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✋ New study out on data-hungry apps: Facebook and Instagram take the crown, sharing a whopping 68.6% of your personal info with third parties. Amazon, YouTube, Candy Crush Saga and Bumble aren’t much better. Now, go check your app permissions, because an alarm clock app doesn’t need to access your contacts.
Even the pros get targeted: An engineer almost fell for a next-level Google phishing scam after a call from “Google” claiming his account was under attack. When he asked for proof, they sent an email from “important.g.co” — a legit Google-owned domain. He still didn’t buy it. PSA: Google will never call you to tell you your account is in jeopardy.
💰 Apple Watch class-action settlement: The tech giant is coughing up $20 million for selling Apple Watches with batteries that swelled up. You could get up to $50 if you bought a first-gen model or a Series 1, Series 2 or Series 3 Apple Watch between April 24, 2015, and Feb. 6, 2024. Confirm your payment info by April 10.
📞 “Hi, it’s Jessica”: No, it’s a scammer pretending they’ve been trying to reach you about your loan application. All they need is to verify a few details … like your bank account and Social Security number. If you’ve actually applied for a loan, hang up and call the company directly.
Watch what you say: Ever chat with Meta AI on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger? Now, the bot will remember everything. If you say you’re hungry, it’ll suggest your favorite foods by picking up clues. Meta says it’ll only remember things from one-on-one convos, not group chats. Pro tip: Tap the three-dot icon next to the chat to delete your history.
Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS): This tech detects when two aircraft are about to converge and gives pilots a warning. The alerts are limited at low altitudes, though, to prevent risky maneuvers. That’s why it couldn’t help the jetliner and military helicopter in last week’s crash in Washington, D.C., which killed 67 people (paywall link). The jet and copter were flying somewhere between 200 feet and 400 feet above surface level. So sad.
This video is all over social media: It shows Angela Yang and Sean Kay, two of the young figure skaters who died in the Washington, D.C., crash, taking home gold in a November competition. Their excitement and smiles are just heartbreaking, considering what happened. Be sure to have tissues nearby if you watch the video.