Friday is here, my friend! This tech party starts with trivia. Which company was rejected on “Shark Tank” but later sold for $1 billion? Was it … A.) Scrub Daddy, B.) Ring, C.) Fitbit or D.) Roomba? Answer at the end!

📨 Surveillance capitalism at work, right in your “free” Big Tech inbox. You’d better believe all your details are packaged up, used to target you with ads and sold to whoever wants to buy it. Check out StartMail. They put you first with secure, private email. Let’s hop into the news. — Kim

POV: You open your inbox to the creepiest email of all time. It’s addressed to you by name, and it starts like this:

"I suggest you read this message carefully. Take a moment to chill, breathe and analyze it thoroughly. 'Cause we're about to discuss a deal between you and me, and I ain't playing games."

The sender has some bad news

They say a hacker has compromised your computer and used your webcam to record you watching porn. They’re ready to send the video to all your contacts unless you pay a ransom within 24 hours. Conveniently, they’ve included a QR code to scan and pay right in the email.

It gets worse. Also in the email is a picture of your front yard and this note: "Is visiting [your exact street address] a more convenient way to contact if you don’t take action? Nice location btw.”

Uh, cue the panic, right? To finish things up, they tell you if you reply or tell anyone, the compromising video will be sent to your contacts immediately.

This example isn’t just for show — it's the real deal. Sextortion scams are out of control and getting even more personal.

An alarming uptick

Folks are reporting receiving that exact email, including images of their street or front yard. The images appear to be snagged from Google Maps or another source online.

The messages may also claim malware was installed on your computer or phone and the sender is watching everything you do. To make things even more believable, they may include a password you’ve used before that was leaked in a data breach.

Sit the family down and discuss these kinds of scams now. If everyone is aware of how they work, your family is that much safer. And if you do get an email like this, don’t panic and don’t respond.

Blur your house online

It’s so unsettling to see your home in a message like this. Take a step now to deter them from targeting you.

For Google Maps:

• Open Google Maps or the Street View gallery and look up your address.
• Tap the Street View photo you want blurred. In the bottom right, click Report a problem. Complete the form and click Submit.

For Apple Maps:

• You need to email MapsImageCollection@apple⁠.⁠com directly. Give your address and ask for your house to be blurred.
• Include additional details of the property, if applicable, so Apple knows exactly which house to censor.

✅ This is such important information. Use the share icons below to help your family and friends know this scam is spreading.

Travel prepared like a good little scout. (Fun fact: I was a Boy Scout leader. It’s a long story.) Bring these nifty gadgets to fix:

• Hiccups, with a straw that stops them instantly (need this for the studio).
• Bad breath, with pre-pasted disposable toothbrushes under $8.
• Glasses, with this $2 repair kit.
• A dead phone battery, with a compact Anker power bank that’s 17% off.
• Everything else, with pocket-sized, go-anywhere duct tape on sale. Sure wish I’d invented that!

North Korean spies are infiltrating U.S. companies: They’re applying for IT jobs with stolen IDs, peppy cover letters and AI-generated photos (paywall link). The goal is to get access to U.S. company networks and then steal intellectual property or create backdoors for cyberattacks. Always insist on an in-person or video interview and thoroughly vet applicants’ work histories and references.

🚨 “Malvertising”: That's the snazzy term for malware that spreads through “sponsored content” results at the top of Google searches. One click and you’re off to a shady site that steals your personal info or worse. Stay safe: Double-check URLs for misspellings or type them in manually. Keep your OS and browser updated, too. The best defense? Strong antivirus software.

Apalachee High School shooting: A teacher says a newly installed tech system called Centegix prevented even more casualties on Wednesday. Staff carry digital cards that instantly alert law enforcement to a physical threat on campus. Officers arrived at the school within two minutes of the first shots going off. We need this to roll out nationwide now.

I don’t lightly interfere; I heavy metal: A North Carolina musician scammed streaming services out of $10 million. He created hundreds of thousands of fake songs with AI and used bots to stream them, raking in royalties from Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music. He pulled it off for seven years before the FBI figured it out. Now, he’s facing decades behind bars.

🤐 Please be quiet: Amazon has banned delivery drivers from chatting too much or even singing along to music. A cab camera monitors mouth movements, and if there’s too much lip action, they get a “distracted driver” warning. Amazon says it’s for safety, but drivers aren’t thrilled. Yup, 24/7 surveillance is part of that gig.

A load of garbage: A woman in Texas used Apple AirTags to track her recycling bags after dropping them off for the city’s “all plastic accepted” program. Spoiler: Instead of being processed as expected, the bags were dumped in a nearby storage facility. Turns out, hundreds of thousands of pounds of unrecycled materials are sitting around.

Times are a-changin’: Atomic clocks were the most precise way to measure time for over 70 years, but not anymore. The first nuclear clock prototype is almost ready, and it’s not just more accurate; it could power faster internet, better GPS and even help unlock physics mysteries like detecting dark matter. More details here on how it works.

When a service is free, you're the product. The email providers everyone knows (yes, I’m talking about Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and all the rest) aren't really free. You’re paying with your privacy. From your location to what you’re buying to who you email most and what you click on, they know it all.

StartMail is the secure email provider I trust. There’s no invasive tracking or annoying ads. Plus, it’s packed with top privacy features, like unlimited disposable email addresses and easy-to-use encrypted communication.

▶️ They even offer a business subscription that includes extra storage, shared email aliases and the flexibility to add unlimited domains.

Ready to take back your privacy? I negotiated a special deal just for you. Right now, StartMail is offering an exclusive 60% off annual subscriptions. You can’t beat that — I checked.

Waiting, waiting, waiting: If your Windows PC takes forever to start up, you’re not alone. Microsoft just released a new support page to help you spot the issue and fix it. Pro tip: The fewer programs that open on startup, the speedier your machine will be.

Let’s Turk about it: I mentioned Amazon Mechanical Turk on my show and I keep getting questions. Get paid to complete tasks that are easier for people than bots, like analyzing images and transcribing audio. Sign up here for a Worker account.

🛫 Ticket to scam: Boarding passes display your full legal name, ticket number and passenger name record. That six-digit code plus your last name gives anyone access to your booking info online (think email, phone number, address), and they can even change or cancel your flight. Do not post photos of your boarding passes on social!

Coming soon to your Android: Automatic earthquake warnings. Your phone's accelerometers can sense vibrations. When enough phones in an area detect shaking, the Android Earthquake Alerts System kicks in. If an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or greater is detected, you’ll get a “Be Aware” alert (weak or light shaking) or “Take Action” if the shaking is moderate to extreme.

Spend less: The free Upside app gives you cash back on gas, groceries and dining out. I got $10 back on groceries and $0.55 back on every gallon of gas. Download Upside* and use promo code Kim to get an extra $0.25 back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.

At least you get to meat new people.

The answer: B.) Ring. Originally pitched on “Shark Tank” as DoorBot, the video doorbell system was a flop on the show; in real life, not so much. The company became a massive success and was acquired by Amazon for over $1 billion in 2018.

🍸 What does 007’s doorbell sound like? Dong … ding‑dong.

A whopping 60% off! That’s what you can save by getting StartMail with this link. It’s a privacy-focused email provider with no ads, no tracking and no scummy data collection. They make it super easy to get all your old mail and contacts, too. Love that.

📺 100,000 subscribers: That’s what I need on YouTube. Click this link right now and be one of them! Then, go forth with your tech-smart self and have an awesome day knowing you’re joined by over 500,000 others who get the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim