Say hello to your Tuesday, friend! April Fools’ Day! In 2004, Google launched a real product on April 1 that people thought was a prank. Was it … A.) Google Maps, B.) Gmail, C.) Google Earth or D.) Google Translate? I’ll never forget when a caller asked me in all seriousness, “Is email when you use electricity to send mail and Gmail is when you use a generator?” 🤦‍♀️ 🤣 

🥱 You do know why everyone is so tired on April 1, right? It’s because it’s at the end of a 31-day march. I had to, sorry. Let’s get to making sure you’re always tech-ahead and never left behind in the digital dust! — Kim

You can freeze your credit. Change your password. Replace a stolen phone. But there’s one thing you can’t ever change: your DNA.

That’s why the news that 23andMe just filed for bankruptcy should set off alarms. This company collected genetic information from over 15 million people. Yours could be sold as part of bankruptcy proceedings, absorbed into a merger or leaked in a breach. You’ll never know until it’s too late.

⚠️ I’ve been warning you about this for years

It’s not only 23andMe. These DNA testing companies often keep your data even after you delete your account. Some share it with “research partners” (read: Big Pharma), while others quietly retain it for marketing or law enforcement use. And yes, it’s legal.

Even worse? You might be in a database without ever taking a test. 

Think your DNA is private? Think again. If your sibling, cousin or even a distant relative submitted their DNA, there’s a good chance yours can be figured out, too. That’s exactly how law enforcement is cracking cold cases. They use genetic breadcrumbs left behind by innocent family members.

🧼 Clean up your digital DNA

You need to take action if you’ve used 23andMe, Ancestry, MyHeritage or a similar service. Before deleting your account, download your raw DNA file in case you need it for future medical reasons. Save it to an encrypted drive, not a cloud service.

🔴 23andMe

• Log in to your 23andMe account on a desktop. Click your profile photo > Settings. Scroll to “23andMe Data” and click View. 
• Click Delete Data, and you’ll need to confirm it twice to delete your DNA data and profile.
• You’ll get a confirmation email. Click the link to finalize.

Want your saliva sample destroyed, too? Email privacy@23andme​.com. I got your back with a sample letter below.

🟡 Ancestry

• Log in on a computer. Click your name in the top right > Account Settings. Click the DNA tab and select the test you want to delete. 
• Click “Delete DNA Test Results and Revoke Consent.” Enter your password.
• To delete your account, return to Account Settings, scroll to the bottom and click Delete Account. Click the link in the confirmation email.

🟢 MyHeritage

• Send an email to privacy@myheritage​.com. Sample letter is below.

🧬 Your relatives put you at risk

Give your family a heads-up. Send them this story using the share icons below. If they’ve uploaded their DNA, they should either set their profiles to private or pull the plug entirely. Your privacy could depend on that one cousin who’s way too into genealogy. 

PSA: Need a pre-written deletion email that actually works? I posted it on my site.

🐸 To lighten the mood: Two European frogs are discussing their ancestry. One frog says, “So, are you a complete French frog?” The other frog replies, “No. I’m a tad Pole.”

🔎 Great things come in small packages.

• No more baggage fees. Grab a pair of portable scales ($20.39), and give one to a pal.
• These rule. Connect wireless earbuds to any headphone jack with a Bluetooth adapter ($60).
• A travel-friendly hair dryer (32% off) is better than the one at the hotel.
• This tiny repellent ($29.75) keeps mosquitoes at bay.
• Wipe away fingerprints with a screen cleaner kit (31% off).

⌚Power o’clock: Oooh, portable smartwatch chargers for Apple (28% off) and Samsung (15% off) that clip onto your key chain, so you’ll always be ready.

There are over 1 billion malware programs: Antivirus software scans your system for viruses, ransomware and other threats and removes them before they cause damage. Protect five devices for only $19.*

⏰ Don’t be alarmed: Over 170 million Americans use TikTok. Isn’t that nuts? The clock is ticking on the TikTok sale. President Trump says the TikTok deal will happen before this Saturday’s deadline. There are a lot of potential buyers with $100 billion or more to spend, but the president will make the final call. I’d love to be in the room, hearing those conversations.

