Hello on a fantastic tech Friday, friend! Paul wrote me to ask how he can turn off his phone ringer for an hour, like for church or a meeting. On an iPhone, swipe down from the top right of your screen and hit the moon icon > Do Not Disturb. Tap the three-dot menu and choose 1 hour. On an Android, go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb and turn it on for an hour. Now you know!

😗 I only have to remember one password. That’s the beauty of a solid, award-winning password manager. It does all the work for you. I negotiated a great deal: Only $1.23 a month for NordPass, just for you. More on that below. First, a fabulous tech secret you have to know! — Kim

🆕 Today’s podcast: They hired a North Korean spy

⏱️ Daily Tech Update: No, you’re not being arrested

💡 Digital Life Hack: Fake reviews are now illegal

There’s an easy-to-miss tool built right into your phone that shows you which apps access your microphone, camera, location data and everything else.

Don’t like what you see? Adjust the app’s permissions (I’ll show you how) or delete the app entirely. Let’s take a close look at Apple’s iPhone Privacy Report and the Android Privacy Dashboard.

Privacy, please

In the Apple-sphere? Your iPhone’s Privacy Report shows the network and web activity of each app on your smartphone. It looks at how often an app has accessed your phone’s sensors, camera and microphone, along with where it sends all your data back to.

You have to turn it on and let it gather data before you’ll see any of these insights. If you turn off the Privacy Report, it’ll clear out everything.

• Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
• Turn on App Privacy Report.

Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 15.2 or later. If not, go Settings > General > Software Update.

After about a week, hop in and see what the Privacy Report has collected:

• Open Settings > Privacy & Security > App Privacy Report.

Here, you’ll see all the apps that gather your data. Tap an app’s name for more info. If you spot one that’s way too nosy:

• Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
• Tap on an individual permission, like Health or Camera. To revoke an app’s access, toggle off the switch.

Use an Android?

Android’s Privacy Dashboard is your one-stop shop for managing permissions. It’s not quite as detailed as what you’ll see on an iPhone, but it gets the job done.

• Go to Settings > Security and Privacy (or Privacy) > Privacy Dashboard. Pick a permission to see which apps have access and turn off anything you’re not cool with.

If you’re running Android 12, you’ll see your app activity over the last 24 hours. For Android 13 or later, you’ll see seven days of app activity. (Pro tip: Check your OS version under Settings > About phone > Android version.)

🔗 See? Taking back some privacy isn’t all that complicated! Now, be a pal and share this privacy tip with others by using the links below.

You’re never going to remember all your passwords — at least not if they’re complex, strong ones like you need to protect your accounts. Stop writing them down and hitting “Reset password” and try NordPass.

It’s the password manager I recommend if you’re juggling dozens or even hundreds of passwords. Instead, you only need to know one password. That’s it! NordPass remembers and autofills all of your logins, credit card details and other personal information for you. All of it is stored securely using the strongest military-grade encryption.

It goes beyond passwords, too. The data breach scanner alerts you if your credentials are exposed in a data leak. Sweet, right? I negotiated a special deal for you.

Not exactly brag-worthy: The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is tooting its own horn for no successful hacks during the U.S. election. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t interference. Russia ramped up its disinformation campaigns on social media, and several bogus bomb threats made at polling stations were traced back to them. And don’t forget China hacked phones belonging to President-elect Trump and JD Vance.

🗳️ Did you vote? In many states, that’s public information, but you have to file a request or pay a fee to obtain it. A new website, VoteRef, allows anyone to look up your name, address, age, party affiliation and whether you voted. Not all state info is there … yet. This feels like harassment just waiting to happen.

What the big print giveth, the small print taketh away: Big companies like Walmart are using bots to handle contract negotiations with suppliers. These bots analyze a contract’s terms based on company data and market trends, then they submit their findings to a human or reply with a counteroffer.

