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The airlines sold you out
Let’s talk about something no one thinks about when booking a flight: where your travel info really goes.
An investigative bombshell from 404 Media just uncovered that the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), a company owned by the biggest U.S. airlines, has been giving federal agencies access to passenger records.
No, I’m not talking about flagged terrorists. We’re talking 5 billion ticket records of everyday folks like you and me, completely searchable by the FBI, ICE, the Secret Service and more. Wow.
All without a warrant.
🧳 What they have about you
ARC isn’t a household name, but it processes bookings from over 12,800 travel agencies and 270 airlines. That includes your flight through Expedia, business trip from your company’s travel desk or miles you cashed in last summer.
The data includes your full name, payment method, dates and times of travel, full itinerary and who you traveled with. This info goes into a database that law enforcement can search instantly, no judge or subpoena required.
🤫 It gets worse
The contracts between ARC and these agencies reportedly forbid them from ever revealing ARC as the source of the data. So if your personal travel history helped trigger an investigation or was sold off, you’d never know how they got it.
It’s a direct runaround of the Fourth Amendment, which is supposed to protect you from this kind of unchecked surveillance.
🛡️ Fight back
If this made your stomach drop, you’re not alone. It’s the latest example of data brokers acting as secret surveillance partners.
Glow big or glow home
🎃 My pick: Flameless color-changing candles (19% off)
Spooky without the smoke. Get into the Halloween spirit with these flickering flames you can control from your couch.
🖼️ Picture-hanging strips (47% off): Swap your wall art as much as you want. Strong hold, clean removal, no hammer required.
Bamboo drawer dividers (29% off): Slide to size and get instant organization for your clothes, silverware, you name it.
👕 Wooden hangers (19% off, 20 pack): Ditch the flimsy plastic. These keep your fits looking sharp and wrinkle-free.
Hat rack organizer (15% off, two-pack): No more crushed brims. Clips right on your hangers to hold 10 hats per strip.
🧰 Handy finds, all in one place: Shop all my home improvement faves on my Amazon storefront.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Identity thieves are coming for your insurance
I was shocked by this stat the other day. The National Insurance Crime Bureau says identity theft–driven insurance fraud is projected to spike 49% by the end of 2025.
Really, insurance fraud?
📱 iOS 26: Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Screen Unknown Callers. You’ll see two options: Silence, which has always been there, or the new Ask Reason for Calling. With it on, your iPhone will auto-answer unknown numbers, ask the caller to state their name and reason, then ring your phone with that info so you can decide whether to pick up. The best.
🛬 iPad turbulence: When a Spirit Airlines flight flew too close to Air Force One over Long Island the other day, air traffic control urgently warned the pilots to turn and finally snapped, “Get off the iPad!” The FAA says the planes maintained a safe distance. Read the entire exchange here. It’s interesting.
The glasses that will change everything
Oakley and Meta just launched sunglasses that look normal but secretly record everything you see. The AI-powered Oakley Meta Vanguard could change privacy, sports, and even journalism forever. Here’s what you need to know.
1
The number of parents needed to make some baby iguanas. A female casque-headed iguana at Exotic Zoo in England just gave birth to eight healthy hatchlings without ever meeting a male. The phenomenon, called parthenogenesis, makes the babies genetic clones of mom, one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom. My bet? A very sneaky male iguana.
🖥️ macOS 26: Your Mac now has a Games app. Open Spotlight and search “games” to launch it. The app acts as a hub for all your titles, whether from Apple Arcade or the App Store. Use the Home tab for recommendations, the magnifying glass to browse categories, or the search bar to find a specific title.
The best day to book a flight
Forget the myths about cheap flights. Google Flights crunched billions of bookings and found the real hacks: book five weeks ahead, fly Wednesday, and skip the Tuesday ticket myth. Here’s what you need to know.
Hold off buying any Google Home products: Reminder that on Oct. 1, at least one new Nest Cam and doorbell with Gemini built in will drop. I’ll keep you posted.
Rinse and repeat (for less)
✨ My pick: Makeup brush cleaner (24% off)
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🛁 Memory foam rug set (50% off, two-piece): Your feet deserve better. These are soft, nonslip and machine washable.
African bath sponge set (20% off, three-pack): Long enough to scrub your back, tough enough for daily exfoliation.
💦 Shower drain hair catcher (7% off): Clogs are gross, plumbers are expensive. This stops crises before they start.
Foaming hand soap pumps (20% off, five-pack): A little pump, a lot of foam. You’ll smell fresh with aloe and essential oils.
🛒 Skip the drugstore run: Click here for today’s best beauty deals. I picked out 25 more for you on my Amazon storefront.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Sam Altman is building the future and planning for the end
Let’s talk about Sam Altman. You’ve probably heard his name, but do you really know who he is or what he’s planning? I put this together, so next time he comes up, you’re not just in the loop, you’ve got something smart to say.
📱 I’m saving so much money. Same reliable coverage as the big guys but at a fraction of the cost. With Consumer Cellular, I got two unlimited lines for just $60. Use code KIM25 at ConsumerCellular.com/KIM for $25 in savings, and make the smart switch today.
🍿 Wicked early: Be the family hero. Amazon Prime members can now snag tickets to see Wicked: For Good on Nov. 17. That’s a full four days before the official release. Just click here, so you don’t miss out. You can shop for Oz-themed merch and stream the first movie on Prime Video to get ready in style.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Fix Windows 11 right-click menus: Microsoft messed with context menus so you only see “important” options, and the rest are hidden under Show more options. Annoying, right? Quick fix: Hold Shift + right-click on any file or folder to see the full menu instantly. So much for simplifying things.
The airlines are selling you out
Forget peanuts. Airlines are quietly handing over five billion passenger records to the feds. Then, I talk to Brian, a grieving uncle who wants to name his pond on Google Maps after his niece but isn’t sure how to get started. Plus, the U.S. keeps TikTok alive, and one woman keeps getting tickets for cars she’s never even seen.
The cloud is actually in the ocean
The world’s internet runs on wet spaghetti under the sea, and when those cables snap, we all feel it. George, your AI host of The Current, explains how fragile our digital lifeline really is, then covers poisoned calendar invites, an AI lawsuit, TikTok’s survival deal, Roku’s bot-made ads, and Amazon’s big hardware reveal.
📷 Cover your webcam: If hackers get into your PC, they might spy on you through the camera and blackmail you later. Skip the messy tape, and use a webcam cover instead. You can get a three-pack for under $5 (28% off) that also fits an iPad. Oh, and don’t trust the green “on” light. They can trick that, too.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
America loves spyware: Guess who’s the biggest investor in spyware? Home of screaming bald eagles and football fields. A lot of this money isn’t just coming from hedge funds, it’s pouring in from teachers’ and firefighters’ retirement plans buying things like NSO Group and SIO. Congrats, your 401(k) is riding on being Big Brother.