It’s Wednesday! This week in 1982, a professor at Carnegie Mellon sent what turned out to be a very important email: “I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers: :‌-) Read it sideways.” Ah, life before thousands of emojis!

⌛ Quick tip: Incognito or "private" mode on browsers can be a little misleading. While these modes don’t save your browsing history, cookies or form data, they also don't hide your activity from your ISP, employer or the websites you visit. For true anonymity, you'll need tools like a VPN or the Tor browser. — Kim

I know — it's a grim topic. But we have to think about what happens to all our online accounts, data, notes, photos, videos, websites, playlists, blogs and subscriptions once we're gone.

Do your loved ones a favor and get this sorted out beforehand. Below are a few places to start. If you don’t have time today, save this for later — but don’t skip it!

Your Apple account

Apple's Legacy Contact feature is a safe, secure way to give someone access to data stored in your Apple account after you die. (Way better than writing it down on a piece of paper.)

You can add more than one legacy contact, and all of them can access the account to make decisions. The person must be 13 or older.

Here’s how to set it up on your iPhone:

• Open Settings and tap your name.
• Go to Sign-in & Security > Legacy Contact.
• Tap Add Legacy Contact. You may have to use Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to authenticate.
• Choose a group member if you’re in a Family Sharing group or tap Choose Someone Else to add a different contact.
• Select the person, then tap Continue.

You’ll be asked how you want to share your access key — by printing it or sending it to your recipient. If you choose to send it, Apple will create a message letting your contact know you’ve added them as your legacy contact.

Do the same for Facebook

On Facebook, you can name a legacy contact who can write posts, update your profile photo and get a copy of everything you did on Facebook after you pass. It's easiest to do this from a computer.

• When signed into Facebook, tap your profile in the upper-right corner.
• Select Settings & Privacy > Settings > See more in Accounts Center > Personal details > Account ownership and control.
• Next, choose Memorialization and select your Facebook account.
• The final step is to establish a legacy contact from your Facebook contacts.

If you’d rather have your account deleted after you’re gone, go to the Memorialization settings page and scroll. Right above the “Close” button, select Request that your account be deleted after you pass away.

Wipe your search history and location data

You probably have a few things you'd prefer to stay private in your search, watch and location history. Google auto-deletes account records after 18 months. If you want to shorten that window, you can in a few steps.

• Go to your Google Activity controls and log in with your Google account.
• Under Web & App Activity, you’ll see Auto-delete. Be sure this is turned On.
• Click the arrow to choose your preferred timeframe: 3 months, 18 months or 36 months.

Here’s another option if you missed it in yesterday’s email. Opera GX swaps out your real search history with mundane searches if you go 14 days without using the browser.

✅ Next action step: Create a digital will. Everyone needs a list of all their accounts, passwords and online assets. Here’s how to set it up.

Hacked: “I’m sad to announce, my father Donald Trump has passed away,” a hacker wrote on Donald Trump Jr.’s X (Twitter) account. Yeah, it wasn’t him. The post got about 400 retweets before it was deleted. His brother, Eric, said, “I don’t want @DonaldJTrumpJr to get his account back — this is all too entertaining.”

‼️ No more junk: Google Voice users, rejoice! You’ll now see a spam warning (a red exclamation mark) on SMS messages from “phishy” sources. If you mark a flagged message as spam, it’ll go directly to your spam box from now on.

Best of the best: Eero’s new Max 7 router is designed for Wi‑Fi 7, has three wireless bands, and can support up to 4.3Gbps of wireless speed and 9.4Gbps wired. Yeah, that’s … a lot. I’d bet most homes don’t have a Wi‑Fi 6 router yet, but hey, there’s always something brighter and shinier.

📡 Mini-me: The FCC just approved two new Starlink internet dishes. One is about the size of a MacBook (11.4 by 9.8 inches) and will reportedly be portable. Could mean good Wi‑Fi on the road. Get excited, RV peeps.

It’ll cost ya: You can get emergency help from Alexa — for $5.99 a month or $59 per year. You can’t call 911 directly, but the new Emergency Assist subscription has an agent call on your behalf if you ask for help. That person can also pass along your address, medications and allergies.

I make the complex world of tech simple and approachable. From explaining the latest gadgets in plain English to offering easy-to-follow cybersecurity advice, I’ve got you covered.

👉 Tech understanding is just a click away!

🙏 Be polite: No joke, saying “please” and “thank you” to chatbots gets better responses. I bet the same applies to Siri and Alexa. Bonus: Talking with your “inside voice” makes it easier for smart speakers to understand you.

Don’t stay unread: You need to email someone you don’t know. The subject is your first place to get their attention. Try “Referred to you by” or “Quick question” with the person’s name, like this: “Quick question, Kim.”

🚶‍♀️ Tracking without tracking: Your phone can track steps, but some have told me they want to know their distance without carrying a phone all day. This basic, reliable pedometer has a battery that’ll last about a year, and it’s small enough to clip onto your pocket.

Share the smart way: You can send a YouTube video link so it starts right where you want your recipient to watch. Find the video you want and scroll to the time you want to share. Right-click and select Copy video URL at current time. Done!

Boost productivity with some good tunes: Studies show music with 50 to 80 bpm can enhance creativity and learning. Check out this playlist. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is 72 bpm!

Every week on my national radio show, I talk to interesting folks doing amazing things in tech, everyday people who could use a hand, and I share some of my best tips and tricks.

Missed it? All is not lost! Just tune in to my podcast, Kim Komando Today.

This week on the podcast, a cyberattack has impacted all MGM casinos and resorts nationwide — and it all started with a 10-minute phone call. Also, a boy gets hope from ChatGPT after years of chronic pain, Sony's giving its old robot dogs foster care and drugs are being sold on Facebook Marketplace.

❓ Have a question for me? Drop it right here, or leave me a voicemail at 602‑381‑8200 ext. 290.

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Have a question? Reply to this email or drop me a line here. I read every single note you send. Thank you for letting us in your inbox. In tomorrow’s tech news: Your smartwatch is probably lying to you. Sign up here if you’re not already getting it! — Kim