I’m so glad to see you this Saturday, friend! Just a reminder that the clocks roll back tomorrow. Smartphones, computers and smart home devices auto-update the time. But for older tech like microwaves or car clocks, you’ll have to change the time the old-fashioned way. Now, can you guess which two states don’t observe daylight saving time? Stick around and you’ll find the answer at the end!

🚫 Data brokers are scummy. One left over 150 million SSNs, names, addresses and more in a file that wasn’t password-protected. Yup, it went up for sale on the Dark Web, and then the broker filed for bankruptcy. Get your info off these people-search sites and away from data-broker companies. I used Incogni to remove my info from over 600 data-broker and people-search sites. You really need to do the same. — Kim

🆕 Today’s podcast: AI can tell your political party from your face

⏱️ Daily Tech Update: Surveillance at Disney parks

💡 Digital Life Hack: Don’t do this one thing in the voting booth

This number makes me sick. The FBI says 90% of sexual advances against kids happen in chatrooms or on instant messaging platforms. Now more than ever, it’s important to talk to your kids about online predators.

The thing is these creeps have all kinds of tactics. Today, I’m sharing a few stories you can pass along to your family. If this keeps one person safe, I did my job.

✅ Bait and switch

This past week in Glendale, Arizona, a 37-year-old man asked a 14-year-old girl walking home from school for her phone number. She was clever: She gave him her mom’s number instead.

Later that day, he started texting. The girl’s mother answered, and then the police took over as he requested naked pics and asked her to keep their convo a secret. They set up a meeting, and the pervert was arrested.

Arm them with info. Discuss with your kids how to refuse when a stranger asks for their phone number, email address or social media handle. If they don’t feel safe saying no, tell them to give the requestor your info instead.

✅ To catch a catfish

A 26-year-old used Snapchat and Instagram to groom teen girls. Alexander McCartney pretended to be their age, then he spent a lot of time and energy becoming a close “friend.” Eventually, he’d request explicit images.

Tragically, a 12-year-old victim took her life after McCartney coerced her and her sister into sending him adult photos. Eighteen months later, the victim’s father took his life, as well. Heartbreaking.

McCartney was found guilty of a staggering 185 charges, including online child sexual abuse, blackmail and manslaughter.

Warn your kids about catfishing. Online, it’s easy for predators to pretend to be just about anyone to get what they want. When my son, Ian, was younger (and to this day), I made sure he knew he’d never, ever be in trouble if he told me someone asked him to do something that made him feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

✅ Game over

Betsy Allen’s 12-year-old son was obsessed with an online racing game. He met another kid in the game’s chatroom, and, three months later, they moved their conversation to the chat app Discord. Spoiler: The other “kid” was an adult grooming Betsy’s child. Betsy eventually discovered the predator was trying to buy her son a plane ticket. So frightening.

Stay in-app only. Most apps geared toward kids have at least some controls in place to keep out predators. When chats move elsewhere, there’s far less protection — or none at all.

✅ Have the talk

It’s important to know the same kinds of abuse can happen on huge platforms like Roblox, too. Just because your kid is playing a big-name game doesn’t mean they’re immune. I know, this can be a tough conversation to have with a child.

One way to start is by saying something like, “I was reading about what happened to a girl (or boy) your age. It must’ve been really scary for them.” Then, share as much detail as you think they’re ready to handle, and remind them they can always come to you, no matter what.

🫶 Keep the kiddos in your circle safe. Share this with a parent and consider it your good deed of the day.

Data brokers make money scooping up your personal and sensitive info — like your phone number, date of birth, the places you’ve lived, your Social Security number and so much more.

Then they sell it to the highest bidder. Best-case scenario, companies that target you with ads are the ones buying. Worst-case scenario, it’s scammers and identity thieves.

Incogni helped me scrub my personal data from the web, dealing with the world’s data brokers head-on so I don’t have to. Let them do the same for you.

▶️ Incogni removes your info from people-search sites and databases using three of your email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses. All that info helps them catch all the profiles floating around online.

🚨 Don’t fall for it: Cybercriminals are sending emails that lead to an “I am not a robot” CAPTCHA. Click the checkbox and you’ll see a prompt to press “Win + R,” which opens the command prompt on a Windows computer. Their final request: “Paste in this code.” It’s malware. The links can look like anything, so be on the lookout for this trick.

Apple’s losing big money to the carriers … so things are changing. Apple just committed $1.5 billion to Globalstar to pay for new satellites and ground infrastructure, putting them in direct competition with the big wireless carriers. Globalstar is behind the iPhone’s emergency satellite texting.

👁️ Coming to a store near you: Facial recognition that spots suspicious friendliness. “Sweethearting” is when employees slip discounts or freebies to people they know. The system monitors how closely customers stand to staff and whether they always choose the same employee. If something seems off, store security gets alerted.

