A tech-tastic Tuesday is upon us, friend. Let’s start with a fun fact. Not only do you blink less when looking at a screen, but science proves most people read more slowly on a screen than on paper. Is it slower by … 5%, 10% or 20%? Make your best guess, and you’ll find the answer at the end.

Check out our sponsors to keep this free newsletter free. Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Incogni. They get your personal info out of the people-search sites and data broker databases. Use this special link to save 60% right now. The spam texts and spammy calls have just stopped for me since I did. — Kim

Want to make extra money while the kids are at school? Need to save for a vacation? Say hello to the Amazon Influencer Program. Today, 37% of Amazon's traffic is driven by influencers. That's a lot of eyes and ears!

But, for the influencers themselves, is it worth it? As always, I went digging for the answers. Spoiler: Don’t bank on it.

Get with the program

In 2017, Amazon started paying folks to promote products through social media, newsletters, you name it. Today, many of those same people get paid for videos posted directly to Amazon.

Not just anyone can do this. If you want in, you must submit your social media accounts and create and submit three test videos. Once Amazon gives you the green light, you can start earning commissions when someone buys based on your videos.

Amazon encourages influencers to be honest in their videos and share their opinions, good or bad. (But who’s going to be super negative when they’re trying to sell stuff?)

Shake your moneymaker

While her kids are at school, one woman told the Washington Post she uses the Amazon app to scan items around her house. She'll create and upload a promotional video if they're for sale on the site. So far, she's done hundreds of these videos.

Another mom of two school-aged kids makes up to $1,500 a month. She earned most of her money over the Christmas holidays — many of her commissions came from toy-related videos.

That kind of money is also based on a little luck. Amazon placed one of her vids about a hair straightener at the top of the product page, earning her up to 10 daily commissions.

But here's the twist

While there are success stories, the Amazon Influencer Program is far from perfect. Here are some things to consider before diving in.

Running out of products is real

At first, you can just review stuff around your house. That well eventually runs dry, though, and you'll have to switch strategies.

Some resort to only buying clothes from Amazon. Others make deals with sellers to get items sent to them for free in exchange for the review. (Ahem, that feels shady.) Bottom line: It's a time-consuming hustle.

Worth the effort?

Most categories earn 3% to 4% in commissions. Factoring in the time it takes to source and review products, you’ll probably make more money working at the closest fast-food joint.

It's also worth mentioning the most successful Amazon influencers sell "how-to" courses to help others get started. Yes, they make $100 to $300 a pop telling you how to make money.

Amazon's in control

Amazon can change its rules and algorithms anytime. That could mean wildly variable earnings and an unstable income. No, thanks.

You can also get booted from the platform, even if you don't think you've done anything wrong. Word to the wise: I wouldn’t hedge all my bets on Amazon reviews.

The bottom line

One woman in the Washington Post story has filmed 2,200 videos and made $14,000. Let’s do the math: That’s under $6.50 per video!

Plus, there’s no way she takes less than 20 minutes to do all the legwork, editing and posting. McDonald’s pays up to $21 an hour to work the drive-thru window, just sayin’.

🥊 Did you hear Mike Tyson just got a job at Amazon? He really wanted to be a professional boxer again.

My personal cellphone number and almost every address I’d ever lived at? Yeah, posted online. I bet yours is, too. Data mining is a disturbing reality because it makes these companies so much money.

It’s pretty unsettling to see your personal info so accessible. Think of all the ways scammers or even a person you’ve broken ties with could use it against you. Yes, you can find and remove your info from these sites — but it’s a massive pain to do on your own.

That’s where Incogni comes in. Sign up, answer a few questions and they do the hard work for you. So far, they’ve removed my personal data from 150 sites and counting! Even better, they check on a regular basis that data brokers didn’t sneak me back in. Love that.

⚠️ Massive fraud campaign: Over 8,000 domains, including big names like MSN and eBay, fell victim to a spam scheme. "SubdoMailing” sends millions of deceptive emails daily, bypassing spam filters, duping folks into clicking and then raking in ad bucks. FYI: Domain owners, use this “checker” to make sure you’re safe. Everyone else, double-check any email that asks for money or account updates.

