It’s a magnificent Monday! Let's see if you know the answer to this question. What percentage of Americans routinely spies on their partners’ phones and checks their text messages? Make your best guess now, and you'll find the answer at the end.

Welcome to another thrilling edition of the best tech newsletter in the USA! Buckle up, because we've got an exciting lineup of news and updates to dive into. Let’s get started! — Kim

I've said it for years. The police have them for a great reason and you should, too — cameras that record what happens in front of your car, behind your car and in your car. It's not just in case of an accident. Road rage incidents are on the rise, especially those involving guns.

Imagine if this happened to you. An Oklahoma City driver laid on his horn when an SUV started drifting into his lane. Things escalated quickly. The SUV swerved to block the man pressing on his horn. The SUV driver then pulled a gun and shot the other driver.

Thankfully, the victim made a full recovery, and his dashboard camera recorded it all. Police quickly identified and arrested the gunman in the SUV, and justice was served.

Dashcams can undoubtedly save lives, but does everybody need one? The Wall Street Journal (paywall link) wrote about the pros and cons of dashcams, and we've got more details. Plus, we did the research and present you with our recommendations for the best devices.

The good

Let's start with the obvious: The ability to record footage. If you're in an accident and not at fault, it's easier to prove if you have it all on tape. It also helps to record criminal activity.

Better dashcams can automatically detect crashes and send out an emergency response on your behalf. Others make a beeping noise if you stray from your lane, making them a nice upgrade for older cars.

Newer cameras have motion detectors and monitor the interior of your car. They'll detect a break-in and sound an alarm to scare away burglars. And, once again, they’ll record the whole thing.

The bad

Privacy is concern No. 1 since the devices store footage on the manufacturer's cloud. It's sometimes unclear what companies do with your footage. Pay attention to your user agreement and opt out of anything you can, like third-party sharing.

Cheap dashcams are easy to install — if you don't mind a dangling cord. You might need a professional's help to install it in the fuse box. The good news is only a few models can be hardwired.

On a budget? There's a chance you'll have to pay extra to store footage on the cloud or access info from your smartphone.

The last downside? Judges can now request dashcam footage, which could be used against you in court. It's great when someone else is at fault, but …

Our expert dashcam recommendations

If you've decided adding a dashboard camera is right for you, check these out. They’re the top-of-the-line options. This is one time in life you don't want to cheap out.

• Nextbase 622GW ($346): It features intuitive controls and shoots in stunning 4K video. It also comes with Alexa, image stabilization (when roads are bumpy) and night vision all built in.
• Nexar Pro ($249.95): This slick dual camera records video inside and outside your car. It has GPS data tracking and will alert you if someone tries to break into your vehicle. It records in HD even at night and auto-records short clips if you slam on your brakes or collide with something.
• Thinkware X1000 ($299.99): If you're looking for a no-nonsense setup, this cam has you covered. It has a 3.5-inch touch screen, night vision, front and rear cams, and it records in 2K.

All of these check our important boxes. You want a dashcam that comes with the mount, records in high-def (at least 1080p), has night vision, an app you can use to check footage, a wide-angle lens and built-in GPS.

🧀 Did you see that vid of two French cheese trucks crashing? Da brie everywhere. (Did I just see you shaking your head?)

Hackers are gonna hack: Two security researchers watched over 100 hours of hackers hacking, thanks to some honeypot Windows computers. In a little over four days, over 190,000,000 attacks took place from installing malware, manipulating passwords and watching p*rn. Maybe the hackers were in a country like Iran, Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, where watching that stuff is banned …

🎫 Bad blood: California mom Lisa Turner thought she hit the jackpot with $1,200 Taylor Swift tickets on Craigslist for her daughter and friends. But guess what? Too good to be true. Those tickets, delivered via Apple Wallet, were fakes. Be careful, Swifties!

Inkling of trouble: HP all-in-one printer users are complaining if the ink runs out, the whole thing stops working — no faxing, no scanning, nada. It’s likely to force you into buying cartridges. No surprise: HP is now facing a class-action lawsuit. So shady. I’ll keep you posted when you can apply for your cut.

🎮 Roblox interviews in Roblox: Want to work for Roblox? You don't just apply — you have to play the game. (As if cover letters weren't enough …) Roblox is huge. About 225 million people play Roblox every month, and 2.5 million are playing as you read this. Blockheads, unite!

