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Do you need antivirus, or is Windows Defender enough?

Windows Defender is free, already on, and tests level with paid antivirus for most people. What the labs found, who should still pay, and how to cancel McAfee or get a Norton renewal refunded.

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Can somebody steal a passkey?

New research says malware can reach Google's synced passkeys on Windows. Here is what has to go wrong first, and why a clean computer is the whole defense.

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A colon cancer test company got breached. If you took Cologuard, expect a phone call.

Exact Sciences, the Abbott company behind the at-home Cologuard colon cancer test, was breached and 10.9 million email addresses are public. What to do before the notification letter arrives.

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Two people agreed to your location sharing. Three are in it.

You agreed with one person. A company is in it too, and what that company keeps depends on which app you picked.

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Five shortcuts I wish somebody had told me about

Five small things your phone and computer have always done. I learned most of them late, and I use every one of them almost daily.

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Your doctor wants to record the visit with AI. Here is what to ask before you say yes.

Your clinic will tell you the tool is HIPAA compliant. That doesn't actually mean much. Four questions to ask before you agree, and what to do if you would rather not.

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Also this week: your location, an AI shopper in court, and California's AI labels

Four stories from the week: leaky ad code, an AI shopper's day in court, California's new AI labels, and the end of Google Assistant on your phone.

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Your phone says storage is almost full. Don't delete anything yet.

The standard advice is to delete some photos. On the wrong phone, that advice destroys the only copy. Answer one question first.

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The AI boom is showing up on price tags

AI data centers are buying up the memory chips that go into every phone, laptop, and game console. The bill has reached store shelves. The cheapest devices are taking the biggest hit. Here is a real answer on whether to buy now or wait.

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The school laptop is a work computer. Here's what it does and doesn't monitor.

Every adult knows how to behave on a work laptop. Your child was handed one at school and nobody explained the distinction. Here is what the school district can see, and what to check before you sign the packet.

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Check Your Router's Expiration Date. No Manufacturer Is Required to Tell You It Has One.

Washington spent this month regulating where your router was manufactured. The far more dangerous question is how long anyone will keep patching it, and on that one you are entirely on your own.

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Your phone has a magnifying glass

The camera app zooms. The magnifier holds the image still, turns up the contrast, and on an iPhone it will even read the small print out loud.