Why your VPN isn’t enough
“Hi, Kim, I’ve heard you talk about VPNs. Will using one make me anonymous online?” — Dennis in Texas
Great question, Dennis, and one a lot of people ask. A VPN (virtual private network) is one of the best tools for privacy, but it’s not a magic invisibility cloak. There’s a lot of hype out there, so let’s set the record straight.
🪓 Amazon trims the suits: Amazon axed 14,000 corporate jobs, about 4% of its white-collar crew. Yep, it’s not the warehouse workers getting replaced this time, it’s the middle managers (paywall link). Gartner says one in five companies will flatten management with AI by 2026. AI can handle reports, strategy planning and meetings without needing HR drama sessions, paid paternity leave or sabbaticals.
💥 Bright idea: This is amazing. Scientists in Texas found a way to zap cancer cells using plain ol’ LED bulbs and tin oxide nanoflakes. It’s basically a sunburn with superpowers. After 30 minutes, up to 92% of skin cancer cells were toast, while healthy cells chilled. It’s still early days, but imagine treating cancer with a bedside lamp instead of chemo and radiation.
💳 AI joins accounting’s dark side: Looks like AI’s taking up “creative accounting” as a side hustle. Expense software firms are catching a wave of AI-generated fake receipts, saying fakes make up 14% of all fraud attempts, complete with logos, bogus signatures and even wrinkles in the paper. CFOs are sweating, and expense apps are, get this, using AI to fight AI.
🕵️♀️ Take your privacy off the market: Data brokers quietly collect and sell your personal info: your email, phone number, even where you live. Incogni automatically removes your data from these sites before it’s sold or leaked. Real protection, running quietly in the background, so you can live life, not defend it.
Autopilot brain: An Illinois Tesla driver blamed Autopilot after rear-ending a parked police cruiser, because of course they did. The guy admitted he was asleep while the car “drove itself.” Nobody was seriously hurt, but the police (and reality) reminded everyone that Autopilot isn’t “nap mode.” If your wake-up alarm is a cop siren, you might be doing the whole car thing wrong.
Apple’s leak problem: Apple can’t catch a break. Its “awe-dropping” event leaks were bad enough, but now the FCC is leaking, too (paywall link). Filings revealed new model numbers for MacBook Pros, iPad Pros and even an updated Vision Pro, likely all rocking fresh M5 chips. The kicker? These leaks didn’t come from insiders. They came from the government.
🤝 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.
Don’t let AI play doctor: People are still asking ChatGPT for medical advice, and it’s going horribly wrong. One guy cooked with pool sanitizer because AI said it was a salt alternative. Another skipped the ER during a stroke. Look, ask AI for dinner ideas, not diagnoses.