😅 6G could be 9,000 times faster than 5G: But it’ll need tons of power. Some suggest visible light communication may be the solution, though it leaks tons of energy. Enter Bracelet+, a mini antenna that captures lost power. Researchers tried it on walls and phones, but guess what worked best? The human body.

Speaking of energy: AT&T and Voltpost are turning lampposts into internet-connected EV chargers across Michigan. Since they’re using existing streetlights, they can get ‘em up and running in under two hours. The downside? Slow charging speeds. Still, not bad if you’re parked at the office all day.

💸 Apple Intelligence isn’t free after all: Case in point, ChatGPT is being integrated into iOS and macOS to boost features like Siri. You’ll either deal with usage limits or have to shell out $19.99 a month for a ChatGPT Plus subscription. Bummer, especially when Google and Samsung’s AI tools are free … well, for now.

Microsoft Paint and Notepad are getting AI features: Rewrite in Notepad will rephrase sentences, adjust tone and tweak content. Paint will feature a generative fill option to add an image with a prompt, while a new generative erase tool removes parts of a picture and blends the space left behind. That’s kinda like putting high-octane gas in a Mini Cooper.

😲 The No. 1 show on Netflix right now: “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” dives into the true story of two brothers convicted of murdering their parents in 1996. The newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney says, “I will have to review the confidential prison files for each brother, the transcripts from both trials, and speak to the prosecutors, law enforcement, defense counsel and the victims’ family members. Only then can I make a decision.” I don’t think much will happen at their resentencing hearing on Dec. 11.

🧑‍🎄 I get stocking-stuffer shopping done early so I can focus on the bigger gifts later. (I won’t tell anyone if you get one of these for yourself!)

• Guys, give your gal a jewelry cleaning stick to shine up her rings. It’s small enough to carry around and it’s under $10.
• For the caffeine lover in your life, grab a five-pack of dark chocolate-flavored coffee bites for about $9. Each packs as much caffeine as one-third of a cup of coffee.
• No-show socks are out; these $10 flat no-show inserts are in. They slip into any shoe and are machine washable.
• This Grandmother’s Journal (39% off) is such a sweet gift. It’s a way to get her to write about her life so the whole family can remember her stories for years to come.
• A cute scarf as low as $6 (57% off)? Yes, please. It’s extra long, so it can pull double-duty as a blanket.

👁️‍🗨️ Your eyes only: Android 15 lets you hide apps in a secure folder. Go to Settings > Security and privacy > Private space > Set up. (For added security, you’ll see the option to create a new Google account, but you don’t have to.) Choose your authentication method, then tap Use screen lock for your phone’s default method or Choose new lock to set up a new one. Press Done.

Want to lock an app on your iPhone? It’s easy if you’re running iOS 18. Press and hold the app icon > Menu > Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode). That’s it.

Got kids? Amazon’s Echo Show 5 Kids (45% off right now) includes kid-focused Alexa services — think “Alexa, help me with my homework!” It also has parental controls, like time limits, language filters and activity reviews.

🔒 Password-protect a document: In Microsoft Office or Google Docs, click the Help button in the menu bar. Click Help again, then type in Encrypt with password, and your program of choice will walk you through the steps. So easy.

Search smarts: Next time you’re eyeing a European something-or-other online, type “[price] euros to dollars” into your search engine of choice to get a quick conversion, like “55 euros to dollars.” The exchange rate updates in real time. Neat.

The Bermuda Triangle used to be known as the Bermuda Rectangle until one of the sides mysteriously vanished.

Another Do Not Disturb trick: I keep it on when I’m recording or in meetings, but I don’t want to miss a call from Barry or our son, Ian. Choose who gets to bypass DND with these steps for iPhone or these for Android.

🤣 Horror movies are much tamer when I watch them on my phone. That’s because I have it set to Do Not Disturb. (Sorry, had to.)

Before you go, check out NordPass while you’re thinking about it. They make it easy to keep all your accounts safe and secure with strong passwords. You can import your passwords from another password manager, too. See you bright and early tomorrow with another issue of the best newsletter in the USA! — Kim