🛫 You’ve heard it on every flight: Switching to Airplane mode is for safety. Think again. Thanks to “pico-cells,” Europe's been fine with midair calls since 2022. The truth? It's not about signal interference; it's about keeping the peace in the skies — nobody wants to sit next to someone yapping away for hours.

PuppyGPT: Brace yourselves because "digital bioacoustics" could allow us to chat with our cats and dogs in just a year or three. Seriously. This tech picks up on our furry friends' subtle sounds and behaviors, and AI then translates them.

🐕 Speaking of dogs: Nearly a year after being lost in a Colorado avalanche, Jacob Dalbey's dog, Ullr, was spotted alive and well on a trail cam. The search, fueled by $38,000 in GoFundMe donations, is drawing them closer to a reunion.

Doritos courtesy of Big Brother: The University of Waterloo ditched its high-tech vending machines after a student caught them using facial-recognition technology. Adaria Vending Services and Invenda Group claimed they were just fancy motion sensors, not spy cams. Uh‑huh.

Pay-per-prescription: Hitting up your doctor for a sick note or refill? Prepare to pony up. Once-free admin tasks could soon carry a price tag. Blame pandemic burnout and the telehealth boom for turning your doc's inbox into a no-freebie zone.

✍️ Scribble away: Google Docs for Android now lets you use your fingers or a stylus to draw, highlight and circle directly on documents. But hey, I'm still waiting on that handwriting-to-text feature, Google.

Meet the Galaxy Ring: Samsung's latest at MWC 2024 is a chunky yet light accessory that monitors sleep, heart rate and other stats, along with personalized advice to boost your health. It’s starting as Galaxy-exclusive. For iOS and other Android users, you’ll have to wait.

Come say hi! I stream the Kim Komando Today podcast live at 10:30 a.m. Pacific (1:30 p.m. Eastern) on weekdays. Pop over to YouTube, Rumble or Facebook and drop a comment. I read them during the show.

Studies show too much screen time can hurt a child’s development. It’s good to know you can take control of the situation and limit the time your kiddos spend staring at their phones.

Set up Family Link on Android:

Or try Screen Time on iOS:

My advice: Everything in moderation. I’ve known kids who grew up with totally locked-down tech, and later in life, they’re glued to their phones. Be a good role model, too. Yes, you scrolling at the dinner table.

✔️ Be a real smarty-pants: Use Google's Fact Check Explorer to win any argument — or see if what you read online is true. Search by keywords and see a list of matching claims and the corresponding fact checks. You’re welcome.

Amazon warning: Returning too many items to Amazon could get your account suspended. The exact limit is unclear, but returning more than 10% of your purchases a month may prompt a suspension or cancellation.

🎼 You(Tube), too: Look for the "Samples" area in the YouTube Music app — they’re quick video clips to help you discover new songs. "Shocker move," said no one; YouTube borrowed the idea from TikTok.

Doc hack: Having different sections of a document start on their own page is a simple way to make it look nice. Instead of hitting enter repeatedly, try this: In a Word or Google Doc, place your cursor before the spot you want the text to break, then hit Ctrl + Enter (Windows) or Cmd + Enter (Mac).

🙏🏻 Want to get my show’s podcast commercial-free? Grab your 30-day free trial of my bustling Komando Community. It’s a few dollars a month after that. Discounts for anyone over 50, military, veterans, service personnel … really, anyone!

I loved listening to my granny’s stories and remember so many to this day!

The answer: 10%. Why? From screen glare to eye strain, our peepers are navigating a whole obstacle course just to process those words. The next time you're in a reading marathon, remember: It's not you. It's the screen!

Speaking of … Here’s a joke to use on your spouse: “Haven't you finished that Kindle yet? You've been reading it for months!”

👌 “Kim, I got Incogni and I’m out of 112 people-search sites. Amazing!” says Robert in Chicago. Yup, it sure is. Use this special link to save 60% right now. Thank you for being here with me and the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim