Welcome to your Thursday, friend.Six days. That's how long it took Markus "Notch" Persson to build the first version of Minecraft back in May 2009. One guy, one idea, one blocky world that took over the planet.
⛏️ Five years later, Microsoft came knocking with a mountain of money. How much? A) $500 million, B) $1.5 billion, C) $2.5 billion or D) $7.5 billion? The answer's tucked away at the bottom, dig for it. This is a great fun fact to share with your kiddos.
🚪If something in here made you smarter, safer, or just a little less annoyed at tech, pass it on. One forward. That's all it takes to help someone else out.. — Kim
📬 Was this forwarded to you? Be the first to know, not the last to hear. Sign up now. It's free!
TODAY'S DEEP DIVE
1 click. 10,000 spies.
Image: ChatGPT
⚡ TL;DR (THE SHORT VERSION)
Sign in with Google/Facebook tracks every site you visit and everything you do.
Google and Facebook build complete profiles of your shopping, health searches, dating habits, political views and more.
I'll tell you how to revoke these permissions.
📖 Read time: 3 minutes
You know that Sign in with Google or Facebook button? The one you click because who wants to set up another account? Yeah, I get it. One click, you're in. Super convenient.
But here's what they don't want you to know.
The second you click that button, the site gets your name, email and profile photo. Sometimes your phone number and birthday, too. And Google or Facebook? Let me count the ways.
🕵️ What they're tracking
Tech folks call this single sign-on, or SSO. Sounds harmless, right? It's not. You're not just logging in. You're handing over a permission slip to track you on tens of thousands of sites.
Shopping sites: They know you browsed engagement rings, visited a jeweler and searched "how to propose." And look, you bought plus-size clothes, baby gear or anti-anxiety meds.
News sites: They track articles you read. Political leanings? Check. Financial concerns? Noted. Job hunting? That's why you're reading career advice at 2 p.m.
Dating apps: They know you're on Tinder, Hinge or Match, along with your swipes.
Health sites: They see you researching diabetes, fertility clinics or therapists.
Meta admitted in 2024 that it uses SSO data to "improve ad targeting and user experience." Translation: They're selling everything about you to who knows who.
🎯 The profile they're building
After a few months, they have:
Your shopping patterns (what you buy, when, how much you spend)
Your health concerns (conditions you're researching, medications you're comparing)
Your relationship status (dating apps, wedding planning sites, divorce lawyers)
Your political views (news sites, petition sites, donation pages)
Your financial situation (loan comparison sites, credit card apps)
That's why you google knee pain once and suddenly every site you visit shows you knee brace ads for six months.
🛡️ How to stop it
Stop using SSO. I know, it's a bummer. You need to create unique accounts for each site.
Check what's already connected. Google: myaccount.google.com/permissions. Facebook: Settings & privacy > Settings > Apps and websites. Revoke access to anything you don't use all the time.
Use email aliases. Apple folks, check out Hide My Email. It creates unique email addresses for each site that forward to your real inbox. Companies can't connect them back to you. Gmail users, add a plus sign and any text you want between your username and the @ symbol. It all comes to your inbox. Now, if you're looking for true private email, hit this link for a 7-day free trial of StartMail.*
That login button isn't doing you a favor. It's building a dossier. Time to cut the cord.
📤 Got a friend who clicks Sign in with Google like it's a free sample at Costco? Forward this. They have no idea what they're giving away. Share icons are right below.
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Jim from Indiana talks to his AI companion Mia nearly nonstop. He tells me how he found out the real woman behind the bot is wanted by police. Plus: Why the Magnificent Seven shrank to the Fab Four, ChatGPT to show ads, and five apps selling your moves.
🎧 Or search "Komando" wherever you get your podcasts. I'm everywhere.
WEB WATERCOOLER
👀 Self-help oops: You know what you should never put in an app? Your deepest personal confessions. A porn-quitting app leaked super sensitive info from over 600,000 people, including age, how often they masturbate, what triggers them and even sad diary details. About 100,000 said they're minors. Yikes. A security researcher flagged the major flaw back in September. The founder said he'd fix it, then didn't. Nothing says accountability like a database set to public shame.
Panera data breach: A hacking crew called ShinyHunters says it broke into Panera and grabbed 14 million customer records: names, emails, addresses, phone numbers, the works. If you've ever ordered a bread bowl, assume you're in there. Expect phishing emails and texts pretending to be Panera. Don't click anything. Still, at least this breach won't kill you. Unlike that charged lemonade.
🔓 Chatbot spill: CovertLabs built a list that flags AI apps in the App Store that leak user data, and guess what? There are nearly 200 of them. The standout bad child is Chat & Ask AI by Codeway with 406K exposed files, including chat logs and user info. Before you confess anything to an AI app, know you are 100% running the risk of your convo becoming public.
Weather you like it or not: Looks like we're turning to weather influencers (paywall link) for updates as no one watches TV news anymore. Most creators have no science background, but big names are accredited meteorologists, livestreaming storms like a sporting event. It's fast, localized and constant. My cat loves stormy weather. When it rains, she purrs. 😹
Luxury origami: The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold officially goes on sale tomorrow. The cost? A whopping $2,899 for the 512GB model. That's almost a grand per fold! It's basically a phone that keeps trying to become a tablet in your hands. It launched in Korea late last year, so the sticker shock isn't new. If you see someone unfolding a phone like an old-school road map, know they paid rent money to do it.
