Can’t even open a website without the wheel of death? Here’s the reason. It’s not what you think.
They buried your opt-out button
Midjourney
This is insane. Like almost cartoon-villain-level shady. Say you’re trying to delete your personal information from some shady data broker’s website that’s selling your data to advertisers, marketing companies, stalkers, coworkers or anyone else with the money.
But when you search for their opt-out page on Google? Nothing pops up on the results page. Did you miss it? Nope.
A new Wired report just exposed more than 30 data broker companies that are deliberately hiding their opt-out pages from Google and Bing. That’s right, the pages that legally allow you to say “no thanks” to having your personal data bought, sold and shared like trading cards are being blocked from search engines on purpose. Wow.
🤑 They collect and sell everything about you
I’m talking about your name, address, phone number, SSN, political affiliation, jobs, purchase history, health data, insurance claims, who you live with and more, a lot more.
Now they’ve taken it a step further. They’ve made it nearly impossible for you to find the one page that lets you opt out. You’d have to go directly to the company’s website and dig through layers of menus, if you can find it at all.
🪄 They know what they’re doing
This isn’t an accident or a technical glitch. It’s a strategy. A move to look compliant while hoping you don’t bother trying. Some of them even use tricky design tactics, like hiding links under layers of legal text or pop-ups you’d never think to click through.
Why? Because the harder they make it to opt out, the more your data stays in their system and the more money they make selling it.
I use Incogni. It’s like sending in the privacy cavalry. You don’t have to hunt down every shady data broker or figure out who’s hiding what. Incogni does it for you automatically, legally and effectively.
They target over 420 people search sites and data brokers, and Deloitte, one of the biggest auditing firms in the world, independently verified their entire process. No other data removal service can say that.
With my exclusive discount, plans start at just $6.39 a month, and you still get access to Incogni’s new Unlimited Plan. You send them links where your info is exposed, and they’ll get it taken down.
🫥 Royal eviction: The royal family gave Prince Andrew the 404 treatment. He’s now just Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten Windsor. Not only is he out of his 30-room mansion, but he’s been digitally wiped off every royal website. Search his name? It reroutes to King Charles. Rumor is Prince Harry is next, but remember, the king can only move one space at a time. (Get it, chess joke? Woah, tough crowd today!)
Nearly 60%
Of Google searches ended without a single click in 2024. AI Overviews now hand you the answer right on the results page, no website needed. Add in ChatGPT hitting 700 million weekly users in August with 2.5 billion prompts daily, and yeah, it’s a full-on behavior shift. People aren’t browsing anymore, they’re asking.
Pick your start page: On Chrome, set your browser to open your favorite website every time it launches. Go to Settings > On startup > Open a specific page or set of pages > Add a new page. Type in a URL like komando.com and hit Add. Next time you open Chrome, you’ll get the latest tech news right away.
📋 Paste without the mess: On your iPhone, if you copy text from a website, it can be annoying when it drops into an email with all the links and formatting. The trick? With the text copied, long-press in the email body, tap the arrow that appears and select Paste and Match Style, then Allow Paste. Ta-da, neat and clean.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: iPhones don’t come with printed manuals anymore, but you can find them on Apple’s website. Select your model to get the user guide, info sheet and repair manual.
🤝 Own a website? While Google, OpenAI and Anthropic eat everyone’s content buffet-style for free, Search.com said, “How about we actually pay the chefs?” Their new AI search tool gives creators 60% of ad revenue, promises no scraping without consent and lets sites embed AI chatbots for free. It’s a small shift, but it could help keep your site, as well as your favorites, alive.
💸 Stop paying for Microsoft 365: Use free alternatives like LibreOffice instead. To cancel your subscription, sign in on Microsoft’s website. Go to My Microsoft account (top right) > Subscriptions > Microsoft 365 > Manage > Cancel subscription, then scroll down and click I don’t want my subscription. Money saved. Score.
🚗 Make sure your car’s safe: About 1 in 5 cars on the road have an open recall that hasn’t been fixed. Check yours at the NHTSA website by choosing your state and entering your license plate number or VIN. FYI: You can also search recalls for tire brands and car seats.
🦖 You don’t need 3D software: Google’s new AI model Nano Banana can turn regular photos into toy-like action figures. Just head to the Gemini app or website, upload your picture and enter this special prompt (it’s the first comment on the post). Pro tip: Use a full-length, well-lit, high-res shot for the best results.
Smart glasses … during a bikini wax?
A woman in New York says her esthetician wore Meta Ray-Ban shades during her bikini wax. Talk about TMI. I also talk to John from Atlanta, who’s scrambling to keep his model train store on track. He needs a new website, stat! Plus: the upcoming iPhone 17, hackers faking Google calls, and drones that chase off wolves.
Send Chrome pages to your phone: On your computer, open the website you want and click the three-dot menu (top right). Go to Cast, save and share > Create QR Code. A QR code will pop up. On your phone, open the Camera app (or Scan QR code), and the link opens in your mobile browser. Nice.
🌐 Check website permissions: Some sites may have access to your webcam or microphone without you knowing. In Chrome, click the View site information icon left of the address bar, then go to Site settings to review permissions. On Safari, open the Safari menu > Settings for This Website > Permissions to do the same.
🤯 Ignorance isn’t feeless: How many times have you gotten a text about not paying for a toll and thought, damn spam? A California woman kept getting texts saying she owed money to The Toll Roads, but she assumed they were fake and ignored them. Turns out they were real. That could have meant big fines if she’d kept driving. Folks, if it sounds important, double-check on the official app or website.
🎨 Need stunning photos? I’ve used Dreamstime for years, and for good reason. Whether you’re building a website, designing a presentation or just need the perfect pic for social media, Dreamstime has millions of royalty-free images that won’t break the bank.
🔭 Space on the sidewalk: A group called #popscope is setting up telescopes on city streets and letting people look through them for free. Imagine heading out for ice cream and getting a peek at Saturn’s rings or the moon’s craters. You can volunteer on their website. No group near you? This telescope is a stellar deal (25% off). Such a wonderful idea!
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🍏 Clear your iPhone’s browsing data: It’s a quick fix for websites not loading or scrubbing private searches. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Now choose a Timeframe and tap Clear History. FYI: This logs you out of sites, but your autofill info stays.
Add a website to your iPad Home Screen: In Safari, tap the Share button (top right) and choose Add to Home Screen. Give it a name, hit Done, and it’ll show up as an icon you can move like any app. Much better than digging through bookmarks for your favorites.
Refine your Google search: Looking for results from a specific website? Type something like “site:apple.com” to limit results to that site. Then add your search term in quotes, like “iPhone,” to find pages with that exact word. Share it with the kids, it’s great for narrowing down info fast.