Happy Sunday, friends! Here’s a fun trivia question to kick things off. Zillow's "Zestimate" is a popular tool for estimating home values. But it's not just pulled out of thin air. How many data points does Zillow consider when coming up with a Zestimate? Is it close to … 100, 500, 7.5 million or 20 million? You’ll find the correct answer at the end.

✅ Keep this newsletter free by checking out today’s sponsor, Bark — the best phone for tweens and teens. If you or someone you know wants to monitor exactly what the kids are doing, this is it.

Be sure to pass along today’s top story, folks. Those share buttons at the end of the article make it easy. The more tech-smart people out there, the better. Grab your coffee or tea, and let’s do this. — Kim

Asking all the companies you interact with to protect your data sounds like a never-ending game of Whac-A-Mole. Who has that kind of time or energy? Thankfully, a new tool will do it for ya.

The Permission Slip app was created by Consumer Reports, so you know it's good!). It contacts companies on your behalf to ensure your personal info isn't sold to third parties, aka anyone willing to pay for it. They can even get your data erased for you.

The icing on the cake? It's 100% free to download and use.

Permission granted

To try it out yourself, follow these steps:

You'll then see a screen that lists that company’s information and details the kinds of data it collects.

Forget me, please

If you have an account with that company, you can submit a "Do Not Sell My Data" request. You can also tap Delete My Account right in the Permission Slip app. Once the submission is complete, you'll receive a confirmation message.

The first time you submit a request, you must enter your mobile number, home address and primary email address. This info is encrypted and protected by Permission Slip. You must also review and electronically sign Permission Slip's user agreement.

What’s next?

❤️ I bet you're as amazed as I am with this free way to protect your privacy. Give those share buttons below a tap, and let your circle know about this must-have app. They'll thank you for it!

“Bark has changed our family’s lives. No exaggerating here. There are so many things I wouldn’t have known or seen if we didn’t subscribe, and I’m an IT person that knows firewalls and security.” — Stephanie W.

Don’t underestimate how good kids and teens are with tech. They can get around parental controls with no problem. That’s why the Bark Phone is unique. There’s really nothing like it on the market.

Bark uses built-in tools kids can’t tamper with or change, so you know they’re always protected. The Bark Phone scans texts, social media apps and searches (and tells you if there’s anything going on), and tracks their location in real time. Set screen time limits, too, that they can’t get around.

Windows 12 going subscription. Prob not going to be a one-time purchase. A testing file leaked references to “Subscription Edition” and “Subscription Type.” I’ll eat a steak if there’s no free or cheap tier packed with ads. Yeah, I don’t eat meat, so this is a huge deal to me.

Outdoor tragedy: While out in Banff National Park, Canadian couple Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse were attacked by a grizzly bear. They quickly sent an SOS through their Garmin inReach to Doug's uncle: "Bear attack bad." This alerted Parks Canada, but help arrived too late. They found Doug, Jenny and their dog fatally mauled. Just awful.

⛽ Feeling gassy: Shell’s ads in Fortnite aren’t going over so well. The campaign encourages kids to fill up virtual cars at a digital Shell station and post screenshots. Activists say, “Get that fossil fuel out of the game.” I think Shell’s marketing department is pretty clever.

Hit me, baby, one more time: A Harvard neuroscientist says music you know and love is optimal for concentration. It activates brain areas responsible for movement, giving you a more “full-bodied” focus. So find that old mixtape and focus away!

🧟‍♀️ Wednesday’s national emergency alert internet conspiracies: QAnon said the alert tones would trigger a rare virus in everyone who got the COVID‑19 vaccine and turn them into zombies. Another one — hearing the alert tones would unleash harmful compounds (graphene oxide) and, again, turn you into a zombie. Honestly, you conspiracy people need to get more original. Enough with the zombies already.

Sound like a tech pro, even if you're not one. Try my award-winning, daily podcast. Search for my last name with "K" wherever you get your podcasts and "Go Komando!"

Listen to my podcast, Kim Komando Today, here.

Another week and another great group of folks chatting with me this weekend on my national radio show. Tune in to hear these convos and more:

I also help Wayne lock down his smart devices, Mary Ann get the full story on my viral Temu article, Jerry transcribe long audio recordings and more!

✅ You have three ways to catch my show:

🤗 Need my help? Leave me a note here. I read every single one.

📚 Listen up: It’s not just music — Spotify has over 350,000 audiobooks. Purchase on the desktop app or website, then listen on your phone. There are free options, but most new books cost around $15. With this many titles, you should have enough material to make folding laundry and washing dishes more interesting for … the rest of your life.

Up your password IQ: Sorry, pal, but adding a “1” or exclamation point at the end of your new password won’t cut it. Cybercriminals know that trick, too. For better passwords, add numbers and special characters in other spots. You can even sub in for letters, so a password like “ilovekim” becomes “1l0v3k1m.” Yes, I love you, too.

⌚ Gym rats, take notice: Fitbit’s new Charge 6 fitness band is available for preorder. The slim and sleek fitness watch can track your heart rate, speed and temperature around you. It gets up to a week of battery life, which should blow your mind if you have an Apple or Pixel Watch. The catch: You need a Google account to use it.

Pump you up: You don’t need a fancy watch to measure your heart rate. For iPhone, Cardiio: Heart Rate Monitor is a good choice. It works with iPads, too. For Android, Heart Rate Monitor is similarly easy to use. Cover the back camera, stay still and you’ll get a reading.

⚰️ Google's graveyard grows: RIP to Jamboard, a whiteboarding app the tech giant will phase out next year. Google says similar features will be added to Workspace. Jamboard joins a list of abandoned (and, in some cases, long-forgotten) Google features like Wave, Buzz, Google Reader and Google Hire.

🤦‍♀️ Mea culpa. Friday’s newsletter covered insider tricks for using ChatGPT, like saying “Please” and “Thank you” for better results. So many astute readers let me know I missed steps for how to access ChatGPT and the diff between its paid and free versions. Thanks for speaking up. You can read the story with updates here on my site.

Netflix or ….? Stop having the “Where is that streaming?” conversation. There’s a site (and app) for that. In fact, there are two good options to see where you can watch a series or movie, and both tell you the cheapest services, too. Yup, call me “frugal.” “Cheap” sounds so cheap.

🗂️ Say “See ya!” to all those apps you don’t need, use or care about. Get the intel on how to Marie Kondo your smartphone. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment afterward for sure!

Hi, you. Old voicemails can be particularly nostalgic when you’re missing someone. Make sure you save yours the right way.

Hey, Siri. I use voice commands all the time. If you struggle to get your digi-assistant to do what you want, I can help.

🫡 Helpful times six. Here’s a top-notch list of ways tech can help with life’s little annoyances — like forgetting where you parked for the third time in a day.

Oh, please! Obviously, it’s one of those portable DVD players.

The answer: Over 7.5 million. Zillow uses an intricate web of info ranging from home stats, location data, recent sales and tax assessments, just to name a few. Now, just like any estimate, it's always good to pair it with a professional's advice when making real estate decisions.

Hey, you! If you have a kid in the fam, check out Bark, a smartphone with parental controls and monitoring software. I wish this had been around when Ian was a kid. Talk about peace of mind. Your support of our sponsors makes this free newsletter possible.

Have a great Sunday. I go to church and find that it really helps keep me centered. Thank you for being here with the best tech newsletter in the USA! I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with the latest tech news. If you’re not getting that free newsletter, sign up now. — Kim