Happy Friday! Forget using an app or website to access ChatGPT — you can now speak to OpenAI’s bot by calling 1‑800‑CHATGPT (242‑8478). It’s surprisingly human-like, even rocking a cheerful customer service vibe. But why would OpenAI launch a phone line for a chatbot? Simple: Marketing. The goal is to get as many people as possible hooked on their AI so they can more easily dominate the market. Talk quickly; you only get 15 free minutes a month.

🛑 Don’t let Big Tech rule. Big Tech has too much power over what lands in your inbox. You can help fix that by simply replying to this email. This tells their algorithms you actually want to get my free newsletter. If you can reply just a few times this week, it’d mean the world to me. Thank you so much for your support! 🙏 — Kim

It’s a grim topic, but we have to think about what happens to all our online accounts, data, notes, photos, videos, websites, playlists, blogs and subscriptions once we’re gone. Do your loved ones a favor and get this sorted out beforehand.

Your Apple account

Apple’s Legacy Contact is a safe, secure way to give trusted people 13 or older access to the data stored in your Apple account after you die. Here’s how to set it up on your iPhone:

• Open Settings and tap your name.
• Go to Sign‑In & Security > Legacy Contact > Add Legacy Contact.
• Select the person from your Contacts, then tap Continue.
• You’ll be asked how you want to share your access key. Select Print Access Key or Send Access Key.
• If you choose to send your key digitally, Apple will create a message letting your contact know you’ve added them as your legacy contact. Tap Send.

Your Google account (including Gmail)

Google offers a similar setup as Apple’s Legacy Contact called Inactive Account Manager. With it, you choose when your account is considered inactive and what happens to your data.

• Hit this link, choose Start, then select a timeframe for Google to consider your account inactive — from three months to 18 months. You’ll get multiple alerts via text and email before anything happens, so make sure your phone number and recovery email are both up to date. When you’re ready, click Next.
• Add up to 10 people Google should notify if your account is inactive, then choose anything you want them to have access to, like your contacts, calendar or entire Google account. They’ll have three months of access time. After you’ve selected your legacy recipients, hit Next.
• If you don’t want to share your data with anyone else and would prefer Google delete your account instead, toggle on that option.
• Hit Review Plan to finish up, then click Confirm Plan.

Do the same for Facebook

On Facebook, you can assign a legacy contact to write posts, update your profile photo and get a copy of everything you did on Facebook after you pass. It’s easiest to do this from a computer.

• Sign into your Facebook account, then tap your profile in the upper-right corner.
• Select Settings & Privacy > Settings > See more in Accounts Center > Personal details > Account ownership and control.
• Choose Memorialization, select your Facebook account and pick a legacy contact.

If you’d rather have your Facebook account deleted, go to the Memorialization settings page. Right above the Close button at the bottom, select Request that your account be deleted after you pass away.

What about all your passwords?

When you’re gone, it’ll help the person handling your estate if they have all your passwords. I know this firsthand. When my mother passed away from pancreatic cancer, it was so much easier when I knew the passwords to her accounts. I wish I’d told her to use a password manager.

Here’s the shortcut

With my thoroughly tested recommendation and pick, NordPass, you can securely store all your logins and passwords, then grant access to a trusted loved one in the case of an emergency or per your instructions in your estate documents.

Once you have NordPass, under Tools, look for Emergency Access. From here, you can send an email invitation to someone you trust. They get viewing access only when you say so, and you never have to share your master password.

NordPass keeps everything encrypted and locked down but accessible when it matters most. It’s peace of mind for you and a big favor for the people you care about.

If you haven’t started using a password manager yet, now’s the time. NordPass is my go-to for keeping everything safe and organized, and I negotiated a special deal just for you.

✅ Right now, get NordPass for only $1.23 a month. You can set things up now and know it’s all taken care of. When you sign up for two years, you get an extra three months free, too. Nice.

😌 Bonus: Most of these will arrive before Christmas, too!

• Sending Christmas checks in the mail? Write them with pens designed to prevent check washing (38% off, $9).
• You guys really loved this car cleaning goop (20% off, $8). I do, too.
• Plugs! So many plugs! This wall surge protector ($13) can charge nine devices at once — you know, just in case.
• The Pink Stuff ($6) is a cleaning paste that works on everything you could possibly think of.
• After trying this carpet cleaner ($7), you’ll never need another.
• This whitening toothpaste (20% off, $12) is my absolute favorite. Keeps me sparkly for the cameras.
• If you know me, you know I love a good pen: Ballpoint pens, Tide pens and even WD‑40 pens (13% off, $13). Yes, please.
• I put Apple AirTags (26% off, $73) on everything — keys, my dog, my husband.
• Stop wiping your screens and glasses on your shirt! A massive pack of lens wipes is less than $15.
• This curved toilet brush (43% off, $10) will be your No. 1 pick for your No. 2 needs. 💩 Sorry, I had to.

