🍏 It’s Apple launch day: They’re rolling out a new iPhone SE without the old home button, revamped AirTags with a longer range and a speaker that’s harder to remove. Watch it live on Apple’s YouTube channel at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET). While you’re at it, don’t forget to subscribe to mine, too.
Chatbot privacy policies: Who’s collecting what?
Shocker! Another Communist China company was caught red-handed. DeepSeek AI shares user data with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. The BBC reports countries worldwide are yanking it from app stores, and I bet we’ll see bans here roll out soon.
Here’s the bigger issue. AI chatbots are always on, always listening and always collecting data. Some are sneakier than others, but make no mistake, if you’re using them, they’re using you. The real question is: How much of your data are they scooping up, and where is it going?
Who’s collecting what?
I combed through the vague, confusing privacy policies so you don’t have to. Links included, though, if you’re curious and want to read legalese.
ChatGPT: Data collected includes your prompts, devices and when and where you’re chatting from. Oh and they might give it to “vendors and service providers.”
Microsoft Copilot: Any interaction can be logged and used to target ads. The bot sees where you are when you use it, too.
Google Gemini: Your chats, location and how you use Gemini are logged. Your chats might be reviewed by Google staff. Google promises this is to improve Gemini, not to sell ads (for now).
DeepSeek: All your conversations, locations and typing patterns are saved. These can be shared with advertisers, other agencies and, presumably, the Chinese government and other companies. Yikes.
Qwen: Another Chinese AI that saves everything from your location to your chat history. Qwen can link all this up with data bought from “third party agencies.” Yes, they’re buying even more info about you.
So, what’s the verdict?
No one comes out of this with a gold star. Gemini is probably the safest for now. It’s separate from Google’s ad business and they do at least give you controls, like auto-deleting chats.
If they’re all “meh” the privacy scale, it’s up to you to keep your data safe.
Captains make ship happen
Barry walks around our boat with a remote to dock it. So smart. Yamaha’s Helm Master EX’s new handheld remote control looks like a Wii controller. It works with a slew of fishing boats and cruisers and powers off the engines if someone falls overboard. It’s $12,000, though.
10%
Price increase for Acer laptops next month. Why? CEO Jason Chen says new tariffs are raising import taxes. Now those get passed along to me and you. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading, hurry.
🤑 MrBeast earned how much? A screenshot showed $4.2 million in earnings after racking up 2.6 billion views in 28 days on YouTube. That’s more than $50 million a year. What a great American success story!
$5
Per fake review. That’s all foreign writers are paid to boost tourist spots. Italy wants to fight back by requiring would-be reviewers to provide ID, proof they visited the place and detailed opinions (paywall link). Speaking of … Did you hear about the Italian chef? He pasta way. We cannoli do so much. His legacy will become a pizza history. Here today, gone tomato, but it was his thyme to go. I am sending olive my love to his friends. His wife is really upset. Cheese crying. (Now, that was a great one!)
Temu is planting seeds for something: A Texas man ordered a dog toy from China-owned Temu but received seeds instead. It’s the fifth suspicious package reported in the state. One was an invasive plant species. If you receive seeds in the mail, don’t throw them away or plant them. Report it to your state’s Department of Agriculture.
✈️ Traveling abroad? Starting Feb. 27, Uber is rolling out a Preferred Currency Pricing feature that quietly tacks on a 1.5% conversion fee. It keeps prices in your home currency, but you’re just paying extra. Here’s how to turn it off: Open the Uber app > Account > Wallet > Preferred Currency > No preferred currency.
20 minutes
Of dancing is just as good as a gym session or jog. Researchers found shaking your booty can get your heart rate up to a health-enhancing level (paywall link). Need a speaker? Here’s a cool one on sale.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Are noise-canceling headphones bad for your brain? Scientists warn blocking out background noise 24/7 might train your brain to “forget” how to filter sounds naturally. This could lead to auditory processing disorder (APD). Share this with the kids in your life.
You’ve got 60 days to dispute bank fraud: A Denver woman’s SoFi account was drained of nearly $7,400 by scammers. The bank refused to reimburse her. She fought back and won. The takeaway? Act fast or they’re not liable.
Chatbot war continues: Perplexity AI just dropped a deep research tool that gives you detailed reports about nearly anything in two to four minutes. Free users get five queries a day, while Pro subscribers ($20 per month) get 500. Want to test it out? It’s live here.
😨 AI can clone itself now?! Relax. Researchers insist it only happens when instructed by humans. For example, AI could be programmed to clone itself if it senses it’s about to shut down. It’s basically a survival instinct. This is getting pretty scary.
2060
When the world will end, says Sir Isaac Newton. More than 300 years ago, he used math and biblical dates to predict the apocalypse. He believed in the Battle of Armageddon, where good and evil would clash, ushering in the second coming of Christ.
Kindness + Tech = Heroes: After Hurricane Helene and the Eaton Fire, Taylor Schenker and Claire Schwartz are reuniting lost photos with their owners. They find damaged pictures, clean them, and post them on Facebook and Instagram to match them with the right families. Here are photos found from the Eaton Fire. So nice.
2 million
Number of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses sold since October 2023. Looks like these are going to make it. Another 10 million are projected to be sold over the next year and a half.
🩸 Elizabeth Holmes’ life in vein: Convicted felon and former CEO of Theranos wants us to feel sorry for her after cheating and stealing $724 million for tech that didn’t work. In a PR puff piece interview, she says prison is “hell and torture,” waking up at 5 a.m., earning 31 cents an hour and only seeing her kids twice a week. This criminal’s best asset is her lie ability.