🥽 So long, farewell: Microsoft is pulling the plug on its HoloLens headsets, once promised to power the future of virtual worlds. Womp, womp. The HoloLens 2 will receive security and software updates until the end of 2027. If you own the original HoloLens, software support ends Dec. 10. Don’t buy one if you see it on sale.
I wasted 36 hours trying to do it myself
© Fizkes | Dreamstime.com
So many of the calls, emails, messages and DMs I get are about privacy and security. I can’t remember the last time I had a full day where no one asked me some version of “How do I get all this info about me off the internet?”
It’s not just you. It’s me, too. After finding my personal cellphone number available on a free people-search site last year, I made it my mission to scrub everything online about me. There are literally hundreds of companies and sites that collect personal info, and they make it extremely hard to get your data removed. Why? Because they profit from selling your data — and mine.
I called the series Opt-Out Tuesday. We put together articles, newsletters and radio segments promoting it. I shared the steps in my nationally syndicated columns. And yet …
I didn’t make a dent
To be fair, we heard from a ton of people who had success following our instructions and removing their info. In fact, the big people search site networks got so peeved, they changed the steps to remove your data after one of my articles went viral.
I spent 36 hours emailing the scummy sites, filling out forms, making calls and even sending letters by USPS. I gave up when I had no real progress. That’s when I researched services to do this for me. I tried three, and I ultimately picked Incogni.
It took me about 3 minutes
Creating an account was easy, and I was immediately opted out of 27 databases, with 47 more requests sent. Now we’re talking about hundreds of sites I’m opted out of with no extra work on my end.
All you have to do is create an account and then enter your name and address. These sites require this info to remove your data — so you’d do that whether or not you use Incogni. Bonus: You can add up to three addresses and three phone numbers, too, so they can catch all the sneaky records.
Then, you grant Incogni permission to reach out on your behalf. After you finish the setup process, you’ll see a list of sites you’ve been removed from and pending requests.
Here’s a look at sites they target that collect information on Americans. (Get ready to scroll!)
- https://www.33mileradius.com/
- https://www.360mediadirect.com/
- https://www.accudata.com/
- https://www.achcoop.com/
- https://www.addefend.com/en/
- http://adelement.com/
- https://www.advancedbackgroundchecks.com
- http://www.affinityanswers.com
- https://agedleadstore.com/
- https://www.aidentified.com/
- https://alescodata.com/
- https://allantgroup.com/
- https://allpeople.com/
- http://anchorcomputer.com/
- https://anteriad.com/
- https://www.apollo.io/
- https://arkeero.com/
- https://aslmarketing.com/
- http://www.attribits.com
- https://www.backgroundcheckers.net/name/landing
- https://belardiwong.com/
- https://www.blisspointmedia.com/
- https://www.bookyourdata.com/
- http://bridg.com/
- https://www.thebridgecorp.com/
- https://carpe.io/
- https://www.censia.com/
- https://checkpeople.com/
- https://www.checksecrets.com/
- https://www.civisanalytics.com/
- https://www.clustrmaps.com
- https://www.compactlists.com/
- https://completemailinglists.com/
- http://completemedicallists.com/
- https://www.comscore.com/
- https://contacts411.com/
- https://www.convex.com/
- https://www.crosswalknyc.com/
- https://www.crunchbase.com/
- https://cybba.com/
- https://www.cyberbackgroundchecks.com
- https://datastreamgroup.com/
- https://decadata.io/
- https://decisionlinks.com/
- https://academixdirect.com/
- https://www.deluxe.com
- https://demyst.com/
- https://diablomedia.com/
- https://www.dice.com/
- https://digitalmediasolutions.com/
- https://www.digitalsegment.com/
- https://www.dataaxlenonprofit.com/donorbase/
- https://www.dynata.com/
- https://lightcast.io/
- https://www.enformion.com/
- https://www.ermes.ai/
- https://www.equifax.com/
- https://exactag.com/
- http://fetcher.ai/
- https://faraday.ai/
- https://www.fastbackgroundcheck.com
- https://www.fastpeoplesearch.com/
- https://fifty.io/
- https://fifty.io/us
- https://www.findem.ai
- https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
- https://www.floridaresidentsdirectory.com
- https://www.focus-usa.com/
- https://www.freepeopledirectory.com
- https://www.fullcontact.com/
- https://www.gadsme.com/
- https://giantpartners.com/
- https://www.healthwisedata.com/
- https://www.hightouch.com
- https://hireez.com/
- https://deepsync.com/