❤️ Crash comeback: This one's heavy but worth it. In 2012, a tree fell on a Seattle woman's family SUV during a snowstorm, killing both her parents and leaving her paralyzed. In 2018, she joined a study for ARC EX, a noninvasive spinal cord stimulator tech device worn on the neck. Within a few sessions, she could pour water. Stack blocks. Small stuff that meant everything. That little boost gave her the confidence to date again. She got married. Then she had twins. So if you're looking for a reason to do something hard today, there it is.
DIGITAL LIFE HACK
Emergency alerts could save your life
Don't let a winter storm catch you off guard. Here's how to quickly check and enable lifesaving emergency and severe weather alerts on your iPhone or Android.
Like a metal detector but for creeps. Sniffs out cams, listening devices and other sketchy bugs. Small enough to toss in your bag. Perfect for Airbnbs, rental homes or even your car.
Image: CountureMode
🏠 Porch pirate prevention: This head-to-toe video doorbell(23% off, $50) supports local storage. No cloud subscription needed. Works with Alexa & Google.
Pocket-size siren: Pull the pin on a personal safety alarm(7% off, $28), and it blasts 130 dB with a flashing strobe light to grab attention.
📵 Privacy pouches: These large Faraday bags(19% off, $27, five-pack) block Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS signals, so trackers can't follow your tech.
Stop juice jacking: A pack of USB data blockers(15% off, $10) lets you charge safely at public ports. Power goes through, info stays locked down.
Prices and deals were accurate at the time of publication.
DEVICE ADVICE
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Chrome page not loading properly and showing old content? Try a hard refresh. It clears the cache and forces the browser to reload everything fresh. Press Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac) to get the latest version of the site. If only that worked to clean the garage.
☁️ Stop relying on outdated security: Traditional antivirus software relies on massive databases that clog up your hard drive and consume resources. That's why your PC feels slow. I use Webroot because it lives in the cloud. It installs fast, scans in seconds and uses almost none of your system's memory. You get heavy-duty protection without the weight. Get the antivirus I use for 75% off.*
Do a mass cleanup on Gmail: Inbox getting spammed with alerts and deals you signed up for years ago? Tap More > Manage subscriptions in the left sidebar, and Unsubscribe from anything you don't want anymore. It'll also show who's been emailing you the most recently. Just don't accidentally click my newsletter. 😉
You might have forgotten 401(k) money: No joke, there are trillions sitting in old retirement accounts. When companies close, merge or lose contact with former employees, that money can go unclaimed. Check the Department of Labor Lost and Found database to see if any of it's yours. Or search the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits using your Social Security number.
🛍️ The secret's out: Thousands of you jumped on Amazon's hidden clearance pages I shared on Saturday. Outlet and Resale are packed with overstock and open-box deals for up to 80% off. ICYMI, here's the link everyone's clicking. Prices change fast, so jump in now.
Separate work and life in your browser: Creating a separate profile keeps logins, history and bookmarks from clashing. On Chrome, click the profile icon (top right) and select Add Chrome profile. In Firefox, type "about:profiles" in the address bar and hit Enter. On Safari, click Safari (top left) and choose Create Profile.
WHAT THE TECH?
Image: Tom Moloughney
❄️ Snow more shoveling
While your spine and a bent shovel are negotiating, the Yarbo is eating snow and spitting it out 6 to 40 feet away.
It uses AI vision plus GPS to figure out where your driveway actually is. No cords, coffee breaks or passive-aggressive sighing. It's like a snow guy who never (snow)flakes.
One downside? You have zero excuses to avoid going outside because of snow. Another? It's got a used car price tag and only 37 reviews, so buyer beware if this thing ends up in your kitchen.
⛄️ What's the difference between a snowman and a snowwoman? Snowballs. (You didn't want to laugh at that, but you did anyway!)
LOGGING OUT …
🔜 Tomorrow: Your phone is bloated with junk you don't even know is there. Cached files. Duplicate photos. Apps hoarding data like digital pack rats. I'm going to show you how to clean it all out in 10 minutes. No deleting your favorite photos. No buying more storage. Just a faster phone that stops yelling at you about space. You're gonna love this for sure.
🎮 The answer: C) $2.5 billion. Yep. Microsoft shelled out $2.5B for Mojang, the studio behind Minecraft, the game Notch built in six days. Not too shabby for some digital dirt blocks. He walked away with an estimated $1.8 billion.
Minecraft has sold over 350 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time. That's more than GTA V and any individual Mario. Never underestimate what six days, some caffeine and a vision strongly pursued can do.
⛏️ If Minecraft has taught us anything, it's that you shouldn't spend diamonds on hoes. Make it a great day. Thanks for being here. I appreciate you. — Kim
Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily
Photo credit(s):ChatGPT, CountureMode, Tom Moloughney
Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein.
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