Take a pause, Tesla fans: A fatal crash in Virginia with a Tesla Model Y has the NHTSA's attention. They're checking if the car's tech played a role, and it's not the first time. Three dozen similar investigations are underway. Please, do not trust the full self-driving mode. It's a computer, and you know what they do from time to time — crash.

🚘 Toyota recall alert: Got a 2022 or 2023 Toyota Tundra or Tundra Hybrid? Potential fuel leaks could cause fires. No bueno. The fix? Dealers will add protective materials and a clamp at no charge for now, with a complete fix on the way.

It’s not p*rn, just X: You might want to tell your wife or hubby you’re paying for X (formerly Twitter) Premium. One guy joked on X he was sleeping on the couch after he got a message from his wife saying, “Um, what is X Premium for $8/mo on the Chase card?” Busted.

Pedophiles are using kid apps: The App Danger Project used AI to pinpoint apps that aren’t safe for kids. What they found: 182 risky apps across Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store. Wonder if your kid should be using a certain app? Search for it here.

While you're brushing your teeth, waiting for your toast or sipping your first coffee of the day, I deliver the top tech news story and a digital life hack, all within two minutes. No rambling, no fluff — just straight-to-the-point tech talk.

👉 Get my Daily Tech Update podcast today!

Before you bite on a headline about this online, let me give you the whole story. MoneyGeek analyzed FBI crime stats from 2021 (the latest available) to see which U.S. cities are the safest and least safe.

Now, keep in mind, this data is two years old. Additionally, the FBI had just switched platforms in 2021, and not everyone knew how to submit data correctly. Further, not every city and town provided 12 months of info.

Without further ado …

The list was determined using the crime cost per capita, violent crime rate, property crime rate, cost of crime and population. Here are the top 10 most dangerous cities, according to the study:

1. Pine Bluff, Arkansas
2. Monroe, Louisiana
3. Houma, Louisiana
4. Wilmington, Delaware
5. Texarkana, Texas
6. Petersburg, Virginia
7. Saginaw, Michigan
8. Youngstown, Ohio
9. Flint, Michigan
10. Salisbury, North Carolina

The safest cities and towns? Study says:

1. Yorktown, New York
2. Mason, Ohio
3. Andover, Massachusetts
4. Southlake, Texas
5. Arlington, Massachusetts
6. Princeton, New Jersey
7. Hampden Township, Pennsylvania
8. Carmel Hamlet, New York
9. Needham, Massachusetts
10. Greenwich, Connecticut

Check where you live (or want to live)

• Start with your local police or sheriff’s office site. Many agencies publish crime states and maps on their websites. You can often search by ZIP code.
• The FBI tracks crime at city and state levels. Click a state to explore.

🙄 Back in the day, excessive use of commas was considered a serious crime. It usually resulted in a long sentence.

Instead of giving out your Wi-Fi password, post a QR code guests can scan with their phones. It’s a secure shortcut with your password hidden inside.

QIFI.org is a free online QR code generator for Wi-Fi access that works with Apple and Android. You need three pieces of info to use it:

1. Look at the back of your modem for the SSID. It might be shown as “Wi-Fi Network Name (SSID).” It’ll be about a dozen numbers and letters; type those where it says SSID on QIFI’s Code Generator page.
2. Choose your secure network type; the site defaults to WPA/WPA2/WPA3, but you may have WEP. (Really bad news if you do — get a new router.) If you don’t know, ask your internet provider or your home’s resident geek.
3. And, lastly, type in your router’s security key password.

☕ Print your unique code, and all you and your guests will need to do is scan it to join the network. Smart idea to use at your home or if you run a coffee shop or another biz with Wi-Fi access!

Losing everything on your devices is heartbreaking. Think about all you would miss.

Don’t leave it to chance! Take the time to back them up the right way. My pick is IDrive. It’s safe, fast and easy. You can back up all your devices — iPhone, Android, Mac, PC — to one account and access your stuff from anywhere.

When you use my name, Kim, at checkout, you get 90% off your first year. What a deal.

A horse walks into a bar. “Hey,” says the barman. “Yes, please,” says the horse.

The answer: 51% of Americans admit to spying on their partner’s phone. 

I get calls on my show all the time from people who are worried about their phones spying on them. I mean, come on, your vacuum cleaner has been collecting dirt on you for years.

👋 Hey, you! Copy your unique referral link below, then paste it into an email, text, social media post, DM, Nextdoor post or whatever you want. The more people sign up, the more points you earn toward sweet prizes like an iPad. Let’s do this! Stay awesome! — Kim