Hi, Thursday! We have a lot to get to today — but trivia is always item No. 1 on my list. The very first alarm clock, created in 1787, rang at a set time each day. Was it … 4 a.m., 5 a.m., 6 a.m. or 8 a.m.? Answer at the end!

​​🚨 Did you get yesterday’s cybersecurity alert email? It’s different from this newsletter, and I only send it when something big-big-big happens. See it here and sign up to make sure you get the next one. — Kim

You’ve got a GPS tracker! And you’ve got a tracker! And you! From Apple AirTags to Tiles to Jiobit sensors, GPS trackers are everywhere. I put them in my cars, wallet, laptop bag and on my keys. And police are even putting them on people's cars now, too.

It's really no surprise parents are using GPS watches and tags to monitor kids when they're away. If your tyke is off to a new school, you, too, may be wondering if it’s time for a tracker.

Checking an app and finding your kid’s location when you’re worried sounds amazing. Some brands like AngelSense (great name, I know) even target parents.

But is it legal? Do schools get a say in tracking your kids? Let's ring the recess bell, because I've got some schooling to do.

First, the legalese

Parents are generally allowed to use GPS trackers with their young ones. As long as your kids are under 18 and no other legal restrictions get in the way, you can send them off with a tracker. Just make sure the battery is fully charged!

Also, and this is critical: Avoid breaking any privacy or HIPAA laws. Don't use devices to listen to conversations or record what people say. As my first-grade teacher would’ve said, "That's a no‑no."

Some schools even enable tracking, but every school is different. Of course, tracking is more common for preschool-aged kids who may be prone to wandering, which is why certain Montessori-style schools are adopting it.

Other schools are embracing tracking programs via microchips on student IDs that can, for instance, tell when a student’s hopped on a particular bus. But that raises another huge question: Do schools also have the right to track your kids?

Not your grandma’s hall pass

Your rights as a parent extend to tracking your kids at school, but schools can also set their own tracking policies. The bus tracking I mentioned above is only one example, and it's being implemented in schools from Kentucky to New York — although the New York program got off to a very rocky start.

Other school districts, like one in Orange County, are trying mandatory tracking for teen students after four or more unexcused absences. Texas is big on tracking, too; Austin and San Antonio are just a couple of districts with tracking programs for tardy students. Meanwhile, digital hall passes that track bathroom visits have become incredibly common from coast to coast.

By the time kids are ready for college, they can expect a variety of campus-required surveillance. Spooky? You bet! But here's the interesting thing: The opposite is also happening.

Tracking pushback is growing

With the rise of tracking, more schools are pushing policies to reinforce student privacy and ban some types of tracking. That can include parent-based trackers in backpacks and certain kinds of watches. (Germany is taking it to the next level with a nationwide ban.)

It's not only about preserving student privacy. Schools don't want classes to fall apart because of panic buttons, alerts or, God forbid, two-way voice calls from parents. Administrators don't want to field dozens of calls from parents because their sweet baby took a right instead of a left last Tuesday.

That equals a growing number of policies that treat GPS devices like smartphones. They're not allowed in the classroom, teachers may gather them up before lessons, and, if problems arise, they could be banned entirely.

So, what about your school's specific policies? Look, I'm good, but I'm not that good. You need to give them a call. See if their website has any details on GPS trackers, and ask about their policies for using them. Most schools have made a decision about them by now.

✅ And if you're going to track your little angels, know the dangers and make the comparisons before you buy.

Well, that's embarrassing: A cybersecurity firm that collects breached information like usernames and passwords left 3.8 billion records in a database anyone could access. Yes, this stuff was already leaked, but it's like a nicely wrapped gift for cybercriminals in this format. Watch your bank statements, freeze your credit and don't reply to phishing emails.

🍿 Hidden Prime perk: This one’s all over TikTok. If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can score two free movie tickets to early screenings of new Amazon flicks. Up for offer right now: Tickets to view the first two episodes of the new superhero series “Gen V.” It’s sold out in Phoenix, but maybe you’ll have better luck!

