Hello, hi and happy Wednesday, tech friend! Web drama of the day: Someone leaked a shot from the new Captain America movie and Marvel is ticked — they’ve filed a subpoena to get the poster’s identity. Which platform are they going after? Is it … A.) Facebook, B.) Reddit, C.) TikTok or D.) Instagram? Answer’s at the end!

📨 I send millions of emails every month. And trust me when I tell you Big Tech’s algorithms directly impact what you see (and what you don’t) in your inbox. Today, I’m sharing my favorite email option built with you and your privacy in mind. Let’s do this! — Kim

I have three different work email addresses — and a Gmail address I set up when it launched in 2004. I could never score the handle again today, but after 20 years, that inbox is a mess.

It’s become my disposable email address for coupon codes, free signups and newsletters — pretty much, the nonessential things in my digital life.

For my personal email, I don’t want Big Tech tracking me. That’s why I wanted to tell you about an email solution to take back privacy that you'll love, love, love.

If it’s free, you’re the product

Let’s look at what you hand out when you use that “free” email address from your internet service provider, whether it’s Google, Yahoo, AOL or some other Big Tech company. Remember, all of these are tracked and sold off to the highest bidder:

• Phrases and particular words that appear most in your emails. Think for a moment about some topics in your email right now. These companies make more money off you when they have more data.
• Your location and where your recipients are located, too. Again, it’s just more data points for them to sell!
• Every single person you correspond with — business contacts, friends, family, doctors. Also, how often you exchange emails and what you talk about. Nothing is sacred when it comes to making money.
• The specific time you’re most likely to open your emails, no matter if they’re spam or legit. That’s why the time you get a particular email may change.
• Your website habits get pulled in, too. That includes your shopping, research, dating and even porn-watching habits. Yup, it’s all for sale and tied to your name and IP address.

Simply put, all the data in your email is gathered, tracked, recorded and sold. But hey, it’s free! Don’t like it? Do something about it.

My pick for privacy-first email

Back in the day, none of us blinked at handing out our email address to any form, site, company, salesperson or app that asked. Now that we know better, we can take that knowledge into a fresh inbox.

Don’t just make another Big Tech email account. That’s no solution.

My pick is StartMail. Plans include 20GB of storage (that’s a lot!) and unlimited aliases. You can encrypt your emails, and there aren’t any ads or tracking to deal with. Love that.

If you want to say goodbye to your old inbox altogether, StartMail has an easy-to-use migration tool that brings over your mail and contacts. Score. Or, if you prefer, consider it a new inbox for your VIPs only.

My rule of thumb: Only give your fresh email address to someone you truly want to hear from. For me, this means real people and my very favorite newsletters. Ahem, I hope that’s this one for you!

Keep your personal email to yourself

✅ I negotiated a special deal on StartMail just for you. You won’t find a lower price anywhere else. I made sure! Right now, use my link to get 50% off a year. By the way, if you buy, I don’t get any kickbacks or residuals.

I hate waste and wasting money. These items help you get every last little drop of the stuff you paid for.

For bottles: This bottle-emptying kit ($9.86) has a base cap and three adapters you can use to replace the top on your bottle. Get every last drop of shampoo, dish soap or ketchup.

For jars: These skinny spatulas ($4.99) are made of food-grade silicone so you can use them to get the last of your swanky eye cream or fancy truffle hot sauce.

For tubes: A good-lookin’ and good-workin’ squeezer ($12.97) to get the last bit of toothpaste, sunscreen and any other tube-based product.

👀 Total recall: Microsoft rolled out their new AI features yesterday. One called Recall takes snapshots of your screen every few seconds so you can view past activities later. And I mean everything: Apps, video calls, files, browser activities and login details are all fair game. It’s exclusive to their new Copilot+ line of PCs. I’ll pass, thanks.

But wait! There’s more: Microsoft Edge will soon use AI to offer real-time video translation on sites like YouTube and CNBC — dubbing and subtitles included. And you can create fancy AI apps that respond to images, voice and text prompts with GPT‑4o in Azure AI Studio. Fancy, fancy.

