Take a step: Get yourself off data brokers’ and people-search sites. Use this link to get 60% off right now. Def worth it! I get no more spam calls or texts since I did this.
Block ads to protect your privacy
I wanted to get something nice for Barry’s birthday, so I splurged on a gorgeous watch. Well, wouldn’t ya know it, like clockwork, my online ads changed. Suddenly, I was seeing fancy espresso machines, expensive face cream and cashmere sweaters all over social and the web.
Yep, I ticked the “luxury” box for online advertisers. That’s one relatively harmless example of how your every move makes its way around the web. But there are darker ones, too, that I think are important to share.
Say you went through an ugly divorce. Well, that same information advertisers scoop up (yes, including your location) is on sites anyone can access — including your ex. That scares me, and it should scare you, too.
Every click, every visit, every time
It seems like every day, a new company is outed for selling your info to who knows who. It’s easy to accept being watched on the web as the “new normal,” but I don’t — and you shouldn’t, either.
Cookies, tracking links, pixels and online markers unique to you (aka “Kim Komando” on this IP address and this device) all add up to an incredibly detailed profile. You can bet every ad you click on, hover over, close out of, or even look at for a couple of seconds is part of the calculation.
Lucky for us both, that one has an easy solution
Block the ads. And don’t just go Googling “free ad blocker.” There are too many criminals out there baking malware and even more tracking into free products that are supposed to keep you “safe.”
I knew you’d ask, so I found an option you can trust: Total Adblock. It’s advanced ad-blocking technology for all your devices — Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android.
Total Adblock lets you:
- Instantly identify and block ads, including those annoying Facebook and YouTube autoplay ads on your smartphone.
- Automatically clear your browser history, cache and other cookies so advertisers can’t use them to track you. I love that.
✅ Stop the ads on websites you use today. Go to TotalAdblock.com/kim to get all that for a year for just $19. PSA: I don’t get kickbacks if you buy, but your support does help keep this newsletter free.
Is Apple’s new Journal app a major privacy nightmare?
Apple’s new Journal feature is all about capturing those little moments in life right on your iPhone. But posts started blowing up on social media that (oh no!) because of it, anyone can find your full name and location as well as read your deepest thoughts. Yikes.
But at what privacy cost? Your Chase credit card will soon hand over your spending data (paywall link) to advertisers. Say you buy dog food every month. Cue ads for dog owners, whether you’ve opted in or not. The only way to avoid this? Pay cash. Sorry.
Don’t spill the beans on your friends
Your phone’s address book has all the juicy details on the people you care about — birthdays, pics, names, email addresses. Newsflash: That’s not your info to share.
Seems harmless, right? What does it matter if you let X or Meta dive into your contacts? Get this: From your address book, companies build “shadow profiles” for people who aren’t on their sites, just based on info they get from their friends who don’t realize how much they’re sharing.
The “what can I do?” is simple:
- Don’t give apps access to your phone’s contacts. Review which apps have access and turn it off. You’ll find this in your phone’s settings under App permissions.
🛑 Pay attention, folks. Stop sharing info without a real benefit to you. It’ll make a world of difference for your privacy.
Scummy data brokers caught selling military secrets — and your data, too
Data brokers are the companies that make billions of dollars gathering up, then selling or sharing our data. It’s used for everything from targeted ads (that’s how they knew you drive a Subaru) to spam (and why you get so many bogus phone calls).
These apps are the biggest oversharers on your phone
I talk a lot about how most apps default to sharing your data with advertisers and marketing companies. But some share your personal info with other people by default.
Yeah, no, thank you. Let’s end this today. Here are the most common app oversharers on your phone and how to get them to stop.
Speak your mind: Let me know what privacy-related issues matter to you so I can do a better job for you. One person who completes the survey will win a cool $100 Amazon gift card. Good luck!
Airbnb’s losing money to hotels: We’re tired of dealing with crazy hosts and hidden cameras. Starting April 30, indoor cameras are a no-go — no matter where they’re located or what reason you give. As for outdoor security cams and noise decibel monitors, you’ve gotta let potential renters know upfront. I’m over the Airbnb craze and would rather stay at a hotel.
Car-tracking shocker: Automakers are sharing our driving habits with insurance companies. With help from data brokers (NY Times, paywall link) like LexisNexis, insurers know every move we make — speeding, hard braking, rapid acceleration, you name it. The kicker? This could spike your insurance bill. I suppose we should’ve known this was happening.
Opt out of advertiser tracking
Ever wonder why you see certain ads on your phone or computer? It all has to do with companies that track what you do online and what you buy. They use tokens to show you ads, which is called interest-based advertising.
The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) has a tool for you to decline letting these companies follow you around online using your email address or phone number. Yep — by using this tool, you can stop those personalized ads and tracking.