Keeping an eye on you: More and more companies rely on badge data to track how long employees stay in the office. Meta says the numbers will be crunched monthly to ensure people return to the office three days a week. Same goes for Google, Amazon and JPMorgan Chase. The way I know my employees are here? I am, too.

💰 Eau de 1990s: Gen Zers are obsessed with perfumes of the past. We’re not talking vintage Chanel — that’s always been popular. People are paying a lot for scents from mall staples like Victoria’s Secret, The Body Shop and Abercrombie & Fitch. Get this: A mint-condition bottle of Grass by Gap ($15 before it was discontinued) fetches up to $300 online.

CPAP crap: Investigative reporting from ProPublica shows Philips, maker of millions of CPAP machines and ventilators recalled a couple years ago, hid thousands of complaints for 11 years. The machines — in homes, hospitals and elder care centers — were full of hazardous foam. Philips says it acted as soon as it was clear something was wrong. Here’s the full report. Check yours if you have one.

Panic at the Costco: Your Costco card can get you a cheap rotisserie chicken, a giant pack of TP and … a $29 virtual primary care visit with no wait. Need a lab panel and consult? That’s $72. A virtual therapy visit? $79. Booking in every state starts Monday — and yes, you need a Costco membership.

Say hello to my Daily Tech Update podcast. In the first minute, get the latest tech news distilled down to its essence. In the next, learn a practical digital trick that can make your life easier or more fun.

👉 Two minutes to a tech-smarter you

It seems like every retailer wants you to sign up for their loyalty program. Deals are great, but when you shop, you supply the store (and those they share your data with for extra money) with more information.

Each swipe of your loyalty card, keypad entry of your phone number or submission of your email address tells the store everything you bought, when you bought it, in what quantity and at what price, along with your payment details.

Beyond that, reward cards store data, including your name, address, phone number, and credit and debit cards. Thieves can steal this information and create a fake identity for a crime spree.

Get discounts without giving away data

There are ways around it. Trust me, I do them myself!

• Use your office phone number as your loyalty number. If the store needs an email address, give them a disposable one. Let them try to figure out who’s buying what.
• Shop at stores that don’t require loyalty programs for discounts, like Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Target.
• Don’t forget physical coupons. Most grocery stores have a coupon section on their website where you can print, snip and hand in paper copies.
• Whatever you do, never give your Social Security number or driver’s license number.
• Ask for the discount anyway. Cashiers usually have a code to charge the digital price without your belonging to their loyalty program.
• If all else fails, smile politely and ask the person behind you, "Hey, mind if I use your card?" I bet you’ll get a yes.

🥖 They say don’t go grocery shopping while you’re hungry. But it’s been a week, and I just keep getting hungrier!

Just because you stopped using an app doesn’t mean it isn’t working in the background. Like a bad ex, an app you’ve forgotten about can still access your contacts.

Unlike that ex, revoking third-party app permissions you granted to your Google account is easy. Here’s how:

• Log in at myaccount.google.com. Tap Security.
• Scroll to Your connections to third-party apps & services > See all connections.
• Select the app or service you want to review, then choose See details.
• Click Stop using Sign in with Google and confirm your selection.

👀 This does not delete your account with that app. It may request access to your Google account again the next time you open it, so be on the lookout.

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a great place to start. A VPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address, giving you an extra layer of protection from snoops, advertisers and Big Tech companies looking to profit off you.

Some VPNs slow your connection or, worse, track your internet activity and compromise your security. Not ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN’s servers run on RAM, or volatile memory, that’s cleared each time the server is reset — meaning they don’t save your data. You can connect in just one click from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, iPad, you name it.

🚨 Deal alert: Get an extra THREE months free since you subscribe to my newsletter.

I can almost feel the knuckle slap my Catholic school nun would’ve given me.

The answer: 4 a.m., early birds. Levi Hutchins of Concord, New Hampshire, created the first alarm clock for himself — to wake up for work. The adjustable alarm clock came later, in 1847, from French inventor Antoine Redier.

⏰ Did you hear about the boy who ate his alarm clock? Apparently, it was really time-consuming. (Oh, was that a groan I heard?)

Thanks for reading, friend. Glad to have you here with me and the best tech newsletter in the USA. See you this afternoon with my Tech Hacks email! — Kim