💘 Hello, lovely one, to our tech-explosion Wednesday! And happy Valentine’s Day to you! Today’s trivia question seems fitting. The domain name for YouTube.com was registered on February 14 in which year: A.) 1995, B.) 2000, C.) 2005 or D.) 2012? You’ll find the answer at the end.

🍀 Feeling lucky? Every day, over 970 million pieces of malware circulate the internet, and hackers attack systems 2,200 times on average. That’s why you need solid internet security software. I recommend the award-winning TotalAV — just $19 to protect up to five devices for a year. It’s the luckiest move you can make. — Kim

Yes, we know why those shoes we clicked on yesterday are now in our Facebook feed. That's old news. But just how deep is Meta's surveillance rabbit hole? And how much of our data comes from other companies? It’s unbelievable.

One recent study got to the bottom of things. Spoiler alert: The results are breathtaking — not in a good way.

Our little secret

When I read this Consumer Reports study, I was floored. They looked at the Facebook archives of 709 volunteers to see how many companies were tracking data and sending it to Meta.

Their findings? A mind-boggling 186,892 businesses. On average, each volunteer had data sent to Zuck and Co. by 2,230 companies. Some participants had their details spilled by more than 7,000 organizations. Sheesh.

So who's gathering the most?

A San Francisco-based data broker called LiveRamp had insights on a whopping 96% of participants. While you've probably never heard of LiveRamp, you have heard of other offenders. Mega-retailers like Walmart, Macy's and Home Depot were in the top 100.

Credit reporting and consumer data giants Experian and Neustar (a TransUnion company), Etsy, PayPal and Amazon made the cut, too.

Pixel perfect

Consumer Reports found a specific form of tracking typically hidden from the public: Server-to-server tracking. This sneaky method moves personal data from a company's servers back to Meta's.

Another common method is the ol’ tracking pixel. These little homing devices are placed on websites and help Meta collect "events" from users — everything from visiting a company's website to leveling up in your favorite video game.

Meta's pixels surveil people in their most intimate moments, like filing taxes, taking the SATs and making doctor appointments. They also track folks who dial suicide hotlines. Yeah, they went there.

Keep it clean

To see companies that have been sharing your information outside of Meta platforms:

If you want more detailed information about your Facebook interactions, click Download your information, then Request a download.

Once your file is ready, you'll have four days to download it. Get this. The download is password-protected. Seems a little pointless given how many people have seen your info, right?

😆 If Meta ever buys Gmail, the “mark as seen” option will be changed to “Mark has seen.” (It’s so true that it’s just not funny, right?)

I’ve heard it before: “Kim, I know what I’m doing online.” I’ve got some bad news. Hackers are smarter than ever, and their tricks can fool even the most tech-savvy among us.

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⚠️ Use Bank of America? Hackers got names, addresses, Social Security numbers, DOBs, account and credit card numbers from BofA vendor Infosys McCamish Systems. The bank’s systems are fine — the breach targeted deferred compensation plans they oversee. Still, keep an eye on your accounts. Far too often, we don’t learn the full impact of a breach until months after the fact.

🗃️ TMI with AI: Google is now warning that your chats with its AI, Gemini, could be stored for 18 months, and even deleted conversations can hang around for 72 hours. FWIW, Gemini lets you turn off long-term data collection.

✈️ Con air: Scammers are posing as fake airline reps ready to "help" with delayed flights and missing bags. So, be careful about whining on the web. Contact your airline directly.

Very spooky: Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users are reporting taps, swipes and even calls registered without physical contact. Apple’s advising the good ol’ force restart for now. Gee, thanks.

Peeping psycho Tom: A now ex-Expedia employee turned company bathrooms in Seattle into a spine-chilling "Big Brother" episode with spy cameras hidden under the sinks. Cops used an electronic-sniffing black Labrador, found 33 more cameras in his apartment and charged him with first-degree voyeurism.

😎 FCC goin’ in: Telecom companies now have just seven days to inform customers (and the FBI) of data breaches. The FCC is also making companies fess up about the specifics, like if your name and biometrics were leaked. Took them long enough.

Chat with RTX: It turns Nvidia's RTX 30/40 graphics card into a chatbot. It's cool for summarizing YouTube videos and documents, but beware of bugs and memory-hogging. Great for data nerds, but the rest of us? It's more of a demo than a daily driver.

Getting lei’d: In Hawaii, bus drivers can now hit a button to flash a digital shaka and "mahalo" to drivers who let them in. Can we get this everywhere, please? Imagine getting a shaka instead of flipping a bird post-merge.

There are built-in tools to help you locate it using another phone or computer. Here’s the caveat: You have to make sure the feature is enabled ahead of time for it to work. Do it now!

Turn on Find My for your iPhone

Turn on Find My Device for your Android

✏️ You can even erase your phone remotely if it’s really gone. Here’s how.

You ditched TikTok: But now and then, you want to scroll mindlessly. Go to YouTube and click “Shorts.” This is YouTube’s version of quick, little videos you’ll want to keep watching. Don’t forget to subscribe to my daily awe-inspiring, laugh-out-loud podcast on YouTube. Yup, it’s that good!

🤳 Bug off: That selfie is perfect, except for the rando who wandered into the frame. This online tool lets you delete background objects.

Your British buddy is here: Change your smart assistant's voice if the default gets on your nerves. On iPhone: Go to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Voice. For Android: On most phones that use Google Assistant, say, "Hey, Google, open ‘Assistant settings.’" Go to All settings > Assistant voice and choose one.

⏱️ Never be late again: Google Maps and Apple Maps have handy traffic-prediction algorithms. The next time you need directions, look for the option to set your arrival time. The map app will tell you when you must leave the house. Sweet!

Snap it like you mean it: Snapchat’s My AI is powered by ChatGPT and responds to questions, offers advice, suggests what to make for dinner and more. AI is fun, useful and lots of other things, but don’t let it make life decisions for you.

My personal favorite: FBI Surveillance Van.

The answer: C.) Feb. 14, 2005. On that date, the No. 1 song was "Let Me Love You" by Mario, and the top movie at the box office was "Boogeyman.”

💘 A guy walks into a bar and orders a beer. "I asked my wife what she wanted for Valentine's Day. She said a divorce," the guy tells the bartender. "Oh, no. What did you do?" the bartender asks. "I just told her I hadn't planned on spending that much," the guy replies.

Now, before you leave, be sure you have your digital butt covered with top-notch antivirus software. You need TotalAV, and it’s a bargain at $19. I hope you know I’m your valentine every day of the week, all year round. You’re my natural selection. Love, Darwin. — Kim