Sam Altman who created ChatGPT now wants to scan your eyeballs with a glowing bowling ball to prove you’re human online, and he made a jingle about it. Seriously. I told you all about it back on May 6. Orb just dropped its first U.S. ad campaign. It’s basically the “If You’re Happy and You Know It” of human verification. It feels like a TSA PreCheck for whatever weird world we’re heading into. It already has 13 million verified humans across 20+ countries, with goals to hit 50 million by the end of 2025. Not me.
How to remove yourself from US Search
Like it or not, your personal information is online for anyone to find. This can include your full name, address, phone number, police record, employment information and more. People search sites scrape this information from public records, court records, social media and other sources.
Many sites exist solely to offer such services. You only need a small piece of information, such as a person’s phone number, and from there, you can locate more information on them. Tap or click here for our running list of people search sites with instructions for removal.
For this entry in our weekly Opt-Out Tuesday series on removing yourself from people search sites, we’ll show you how to remove yourself from US Search.
Avoid people search sites at all costs, especially if it costs you
Most of these sites are scammy in nature. You may think you’re paying for one report and have been roped into recurring charges. Don’t pay to remove your information from any site. This process must be provided for free, as seen in the steps below.
Do you have older relatives who may not know about these sites? While opting out yourself, why not do the same for them? Just type in their information as you would your own, and follow our steps to completion.
PSA: There’s an easier way
Below, I’ll give you the steps to remove yourself from US Search, but that’s just one of hundreds of such sites. If you want to remove them all in one go, check out Incogni.
Incogni does all that hard work for you. It took me three minutes to complete the sign-up process. Then, they get to work removing you from 180+ sites. After that initial setup, you don’t have to lift a finger. So great.
I have a special deal just for you. Right now, get 60% off an annual subscription using code KIM60.
Pioneering data broker
One of the earliest people search sites is US Search, launched in 1993. The site boasts that you can use it to access billions of records. Like many such sites, this one claims to help you “find long-lost friends and family members.” You can bet those aren’t the only types of people using these sites.
4 critical features to look for in a home protection service
© Baramee Thaweesombat | Dreamstime.com
Even though some coronavirus restrictions are starting to be lifted across the U.S., many Americans are committed to staying home. At least until they feel safe going out in public.
While you’re still at home, the last thing you need is the added stress of worrying about burglars trying to break into your home. That’s why it’s important to have home security from a company you can trust.
Adult sites suffer big hit
Think fewer people are watching porn online? You’re right, and the reason might surprise you. New data shows that age verification laws cause adult site traffic to plummet. It’s not just teens being locked out. Many adults are also staying away, unwilling to leave a digital trail.
Have you subscribed to The Kim Komando YouTube channel yet? Why not? Tap here to start watching!
🤖 Who’s the bot now? ChatGPT’s new agent tool snooped its way through a human verification test by clicking the “I am not a robot” checkbox. Yes, it passed a bot test as a bot. Even narrated the click like it was writing its memoir. Somewhere, a human is failing the same CAPTCHA and crying into their LaCroix.
🗣️ Prove you’re a human: OpenAI’s Sam Altman warned the Fed that we’re teetering on a “fraud crisis” due to AI tools that can impersonate you, your voice or your kid’s. AI fakes are calling parents and diplomats. The White House is prepping an “AI Action Plan.” Altman pitched The Orb for human verification. I told you all about this months ago.
🚨 New Uber scam: You request a ride, the driver accepts and you get a call saying you need to verify your account. The scammer asks for your phone number, email and verification codes. Give it up, and they log into your account and steal your money.
☑️ Badge means business: Is your identity verified on LinkedIn? Your little checkmark is about to get a big upgrade. Adobe just added LinkedIn verification to its new Content Authenticity app. That means when your content pops up with your badge, folks will know it’s really you, not some AI bot. Hiring? Use my link to post a job for free.
Don’t fall for this! Fake CAPTCHA tests are popping up. They’ll ask you to do three things: Press Windows Key + R (opens the Run command box), then Ctrl + V (pastes “I am not a robot – reCAPTCHA Verification ID: XXXX”) and hit Enter. You’ve just executed a hidden prompt that downloads malware onto your computer. Snap.
🚨 Etsy sellers, watch out: A new scam starts with an email from “support” and a PDF invoice hosted on a legit domain: etsystatic.com. The goal is to get you to fill out fake identity verification requests on a cloned Etsy site. Official Etsy emails always end with @etsy.com.
“You’ve got male!”: In more than a dozen states, porn sites have to verify you’re over 18 before showing you the goods. This ruling in Texas just got challenged all the way to the Supreme Court, because porn operators say this verification is a violation of their First Amendment rights. They argue it’s a parent’s job to watch their kids online. Interestingly, every time a porn ban happens in a state, the usage of VPNs there goes up over 1,000%. That’s no coincidence.
F-150 EV explosion, Apple’s VR costs big $ & use your phone to hang pics
Plus, Amazon bricks its health tracker. Surprise, no one wanted to hand over all that info. I talk to Sandy and Ellie, two 80-year-old grandmas that celebrated their milestone birthdays by traveling the world. Tinder’s new video verification, best and worst WFH jobs and sly ways to read a message.
Not everyone needs a blue checkmark on Twitter
Elon Musk plans to charge $8/mo for verification checkmarks on Twitter. Will this plan be a boom or a bust? Here’s my take, in 60 seconds.
Huge hotel hack, iPhone 14 issues, how TikTok changes our culture
TikTok is changing the way we speak, record your computer screen for free, iPhone 14 issues, huge hotel hack and Queen Elizabeth II’s golden Wii console. Plus, how to see live bird migration maps in your area and what to do when you get a text with a verification code you didn’t request.