Feeling down? I’ve got just the thing: Puppies! Celebrity magician John Stressel doesn’t just use his gifts of illusion to make money. He takes his act on the road, to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey. He makes toys and treats disappear, and the dogs go nuts for it. Their reactions are so cute, it helps them get adopted.
Before you buy holiday gifts, check this list for tech snoops

Once Christmas music starts playing, the trees go up and the wish lists are compiled, I know an email I’ll get: Mozilla’s latest warning about popular tech gifts that are just awful when it comes to privacy.
This year’s *Privacy Not Included guide ranks over 150 gadgets across different categories by what data they collect and what they do with it. Mozilla does a great job at these lists, for sure.
We’re not talking randomized info about where you live and when you use the product. We should be so lucky. Check these out:
- Wyze’s smart home app asks for permission to read your text messages. Nope.
- Bose headphones can track head movements — and may sell that data, along with your email address. Huh?
- iRobot jumped into AI with the Roomba, and images from inside users’ homes leaked to Facebook. Come on!
Bad news: Sonos, Eufy and Bose used to be on Mozilla’s nice list. Not anymore. And Amazon, Samsung and Microsoft Xbox have gone from bad to worse. Let’s take a closer look.
The naughty list is long
Here are lowlights from this year’s list:
- Some good broke bad: Sonos and Bose have been in Mozilla’s good graces for privacy in recent years. They have earned its *Privacy Not Included warning label for the first time.
- Google went from just OK to officially bad: Also joining the formerly OK but now naughty list are (Google-owned) Fitbit and Tile trackers.
- Bad guys who keep getting worse: Amazon, Amazon Ring, Samsung, Microsoft Xbox and Wyze were already on the naughty list, but they managed to get worse.
- AI integration is much more common: It is used in at least 94 of the products Mozilla reviewed. Often, that means your personal information can be stored, studied, shared or all of the above. Two such cases: iRobot’s test-run Roombas’ video recordings were reviewed by humans for AI training. That resulted in images from inside test-users’ homes showing up on Facebook.
- Creepiest product ever: Mozilla added a ton of new products to its roster this year. Some were good, some were bad and others left Mozilla speechless. Almost. It rarely says this, but do not buy the Angel Watch for your child or vulnerable person in your life. This surveillance watch doesn’t have a privacy policy at all!
More ways to check privacy
Head to the Mozilla Creep-O-Meter to see if products in your household help or hurt your digital privacy. It takes a hard look at the most popular consumer tech devices and assesses the good, the bad and the downright ugly. Mozilla uses a scale from one to 100, with 100 being the worst.
To get started, select which popular products you own from the list. Click See Results for a custom score based on how well (or poorly) your selections protect your personal information.
We tested it by choosing Telegram, the Apple Watch and the Google Nest video doorbell. Crushed it with a “You’re off the grid” rating! Now, all that’s left is to buy that plot of land in the middle of nowhere.
You or a loved one switched to an iPhone 15? The right and wrong chargers

OK, honesty time: I bought the new iPhone 15 Pro Max. I opened up my fancy $1,600 smartphone to realize … it was the same as the iPhone 14 Pro Max I was already using.
The big (only?) change I can spot is the charging port on the bottom. After all these years, Apple is ditching its Lightning cable for the one every other tech company uses for charging and data transfer: USB-C. Some new AirPod models are getting the same treatment.
A magician helps shelter dogs find homes
House cleaning robots, bank robocall scams & Google's Santa fail
Plus, I’m hooking Jessica from Illinois up with tips for cheap last-minute flights. Doing some holiday shopping? Here are the top tech gifts this season. Free tool to block online trolls and unique remote jobs. Also, try these Siri/Google voice commands for emergencies!
The online review problem is getting worse

If you’re like me, you scan online reviews before adding that big “something” to a shopping cart … choosing a new plumber or finding a place to get sushi — OK, you get the idea. And you probably are like me: Up to 99% of buyers look up online reviews before purchasing, well, anything.
Simple ways to make extra money for Christmas gifts