- https://homeownersmarketingservices.com/
- https://id5.io/
- https://idm.us.com
- https://www.idtrue.com
- https://www.infopay.com/
- https://inmarket.com/
- https://www.inmatessearcher.com/name/landing
- http://www.insurancemarketinghub.com
- https://intalytics.com/
- https://intentmacro.com/
- https://kbsynergy.com/
- https://keywordconnects.com/
- https://www.kidslivesafe.com
- https://l2-data.com/
- https://www.lbdigitaldata.com/
- https://www.leadmemedia.com/
- https://leadpost.com/
- https://www.lighthouselist.com/
- https://www.lionsharemarketing.com/
- https://www.listmatch.co/
- http://listsonline.com/
- https://littlebrookmedia.com/
- https://maxmind.com/
- https://mediawallah.com/
- https://www.michiganresidentdatabase.com/
- https://www.milestonemarketingsolutions.com/
- https://www.moodys.com/
- https://www.mugshotlook.com/name/landing
- https://nationalpublicdata.com/
- https://www.northcarolinaresidentdatabase.com/
- https://neighbor.report/
- https://www.nuwber.com
- https://www.officialusa.com/
- https://www.ohioresidentdatabase.com
- https://optimalfusion.com/
- https://outwardmedia.com/
- https://www.pacificeast.com/
- https://www.peekyou.com/
- https://www.peoplesearchnow.com/
- https://www.peoplelooker.com
- https://www.peoplesearch123.com/
- https://www.peoplesearcher.com/name/landing
- https://www.peoplesearchusa.org/
- https://www.personsearchers.com/
- https://pipl.com/
- https://popacta.com/
- https://postie.com/
- https://www.privatenumberchecker.com/
- https://www.privaterecords.net/name/landing
- https://www.privatereports.com/name/landing
- https://www.publicsearcher.com/name/landing
- https://www.purecars.com/
- https://www.quad.com/
- https://www.qualfon.com/
- https://www.realeflow.com
- https://www.realsourcedata.com/
- https://www.redidata.com
- https://remodeling.com/
- https://www.revealname.com/
- https://salesintel.io/
- https://salutarydata.com/
- https://www.sealedrecords.net/name/landing
- https://www.searchbug.com
- https://www.searchpeoplefree.com
- https://www.searchpublicrecords.com
- https://www.secretinfo.org/name/landing
- https://www.semcasting.com/
- https://www.sentilink.com/
- https://sharelocalmedia.com/
- https://www.shopalyst.com/
- http://siteimpact.com/
- https://www.smartbackgroundchecks.com
- https://www.sms-inc.com/
- https://www.sourceit.co/
- https://speedeondata.com/
- https://www.spyfly.com
- https://statara.com/
- https://www.stirista.com/
- https://swordfish.ai/
- https://www.evs7.com/
- https://www.telephonedirectories.us
- https://terminus.com
- https://www.peoplesearcher.com/
- https://truepeoplesearch.com/
- https://www.truthrecord.org/name_search/landing_page
- https://unitedstatesphonebook.com/
- https://www.uplead.com/
- https://www.usdatacorporation.com/
- https://usmarketinggrp.com/
- https://usa-people-search.com/
- https://www.usphonebook.com/
- https://www.veeva.com/services/
- https://www.venpath.net/
- https://www.vericast.com/
- https://versium.com/
- https://www.fourleafdata.com/
- https://www.weinform.org/name_search/landing_page
- https://www.wunderkind.co/
Try it free
Right now, try Incogni free for 30 days. If you’re not completely satisfied, get your money back. Use this link to get 60% off when you sign up. I don’t get any residuals or kickbacks if you buy. I just want to help you stay safe. Good luck out there!
Massive data leak impacts 1 in 3 Americans
© Aoleshko | Dreamstime.com
Data broker MC2 Data left more than 100 million records of Americans exposed online for anyone to copy, grab, forward, sell on the Dark Web — you name it. This comes only a month after the National Public Data breach of 2.9 billion records. I’m getting so tired of these data broker companies and people-search sites screwing up, and it’s you and me who have to pay for their mistakes.
Stranger travels 1,500 miles to return lost stuffed animal to 9-year-old
A Texas woman took to Facebook after her 9-year-old left his stuffed gorilla at a California hotel. A stranger saw the post, went an hour out of her way to pick it up, then documented the gorilla’s journey home. Absolutely watch this if you need a smile!
OpenAI is releasing a new model in the next couple of weeks that “thinks” more like a person. In nerd speak, it has advanced reasoning and a better ability to process complex info. Is the name of the model … A.) ChatGPT Magnifico, B.) Strawberry, C.) NeuralNet X or D.) Quantum Mind over Matter?
The answer: B.) Strawberry. Most AI models, including the GPT-4o I use, pull answers from all the info they were trained on. They say Strawberry can solve problems it’s never encountered before and “thinks” about a question before spitting out an answer. Keep an eye out for a new dropdown option in ChatGPT.
57 days this fall
Earth will have a second (mini) moon. OK, it’s actually an asteroid that’ll be pulled into Earth’s gravity for a couple of months. You’ll only be able to spot it with a professional telescope (paywall link). Time to text your space-loving friend.
So much data left exposed for anyone to see
© Andrey Popov | Dreamstime.com
Another day, another monumental data breach. Just because they’re getting more common doesn’t mean you can tune it out. In fact, it’s time to get even more serious about your private information and what’s posted online.
Need some extra cash? 15 jobs you can do from home
© BiancoBlue | Dreamstime.com
Working remotely isn’t suitable for everybody. But in the wake of the pandemic, it has seen a considerable boon globally. Tap or click here for legit ways to find work-from-home jobs.
If you’re interested in earning a living from home, there is no better time to get involved with the right opportunity.
Don’t buy Apple gear right now: Rumor has it their next reveal is Oct. 22, with Macs and iPads on the menu. Expect a Mac mini, MacBook Pro, Mac Studio and Mac Pro with M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max and M4 Ultra chips. Plus, we might see a new iPad and an iPad mini powerful enough for Apple Intelligence.
Ghouls just want to have fun: Ring is giving out $100,000 for camera footage of spooky activity, whether it’s real paranormal stuff like floating orbs or staged shots in costumes. Submit your video by Nov. 1, 2024. Hurry, they’re cutting it off at 5,000 entries.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
‘It is not real': Title company owner warns of new twist to title fraud
🥽 The “future of human connection”: That’s what Mark Zuckerberg will talk about at the big Meta conference this Wednesday and Thursday. Expect updates for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, along with some AI goodies, a more affordable Meta Quest headset and maybe augmented-reality glasses. You heard it here first, folks.
32-year-old finds Lego stuck in their nose after 26 years
A guy finally dislodged a little Lego piece he stuck in his nose at age 6. Way back when, he stuck one of the little plastic bricks and a Lego man up his nose. Mom got the Lego man out but didn’t realize the individual brick was still in there. All that time, the 32-year-old dealt with congestion, asthma and sleep apnea. Such a crazy story!
War in the Middle East: On Sept. 18, Israel detonated thousands of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah fighters. The devices were booby-trapped in advance by Israeli intelligence and delivered to Lebanon as part of Hezbollah’s emergency communications system. This was just a day after Israeli forces detonated thousands of pagers used by the group. I’m digging deep to learn how this worked and will let you know what I find out.
Spankin’-new Macs and cheaper iPads coming soon: Rumor has it Apple will release the M4 MacBook Pro, M4 iMac and M4 Mac mini, plus the iPad mini 7 and iPad 11, soon. Bonus: Apple’s sleep apnea detection feature just got FDA clearance and will hit the Apple Watch Series 10, Series 9 (25% off) and Ultra 2 later this month.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
C SEED N1 TV: The world's first unfolding 137-inch microLED TV
Have a spare $300,000 sitting around? Call me: … Or you could spend it on the C SEED N1, a 4K TV that unfolds like a Transformer in 90 seconds. When you’re done binging, it turns back into a funky metal sculpture.
🦻🏻 Social media is buzzing with a wild theory: Conspiracy theorists suggest Vice President Kamala Harris wore wireless earphones disguised as pearl earrings during her September presidential debate against Donald Trump — specifically, $650 Nova H1 earrings, which feature tiny mics for crystal-clear calls. I’m not buying it; Harris’ pair looks more like these $2,000 Tiffany’s earrings to me.
SpaceX performs historic first spacewalk with Polaris Dawn crew
SpaceX pulled off its first spacewalk in the early hours of Thursday morning, Sept. 12. The marquee event of the private Polaris Dawn mission went smoothly, with two of the crew members stepping outside of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, “Resilience.” It’s the first time civilians, rather than government astronauts, have performed a spacewalk.
🏈 Coming to Thursday Night Football: Defensive Alerts is Amazon’s new AI that tracks defensive players’ movements before a play and predicts who’s most likely to rush the quarterback. You can catch it in action this Thursday during the Miami vs. Buffalo game! Look for the red orb on your screen. Wonder how many times the AI will be right …
🍏 iPhone 16 details revealed: Apple announced the iPhone 16 lineup yesterday — bigger screens, improved camera specs and the “best battery life ever.” All models come with Apple Intelligence thanks to the A18 chip, plus studio-quality mics. Pro models get a 48MP ultrawide lens for pics (up from 12MP on the iPhone 15 Pro) and support 4K 120fps recording (pro quality). Preorders start this Friday, Sept. 13, and they’ll ship beginning on Sept. 20. Oh, and expect to spend $799 to $1,199.