It’s a very fabulous techy Thursday, friend. Let’s start with a quick security upgrade. With a cheap scanner, anyone with a little know-how can copy the signal from your keyfob to steal your car. An RFID-blocking pouch can stop ‘em. Free options: Stick your fob in the fridge (all the metal blocks signals) or wrap it in aluminum foil. Just don’t eat the foil, because then, you’ll sheet metal. (I heard you laugh!)

🆕 Psst, I’m working on something amazing. Coming in the new year by popular demand, a snappy weekly small-business version of The Current. Want in? Click here to add your email to the list.

Impress your coworkers: Download NetSuite’s free knowledge drop, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.”* You don’t need to be a CFO to get smart about using AI for your business. — Kim

🆕 Kim Komando Today: Robot dogs patrolling Mar-a-Largo and Trump

⏱️ Daily Tech Update: Shocker: AI makes life-and-death decisions

💡 Digital Life Hack: Important Social Security scam warning

A 27-year-old grad student was just caught using pics of real kids on the internet to make AI child porn for pedophiles. Even more disgusting? He worked by request. This story made my skin crawl, and it brings me to a question I’ve been getting more and more often:

"Kim, I don't want pictures of my kids on social media. How do I tell friends and family not to post them without sounding preachy?"

Your kids, your rules

You’re totally justified in wanting your kids’ faces off the web. It's a fact creeps scan public accounts looking for kids to prey on. It's also easier than ever for pedophiles to pose as a kid and groom your child on Snapchat, Roblox — you name it.

There’s also this: Posting your kids to Facebook or Instagram basically gives Meta the thumbs-up for using those images to train their AI models. The law is way behind here. As a parent, it’s up to you to protect your kids.

Keep things drama-free

Save yourself an awkward situation by telling people before a big get-together. Most folks mean well, but they might not know the risks of sharing kids’ photos online, especially if they’re not parents themselves.

• It’s about you, not them. This is for your kids. Use “I” and “we” statements, and don’t tell anyone else how to parent.
• Share your reasoning. Or just send them a link to this story!
• Be clear and firm. Don’t leave any wiggle room on public posting.
• Do it one-on-one. If you have the convo over email or text, do it privately, not in a group message.

I wrote up an example you can copy:

"Hey, I wanted to let you know ahead of time we’d like to keep photos of the kids off the internet for privacy and safety reasons. (We saw some stories that really spooked us!) If you could avoid putting pics of them on social media, we’d really appreciate it!"

If it’s already posted …

Don’t panic. Reach out ASAP and ask them to remove it with a link to the specific post. I’d go with a text; a comment on a public post feels like you’re calling them out.

Use this: "Hey, I totally forgot to mention this, but we're keeping pictures of the kids offline for now. Could you take this post down or repost it with their faces hidden? An emoji works great! 😎 Here's what Mark Zuckerberg does.”

The safest way to share pics with friends?

Use a shared photo album (steps here for iPhone and Android). Your friends and family can still like and comment on photos just like IG, but safe and sound from creeps and bots. Now, do your good deed of the day and share this intel with your circle. Use the links below, and let’s keep our kids safer together.

🚨 Only 372 to go! I’m so close to reaching 100,000 subscribers on YouTube and that shiny plaque is calling my name. Click here now to help me reach this goal! Thank you!

🏴‍☠️ Upgrade your loved ones’ lives (and your gift-giving reputation) with a tech treasure.

• One charge on a Kindle Paperwhite lasts 12 weeks. Pair that with the three free months of Kindle Unlimited, and whoever’s getting this gift had better have some PTO saved up.
• Amazon’s brand-new Echo Pops come in purple now?! I’m sold. It’s under $40, and the speakers are darn good.
• OK, this is sweet. Sony’s compact waterproof speaker (under $50!) can go anywhere in any weather and gets 16 hours of playtime on a single charge.
• Your pet-obsessed pal needs a Furbo dog camera (14% off) to watch Fifi while they’re at work.
• An external CD/DVD drive (under $30!) is perfect for the DVD lover in your life. This way, they can play disks on their laptop, which is way easier than digging through every streaming site. Bonus: They can rip those audio CDs, too!
• Take movie night anywhere with a 4K outdoor projector. Click the coupon box for $40 off!

🩻 It’s not all black and white: You’re putting your private medical data at risk by asking AI bots to analyze X‑rays and medical info. It’s tempting, I get it. But ChatGPT and the others don’t have to comply with HIPAA. If you want “Dr. AI” to help, be sure to redact personal info like your name, address and birthday. You never know where this info might end up.

Update your Apple gear ASAP: Apple dropped important security updates that patch a serious bug in Safari for Macs, iPhones and iPads. Google’s Threat Analysis Group believes a foreign government is behind the attack. On a Mac, click the Apple icon > System Settings. Look for "Software Update Available." The latest version is Sequoia 15.1.1. Update your iPhone to iOS 18.1.1 under Settings > General > Software Update.

