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That’s up 2% from last year. The result? Billions in losses to fight fake traffic and bot attacks. That’s one thing I love about writing this newsletter — I’m writing for real people!
Tags: bots, internet, internet traffic, love, Newsletter, Real, real people, traffic, writing
Powering my cellphone? A lithium-ion battery. E-bike? Lithium-ion. Same goes for my iPad, MacBook, electric toothbrush, portable battery pack. I could go on.
The same goes for your tech. As it starts to warm up, we need to talk about safety. Fires from our little gadgets can get out of control quickly.
I love you just the weigh you are: Folks on social media are pushing Ozempic but hush-hush about its nasty side effects. Karen Evans (paywall link), for instance, never mentioned that severe vomiting made her quit the drug. Get this: Health influencers with under 100,000 followers are making $10,000 and up promoting Ozempic. Influences with over a million followers? They’re making $50,000 to $125,000 per post.
Lots of us spend a ton of money on streaming (but not everyone). What percentage of American TV viewers watch ad-supported streaming TV every week? Is it … A.) 10%, B.) 25%, C.) 50% or D.) 75%?
Toyota recall: Over 55,000 Prius and Prius HEV models (2023 and 2024) have a scary flaw — water can short-circuit rear door latches, causing the doors to open while driving or in a crash. Have one? Turn on the “auto-lock feature” when shifting out of park. Toyota says a fix is coming soon, so contact your dealership.
🏀 Banned baller: Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter received a lifetime NBA ban for sports betting. The league started investigating after the Raptors’ March 20 game, in which Porter played for just three minutes and then left, saying he felt “sick.” It was all part of an $80,000 prop bet that he’d underperform.
Hacking on a budget: For $20, criminals buy ransomware tools on the dark web. Their target? Smaller companies and individuals — those least likely to have the resources to defend themselves. Unlike “ransomware-as-a-service,” which forces hackers to share profits, these tools have no strings attached. If you’re a small business owner, beef up your cybersecurity.
This weekend, the House will vote on a revised bill that could ban Communist China app TikTok. The updated terms give owner ByteDance a year to sell — double the original six months — to sway fence-sitters in the Senate.
FBI Chinese hacker warning: The FBI warns Chinese hackers are gearing up for a massive attack against our U.S. infrastructure. Under the “Volt Typhoon” mission, these hackers have already infiltrated our telecom, energy and water sectors in an attempt to wreak havoc and induce panic. Now, they’re just waiting for “the right moment” to strike big time. Get this: For every cybersecurity pro the FBI has, there are at least 50 Chinese hackers. Have a just-in-case plan. It’s important.
👀 Grade-runner: K-12 schools are using anti-cheating software like Proctorio to record kids during tests. This includes “desk scans” to catch hidden notes, “face detection” to make sure they’re testing alone and “gaze detection” to watch their eye movements. I swear my third-grade nun was using the same tech — Sister Paula saw everything!
Saw this one coming: Cybercriminals are posing as employees of the password manager app LastPass to hack your passwords. It starts with an email from “support@lastpass” about “unauthorized access.” The fake site they send you to grabs your real master password. With all the security incidents at LastPass within the last couple of years, I’m not surprised.
