owners arrive home.
Despite the work that’s left to be done on theHarriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway,don’t let this stop you from putting this on your list of #TravelGoals . Just to simply walk in the same places and spaces that the fierce, bold, and heroic Harriet Tubman walked in, is an inspiration that is at the top of the list on our #TravelGoals .
