It’s a tech-tastic Thursday, friends! But first, it’s Komando trivia time. What was the first item sold on eBay when it was launched in 1995? Was it a … A.) Digital camera, B.) Broken laser pointer, C.) Collectible baseball card or D.) Player piano? You’ll find the answer at the end.

💬 Do me a solid and check out today’s sponsor, Babbel. I keep saying I’m going to learn a new language. If you’re that person, too, they’ve got a killer 55% off deal right now. You don’t want to miss out. — Kim

Yes, that jacket you clicked on the other night really is following you around the web. Think of everything you do online — and in real life, too. Your likes, clicks, hobbies and activities all add to the wealth of data points companies already have on you.

What about your conversations with Alexa or Siri? How is that data used? You're smart enough to know you can't just take their promises of privacy at face value. Let's take a deeper look at how they use your conversations to create profiles.

Sizing you up

Consumer Reports and researchers at Northeastern University created fake personas to interact with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri. They purposely asked the assistants questions designed to give away key user information.

Think about asking your voice assistant about apartments near Boston, for instance. That immediately tells Siri, Alexa or your voice assistant of choice that you’re likely a renter, not a homeowner.

When you assume …

So, how accurate were the profiles the voice assistants generated? Google was hit or miss, like when it tagged users who asked about Disney tickets for a family as "single." Not helpful.

Amazon creates profiles based on shopping habits, not necessarily what you say to Alexa. Unless you're gabbing with her specifically about shopping, you can chat away without Alexa adding the info to its marketing data. That's nice to know.

Siri is the least gossipy of all the assistants. Requests to Siri aren't tied to your Apple ID or used to build a marketing profile. Apple does have an ad network, but it collects non-voice data to deliver targeted ads, like what you do inside apps or on the web.

Why does all this matter?

When researchers used the persona of a married homeowner to ask Google for restaurant recommendations, it suggested Eddie V's Prime Seafood, a high-end chain. When the same question was asked under a single persona, it suggested a more affordable place. I guess if you're single and want higher-end options, ask Google questions about Gucci loafers and Range Rovers.

Unlike Google, Alexa didn't change its answers to basic questions based on tags and categories. Amazon does use interactions to serve ads, though. For example, asking Alexa for recipe ideas might get you a targeted ad for pots and pans.

The clear winner for privacy lovers is Siri. Apple doesn't use Siri’s interactions to build profiles or change answers.

Your to-do voice privacy checkup

• Google Assistant: Sign in to the My Ad Center page. Click on Manage Privacy on the left-hand side and scroll to Categories used to show you ads. You'll see how Google categorizes you with the option to change anything incorrect.
• Amazon: It's a little trickier. Log in on a computer, hover your cursor over Account & Lists, and tap Account. Scroll to the Data and Privacy section and click Request Your Information. Select Alexa and Echo Devices from the dropdown menu and tap Submit Request. It could take days for Amazon to email you the information, so don't hold your breath.
• Apple: Your profile isn't based on Siri’s interactions. Still, you can download other data Apple collects from the Data and Privacy portal.

🤣 Little Bobby: “Alexa, where’s my dad?” Alexa: “Your dad is at a strip club in Las Vegas.” Little Bobby: “But Alexa, my dad’s right next to me.” Alexa: “Your mom's husband is next to you. Your dad’s at a strip club.”

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Right now, you get 55% off for being a Current subscriber. Lucky you!

I’m watching you: Mike Johnson, the new House Speaker, says he uses anti-porn accountability software called Covenant Eyes and is an "accountability partner" with his 17-year-old son. OK, so he’s an involved parent. But the app saves your entire web history, so I sure hope it’s on his personal phone — not one he’s using for government work.

📧 You’ve got fail: It’s not you. Outlook[.]com hasn’t been able to send email attachments all week. The workaround: Upload the file to OneDrive and paste the shareable link into your email. Like a Jedi, it’s not forming any attachments.