📺 Like cable … but different: Comcast’s new Xfinity StreamSaver bundle gets you Netflix, Apple TV+ and Peacock Premium for $15 a month. Before you get too excited, it’s the basic versions of Netflix and Peacock — in other words, lots of ads. But if you’re already on the basic plans, it’s a $10 monthly savings.

It went data way: Soon, you can send files directly from Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive to ChatGPT rather than saving them to your desktop and uploading them to the AI assistant. There’s a new ChatGPT feature to make sweet interactive charts and tables from your spreadsheets. And there goes another job because of AI.

Measure twice, cut once: Researchers are creating 3D models of human hearts and other organs to test treatments before surgery. Pulling in data from medical exams and wearable devices, doctors use these “digital twins” to find the best approach during surgery, all completely risk-free. Imagine the possibilities for conditions like heart disease and cancer (paywall link). Love this.

🤢 Phone got you carsick? Apple found a way to get rid of motion sickness while you text. Hallelujah. Vehicle Motion Cues show animated dots on the edges of your iPhone or iPad screen that move with the car’s direction, tricking your brain and calming your queasy stomach. ETA: Later this year.

Just sell it: Nike, Ralph Lauren, Levi's and Zara are taking over resale sites like Depop and eBay. Easiest to sell? Brown, beige and multicolored outfits and Nike shoes, which are the No. 1 sellers. Check your closets and make some summer travel money now!

Never get between a mom and her babies: So sad and so avoidable. A moose killed a 70-year-old man who got too close trying to photograph her calves in Homer, Alaska. If you see a moose with laidback ears, raised hairs on its hump or licking its lips, it’s about to attack. Run for your life and get behind something solid. Better yet, always leave wildlife alone.

Update your iPhone: Apple’s iOS 17.5.1 fixes a bug that restored deleted pics from the digital garbage. Some folks were even seeing long-trashed pictures of, well, an adult nature. Oops.

⏸️ Cheapskate pro tip: You can pause your internet and/or cable package if you’re going to be out of town for a while. So much better than paying full price. Get steps for your provider here. Bonus: You don’t need to turn in your cable boxes.

WTH do I do now? Jim in Philly wrote to me because he downloaded an app that totally screwed up his phone — random ads everywhere. Sorry, Jim, but you need to do a full factory reset. It’s a royal pain in the rear, I know, but it’s the only way to ensure your phone is clear from adware and malware. After that, do like I do and get a solid AV software on your phone.

Don’t live in the past (or, if you do, erase it): You went down the Facebook rabbit hole while snooping on an ex and you want to wipe away the last 20 minutes of your search history. Log into Facebook on your browser and tap your profile picture. Select Settings & Privacy > Activity Log. Click Logged actions and other activity, then Search history. Tap Clear Searches.

🌎 Listen around the world: Radiooooo.com (that’s five o's, if you’re counting) lets you pick any decade from the past 100-plus years, then click a country to see what they were probably listening to on the radio. Like the Rolling Stones? Check out Zambian radio in the 1970s — it rocks! Btw, just click on Basic Mode. You don’t need to join.

Pro tip: The USB symbol should be facing upward or toward you when plugging it into a horizontal port and facing toward the port's seam for vertical ports. Power move!

The answer: D.) Instagram. Marvel says Instagrammer CanWeGetSomeToast posted a “leaked, prerelease image” from the upcoming “Captain America: Brave New World.” A judge will determine whether IG’s parent, Meta, has to fork over the poster’s real identity. CanWeGetSomeToast … More like CanWeGetaLawyer.

You deserve privacy. If you’re fed up with Big Tech, look into StartMail. It’s a privacy-focused email provider that puts you first. No ads, no tracking, no scummy data collection. Best of all, save 50% with my link. Check it out right now while you’re thinking about it.

I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with a look at big changes coming to iPhones and Android. You don’t want to miss it! Till then, stay your awesome self, and I will, too. — Kim