Data brokers are selling your life. Here’s how to stop them.
The data broker industry is worth almost $400 billion. Whether it’s your Google Search history, movies you’ve streamed or a summary of your last doctor’s visit, they’re keeping tabs on your life.
Feel violated? You should. These brokers even sell your data to scammers so they can use it to target you. No wonder most people get overloaded with spam texts and calls every day.
Yes, you can add a VPN to your TV - Here are a few reasons you should
You can use many methods to protect against cyberattacks, including strong passwords, antivirus software, a virtual private network (VPN), privacy-focused browsers and more. Tap or click here for our list of essential privacy tools that help you stay safe online.
🛑 Stop phone theft: Android’s new Theft Protection feature keeps your data safe if someone grabs your phone and runs off with it. Go to Settings > Google > All services > Theft protection and toggle Turn on to enable the change. You’ll get this feature if your phone’s running on Android 10 or later.
🎧 Free (malware) to a good home: Cybercriminals are slipping malware into podcasts. They’re targeting podcast-hosting services, inserting links to pirated software and game cheats in episode descriptions and playlists. The links bypass Spotify’s filters and get a nice little boost in search engine rankings. Say it with me: Don’t click on random links, especially for “free” software.
Anyone can be a math whiz: iPhone’s new Math Notes tool is neat. Open the Calculator app, tap the calculator icon (bottom right corner) and choose Math Notes from the dropdown menu. Say you’re traveling overseas and need to convert the temperature. Write 30 Celsius = and it’ll autofill the Fahrenheit temp for you. This tool works with anything math-related!
🔢 Undo it: You’re doing math on your calculator app and one wrong tap ruins everything. Not anymore. On a touchscreen device, swipe right or left to delete the last character. How do you make a seven even? Subtract the ‑s.
🎶 I’m B-side myself: Make a playlist with your fam so you’re not bickering over the music. For Spotify, open the app, then head to Your Library and select the playlist. Tap the three dots in the top right > Share to send it. In Apple Music, go to Library > Playlists > three dots (upper right) > Share Playlist.
Good vibrations: It’s so much easier in Android 15 to adjust your keyboard vibrations. Before, you had to dig into the settings for each app. Now, go to Settings > Sound and vibration > Vibration and haptics. Use the sliders to adjust the buzzing to your liking, all in one place.
Before you text asking for a second date: Use Apple Intelligence’s new proofreading tool to catch embarrassing mistakes on an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max or any iPhone 16 model. Highlight your message, then press Writing Tools > Proofread. This works in any text-based app, like your email, Notes or social media.
Another “godfather”: There seems to be at least a dozen people claiming to be the “godfather” of AI. The newest says OpenAI’s latest o1 model can scheme and deceive us. Yoshua Bengio is calling for better testing and regulatory oversight before things spiral out of control. Researchers have already found o1 is better at lying than previous models. OpenAI’s response? It’s safe. Uh-huh.