Delete a selfie? Facebook saw it — May 10th, Hour 1

May 10, 2025

Post a pic. Regret it. Delete it. Facebook tracked when teen girls did that, says a former company exec. Then, at that moment, it allegedly hit them with beauty ads. Plus, NYC tests crime-predicting AI and drivers want buttons back in cars. I also talk to Ken from Ohio, who says his Apple Watch saved his life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tags: AdChoices, Apple, Apple Watch, download, Facebook

Reset your social media algorithms

ChatGPT

Ever scroll through Instagram or Facebook and wonder, Why am I still seeing goat yoga videos and political or family drama from 2009? Our social media feeds are Frankenstein monsters built from everything we’ve clicked on, liked, hovered over or even winced at for half a second.

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🚗 Polestar recall: The EV maker no one really knows about is recalling over 27,000 Polestar 2s due to a rearview camera issue. In some models, the camera might not show anything when reversing. FYI: It affects 2021 to 2025 models. A fix is coming via software update. Expect a letter with details by June 19. But since you get my free newsletter, you know now.

40-foot submarine-hunting drone

The “BlueWhale” uses special sensors to spot underwater and surface threats, and can help clear mines. The cool bit? It’s fully autonomous and runs on batteries for weeks. Basically, a Roomba’s scarier cousin with serious military vibes.

$10 million

Has already been bet on one unregulated site over who’ll become the next pope. Gambling on religious events is banned in Italy, so locals are placing $20 pizza bets instead. As for front-runners? Cardinals Parolin and Tagle. Because nothing says divine intervention like odds-making and mozzarella

Netflix is updating its home screen: Well, they should for what we pay them every month. Live events like NFL games will be easier to spot so you don’t miss them. You’ll start seeing labels like “Emmy Winner” right on show images. And they’re adding AI to search, so you can type stuff like “something scary but also funny,” and it’ll suggest movies and shows that actually fit. Neat.

🚫 No ban, no problem: TikTok’s execs are telling advertisers to relax, promising the app’s staying power despite that little thing called a federal ban potentially kicking in next month (paywall link). With 170 million U.S. users and Super Bowl ad ambitions, TikTok says it’s too big to flinch.

About 2,000 runners

Took on the Atlanta Marathon, with some hoping to punch their ticket to Boston. But the course came up 554 feet short. Yep, someone goofed the route. That teensy error threw off finish times by up to 87 seconds, making them invalid for qualifying. So yeah, months of training … down the drain. Race organizers, you had one job.

Excelling in email: Microsoft’s new Outlook rules will put you in a bad mood if you send over 5,000 emails a day and aren’t squeaky clean with SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Now, instead of spam folders, your email marketing will be basically just shouting into a canyon. Instead, use a free option like Mailchimp.

Surprise, iPhone 13 users: You just got a freebie. Apple’s iOS 18.5 will unlock satellite connectivity for iPhone 13 models. No hardware changes, just a software update. It’s carrier-dependent, so your provider might still hold you hostage, but it’s free to enable. Finally, you can ignore texts from space, not just Earth.

$68,000

The salary offer a high school junior has already locked in for after graduation. Elijah Rios isn’t heading to college. He’s heading to the welding shop (paywall link). In a world where internships are unpaid and “entry-level” means three years of experience, Rios’ gig, $24 an hour with overtime, a 401(k) and benefits, feels like spotting a unicorn.