Widely speculated about but never proven, virtual assistants have been accused of being able to record every word you say in your house. Several companies have vehemently denied it, but a tech giant might have let the truth slip out. Here's how to stop them from listening without your knowledge.

Do you send a lot of emails with the same basic information? You can easily create a template in Gmail to save yourself valuable time.

Go into Settings (the cog icon) > See all settings > Advanced link. Scroll down to the section marked Templates and click the circle marked Enable.

Now you can create up to 50 unique templates. To create a template, click Compose, then write your email, including the subject line. Click the three dots at the bottom right-hand corner, then Templates. Choose Save draft as template.

To insert a template you’ve created, start a new email draft. Again, click the three-dot menu > Templates > and insert one of your templates.

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Cars have an uncanny way of breaking down at the worst possible time. When you least expect it, your transmission goes out and you're looking at thousands of dollars to get it repaired. That's why you need someone watching your back to help cut down on those unexpected expenses. Don't worry, we have the perfect solution.

Over on my Instagram page, I share photos of my life. I keep my profile private, but I'll add you!

I don’t trust Big Tech and you shouldn’t, either. You’ve heard me say for years that free email services like Gmail or Yahoo aren’t really free. There’s a big price to pay — your privacy. These free email sites scan, analyze and save details of every email you send and receive, giving Big Tech a very intimate and detailed profile of you so they can easily sell your data to the highest bidder.

That’s why I use StartMail. With StartMail, I can send encrypted emails with one click, even if the recipient doesn’t use encryption. And StartMail never scans or analyzes your emails. Best of all, when you delete an email, it’s gone — forever.

Don’t trust Big Tech with your data and privacy.

Whether you get them all the time or now and then, spam texts are just plain annoying. The same goes for junk emails that clog up your inbox. Are you making a big mistake that will land you with even more of them? We'll explain what not to do to keep your inbox clean.

When's the last time you really considered your browser? It's your gateway to the internet, and it can do a lot (or not much) to protect you from malicious code and bad actors. If privacy is on your mind, don't miss this. Kim ranks the top privacy-centric browsers. See if the one you use makes the list.

When you own your own business, you're the CEO, the marketer, the IT person and the data analyst. Don't go it alone. Get Kim's must-read small biz tips every week.

Catch up with Kim's national radio game show sensation, Brand New or Not True. Kim introduces three products: One is brand new, and the other two are totally fake. This week, Kim attempts to stump Paula in Memphis, Tennessee. Can she spot the real one? You can play along while you watch but remember, no cheating!