🆘 Text 911: In an emergency situation where you can’t talk on the phone, start a new text, type “911” in the recipient field, add your exact location (no pics or emojis) and press Send. A dispatcher will respond via text with instructions. If this feature is unavailable in your area, you’ll receive a reply text alerting you.
TikTok is watching its employees with surveillance tools
If you’ve ever thought of building something as big as the Komando Media Empire, you must know that teamwork and collaboration are key. That’s why we’re all three days a week (at least) in the broadcast center. I would never implement what TikTok is doing with RTO (return to office) policies.
Newsflash from The New York Times: TikTok’s not just peeking at where you’re dancing anymore. Enter MyRTO, TikTok’s fresh-out-the-box tool that’s on overwatch and must be on every employee’s personal phone.
Swiper no swiping
Employees swipe a badge to get in or out? MyRTO’s noting it. Someone’s supposed to be at the office and they’re sitting at home? Expect a “Hey, where were you?” ping. TikTok is now rolling out this in-house watchdog to bring “crystal clarity” (their words, not mine) about attendance expectations.
You have to wonder, since the TikTok app on a user’s phone tracks their location, personal data, biometrics and more, it probably does the same to its employees, too.
Here’s the trend: Bosses everywhere are going nuts for these watchful widgets. Remote? They’re counting your online minutes and even snapping your screen occasionally. At the office? Sensors might just be timing your bathroom breaks.
Are you being watched by your employer?
If it feels like Big Brother is watching you work, it’s because he probably is. Today’s employee monitoring systems are getting fancier by the day, but are they legal? The short answer (unfortunately) is yes. However, employees do have rights.
Share this: I put together an excellent guide to find out how far your boss might be allowed to go. Tap or click here to check it out.
Fastest internet providers in the US – Where’s yours on this list?
Sick of slow Wi-Fi? Your provider might be to blame.
Let’s look at the fastest (and slowest) average download speeds for providers across the U.S.
Stop phone snoops
What percentage of Americans routinely spies on their partners’ phones, checks their texts, and looks at their location history? You’ll be surprised at the answer. Plus, I’ll show you how to tell if you’re being spied on.
Stalker alert: A North Carolina man used Snapchat’s live location feature to track down a woman in an attempted kidnapping. He found her in a parking lot and held her at gunpoint before she convinced him to let her go. The creep has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Please, turn off location sharing in your apps.
Zillow’s Zestimate guesses how much your house (or any other house) is worth. How many data points does Zillow factor in? Is it close to … A.) 100, B.) 500, C.) 7.5 million or D.) 20 million?
$174,000 salary
To manage a fast-food restaurant in California. Monique Pizano, a 27-year-old Raising Cane’s manager, makes six figures (paywall link) after bonuses, depending on her location’s performance. That’s egg-cellent! (Get it? It’s a chicken fast-food joint. Tough crowd!)
Must-dos BEFORE your phone goes missing
There are built-in tools to help you locate it using another phone or computer. Here’s the caveat: You have to make sure the feature is enabled ahead of time for it to work. Do it now!
Turn on Find My for your iPhone
- Go to Settings > [your name] > Find My.
- Tap Find My iPhone, then turn on Find My iPhone.
- To see your device even when it’s offline, turn on Find My network.
- To have the location of your device sent to Apple when the battery is low, turn on Send Last Location.
Turn on Find My Device for your Android
- Go to Settings > Security > Find My Device. Or try Security & location or Google > Security.
- Make sure Find My Device is turned on.
✏️ You can even erase your phone remotely if it’s really gone. Here’s how.
Fake your location to get the lowest prices: A friend of mine in Phoenix booked a rental car in the U.K. It was $955. I told her to try this trick. She used her VPN to change her location to the U.K. and the same car for the same dates was $322. Just another reason why you need ExpressVPN on all your devices. Use this link to get three months free.
Next time you go to the mall: Don’t lose your car yet again. Open the Google Maps app, tap the blue dot that shows your location, then select Save parking.
The world is your spreadsheet: This free Chrome extension lets you add content from a website directly to a Google Sheet without copying and pasting. Making a trip itinerary? Right-click on location descriptions, booking links or prices to add them directly to a column! Pretty slick.
🚨 Do it right now: The National Security Agency (NSA) has a hot security tip: Power off and restart your phone weekly. Sounds like a “duh,” but it works to combat zero-click exploits and spear phishing. More tips (that I’ve been giving you for years): Keep your OS updated, and disable Bluetooth and location services when you don’t need ‘em.
Fake your location to get the lowest prices: A friend of mine in Phoenix booked a rental car in the U.K. It was $955. I told her to try this trick. She used her VPN to change her location to the U.K. and the same car for the same dates was $322. Just another reason why you need ExpressVPN on all your devices. Use this link to get three months free.
What are you doing in there? Open the Google Maps app and tap your profile. Tap Location sharing. If you’re sharing your location with anyone, you’ll see their names here. Tap a profile, then tap Stop to quit sharing with them.
All eyes on you: Use Google Photos? See all the pics you took in a specific location. Open the Google Photos app. In the bottom bar, tap Search. Under the Places section, tap View All.
That’s why you’re coughing: You can monitor air quality without downloading anything new. Just open Google Maps and search for your location. You’ll see an Air Quality option in the layers menu. So handy.
We rely on GPS satellites to help us figure out exactly where we are. How many of them are orbiting Earth right now? Is it … A.) Four, B.) 15, C.) 24 or D.) 31?
The iPhone Journal app isn't spying on you
Rumors on social media say that it can let people track your name and location. Here’s the real story.
Fake your location for low prices
Are you getting the lowest price online? That depends on where you live. Here’s the lowdown.