Haven’t used your PayPal account in forever? Delete it and erase all the data associated with your name. Log in and click the Settings icon. Select Data & Privacy > Delete your data and close account. Follow the on-screen prompts, and wait for the confirmation email.
23andMe is a sinking ship – Delete your data
23andMe is going down like a sinking ship, and CEO Anne Wojcicki is waffling on whether to sell. You know what else would be up for sale if she did? The DNA of 23andMe’s 15 million customers.
If you’ve used the genetic testing service, you have every right to be concerned. Depending on who buys it, your genetic information could be used in a whole new way. Here’s the latest on what’s happening and how you can protect yourself.
Why is 23andMe crashing and burning?
When the human genome hype first hit the scene, it came with the promise of personalized health plans meant for your specific needs. The problem is most diseases can’t be narrowed down to a single gene, so DNA data isn’t really all that helpful. Womp, womp.
The other big concern, of course, is privacy (paywall link). Unlike your doctor’s office, 23andMe isn’t bound by HIPAA, which keeps health information protected. Their privacy policy clearly states they have the right to sell off customer information in a merger or acquisition.
Yes, this is the major reason I’ve always cautioned against giving your DNA info to any company.
Right now, 23andMe makes you opt in if they want to use your data for advertising or research. If the company sells, the next one in charge is under no obligation to do the same.
Wojcicki and 23andMe have until Nov. 4 to raise the company’s share price to $1. At the time of writing, it’s sitting at 30 cents … ouch. If they don’t hit a buck, the stock will be delisted. A sale is absolutely on the table.
Who’d want to buy DNA data? I bet insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry would love to know our deep, dark genetic secrets. That’s a whole lot of info they can use for pricing and even more targeted ads.
Gene-ie in a bottle
If you’ve already handed your data over to 23andMe, the good news is you can delete it yourself before the storm hits. Here’s how:
- Go to your account settings page.
- Find the Delete Your Data option under “23andMe Data.”
Security tip: The right way to clean out your smartphone apps
The word audit usually drums up feelings of anxiety. Nobody wants others poking into their business. However, when it comes to your phone, an audit might be your best path to privacy.
The process is simple. Go through each of your apps and ask yourself one question: “Do I really need this?” Tap or click here for five apps you should delete from your device.
⚠️ Don’t lose your work: A bug in Microsoft 365 Word (version 2409, build 18025.20104) is deleting local files instead of saving them. The error happens after you edit a doc and then close Word. It’s more likely to happen if your file name includes a “#” character or a capitalized extension, like “DOCX” or “RTF.” Temporary fix? Hit Save manually instead of waiting for the prompt.
I ticked off the creepy people-search sites, and you can, too
My son asked me where I lived for a few months in Los Angeles over 25 years ago. It was a gig working for Unisys that was far from memorable. He found that address at a free people search site, along with my other addresses and cell phone numbers. Nice.
Facebook may owe you money — here's how to claim it
Last year, Facebook settled a $650 million lawsuit with Illinois residents for storing and collecting their biometric data without consent. Here’s how much money people received.
The social media juggernaut just agreed to another settlement. This one’s for $725 million following numerous lawsuits claiming the platform violated users’ privacy. Here’s what you need to know and how to get paid.
🗑️ Bring it back: Don’t panic if you accidentally delete a pic. In the Google Photos app, go to Collections > Trash to see any photos or videos deleted in the last 60 days. In Apple Photos on your iPhone, swipe up, then, under Utilities, tap Recently Deleted. You’ll have 30 days before it’s gone for good, so move quickly!
Delete these malicious Android apps immediately
We’ve warned you about Chinese apps you need to remove from your phone, and now we need to look to another part of the world.
Over 60 Korea-based apps were removed from Google Play and the ONE store (Korea’s biggest app store). The apps were downloaded more than 100 million times. Here’s what you need to know
Opt-Out Tuesday: How to remove your info from ZabaSearch
As you surf the web and social media, companies and data brokers are building a robust online profile. They use everything from the ads you click on to the topics you spend the most time browsing to hit you with related ads.
Opt-Out Tuesday: How to remove your info from Instant Checkmate
People are tracking you online. Whether they’re trying to scam you or serve you with ads, privacy is not something you can take for granted.
Between your emails, cookies (the tracking kind, not the delicious kind) and nosy apps, you’re being watched without even knowing it, but don’t despair — you can take back your privacy in a few steps. Here’s how to fight back against Big Tech.
Opt-Out Tuesday: How to remove your info from TruthFinder
People search sites advertise as services for finding people you’ve lost touch with.
These sites scrape personal information from local, state and federal public records, court records, social media, data brokers and forums. Tap or click here for detailed instructions for removing your information from these creepy sites.
Before you download one more app, you must check this list first
What are the five most-used apps on your phone? For me, it’s Messages, Mail, Redfin, Instagram and Podcasts.
There are also those forgotten apps I downloaded and only used once or twice. I know you have them too. Before you hit “uninstall,” there’s a crucial step you need to take. Tap or click for the right way to delete apps.
It's been a rough week for Facebook - Here's how to say goodbye for good
It’s been a bad week for Facebook. The social network went down on Tuesday, along with its other sites WhatsApp and Instagram. Compound this with congressional testimony from a whistleblower, whose identity was recently revealed.
See exactly what Facebook knows about you - and delete it - with this tool
It’s been a good deal of time since Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed the “future is private.” But based on the company’s behavior in the past several months, its difficult to say how much it’s tried to uphold that ideal.
Facebook did release several high-profile privacy tools for users to try out. They supposedly give you more flexibility with how your data is used, but Facebook continues getting caught mishandling the information it collects. Tap or click here to see how Facebook continues to exploit user data.