💻 Customize the Mac menu bar: One big change in macOS Tahoe 26 is the fully transparent menu bar. Don’t like it? Go to System Settings > Menu Bar and toggle on Show menu bar background. While you’re there, you can also untick items like Bluetooth or Weather, or remove tools like ChatGPTHelper.
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Clever scam spreading: Venmo, Zelle and Apple Cash are being used for the “accidental deposit” trick. Scammers send you money (using stolen cards, of course), then say oops before begging you to send it back. If you do, your bank later reverses the original payment, and you’re out real cash. PSA: Never send money back to strangers. Let the app deal with it. 
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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Why pay for Microsoft Office when you can use Google Docs, Slides and Sheets for free? They’re cloud-based, so you can work in your browser from anywhere. So smart.
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🚨 Insurance info spill: Hackers dumped 150,000 American Income Life insurance records online. Names, emails, birthdays, even policy details, all out there in the wild. Normally this stuff gets sold quietly, but giving it away for free? That’s like handing out candy to every scammer in the neighborhood. Expect a wave of phishing, fake claims and identity theft soon. 
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Life’s messy, but with the right tools, cleanup is easy.

🚗 Mini cordless vacuum (34% off): Crumbs in your car? This slurps them up and goes where bulky vacs can’t reach.

🌬️ Ceiling fan duster (24% off): With a handle that stretches over 4 feet, you’ll clean without balancing on a chair.

🤓 Eyeglass cleaning cloths (31% off, four-pack): Smudge-free vision in seconds. Your shirt can retire from lens duty.

🐶 Lint rollers (24% off, three-pack): We love our pets, not their fur. These extra-sticky sheets have you covered.

🧺 Laundry detergent sheets (21% off): Sheet happens. Get the power of liquid soap, minus the heavy plastic jugs.

⭐ Want more four-star-and-up finds? Tap this secret link and stock your grime-fighting arsenal.
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⚡ Secret SIM bust: The Secret Service just shut down a rogue telecom network in NYC. Think abandoned apartments stuffed with 300 SIM servers, 100,000 SIM cards, illegal guns, and to top it all off, 80 grams of coke. Investigators say the system could’ve spammed 30 million texts a minute, crippled 911 and blacked out cell towers near the U.N. Assembly.
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With more than 500 million Alexa-enabled devices sold worldwide, odds are you’ve got one sitting on your counter or desk, quietly glowing, always listening. Ever mutter something like, “I need new jeans,” and suddenly your phone’s serving up Levi’s ads? Creepy coincidence or hot mic in action?

Alexa is always in listening mode, waiting for the wake word. Then, she starts recording, and that audio gets shipped off to the cloud. By the way, you might’ve said “a lecture,” “erector” or “I’d like a snack,” but Alexa still perks up like it’s her cue to record the next few seconds of your life for her memoir.

🧑‍⚖️ Alexa, mind your business 

Those recordings get stored, reviewed and sometimes even shared. One couple in Portland, Oregon, had their private conversation recorded by Alexa … and it was automatically sent to one of their contacts. That person worked at their company. Awkward.

Another time, Amazon turned over Alexa recordings as evidence in a murder investigation. So yes, your smart speaker might actually testify against you.

🔊 On the record

Unless you’ve changed your settings, there’s a running log of everything you’ve ever asked. The good, the bad and the weird. Want to hear them for yourself? 

In the Alexa app: Tap More (three lines at the bottom) > Alexa Privacy > Review Voice and Text History. You can play them back, delete them or pretend you never asked what you just asked.

🤫 Alexa’s problem friends

Some third-party skills and apps can access your mic, calendar and contacts without much oversight. Some have been caught secretly storing data or exploiting commands, all without your knowledge.

These add-ons don’t get vetted like App Store or Play Store apps. So you’re trusting Alexa to vet her friends, and she’s a terrible bouncer.

🛡️ Your privacy checklist

🔇 Mute your mic when you’re not using it: There’s a physical mute button on most Alexa devices. Press it, and the light ring will turn orange or red when Alexa’s ears are officially off.

🛍️ Turn off voice purchasing: So Alexa doesn’t accidentally order 300 dog treats after your kid yells, “Order snacks!”

Open the Alexa app.

Tap More > Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing > Purchase controls.

Choose No one (disable voice purchasing), or set up a purchase confirmation code.

🗑️ Auto-delete voice history every 3 months: Do it.

Open the Alexa app.

Tap More > Alexa Privacy > Manage Your Alexa Data.

Under Choose how long to save history, select Save history for 3 months.

📋 Review permissions on third-party skills: Some Alexa “skills” love digging into your data. 

Open the Alexa app.

Tap More > Skills & Games > Your Skills.

Go through each one and tap Settings > Manage Permissions. 

Disable any permissions you don’t like (like access to your mic, location or contacts).

😳 Speaking of… “Alexa, tell me a joke. … Alexa? Alexa?” She said, “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. I thought you deserved some privacy.” I said, “Really? Well, that’s nice of you.” She said, “Would you like to hear another joke?” (lol)

Use the icons below right now to share this important privacy intel with your friends and family.
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🧠 Siri’s gone fluent: Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 are like having a robot interpreter whispering in your head, translating languages live, right in your ears. You speak one, they hear another. Now I can finally learn why my favorite taco spot keeps calling me a grassy ass. 
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🤖 Change ChatGPT’s vibe: You’re not stuck with the default tone. Go to Settings > Personalization > ChatGPT personality. Cynic is sarcastic, Robot is efficient, Listener is supportive, and Nerd is playful. FYI: Leave it on Default if you’d rather keep it neutral and adaptive. Or prompt “reply in a friendly tone” whenever you need.
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📚 Stop accidental taps on Kindle: If random screen touches keep messing with your reading, you can disable them. Inside a book, tap the three-dot menu in the top right and select Disable Touchscreen, then hit OK. You’ll still swipe to turn pages. To bring taps back, just restart your Kindle.
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