Privacy opt-out trap

August 3, 2025

Privacy opt-out trap: Researchers hit up 543 California data brokers to request their data, like you’re legally allowed to do. Nearly half ghosted them entirely. The others? Dead-end forms, pointless hoops and privacy riddles that required even more personal data. So yeah, trying to reclaim your data just means giving up more of it, along with your time. That’s why I use Incogni and you should, too.

Tags: data, data brokers, opt-out, personal data, privacy

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I loved these 10 true movies you can stream this weekend

ChatGPT

First about this image. I asked AI to “make a pic of me watching a movie,” and somehow it nailed my husband, our two goldens (even Bella the puppy!). But there’s something off. Can you spot it? At the end of the newsletter, rate it, then drop your guess, name and email. I’ll pick five winners to get a Kim Komando Show ballcap (a $29.99 value)! 🧢

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2.8x

More likely Gen Z is to treat travel like a dating app. Priceline’s 2025 Trend Report says Gen Z’s rolling their suitcases straight into romance. If you’re going to be single, might as well do it somewhere with cocktails, not push notifications.

Get better results on Facebook Marketplace: Tired of seeing stuff that sold weeks ago? Go to Marketplace > Filters > Sort by and choose Date listed: Newest first. Then under Filters > Date listed, toggle on Last 7 days. Oh, and if the seller’s profile says they joined in 2025, it’s probably a scam.

5

That’s how many people it takes to keep your mental health from tanking. A study by Medibank and Growth Distillery found people with “high mental well-being” had an average of five reliable friends. Those struggling? Just three friends. That tiny gap is the difference between “I’ve got support” and “I don’t want to bother anyone.”

Fix Spotify recs: Getting songs on Discover Weekly that make you go, “Why … this?” Give it a nudge: Find the bad playlist, tap the three-dot menu and select Exclude from your taste profile.

30%

The share of telescope images now tainted by Starlink’s signal leakage. One out of every three cosmic snapshots gets photobombed by a satellite. Researchers spotted unintentional radiation, using 76 million images from the EDA2 telescope. These signals aren’t even part of the satellites’ jobs, they’re just leaking and contaminating data meant to map the cosmic “dark ages.”

72 hours

That’s the weekly grind for typical AI startup workers. It’s the infamous “996” warning label, that’s 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, that feels more like working in the 1950s (minus the pensions, drinks, cigars and long lunches). AI may replace us eventually, but until then, it’s replacing our sleep.

399 billion

The gallons of water Texas data centers are expected to chug annually by 2030. That’s nearly 7% of the state’s entire projected water use. They’re actually telling people not to take so many showers. Good thing I don’t live in Texas. I love nothing more than getting up at 6 a.m. for a cold shower. So I don’t.

3 in 4

The number of new grads saying “nah” to working at Big Tech firms. Turns out, job security and vibes matter more than kombucha on tap. Layoffs, ethical murkiness and burnout culture make Google and Meta feel like cautionary tales. Instead, job hunters are going for startups and anywhere they won’t be laid off by lunch.

$16.5 billion

That’s how much Tesla’s spending on AI chips from Samsung, and that’s just the appetizer. Interestingly, not buying ’em from Nvidia. Elon Musk says it’s a “baseline,” which in Musk-speak usually means “buckle up.” The AI6 chips will be homegrown in Texas, giving “Made in America” a futuristic glow-up.