I know. I said it. The holidays are — somehow, some way — approaching. The good news is you have some time before the madness begins. It’s the perfect time to pick up extra cash to get you through an expensive season.
Share holiday wishlists with Amazon
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The Atari 2600 game console is back
One of the hottest holiday gifts requires a little bit of time travel. Blow off your cartridges, here’s why this vintage tech is making a comeback.
Quick and easy ways to save money shopping on Amazon

Even if you’re not an Amazon fan, you can’t deny how easy it is to find just about anything you want. That includes, of course, gifts.
There’s also account security to consider. You should remove your Amazon public profile, for one. Tap or click for five security steps every Amazon shopper should take.
How-to: Clever way to hide your private phone searches

If you’ve got kids or a spouse, you already know that privacy is scarce, especially with your smartphone. Tap or click here for seven essential Android security settings to enable.
What if we told you there’s a way to prevent weird, awkward or otherwise private internet searches from being recorded in your phone’s local history? Sometimes, mum really should be the word. It’s easy to forget to hop into Incognito mode when juggling apps or multitasking IRL.
10 free budgeting spreadsheets to help get a handle on your money

Keeping track of your finances can be a daunting task. Wouldn’t it be great to know exactly where your money was?
When I started on my own, recording and managing my finances was non-existent. If you’re not good at keeping track of what you have in your accounts or what is coming or going from those accounts, this may be the answer for you.
Privacy tip: How to wipe what you searched for in your browser and on social media

If you share a computer with others in your household, keeping a surprise vacation or gift a secret can be challenging. Saved searches, in particular, can rat you out.
After all, if your web browser defaults to Expedia every time someone types in an “E,” your plans will be found out. Are you traveling soon? Tap or click here for some travel safety tips. Plus, saved searches eat up memory on your hard drive.
How to make money by starting an online resell business

Looking for ways to bring in extra cash this year? One option is selling stuff online. You may be surprised to find the value of some of your old electronics. Here are 10 vintage tech gadgets worth a ton of money.
Starting an online resell business will take things further. It takes work and dedication but can become a rewarding, full-time job. Here’s how to get started.
Shopping smarts: Here are the things you can’t return to Amazon

Online retailers make it easy to get anything you want within a day or two, but that doesn’t mean you should go off on wild spending sprees. Here are five big mistakes to avoid when buying electronics on Amazon.
Buying things you don’t need is one thing, but it’s worse when you have something you can’t get rid of. While you can likely return that juicer you never used, it’s not the same for other products. Here’s what you need to know about Amazon’s return policies.
Read this before you try to score a deal on Facebook Marketplace

Some social media platforms have made it easy for you to buy stuff from other members. Facebook Marketplace is one of the most popular. The problem is it’s littered with scammers.
Read on for five scams you must know about before buying anything on Facebook Marketplace.
Signs your new boyfriend or girlfriend is not who they say they are

Scammers are waiting around every corner, and special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas and Black Friday are usually when they kick their activities into high gear. Unfortunately, this is the perfect time of year for romance scams.
Cool site: How to get a high-res satellite photo of your favorite place

Satellite images of our little blue planet can dazzle even the most jaded among us. How cool would it be to see the best of our world through the eyes of a giant?
That brings us to a very cool website. SkyFi is a tool that lets you explore the world from space, and you can even order a photo of any coordinates on the planet for $175.
Safe ways to get free stuff in your neighborhood

If you want to save money while connecting to your community, you have to join a buy nothing group. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: a group of neighbors with their own gift economy. You can join a Facebook group or even a community on NextDoor or other apps. Tap or click here to find out how Nextdoor and other apps help sell your old, used or battered tech.
Return policies for all the gifts you don't want

Remember that cheesy sweater your aunt got you last year? The one with the light-up Rudolph nose? It’s still hanging in your closet, untouched, where it has been since Dec. 26, 2021. You should have exchanged it for one of these tech gifts instead.
Last-minute Christmas gifts
Want to score great last-minute gifts on Christmas Eve? Here are my top shopping tips, in 60 seconds.
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