Security camera warning: Hackers found two security flaws in PTZOptics’ livestreaming cameras, used primarily in business, industrial and health care settings. Once inside, hackers can fully control the cameras, install malware, interrupt the feeds or use a camera as a gateway to other devices on the network. Have one? Contact your vendor to confirm its firmware is up to date.

👗 Maybe she’s born with it: Fashion retailer Mango is using AI models instead of real people. They’ve done AI-generated campaigns for teen fashion, with men’s and women’s fashion AI models coming soon. More than anything, it’s about the money. A human model costs at least $35 an hour. AI lookalikes? $30 a month. Really, the only thing the AI and living models have in common is that neither one eats.

Attn., small-business owners: Watch out for an email that claims you’ve violated someone’s copyright. The “legal notice” document attached is malware. A real legal letter will be in the body of the email itself, saved as a PDF, and also delivered via USPS or another service. If you see a RAR or EXE file, that’s a scam — delete it.

After nearly 40 years: Two sisters met for the first time since different families adopted them as babies. They were born just 14 months apart. One grew up in the U.S. and the other in Belgium. After taking a MyHeritage DNA test, one sister sent the other an email that said, “Hey, I think we’re sisters.” Isn’t that something?

🦑 Ready to play (again)? Netflix dropped an early Christmas gift — the trailer for Season Two of “Squid Game.” The first season was the most-watched series of all time on the platform. I liked it, despite all the blood. The new season drops on Dec. 26. How festive.

💸 Affordable doesn’t mean low quality. Let me prove it.

• Fancy-pants face masks for only $3 a pop. Then, put on this gloss that’s eerily similar to the $40 Dior lip oil for under $8.
• If Apple AirPods are too expensive, check out Raycon.* Their earbuds sound great, get a ton of battery life and are a fraction of the price.
• I got a $600 Dyson Airwrap with credit card points. If I was paying for it myself, I’d get the $31 Revlon version everyone loves instead.
• This could be your new favorite soup pot. Lodge’s Dutch ovens are just as nice as the Le Creuset versions and so much less money.
• Workout headbands for guys and gals. This big pack of 10 costs less than one from Lululemon.

📻 Catch up with my award-winning national radio show: I’m on over 420 stations across the USA! Find your local station and tune in, or get my show’s podcast. I share so much there that I just can’t get to in this newsletter. See ya on the radio!

Record your phone calls without an app: With the latest iOS update, it’s super easy to record a call. Tap the waveform icon in the upper-left corner during your call. You’ll hear a voice announce the call is being recorded. Stop recording by pressing the red recording button in the audio visualizer (on the right) or hang up. Simple as that!

Lifesaving feature: Google Pixels now have satellite SOS just like iPhones, so you can text for help when there’s no cell coverage or Wi‑Fi. To use it, dial 911 > Satellite SOS > Start and fill out a quick emergency questionnaire. Position your phone until it says Connected. You’ll get a text back when help is on the way.

Splitting up the holiday cooking this year? A shared note-taking app like Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote or Evernote makes it a cinch to remember who’s preparing what. This is even easier if everyone already has, say, a Google or Microsoft account. You can also try a dedicated shopping list app like Any List, Out of Milk and OurGroceries.

🤑 Amazon’s secret 20% discount: Send your old tech to Amazon through its Trade-in Program and get a gift card for the value. They’ll take just about anything — it doesn’t even need to work. But if you trade in Amazon gear like a Kindle, eero or Fire TV Stick, you’ll get 20% off a new, qualifying device. Nice.

Ban these buzzwords from your LinkedIn profile: “Specialized,” “focused,” “strategic,” “experienced,” “passionate,” “creative” and innovative.” Sorry, but these are way too overused. Hiring? Use my link to post a job free to LinkedIn’s huge network.*

Internet providers push the priciest plans and do their best to convince you to spend more money. News flash: You may be overpaying. Calculate how much internet you need or use the quick guidelines below:

• 10 Mbps: Great if you only have a few devices connected to your Wi‑Fi and use your network to visit websites and get email.
• 25 Mbps: Perfect if you watch lots of videos and download big files.
• 100 Mbps: Online gamers and streamers, this one’s for you.
• 500 Mbps or higher: Ideal for simultaneous streaming, online gaming and downloads on many devices. You need the speed.

The answer: Arizona and Hawaii don’t observe DST. We’re now back to the time of year when everyone gets confused trying to schedule meetings with me in Phoenix.

With the time change, check your scheduling and calendar apps so you don’t show up to a meeting an hour early, OK? If you’re using a fitness tracker or a medical device, confirm those are updated, too. It’s also the perfect time to check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

☀️ They always say daylight saving time is such a great idea. I give it six months.

It’s time to get your privacy back. Incogni works in the background to get my info off scummy data-broker and people-search sites. Try it yourself with my 60% off link, exclusive for my readers. I get no more spammy calls or texts. Love that.

🚀 See you right back here tomorrow with the best tech newsletter, to infinity and beyond! — Kim