WhatsApp now lets you hide your IP address: People can figure out your location with an IP address by doing a simple Google search. Use this when you need to talk to a stranger. Go to Settings > Privacy > Advanced. Toggle on Protect IP address in calls. Nice.

🎮 Grand Theft Auto VI is coming: It’s been 10 years since Vice City, the game’s shadier version of Miami, got an update. Look for the first female protagonist and a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. The game’s trailer will drop in a few weeks. I remember telling Ian, “No video games with felonies in the title.”

AI was trained on copyrighted materials: So, OpenAI sent out a happy press release that says they’ll pay the legal fees of AI-using customers who get sued for copyright violations. Who do they think believes this hype? There’s gonna be a ton of gotchas.

Broker beware: Kochava is one of the world’s biggest data brokers. It lost a fight with the FTC and now this 35-page complaint is open for anyone to read. The shady data broker was caught sorting hundreds of millions of people by their race, gender, age and even their pregnancy status — and selling all that without anyone’s consent, of course.

👨‍⚕️ Amazon’s taking over health care: Amazon Prime customers have a new perk: One Medical (think a primary doc with same- and next-day appointments) for $9 a month or $99 per year. The regular price is $199 a year. Free online visits, but you'll still have to pay with insurance or out-of-pocket for in-person care.

Garbage is garage, but the B is silent: Smart garage doors are great, but what about when the company wants you to watch ads to use yours? The Chamberlain Group makes the popular MyQ and no longer connects to smart home hubs (think Google, Amazon, etc.). It's forcing customers use its ad-filled Android app instead. This is so wrong.

I get this question all the time. For whatever reason, you don’t want the person who sent a text to know you’ve read it. All right, sneaky. I’ve got your back.

• Option 1: Enable notifications on your phone. This way, when a message comes in, you’ll see the entire thing on your home screen — or just enough to know what it’s about without opening it.
• Option 2: This one doesn’t require any settings changes. Once you get a text, immediately put your phone in Airplane mode, then turn off Wi‑Fi. This totally cuts off the internet. You can still look at the message, but there’s no way for a read receipt to be sent.

⛔ Whatever messaging app you use, make sure the option called "Read receipts” is off.

In my no-nonsense, straight-talking podcast, I serve up everything tech in digestible, fun-sized pieces. New to the tech scene? Or maybe you're a pro? Doesn't matter. I’ve got you covered.

Choose your platform below to listen:

🎄 "How long until …" Christmas, a vacation or a birthday? Your smart assistant will do the math for you. Ask Siri, Alexa or Google. Easier than counting on your fingers.

Butt out: You cleaned up phone permissions, but what about your computer programs? Check! On a Mac: Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings > Privacy & Security. On Windows: Go to Start > Settings > Privacy, and under App permissions, select an option like microphone or location.

In case you ever need it: A phone call is going on … and on. If you’ve tried to say goodbye politely, there’s a trick you can use: Turn on Airplane mode. The person on the other end will get a “call failed” message, and you can blame spotty service.

🖥️ Hey, how come no one told me that sooner? Try this if you have a Windows PC. Before you restart, hold down the Shift key. Keep holding until the machine powers up, then click Continue. This will shut down all the processes running for a true reboot.

Good to know: Your phone can still call 911 even if you don’t have service or a SIM card. Any cellphone tower will put the call through — even a competitor’s. You can text 911, too, but it’s not as accurate, so always call if you can.

That’s one tough steak.

The answer: B.) Broken laser pointer. It was listed by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar for $14.83. Here’s a video about the guy who bought it. It’s a great story.

🐍 Whatever you do, don't buy anything from eBay seller xx_AnnaCd_xx. My sister purchased a crocodile skin handbag from her. When the bag arrived, it turned out to be snakeskin ... Anna conned her. (Dang, that was one of my best ones yet!)

📣 Hey, you. Yes, you — the one who still wants to learn Italian, Japanese or any other language. Check out Babbel. And thanks! Supporting our sponsors keeps this newsletter free to you. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim