Sleep surveillance: Is your Fitbit saying you’re waking up at night more than usual? It’s not because you’re broken, sleep tracking just got “more accurate.” Translation: Fitbit is clocking every micro-wiggle like it’s the NyQuil NSA. Google says this is step one in a whole series of sleep upgrades, rest assured.
Privacy report card: Which AI flunked
ChatGPT
AI bots are our digital sidekicks. They’ve helped me write emails faster, plan my vacations, you name it. But the more we share, the more these bots learn about us. That can come back to bite you. Let’s lock down your data before your secrets become someone else’s payday.
🤖 Hall of shame
Not all AI tools treat your personal info the same way. Here’s how the top players stack up on data privacy.
And surprise, surprise, the worst offenders don’t let you opt out of training their models with your prompts.
🤐 TMI for AI
Every word you type is saved, even if you hit “delete” on the convo. Before you spill your life story, keep these in mind:
- Medical records: Your doctor is bound by HIPAA. AI bots aren’t. Scrub out anything that identifies you, like your name, birthdate or patient ID.
- Legal trouble: AI companies can be forced to hand over logs. Your “private” chats could become Exhibit A.
- Sensitive photos: Give apps access to your pics and they can scan, store and share your camera roll.
👉 Bottom line: Treat these chats like you’re being recorded (because you are).
💸 Your data, their profit
Here’s the kicker: Even if you’ve never used AI in your life, these bots learn from public sources. This means your phone number, address and your Facebook comments from 2015 are all there.
And the rest? They buy it. Data brokers collect and sell your info to advertisers, spammers and any creep with a checkbook. Once it’s out there, there’s no getting it back.
🚨 You must read this before your next Uber ride
ChatGPT
⚠️ Warning: This story contains details about sexual assault that may be disturbing.
I know two women who were raped by an Uber driver. That’s not hearsay or a story I read online. They trusted the ride, believed the app was safe and paid the price in the most horrific way possible.
2,300 acres
The growing size of Zuckerberg’s Hawaiian estate. Zuck’s sprawl now covers more land than Disneyland and Central Park combined. He started with a $100M beachfront parcel in 2014, and now he’s got a mini-nation with bunkers, tunnels and Bond villain-level fit. He also just shelled out $30 million for a set of dorm-style buildings.
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Your EV battery knows where you’ve been even if GPS is off
ChatGPT
You already know your smartphone tracks your every move like a jealous ex. And your car? Duh, it’s been watching you since Bluetooth became a thing.
Here’s the shocker: Researchers at MIT just revealed that your EV battery alone can quietly map your life without GPS, Wi-Fi or cell signals.
Share Instagram posts the right way: Tagging friends in the comments? Meh. Next time you see a funny reel, tap the little arrow under the post (or on the side). Pick who you want to send it to and hit Send. It lands right in their DMs.
📚 Sort and filter books on your Kindle: You can organize your Library so it’s easier to find what you’re reading (or ignoring). Tap the Filter icon (top left) to show only Downloaded, Unread or Read books. Then hit the Sort icon (top right) to sort by Most Recent, Title or Author. Easy.
Fake raids, real scams: Those viral “deportation at Walmart” TikToks? Total scam. Scammers are using phoney retail sob stories to phish your data with bogus surveys and sketchy “free gift” links. No ICE, just identity theft. Congrats, money just got deported from your bank account.
Swifties, avert your eyes: Grok’s “spicy” video mode just casually turned AI Taylor Swift into a nude dancing avatar on the first try. No warnings, no real age checks. While other tools block NSFW celeb content, Grok was like “Sure, let’s get weird.” Somewhere, a lawyer just woke up sweating and didn’t know why.
Getting a phone before 13
Puts kids at a much higher risk of developing suicidal thoughts. A massive study of 100,000+ people found girls often take the biggest hit to self-worth and emotional control, while boys struggle more with calmness and empathy. The common culprit? No shocker here, social media.
💸 Apple’s $100B “core” investment: Sweet news! Apple’s about to pour another $100 billion into U.S. manufacturing. Analysts say it’s likely headed toward high-end gear and AI labs, not iPhones and chargers. Either way, I’m glad to see this kind of big bite coming back to our shores.
70+ years
How long since the U.S. opened a rare earth mine. One dusty spot in Wyoming could supply America with rare earths for over 150 years. That’s phones, fighter jets and EVs covered till 2175. China controls 90% of processing right now, so yeah, this is big news for cowboy country. Yeehaw, meet geopolitics.
📺 Just what we need, more streaming services: First up is Howdy, an ad-free Roku channel for $2.99/month with old shows and movies from Warner Bros., Discovery, Lionsgate and more. The catch? You’ll need a Roku device (25% off). Then on Aug. 21, Fox One drops for $19.99/month with live NFL, MLB and news.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
😭 This made me pause and think: Jim Acosta just interviewed an AI version of Joaquin Oliver, created by the parents of the Parkland shooting victim. It aired on what would’ve been Joaquin’s 25th birthday. The digital Joaquin discussed gun control, movies and grief. His parents emphasized it’s not about resurrection but making sure he’s not silenced again. If you were in their position, could you do this?
1 afternoon
That’s all it took for AI to spot a missing hiker’s helmet in 2,600 drone images. After 10 months of silence, a few off-color pixels in a sea of rock cracked the case. Searchers found the hiker’s body the next morning, 600 meters below Monviso Peak. Weeks of human searching, replaced by one machine-powered glance.
As if cops don’t have enough to do: A man told Portland police his car, and 1-year-old, were stolen. Oregon cops pinged an AirTag and found both at a truck stop hours away. The kicker? The “thief” was the kid’s mom. Yup, another AirTag caught in the cross fire of a nasty co-parenting situation.
💸 AT&T might owe you cash: Talk about full bars. Two breaches. 173 million customers. One giant “our bad.” AT&T is settling for $177M and dishing out up to $5,000 per person. If you were a customer anytime this century, go here before the deadline on Nov. 18. Where else can you hear about these things?
31 years
How long the world’s oldest baby chilled in a freezer before being born. Frozen in 1994, he’s technically older than Friends, Google and probably your favorite jeans. Science: 1, Nature: confused.
Stay groovy, Old Faithful: Social media’s latest doomsday fantasy? That Yellowstone’s wildlife is fleeing an imminent volcanic eruption. The panic started with a fake post claiming “hundreds” of the park’s ~40 mountain lions were fleeing. Bears “escaping” turned out to be filmed in a drive-thru zoo in South Dakota. Someone posted a herd of wildebeests in Africa. Speaking of… What did the dad say after dropping his son off at Yellowstone National Park? Bison! (lol)