Don’t worry, the DAA is a legit organization and doesn’t use your email address or phone number for anything other than the opt-out process, and the hashed versions are automatically deleted after 30 days.
I opted out with my primary email address and cell number.
Opt out for free here. You’re welcome. Where else can you get this valuable intel?
Airlines collect a lot more data than you realize
The future of flight is here and it’s not jetpacks — it’s in-air surveillance. If you thought the most invasive thing that could happen on a plane was the person in front of you reclining, I have some bad news, friend.
Quick cybersecurity step to take now
Spyware is malicious software that works quietly in the background, tracking almost everything you do. These sneaky downloads leave digital clues if you know what to look for.
FYI: If you see a name you don’t recognize, search for it online to see what turns up. Sometimes, these programs and background processes are legitimate and of no concern, even if you don’t know the name.
If you use a PC:
- Open the Task Manager by holding down Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Under the Processes tab, you’ll see the apps and background processes running on your PC.
- To close an app or process, right-click and hit End task. Check again later to see if it’s running again.
If you use a Mac:
- Hit Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search. Then, type Activity Monitor and press Enter. Check over the list for anything you don’t recognize.
- Double-click to close out a program or process, then hit Quit.
Guests staying with you? Keep ‘em from prying
A spouse, roommate or friend can’t snoop on your phone if there’s no opportunity to do so. Here are a couple of simple precautions you can take.
Lock it down — Just like with your computer, you need to set a password. You may choose to use a passcode, a fingerprint, a pattern or your Face ID. The key is to actually use them. Touch and Face ID are great ways to boost security, as they can’t be guessed. They’re easy to enable, too, so you won’t feel like you’re stuck entering a code all day long.
Hide your notifications — Notifications are tempting to read and can reveal a whole lot. You can hide them from your lock screen.
- For Android: Head to Settings > Notifications, then tap on the gear icon and select On the lock screen. You’ll have the options here to not show any notifications, show all notifications or hide just sensitive notifications.
- For iPhone: Open Settings > Notifications, and select Show Previews. Here, you can choose to show them always, when the phone is unlocked or never.
1-minute tech changes for more privacy
You’re shopping for a gift or doing something personal, and oops! Someone waltzes into the room. No problem — just hit Command + M on a Mac or Windows + M on a Windows PC to instantly minimize the program you have open.
Get instant disposable email addresses
Apple and Google let you create “burner emails” to save your inbox from spam. I choose this over giving out my real email address when I’m trying to score a coupon code or a site I’m just browsing requires contact info.
Got an Apple device? The Hide My Email feature lets you generate random email addresses when you fill out an online form or sign up for a website.
- It pops up when you fill out online forms or sign up for a website.
- Emails sent to the generated address go to your iCloud account.
Using Gmail? To create an alias in Gmail, add a + (plus sign) after your address, followed by the name of the site, like first.last+target@gmail.com. If you start getting spam, delete that email address. That’s it!
🗺️ Just got an email from Google detailing how they’ve devised a way to read maps backward. Turns out it was spam.
How to delete yourself from the internet
I feel lucky to have the job I do. Every day, I help folks stay up to date on tech and help solve all those digital-life problems Google just can’t answer.
And after all these years, I’ll toot my own horn a little and say there’s not much that stumps me anymore. I did get a question recently, though, on my daily podcast that had a not-so-happy answer.
They get ya when you’re in a rush
You don’t want to miss the last available spot for dinner tonight, so you let a reservation-booking app access your Google Calendar. Harmless, right? Wrong.
The more apps you give access to your account, the more you’re exposed. And if an app suffers a data breach, that puts you at risk.
The good news is it’s easy to revoke third-party app permissions. Here’s how:
- Log in at myaccount.google.com and tap Security.
- Scroll to Your connections to third-party apps & services > See all connections.
- Select the app or service you want to review, then choose See details.
- Click Stop using Sign in with Google and confirm your selection.
NOTE: This does not delete your account with that app. It may request access to your Google account again the next time you open it, so be on the lookout.
🤣 Where’s the best place to hide a body? Page 2 of the Google search results.
7 things you should never ask Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa
You’re suddenly thrown into a situation where you must perform CPR to save a life. Oh, no — you don’t remember anything from that course 15 years ago.
You might think a quick “Hey, Siri” would pull up the instructions clearly, but that’s absolutely the worst thing to do. In a recent study, researchers asked voice assistants about cardiac arrest emergencies. Yep, it was a complete disaster.
Have a Facebook account? Here's who is watching
Yes, we know why those shoes we clicked on yesterday are now in our Facebook feed. That’s old news. But just how deep is Meta’s surveillance rabbit hole? And how much of our data comes from other companies? It’s unbelievable.