Happy marvelous Monday, friend. Hope your weekend was smoother than trying to plug in a USB stick on the first try. Statistically impossible, right? 

What actually happens when you jam that little rectangle USB drive upside down? A) It breaks, B) Power flows but no data, C) Nada happens, D) It fries your port. No spoilers here, the answer’s waiting for you at the end.

🎧 Didn’t catch the show this weekend? No worries, you’re just fashionably late. The best part? You can listen on your schedule, wherever you are. I’ve pulled together one-click links to all the top podcast platforms, so you won’t miss a thing. Let’s catch up and keep you (and your crew) tech-savvy, safe and a step ahead. — Kim

You’ve heard me say it a hundred times: Clear your cookies, block third-party trackers, use private browsing. But here’s something new, something creepier. 

Now, even after nuking cookies from orbit and going full incognito ninja, websites still know who you are. How? Something called browser fingerprinting. 

And unlike actual crime-fighting fingerprints, this one just helps companies charge you more for socks.

🚰 How it works

Every time you visit a website, your browser leaks little clues about who you are: your screen size, time zone, where you live, your device and operating system, even how fast your processor runs. 

None of these sounds personal, but when combined? They create a unique invisible fingerprint that websites use to identify you.

A new study from Texas A&M and Johns Hopkins shows this is no longer a fringe trick, it’s mainstream. 

👣 Tracks in real time

Websites now know who you are even if you’re not logged in, cleared your cookies and browse in incognito mode. Researchers watched sites change in real time depending on the fingerprint they detected. 

Here’s the kicker: Your “harmless” device fingerprint is used to change the prices you see. Researchers watched websites adjust pricing in real time based on things I’ve mentioned.

In other words, you could see higher prices simply because you live in an expensive area or use a newer iPhone. Creepy? Totally. Legal? For now, yes.

✋ So what can you do?

You can’t “turn off” fingerprinting. It’s baked into the way the web works. Privacy tools like uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger help, and so do browsers like Brave and Tor. But they’re not enough.

You need to go one level deeper.

🛡️ You need a VPN

A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and the internet. It masks your real IP address and location, routing your traffic through a secure server, often in another city or country.

This does two things fingerprinting tools can’t handle:

1. It breaks the link between your fingerprint and your identity. Even if your browser leaks traits, they can’t be tied to you.
2. It introduces just enough uncertainty to mess with the tracking systems. You become very difficult to profile and follow.

A VPN is the only reliable defense against this kind of tracking. Every other tool helps a little, but a VPN changes the game entirely. I use ExpressVPN*, and I’m picky. It’s fast, secure, easy to use, and unlike free VPNs, it doesn’t log your activity or sell your data.

Whether you’re at home, at work or on public Wi-Fi, ExpressVPN hides your IP address, encrypts your connection and keeps fingerprinting tools from tying your activity to your identity. If you’re serious about privacy, this is the one tool you don’t want to skip.

👉 Get four months free at expressvpn.com/kim and take back control of digital life now.

☣️ OpenAI issues a bioweapon warning: This is frightening. OpenAI says its next-gen models might be dangerously helpful, like “here’s how to cook up a bioweapon” helpful. They’re beefing up safety tests as models approach high-risk territory, where even amateurs could make deadly agents. So yes, your AI intern might someday help someone go full Bond villain. We wanted cancer cures, not anthrax recipes.

Tracked and fambushed: New word to know. Teens are stalking their moms, using things like Life360 and Snap Maps to “fambush” their parents. Basically, they show up unannounced at Starbucks, restaurants or … dates. It’s part bonding moment, part digital stakeout, and mostly just unhinged with a dash of funny. Parents are starting to realize: Maybe they’re the ones who need privacy settings.

🧠 Brain go brrr: A new MIT study suggests that using ChatGPT to write essays may fry your brain. OK, not literally but close. Participants using it showed the lowest mental activity and creativity, with their essays called “soulless.” Turns out AI isn’t just replacing jobs, it’s replacing neurons.

Roblox predator walks free: A mother called the FBI after finding out her 10-year-old daughter was groomed by a man she met in-game. The sicko turned the conversation sexual, asked for pictures over text and even hacked into her online schooling accounts. And yet? Still no charges. Watch your kids.

🔐 Wyze’s new safety feature: “VerifiedView” tags every video, image or live feed with a unique ID tied to your account. If someone tries to watch your footage, the app checks whether their ID matches the one in the video. If it doesn’t, they’ll get a 403 error. Update your Wyze app and firmware to enable it.

🧬 CRISPR takes on chromosomes: You’re gonna want to pass this one on. I sent this news to a few friends. Japanese scientists say they’ve successfully used CRISPR to remove the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome in lab-grown cells. It’s a major leap. Imagine if this was even possible!

Are your cloud costs climbing? Oracle can help you save big. Get enterprise-level performance at 50% or more off for a limited time. Check to see if your business qualifies today, because smart savings and better tech starts right here!*

🙈 No shame in a bit of clutter, but let’s make it easier to hide.

• 🧢 Hats off to this: Hang up to 10 of your baseball caps on a hat rack organizer (50% off) for your closet.
• Closet full? Shove it under the bed. These storage bins (7% off) have 4.7 stars and 25,000+ reviews.
• 🚪 Block that breeze: Stop the weather and noise from creeping in with a door draft stopper (10% off).
• Cord chaos = canceled: This paintable cable cover (23% off) hides messy wires. You’ll forget they’re there.
• 🧺 Roll with it: Laundry day just got easier with a wheeled hamper (17% off) that glides from room to washer.

🤖 Lazy cleaning FTW: Kick back while this robot vacuum & mop (38% off) handles those dust bunnies.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Rename your Bluetooth device something bland. Instead of “Kim’s iPhone,” go with “My Little Phoney.” It hides your identity from nearby snoops. Yup, that’s my phone’s name.

What’s the passkey? You can view and manage them right from your PC. Head to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys to see a list. Use the search bar to filter by app or website name. Don’t need one anymore? Click the three dots next to it, and select Delete passkey.

🖼️ Add borders to screenshots: Using the Snipping Tool in Windows 11? You can automatically add borders. Open the tool, click the three-dot menu > Settings, then scroll down and toggle on Add border to each screenshot. Click the arrow next to it to choose the border Color and Thickness.

Mac feeling slow? Something might be hogging resources in the background. Open Activity Monitor to see what’s going on. Check the CPU and Memory tabs, and sort by % CPU or Memory Used. If you spot a big app running, double-click it and hit Quit. FYI: Don’t close system processes. 

🎞️ Make your own GIFs: Want something custom for social media? Try GIPHY for free. Just make an account, click Create (top right) and Choose a File (like an MP4). Trim the clip, add stickers or text and upload it. When it’s ready, you can Download it or Copy Link to share.

Keep YouTube videos private: Uploading something for work or family? Set the video to Unlisted, so it won’t show up in search, recommendations or on your channel. Only people with the link can watch. Just go to Profile (top right) > YouTube Studio > Content, then under Visibility, choose Unlisted and hit Save.

👏 Easy website building that works! Just drag and drop. Framer brings your ideas to life with easy-to-use tools and no coding required. Today it’s 25% off specific plans with my code Kim.*

Answer: C) Nothing. Plugging a USB in upside down won’t fry your port, but it also won’t work. 

🔮 Here’s a trick. The little USB logo usually faces up when plugging into a horizontal port (like on laptops). For vertical ports (like on desktops), the logo usually faces you.

⚰ There’s this old joke. When the person who invented the USB drive dies … they’ll lower his coffin into the grave, realize they put it in the wrong way and have to do it again.

And if anyone asks, yes, this is the #1 free tech newsletter in the U.S. See you tomorrow, same time, same place, where I’ll be sharing the ultimate secrets for getting the lowest airfare on your next trip. For now, take a breath, your digital confidence just leveled up. 📈 — Kim

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