Tech bonus: Protect yourself from hacking and juice-jacking with a USB data blocker ($10). It stops data transfers so you can charge your phone anywhere without worry.

Steve Harvey is not dead: Communist China-owned NewsBreak (aka the most downloaded news app in America) ran an AI-generated article this week claiming Steve Harvey died. It went viral on social media, so you might’ve seen it. Spoiler: He’s alive. Now, imagine if that bogus article was about a nuke secretly planted in the USA. Talk about a family feud.

🇨🇳 More ties to China: Yesterday, I told you about the possible TP‑Link ban because of its ties to Communist China. Now, drone maker DJI has dodged a U.S. ban … if only temporarily. This Chinese giant has one year to prove its consumer drones aren’t a national security threat or it’ll be grounded. The main worry? Surveillance and data hacks. The U.S. military and several other organizations have already banned DJI drones.

Your gas is as good as mine: California and 11 other states just got the OK to ban sales of new gas cars by 2035. Hitting that goal is a long shot; this year, about 25% of California’s car sales were EVs and hybrids. When President-elect Trump’s back in the driver’s seat, expect the brakes to slam quickly on the ruling.

Google Street View helped crack a murder case: A Google car grabbed snapshots of a man taking a suspiciously human-shaped bag out of his car and moving it in a wheelbarrow. And that’s not even the wildest part: It was the first time in 15 years a Google car had driven through the town.

The future is expensive: LG just dropped its brand-new transparent OLED TV. The price tag? A whopping $60,000. The small but see-through 55-inch screen looks pretty cool, and there’s an opaque mode when the novelty wears off. Check out this video to see it in action. Santa, I’d like this for Christmas.

No way to Excel, I Azure you: Push notifications to buy “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” are popping up on Windows 11 PCs. They’re upselling Microsoft Defender security software, too. It’s free … but now requires a Microsoft 365 subscription for all the features. What a crock. Here’s how to disable the ads.

18 times better than Wi‑Fi: Z‑Wave’s long-range tech extends the maximum wireless range to 1.5 miles — way better than Wi‑Fi (up to 300 feet) or Bluetooth (only 30 feet). It supports 4,000 devices on one network, so it’s perfect for offices, too. It’ll be out next year.

👼 Welcome to the world, little one: The first baby conceived via Fertilo was just born in Lima, Peru. This is different from IVF. Doctors use stem cell tech to help eggs mature before they’re implanted in the mom’s womb. There are 80% fewer shots, and it takes two to three days instead of two to three weeks.

✈️ Lost your luggage? United, Delta and Air Canada now accept Find My item locations. If your lost bag has an Apple AirTag, open the Find My app > select the tracked tag > Share Item Location. Grab that link and email it straight to the airline. Easy!

Netflix shortcuts: Try these next time you’re watching from a browser. Hit F for full-screen mode and Esc to exit. Hit the spacebar to play and pause. M mutes, and the up and down arrows control the volume. Sweet!

Before you hit the road: Download your directions so you can still navigate if your cell service cuts out. Open the Google Maps app and search for your destination. On Android, swipe up. On iOS, swipe to the end of the options. Tap Download to save an offline map you can access anytime.

🕵️ Website detective: Use this IP address tool to look up any URL. I do it all the time. Click the IP address to see where it’s located. Look for suspicious signs, like an American business with an IP address from somewhere overseas that just doesn’t make sense.

Growing your side hustle? Switch your Instagram account to a Business profile to add shopping links to your posts, run ads and lots more. From your profile, tap Edit profile > Switch to professional account. More smart tips like this are coming soon in my free small-biz newsletter!

Chatting with ChatGPT brought back some nostalgia: Remember ChaCha? Back in 2006, you could text a question and get a free answer from a real person. It was like Google for the pre-smartphone era. At its peak, ChaCha had 5,000 freelancers providing answers. But once Google took over, ChaCha faded into history. Remember, I’m here for you. Need help with something tech? Drop me a note here. I read ‘em all myself.

💃 That reminds me … I signed up for a ballroom dancing class, but learning to waltz is hard. It feels like I’m taking two steps forward, then one step back.

One last thing I want to share with you: On the way home from work last night, I heard this amazing Christmas song. It was so beautiful I actually found myself crying, reminded of those magical Christmas mornings with my wonderful parents. ❤️ Merry Christmas! Thank you for being here with me. — Kim