Get an ad for something you only talked about? You might be a target of ultrasonic cross-device tracking.
Your phone is spying on you
ChatGPT
Your phone keeps all your secrets. Where you’ve been. What you’ve typed. Even which sketchy Wi-Fi you used in 2017. It’s got the memory of an elephant and the self-restraint of a toddler with a drum set.
Let’s just call your phone “Sir Veillance.”
Here’s a quick breakdown of the creepy stuff your phone is tracking, and what (if anything) you lose by turning it off.
1. A secret map. Your phone logs your every move like it’s writing your biography. Grocery store, dentist, Vegas strip club, all of it. Want to see it?
- iPhone: Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations
- Android: Google Maps > Your Timeline
✋ Turning it off gives you your privacy back. But say goodbye to “last parked location” and personalized suggestions.
2. GPS in your photos. Every selfie? Geotagged. Your beach vacation photos know exactly which beach.
- iPhone: Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Camera > Never
- Android: Camera app > Settings > turn off “Location tags”
✋ Kill it, and your pics won’t show up on a map using your photo app anymore.
3. Wi-Fi from the dark ages. Your phone still remembers that Wi-Fi from that one airport layover in 2019.
- iPhone: Settings > Wi-Fi > Tap “i” > Forget This Network
- Android: Settings > Network > Saved Networks > Forget
✋ Scrub old networks for security’s sake. You’ll need to re-enter passwords if you ever use them again.
This phone is made in the USA
Adobe Firefly
“Kim, I love my iPhone 16 but hate it’s made in China and apps track everything you do including your bowel movements. Is there a phone made in the USA that doesn’t track you?” — Paul in Tampa, Florida
Well, Paul, there’s exactly one, the $1,999 Liberty Phone from Purism. If the name makes you want to stand up and salute, you might sit right back down when I tell you the rest.
💸 GameStop owes you cash: GameStop’s shelling out $4.5M after quietly slipping your purchase info to Facebook via tracking pixels. If you bought a game online from August 2020 to April 2025 and had a Facebook account, you might get $5 or a $10 store voucher. It’s petty cash, but still, they owe you. File by Aug. 15, 2025.
⌚ Get a grip: Your smartwatch works best when it fits right. A loose strap can throw off tracking accuracy. Swap it for an adjustable one, like these for Apple (10% off) and Samsung (25% off).
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
👁️ Check your Chrome extensions: Some “helpful” Chrome extensions with over 1.7 million installs were secretly tracking your browser moves and even rerouting clicks. They looked benign, like color pickers or VPN tools. Spoiler: They weren’t. Google’s still cleaning up the mess, but some are still live. Time to check your browser like it’s the bedsheets at a seedy motel.
🤖 You’ve got a friend in me: AI leaders like Musk, Zuckerberg and Microsoft are pushing bots as personalized friends (paywall link) to combat loneliness, but more importantly, for user engagement and data tracking. AI companions are constantly being tweaked with just enough bias to keep you loyal, as seen with Musk’s Grok being “retrained” after backlash for leaning too liberal.
👀 A note about Google watching your texts: I told you about this yesterday, and the link worked for some people but not all. It’s surprisingly tricky to turn off Google’s Gemini AI text tracking. You’ve gotta manually yank its permissions. Think of it like breaking up with a clingy ex who still has a key. Head to gemini.google.com/apps and toggle the switch off for Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, etc. These might not pop up on your end, yet, but anticipate a rollout sometime before July 7.
🕳️ Google reads your texts: They’re doing it again. Starting July 7, Google’s Gemini AI will tap into your Phone, Messages, WhatsApp and more, even if you’ve opted out of activity tracking. Google calls it “good news.” I found the secret steps to stop this nonsense here. Otherwise, your texts will be stored, scanned and possibly read by a human along with the things, up to and including being sold to who knows who. Not cool.
Think your email’s private? Think again. Big Tech tracks everything. That’s why I use StartMail. No ads, no tracking, just private email. Try it free for seven days and get 60% off your first year.
Big Tech are email snoops: Gmail, Yahoo and all those other Big Tech companies track your email activity. StartMail puts privacy first! No ads, no tracking, includes encrypted emails and disposable addresses. Get 60% off your first year, and try it free for seven days.
🧟♂️ No face? No problem: AI’s tracking you anyway. A startup called Veritone made an AI that ditches facial recognition and still tracks you in video footage, just by how you walk and what you’re wearing. It’s already being used by cops and government agencies. The tech is legal, terrifying and possibly the start of your new fashion surveillance arc.
🧳 Get that job: Don’t send the same resume everywhere. Ask your favorite chatbot to tailor your skills for each role. Just say, “Update my resume for the [Title] role at [Company] by focusing on key skills from the job description.” Copy and paste your current resume and the job listing. This helps you beat those application tracking systems.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Want a distraction-free YouTube? Add -nocookie to the URL to skip tracking cookies. Whoa. That was a good one!
⌚ Watch for noise: Your Apple Watch’s built-in Noise app can check if the sounds around you are too loud. Open the app on your watch and tap Enable to start tracking. To see how often you’re in noisy spots, go to the Health app > Browse (bottom right) > Hearing > Environmental Sound Levels. Now your watch can judge your eardrum choices, too.
AI quietly raises your rent — April 12th, Hour 4
Paying more in rent? Landlords are using AI tools to jack up prices. Also, why I’m skipping Airbnb (and maybe you should too). Plus, in-store tracking tech, gunshot-detecting AI, and a weird stat about men and voice assistants.
From Lisa in Texas: “Kim, I’m done with Big Tech snooping. Is StartMail really private?” You bet! StartMail is built for privacy — no tracking, no ads, just secure email. You can even import all your old messages and contacts, hassle-free. Save 60% now with my exclusive link!
“Everything’s computer” but in a bad way: Tucker Carlson’s brand new Chevy truck screen lit up with a message that said, “Stop, we’re downloading information from the internet,” and he took that personally. No second chances. He took the truck back to the dealer. The man wants horsepower, not spyware. Somewhere, his 1987 Silverado is grinning. PSA: Enter your VIN at Privacy4Cars to see what your car is tracking.
🛍️ Buy Now, Pay Later is now Buy Now, Regret Publicly: The WSJ (paywalled) says credit bureaus have officially started tracking your “Buy Now, Pay Later” shopping. So yes, that $89 “ergonomic” beanbag you split into four payments? It might now haunt your credit report. Suddenly, Klarna feels a lot less like a fun hack and more like a fiscal breadcrumb trail leading directly to your FICO score.
I’m scratching my head on this one: People who use a Garmin smartwatch are upset about a monthly fee, and it’s not that they are still using a Garmin. The app’s new AI health and fitness tracking tools cost $6.99 a month ($69.99 per year). Apple Watch, anyone?
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