There’s no fun in these funerals: Scammers are creating 24/7 fake funeral livestreams on Facebook and tricking people into handing over their credit card info. They use real photos and details about a person who’s passed, then they ask for a card “to verify your location” and secretly set you up for recurring payments.

Real men cannot be stolen: A woman is going viral on TikTok for the way she discovered her boyfriend of eight years was cheating for the last two years. Yes, you read that right! Mr. “Lyin’ King” got a new iPhone and lost all his contacts. She sent him a text that read, “Hey sexy,” so he could save her number. He replied, saying he needed to leave his apartment but was on his way to bed her, thinking she was the other woman. Yikes.

🏥 The hologram will see you now: A hospital outside of Dallas is the first in the country to use a $65,000 Holobox. The device beams a 3D image of your doctor inside what looks like a futuristic vending machine for a slightly more personal telehealth appointment. Good news for areas with doctor shortages.

Alexa-ly what you need: The Echo Show 21 ($399) has a big 21-inch 1080p display, better sound than previous models and is Wi‑Fi 6E ready. If you prefer a smaller model, there’s the upgraded Echo Show 15 ($299). Both include wall-mounting equipment. If you want a countertop stand, that’s an extra $100. Both make great gifts for any Echo lover.

🗞️ We’re in trouble: Nearly 40% of Gen Zers get their news from social media influencers. X is the go-to news source, with Instagram close behind. Male influencers outnumber women 2-to-1, and news influencers lean a bit more right than left (27% to 21%). Wonder how long it’ll take for TikTokkers to be moderating debates.

🙏🏻 Forgive me, Father, for AI have sinned: A church in Switzerland is using an AI “Jesus” in its digital confessional booths. The holy bot dishes out advice in over 100 languages. Call it a gimmick, but two-thirds of those who’ve tried it called it a “spiritual experience.” Naysayers, don’t be so cross about it.

✝️ Oh, this reminds me … When I was in second grade at Catholic school, we went to confession every week. One time, I couldn’t think of anything I’d done wrong, so I grabbed a Bible from the pew and flipped to the Ten Commandments. "Aha, that’ll do!" I thought. When it was my turn, I entered the confessional and said, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was a week ago." The priest said some words in Latin, and I confessed, "I’m sorry, Father, I committed adultery." The next thing I knew, the priest slid open the screen, looked me square in the eye, and said, "Well, young lady, you lied. Say 10 Hail Marys and 10 Our Fathers. And when you get home, ask your mother what adultery means!"

Most free email providers aren’t truly private. They scan your messages and collect your data to build a profile about you. Don’t like that? Take control of your privacy with an email inbox that’s free from tracking and profiling.

That’s why I trust StartMail — no tracking, no ads, just complete and transparent security for your email. StartMail offers:

• Unlimited disposable email addresses to stop spam.
• Encrypted messages to keep your communication safe.
• An easy migration tool to make switching over to StartMail a breeze.

Why settle for “free” when it comes at the cost of your personal info? There’s a better way to email that prioritizes your security.

👀 Your car is spying on you: The average new car is packed with approximately 1,400 microchips collecting a ton of data on you. Plug in your car’s VIN here to see what your manufacturer knows. Click Get the Report to see details like your name, address and maybe even recordings of your voice.

ChatGPT Search: The (maybe? probably?) Google Search-killer is finally popping up on free ChatGPT accounts. Check yours: Log into ChatGPT and look for the world icon at the bottom. Here’s what it’s best for.

Don’t battle debt alone: PDS Debt is an A+ BBB company that offers a no-obligation 30-second free debt analysis. Try it at PDSDebt.com/kim.* I partnered with them because I want you to know the relief that comes with wiping out your debt.

🧼 Give your feed a refresh: Instagram is testing a feature that lets you reset your algorithmic suggestions for your Feed, Reels and Explore sections. Head to Settings > Content Preferences > Reset Suggested Content. Note: This reset doesn’t delete anything and won’t change the ads you see.

📅 Outlook hack: Drag and drop emails to create appointments or tasks. Open Outlook, grab the email you want and drag it onto the Calendar or Tasks icon in the bottom-left panel. A new window will pop up. Now, just edit the details like the subject line or time and hit Save & Close.

Grab your popcorn! A new eagle cam in Minnesota goes live today. Can’t wait to see the fuzzy babies.

You ask me all the time: “Where is the best spot to hide a tracker in my car?” Forget the glove box. Thieves expect to find one there. Use duct tape to stick yours in the engine bay. For iPhone, AirTags work great (and they’re on sale). Have an Android? Check out Chipolo.

One last bit of wisdom: If you run in front of a car, you'll get tired. But if you run behind the car, you'll get exhausted.

Phew, we did it! Don’t you feel tech-ahead? Do me a favor and share this with a pal who’s tech-behind. Every single share helps us grow. See you tomorrow, friend! — Kim