🇺🇸 Happy Monday pre-Fourth of July! Let’s kick things off with trivia. Where did the name “Twitter” come from? Was it because … the founders were birdwatchers, the programmers made bird sounds when the code worked or the short messages were like chirps from birds? The correct answer is at the end.

It’s a busy tech news day. Prepare yourself now for an explosion of know-how from the best tech newsletter in the universe! — Kim

If trying to cancel your Amazon Prime membership feels like taking the SATs, it's not just you. According to newly leaked internal documents, the Big Tech behemoth set it up like that on purpose.

Because of the confusing maze of instructions, Amazon reduced cancellations by 14%. Let's look at its tricky tactics — and whether Prime is even worth it.

Operation … what now?

Amazon's scheme to trick customers into staying Prime members included four pages of deals, offers, snooze alarms and several other distractions. 

Fun fact: Amazon codenamed its scheme "Iliad Flow," a nod to Homer's legendary epic about the Trojan War. Sounds like the name of a new-age album.

It gets worse. A Federal Trade Commission lawsuit filed on Wednesday claims Amazon hid its schemes from federal investigators. Regulators say Amazon execs delayed or straight-up rejected user experience changes that would’ve made the cancellation process simpler. Shocker.

Greetings, Prime citizen

Wondering if Prime's $139 yearly (or $14.99 monthly) fee is worth it? Here are some of the top features that keep customers hooked:

• Free two-day delivery on over 10 million items.
• Free one-day or same-day shipping on some orders over $25.
• Exclusive access to Prime Day deals.
• Two-hour grocery delivery from Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh.
• Access to stream music, movies and TV shows through Prime Music and Prime Video.

Prime probably isn't worth it if you shop less than a few times a month and don’t care about extras like Prime Video. Chances are, the free shipping won't outweigh the cost of your membership. (Without Prime, shipping fees typically cost between $4 and $10.)

Pro tip: You can get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. If you only shop Amazon a couple of times a year, sign up for a monthly membership and follow the steps on our site to cancel when you’re done.

Then again, if you order several times a week like a certain Digital Goddess … yeah, it’s worth it.

✅ ICYMI: Did you know you could buy unclaimed packages on Amazon? Get all of those details here. 

😂 A couple are grocery shopping and the man puts a case of beer in the cart. His wife says, “Put that back — we don’t need it.” On the next aisle, she puts facial cream in the cart. Her husband asks, “What do you need that for?” The woman says, “It makes me pretty!” The man replies, ”So does the beer and it’s on sale for half price!”

🕵️ Scammers gon’ scam: Amazon Prime Day(s) kicks off July 11. Criminals are on the ball, already sending emails and texts with deals too good to be true. Reminders: Never send payment info via text or email, don’t call a random number that pops up in your inbox and only shop for Prime Day deals on Amazon.com.

Mythbusting: An article shared over 4,000 times on Facebook claims the World Economic Forum wants a bot-written Bible. The headline: “WEF Calls for AI to Rewrite Bible, Create Religions That Are Actually Correct.” Uh, no. This isn’t true. Don’t share it.

🦋 You can buy anything online … including endangered butterflies. A Harvard researcher found in just one year, more than 50,000 dead butterflies were sold on eBay. Endangered species are protected by international laws, but I guess no one told eBay.

Eat up: Hey, here’s one reason to keep your social media profiles public. Restaurants and hotels say a quick Google or Instagram search isn’t out of the ordinary to surprise guests with “personalized touches.” I need to start posting more diamonds to my Instagram.

It’s not just chatbots: The first AI-generated drug is ready for human trials. What’s currently called “INS018_055” (no snazzy name yet) targets a rare, progressive lung disease. Thanks to AI, it was developed much faster than traditional medications.

💦 Sip, scroll, repeat: I came up with this saying and put it on a mug. The best way to drink more water is in a mug you love! Support our free newsletter with my 25-ounce insulated travel mug. Fill it with iced coffee, tea or water. This bad boy fits in most cupholders, or take it with you on your walk! Thank you!

Five-star fraud: The FTC is coming after companies that deal in shady reviews. If approved, a new rule would mean a $50,000 fine for every fake review — each time a customer sees it. Ouch. That’s enough cash that it actually might deter those fake reviews.

Not yours, sorry: The U.S. Copyright Office has bad news for AI artists: Anything you make using artificial intelligence is “unclaimable material.” Translation: No copyright protection. That includes original work that’s been edited with AI.

📺 Cue the “Jaws” music: Call me crazy, but the deep sea might be scarier than space. You’ve gotta see this video. An army of crabs takes on a very hungry stingray, all to protect their AI robot companion. Watch it here.

Every morning, brush your teeth to my Daily Tech Update. You get fresh breath and fresh tech know-how in a minute.

Listen to my podcast, Daily Tech Update, here.

Food labels are hard to make sense of — Do we really need “use by,” “best buy” and “sell by”? — and lead to a lot of food waste, to the tune of 80 million tons each year.

That’s why Carlos Thompson’s company created Reusables, an augmented-reality filter that shows what you can do with the food you don’t want to eat anymore.

Thompson runs a marketing agency that represents the Puerto Rican grocery chain SuperMax. Together, they’re trying to tackle food waste in a pretty clever way: An Instagram filter.

Here’s how to try it:

• Open Instagram, then click the + icon at the bottom.
• Select story. At the bottom, you’ll see any filters you have installed. Swipe left until you see a magnifying glass. Tap it, then hit the magnifying glass again to search. Type in Reusables.
• Now, just scan an item from your fridge or pantry to see what else you can do with it.

▶️ Don’t use IG? No problem. Try it here from your browser.

I, for one, learned a lot about what the stuff in my house can do:

• Cornstarch soothes sunburns.
• A peanut butter jar makes a cute mini planter. (They show you how!)
• Coffee repels mosquitoes.
• Brown sugar makes a sweet body scrub.

🚮 Every time I buy garbage bags, it feels like I’m throwing away money.

The Amazon Echo is handy (I use mine for timers and other little things), but boy, it can get annoying. Lucky you, I have the fixes.

• Music sound muffled? You’ll know — it’s like your Echo is underwater. To fix: Unplug the Echo, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in. The magic restart trick!
• Sound cutting out? If a restart doesn’t work, it could be interference. Keep the Echo away from metal objects, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, microwaves and other sources of interference. 
• Always repeating yourself? In the Alexa app, tap More > Settings. Select Your Profile & Family, then choose your profile and tap Add Your Voice.
• Hate that Alexa repeats everything you say? Open your Alexa app and tap More > Settings. Scroll down, and under Alexa Preferences, tap Voice Responses. Slide the toggle next to Brief Mode.

🧘 Ah, muuuch better. While you’re on a roll, change these Amazon settings.

You need the right tools to do it. 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.

Dad needs his own screwdriver … with vodka.

🐦 The answer: According to Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, they looked up the definition of “Twitter” and learned it’s “a short burst of inconsequential information” and “chirps from birds.” Now you know! You can join me at Twitter.com/KimKomando.

🤗 As always, I appreciate you being here. If you smiled, learned something new or had an “aha!” moment, share this with a friend. The more, the merrier! — Kim