Learn
What do you do when an AI deepfake has your face?
A New Orleans doctor spent months trying to get fake AI ads of himself taken down. What worked, what didn't, and why the settings you've heard about wouldn't have helped.
Privacy
Who is collecting your data, what they do with it, and the settings that give you some of it back.
News
The Meta AI panic is over, but turn off this lingering setting.
Meta pulled the feature that let anyone make AI images from your public Instagram photos. The setting that fed it is still on by default. Here is how to turn it off.
Learn
Data brokers have a file on you. California is making them delete it.
Companies you've never dealt with sell lists of who's pregnant, who has Alzheimer's, and who might fall for a scam. Starting August 1, Californians can make them delete it. There are steps for the rest of us, too.
Learn
Freeze your credit before someone else uses it
Breach notices arrive constantly, and most people answer with credit monitoring. A freeze is the free step that stops new accounts in your name before they open, and almost nobody sets it up.
News
Google is changing how Android apps get installed.
A countdown clock says your Android phone is about to be locked down. Here is what Google's new app verification actually changes, and what it does not.
Learn
Your browser can block trackers and scam sites. The strongest settings just aren't on by default.
Your browser can block trackers and warn you off scam sites. In Chrome the strongest settings are off by default; in Edge they are turned down. Five minutes fixes both.
Blog
The apps I'd recommend aren't the ones I use most
My most-used apps are mostly work, not what I'd recommend. This is the short list for a normal person's phone, and the ones worth deleting.
News
You can finally hide your phone number on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is finally letting you hide your phone number behind a username. Here's what that actually protects, and what it doesn't.
News
iPhone to Android texting finally encrypted.
A text between an iPhone and an Android phone can now be locked end to end for the first time. The tell is a small padlock, and it doesn't cover everything.
Learn
Are those smart glasses recording you? How to tell
Smart glasses look like ordinary sunglasses, but they record video and audio, and the tiny warning light is easy to miss or defeat. What they capture, where it goes, and how to tell if the pair across the table is on.
News
Three breaches in one week, and your medical records are the target
Three companies disclosed breaches in one week, and medical data was the target. Why thieves want it, and the free steps that limit the damage.
News
Your Wi-Fi Router Can Track Movement in Your Home
Your Wi-Fi router can detect people moving through your home, no camera needed. What ships today, what is still in the lab, and the one setting to check.