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I’ll never forget when my son, Ian, asked me where in Los Angeles I lived. I told him I couldn’t remember — it was 30 years ago, and I lived there for maybe six months. A few minutes later, he called and had the address. It was available for free to anyone on the internet […]
Browser extensions can collect as much or more as snoopy phone apps. Here are a few that are collecting way too much info.
Why does it seem like you get ads for what you just talked about? Here’s how this sneaky tracking really works.
Score the best deals on airfare and more, plus my VIP experience secrets
Breaking news and tips
Chatbot privacy policies: Who’s collecting what?
Shocker! Another Communist China company was caught red-handed. DeepSeek AI shares user data with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. The BBC reports countries worldwide are yanking it from app stores, and I bet we’ll see bans here roll out soon.
Here’s the bigger issue. AI chatbots are always on, always listening and always collecting data. Some are sneakier than others, but make no mistake, if you’re using them, they’re using you. The real question is: How much of your data are they scooping up, and where is it going?
Who’s collecting what?
I combed through the vague, confusing privacy policies so you don’t have to. Links included, though, if you’re curious and want to read legalese.
ChatGPT: Data collected includes your prompts, devices and when and where you’re chatting from. Oh and they might give it to “vendors and service providers.”
Microsoft Copilot: Any interaction can be logged and used to target ads. The bot sees where you are when you use it, too.
Google Gemini: Your chats, location and how you use Gemini are logged. Your chats might be reviewed by Google staff. Google promises this is to improve Gemini, not to sell ads (for now).
DeepSeek: All your conversations, locations and typing patterns are saved. These can be shared with advertisers, other agencies and, presumably, the Chinese government and other companies. Yikes.
Qwen: Another Chinese AI that saves everything from your location to your chat history. Qwen can link all this up with data bought from “third party agencies.” Yes, they’re buying even more info about you.
So, what’s the verdict?
No one comes out of this with a gold star. Gemini is probably the safest for now. It’s separate from Google’s ad business and they do at least give you controls, like auto-deleting chats.
If they’re all “meh” the privacy scale, it’s up to you to keep your data safe.
Well isn’t that smart
- Sweet pants hangers ($17) that don’t take up nearly as much space.
- The best hand cream! O’Keefe’s is cheap, unscented and doesn’t leave your hands greasy. They make a lip repair balm, too!
- Don’t let a lunch mishap ruin your favorite shirt. Grab a Tide pen stain remover ($7.88). I used one to get mascara off a white T-shirt the other day!
- Not much space? These shelves (two for $20) that go over your power socket are genius.
- No more jumbled mess of cords for me. I stuck my blow dryer and curling iron in basket that hangs from the cabinet (19% off).
⭐ Your new BFF in the kitchen: A metal scraper you can use to move veggies from the cutting board to the pan, scrape gunk off the counter, cut dough, whatever.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Lost in Space Slack? Use the arrows at the top to move to the channel you were just in. Or use your keyboard: Cmd + [ on Mac, Alt + back arrow on Windows. Hit the clock icon to see your history.
📅 Don’t RSVP: If you get a random Google Calendar invite, don’t click on any links. Scammers are tricking folks with Gmail accounts into sharing their personal info through a fake support page. Legit invites come from calendar-notification@google.com. Report phishing: Hit the three-dot icon in the right-hand corner.
Bow wow
A former police officer is using a heat-seeking drone to track down missing dogs. So far, he’s reunited 42 dogs with their families. Here’s an adorable clip of a pup lost in the snow. His little tail wags like crazy when he sees his owner. I’m so excited that I’m getting a new puppy. Meet Bella.
Hollywood writers just realized AI steals their work
They thought they had protections, but AI is using their scripts as learning fodder.
🍸 Shaken, not stirred: The Broccoli family has produced every James Bond film since 1962. In 2022, they sold the rights to Amazon for $8.5 billion (as part of the MGM acquisition). After years of power struggles, Amazon now has creative control and hopefully we’ll see a new James Bond soon. Speaking of … Where do James Bond actors go when they die? 00Heaven. (So good!)
3.1%
Odds of a “city killer” asteroid hitting Earth in 2032. That’s like guessing the right coin flip five times in a row. The 300-foot space rock could explode with 500 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. The James Webb Space Telescope gets a closer look next month.
She’s the Bluetooth lady
Every time you fail to pair your phone, she’s there: “Device not found.” Meet Kristen DiMercurio, the voice of Bluetooth, as she spills on hearing herself everywhere, life as a voice actor in the AI age, and the weirdest requests she gets.
Open in a New Tab: It’s not just an option in your browser. When you’re in the finder window on a PC, right-click and choose Open in a New Tab.
Share tabs across iPhone and iPad: On both devices, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Turn Safari on. Now you can tap the Tabs button (overlapping squares) > iCloud Tabs. Tap to see what’s open on your other devices.
What Alexa and Siri don’t want you to know
Do they only listen when you call them? Wrong. Here’s the truth about your smart assistant.
Amazon switcheroo: Starting Feb. 26, you can’t download Kindle books onto anything other than an Amazon device. So, right now, sign in to Amazon, click Accounts & Lists > Content Library > Books. On the one you want, hit More actions > Download & transfer via USB.
Captains make ship happen
Barry walks around our boat with a remote to dock it. So smart. Yamaha’s Helm Master EX’s new handheld remote control looks like a Wii controller. It works with a slew of fishing boats and cruisers and powers off the engines if someone falls overboard. It’s $12,000, though.
Avoid these costly mistakes when sending money
You and a friend split some apps and cocktails. Cash? Nah, payment apps make it way easier. Type in the amount, hit send and boom, you’re set.
But every time you send money, there’s a risk it could end up in the wrong place. That’s why I’m here to help you get it to the right place. Let’s dive in.
Safe Wi-Fi anywhere: Using public Wi-Fi is risky no matter where you go. It doesn’t make a difference if you stay at a five-star luxury hotel, have lunch at your hometown diner or you’re at the airport. The easy way to protect yourself? Turn on a VPN.
Your Wi-Fi was part of 2.7 billion records leaked
I bet you’ve never heard of Mars Hydro. It’s a company headquartered in Communist China that makes Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Their speciality? LED lights and hydroponics equipment.
Security researcher Jeremiah Fowler (I had him on the show about other breaches, and he’s a smart, standup guy) was digging around and found they had a massive 1.17TB database online for anyone to see. There was no encryption and no password required.
Deepfakes going to a new level
TikTok owner ByteDance built an AI tool that makes realistic videos of people talking and singing from a single photo. OmniHuman can take an image (half-body or full-body) and bring it to life. Snazzy, but scary in the wrong hands. And let’s not forget this is Chinese-owned. I wouldn’t hand over any personal pics.
2 in 2,000
People could spot every deepfake image and video of faces. About 39% of people over 65 hadn’t even heard of deepfakes, and 60% of younger people (18-34) were way too confident they could spot fakes. Take the quiz yourself.
📺 Did Netflix cross a line? If you’ve seen “American Murder: Gabby Petito,” you heard Gabby reading her journals and texts. The filmmakers actually used AI to clone the murder victim’s voice. They say her family approved, but some are calling it “monstrous” to tell her story this way. What do you think?