| 1. WHY ARE MAJOR DESIGNERS SKIPPING THIS YEAR’S MET GALA?: The Met Gala tends to draw big fashion houses, but this year, some mainstay brands might be skipping the “camp”-theme event on May 6. Ralph Lauren, Dior, and Calvin Klein, which have purchased tables in the past, are reportedly skipping the fund-raiser. Women’s Wear Daily: “Ralph, Calvin, and Dior have been big boosters of the event, collectively dressing scores of celebrities and high-profile guests for at least the last six years. Ralph’s presence at the Met Gala is even the reason Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are married—the two were both dressed by the designer in 2017, which led to an introduction the evening of the event, as the red-carpet moments are carefully coordinated by Wintour. The one asterisk here is Calvin, which seems to have skipped last year’s event, too, after many consecutive years in attendance. It’s now pulling out of the high-fashion space altogether, while the brand considers the way forward for the overall business. … A spokeswoman for Vogue said this year’s event is sold out ‘and has been for some time.’ She also noted that this year’s gala saw tables purchased by designers that had not done so in the past—declining to specify which ones as the guest list is not disclosed—and that ‘the makeup of the room also changes each year, along with that year’s theme, as one would expect.’” 2. STUDY SHOWS NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF HOTEL WEBSITES LEAK GUEST DATA: A study from cybersecurity firm Symantec shows that nearly two-thirds of hotel websites leak guests’ booking information. Symantec threat researcher Candid Wueest studied 1,500 hotel websites across 54 countries and discovered that two out of three sites unintentionally leak booking data and personal information to third parties, such as ad and analytics companies. Gizmodo: “The main issue the researcher discovered was the hotels’ practice of including a direct access link in the confirmation emails sent to guests. In 57 percent of the hotel sites that the researchers tested, a link in the email lead directly to the reservation without requiring authentication. Therefore, anyone with the URL link can access the customer’s information. … The researcher also found that some hotel sites were vulnerable to brute force attacks, in which the hacker tries multiple combinations of a booking reference, usually through a machine that does it automatically. He suggested such brute force attacks could be useful to a hacker who wants to target the people at a particular hotel conference.” 3. HISTORIC PENNSYLVANIA VENUE DRAWS OUTRAGE FOR SAME-SEX WEDDING BAN: The Star Barn, a historic venue in Pennsylvania Dutch County, is drawing outrage for its ban on same-sex weddings. Local tourism group Discover Lancaster also is drawing criticism for its decision to hold an annual meeting at the venue despite the policy, which is fueled by the owner’s beliefs. NBC News: “Owner David Abel told PennLive.com same-sex weddings go against his Roman Catholic convictions, but he argues that he doesn’t tolerate discrimination in his business or in public settings and that he doesn’t discriminate in his hiring practices. … Discover Lancaster, the county’s main tourism organization, sent an email to members saying they chose Star Barn for the meeting long before the controversy, and said they understand if some members don’t want to attend, news site LNP reported. But some business partners with Discover Lancaster said they won’t attend the annual meeting Thursday at the Star Barn because of its policy on gay weddings.” | 