🇨🇳 Say it’s not Tso: Obviously, we just don’t care about giving China even more of our data. China’s DeepSeek just passed ChatGPT in new monthly website visits with 524.7 million, compared to ChatGPT’s 500 million. DeepSeek holds 12.12% of the chatbot market, second to ChatGPT. Think about what you hand over to this communist chatbot. 

Is Google the next Kodak? Ouch. That’s got to leave a mark. Alphabet’s stock is down 25% from its highs, and most GenZers say they “ChatGPT’d” something instead of “Googled.” I called it 2.5 years ago. Google was on its way out. Some of you laughed. You’re not laughing now.

💸 IRS scam link: It never stops. This time, if you Google how to get a business tax ID, the top results look official, but they’re not (paywall link). They’re ads from companies that charge you over $300 for something the IRS does for free. The real IRS site ends in .gov. Anything else? Fake.

I’m scratching my head on this one: People who use a Garmin smartwatch are upset about a monthly fee, and it’s not that they are still using a Garmin. The app’s new AI health and fitness tracking tools cost $6.99 a month ($69.99 per year). Apple Watch, anyone?

Baby, oh no: The internet was in a panic. Did Justin and Hailey Bieber break up? How could Hailey unfollow Justin on Instagram? Take a deep breath. It was just a glitch when Justin deactivated his IG account. They were recently seen on a sushi date. Oh, thank goodness.

🦾 Mind-blowing: I love this. Scientists helped a paralyzed man control a robotic arm with his thoughts. How? They built a brain-computer interface (BCI) that uses AI to grab brain signals and turn them into movement. So far, he can pick up blocks, open cabinets and hold a cup under a water dispenser. It’s still going strong seven months later. 

Calling fellow tricksters: I love a prank. Hit my list of April Fools’ tech tricks to make your friends and family laugh, groan and say, “How the heck did you do that?” Love the super slo-o-o-w Alexa.

Got this question from Sharon in Chicago: “How much can I make selling books on Amazon?” Be careful how you price your books. For e-books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, you’ll get 70% in royalties. Anything above or below that range drops your royalties to 35%. For paperbacks, you’ll get 60% of the list price (minus printing costs, which depend on page count, size and color). What a novel way to make a living!

AI upgrade: Hit this link to try Google’s new Gemini 2.5 free. All you need is a Google account. What’s different? Version 2.5 “thinks” before it replies for higher-quality answers, and it beats the other big AI bots in math and science.

Freeze frame: In Excel, it helps to keep your column and row headings stuck in place while you scroll around big spreadsheets. Select the cell where the actual data starts, and then click the View menu > Freeze Panes.

💵 A dollar here, a dollar there: It seems like every subscription is more expensive than when I signed up. Use the Rocket Money* app to see what you’re paying for. I do! They’ll even cancel a subscription for you if it’s not worth the money anymore.

Stop squinting: Just make your text bigger! On an iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. Next, tap Larger Text and enable Larger Accessibility Sizes. A slider at the bottom of the screen lets you increase or decrease the text size. On Android, open Settings > Accessibility > Text and display > Select font size, then adjust the slider. (Note: These steps may vary for Android, so if you can’t find ’em immediately, just poke around under Accessibility.)

The answer: B.) Gmail launched on April Fools’ Day in 2004 with 1 GB of free storage. That seemed so outrageous at the time, lots of people assumed it was a hoax.

💌 Not a trick: You can “undo” a sent email, if you turn the feature on first. In Gmail, go to Settings > See all settings. Under General, find Undo Send. Set the cancellation period (I like 30 seconds), then scroll down and click Save Changes. 

Now every time you send an email, you’ll see a little Undo button. Tap it to stop the message. You just bought yourself a 30-second time machine.

🥶 I love pranking Barry with Alexa. He’ll ask, “Alexa, what’s the weather in Phoenix?” and she answers with the forecast for Antarctica. You can program Alexa to say anything you want. Customize her responses and have a little fun at this link. 

I’ll be back in your inbox first thing tomorrow with a simple way to stop wasting time and start making some money. Now go impress someone with your tech brilliance. Use the link below to tell them about me, too! — Kim

📣 Don’t keep me a secret: Share this email with friends (or copy URL here)