🥶 Why your credit freeze isn’t enough

Happy Saturday, {{first_name | friend}}. Think of everything you’ve ever Googled, every video you’ve watched and every mile you’ve tracked on Maps. It feels like Google has the entire world cataloged and color-coded, right?

😉 So let’s test your tech smarts: Of all the digital data existing on Earth, what percentage has Google actually managed to index and store? A) Less than 1%, B) About 10%, C) About 50% or D) Over 90%. Stick around, the answer’s lurking at the end, kind of like that ad based on your last conversation.

📻 Listen up! My national radio show is airing all weekend across the USA. With over 420 stations strong, find your closest one by using our super-duper station locator map, or listen commercial-free on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart or in the Komando Community.

Every share plants a seed. Help this newsletter grow by forwarding it to one friend who needs tech smarts in their life. That’s it. One. You’ve got this. — Kim

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Paul in Orlando writes: “Kim, I really appreciate all you do. I froze my credit like you said. Now, I hear you talking about identity theft protection from NordProtect. Why do I need that if I froze my credit? I’m so confused!”

Paul, first, well done. Freezing your credit is a smart move. It stops criminals from opening new credit cards or loans in your name.

(In case you missed my advice about this, most people go to the big three bureaus but completely skip the fourth. Get the links you need to freeze your credit on my site now. It’s completely free and only takes a few minutes.)

Welcome to 2026. Identity theft has moved way beyond credit, and AI has made scams faster, cheaper and far more convincing.

A credit freeze simply blocks lenders from pulling your credit report. That’s it. It doesn’t stop criminals from using your personal info leaked in a data breach like the massive Aflac cyberattack I mention below in the Web Watercooler.

A freeze won’t help you in these scenarios:

Paul, a credit freeze is essential, but it’s not enough anymore. Top services like NordProtect, a sponsor of my show, use AI to monitor the dark web around the clock. If your SSN, passwords or bank logins show up for sale, you’re alerted before the damage is done.

The biggest benefit? Restoration. If you’re compromised, you don’t spend months fighting banks and government agencies. A dedicated recovery specialist handles the cleanup for you.

Identity theft protection adds the monitoring, insurance and expert recovery that a credit freeze lacks. I only recommend services that address how identity theft really happens today, not how it did 10 years ago. NordProtect is still running their holiday deal, 71% off, or only $4.27 per month. Grab it now before the deal disappears.

🧬 Billionaire baby bonanza: You think group chats are messy? The man behind Telegram has gone full “DIY population growth.” He’s worth $17B, and he’s fighting infertility with his own sperm. Yep. Pavel Durov’s offering free IVF to women under 37 who want his swimmers. Claims he’s already fathered 100+ kids and will leave them all a slice of his estate, if they can prove it. It’s all fun and games until the first family reunion requires a stadium and a 100-page Terms of Service agreement.

Duck, duck, breach: Oh great, Aflac finally admitted 22.6 million people’s personal info was stolen in a massive cyberattack happened last June. Gee thanks for the heads up. That’s names, addresses, medical history, full government IDs. If you’ve ever bought Aflac, your info is probably getting auctioned by some hoodie wearing cyberpunk named “NullByte.” And get this, the feds say it might be a hacker group that specializes in insurance. That’s right, cybercriminals are picking majors. 

Tactical thirst trap: An 18-year-old’s Dr Pepper stunt on Instagram turned into a $300K/month 3D-printing empire. His secret? Make a better drink koozie, then launch the old can and reload with a new one like it’s Call of Duty. The video got over 50 million views, and his company, Cruise Cup, is raking in some serious moola. He started with basic 3D printing, using audience feedback to get to his top-seller. He’s now operating out of a warehouse with over 130 printers. Cheers! 

💲 What is your phone bill actually costing you? If you are paying over $100 a month, you are overspending. If you are 50 or older, you can get two unlimited lines for $30 each and your second month free with my link. Same networks. Solid coverage. No contract. See how much you could save.*

AI names your kid: Apparently, the hottest baby name of 2025 is coming from chatbots. The name is Elara, Greek-inspired, super rare in the human world, but weirdly everywhere in AI stories and even math worksheets, says naming expert (yes, those exist) Laura Wattenberg, who crowned it her Name of the Year. It’s a pretty name, sure, if you can get over the fact it’s popular from AI slop.

📺 YouTube’s daytime takeover: Remember back in the day how you’d throw on some Judge Judy or soap opera while doing house stuff? Now we all wake up, stretch and immediately hit YouTube. Not kidding: At 11 a.m., it has double the audience of Netflix (6.3 million vs 2.8 million), making it the most watched daytime service (paywall link) in America. It’s background noise with a PhD in algorithms. Folks are cooking, cleaning, even meditating to lo-fi and cycling vlogs. Come watch my stuff, too!

📍 Lost and found: Grab an Apple AirTag (34% off, $19) or a Tile Bluetooth tracker (44% off, $14) to ping lost items and get turn-by-turn directions. Simple peace of mind.

Better drinks: These silicone ice trays (41% off, $7, two-pack) make 15 cubes each and pop them out easily. No cracking, no mess. Perfect for cocktails or mocktails.

🥂 Pop ’n’ pour: Your guests don’t want to cheer with mugs. Pick up some champagne flutes (25% off, $30, two-pack). They can even sip from the bottom up to skip the fizz.

Mess happens: Wine spill? Grease drip? Tide’s handy stain remover spray (38% off, $8, two-pack) erases the party’s evidence before it sets in. Saves a lot of regret later.

🛒 Stock up smarter: Save on your go-to essentials while they’re on sale for after-Christmas.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: After the festive season, new gadgets usually mean cables everywhere. Grab a few cable ties to bundle them up. Your desk will look neater, and it helps keep pets from chewing on loose cords. I bought this pack of 50 for under $14. They’re made from Velcro, so you can reuse them later.

Protect kids’ identities: Sharing family photos from Christmas? Before you post on social media, you can blur kids’ faces if your iPhone has Apple Intelligence. Open the photo, tap Edit, then Clean Up. Pinch to zoom in, draw a circle around the face, and hit Done. On Android, open the pic in Google Photos, tap Edit, then Markup, circle the face, and Erase.

Find your shows on Roku: Paused a movie last night and can’t remember which app it was on? Roku keeps track for you. From the Home screen, go to What to Watch, then Continue Watching. You’ll see everything you were in the middle of. Click one and you’ll pick up right where you left off. No fast-forwarding needed.

📘 AI will not replace you, but someone who understands it will. NetSuite’s free guide “Demystifying AI” breaks down where AI actually saves time and money in the real world. Download “Demystifying AI” free.*

Why random apps show up in your Dock: On a new Mac, recently used apps appear in a separate section of the Dock, to the left of the Trash. That’s why you might see apps you never added. If you don’t like it, go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and toggle off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock.

🔒 Put a password on your Kindle: Maybe you don’t want kids messing up your place in a book. Maybe those romance novels are for your eyes only. Either way, add a passcode. Go to Settings > Device options > Privacy and security and turn on Device PIN. Set a code and you’ll be asked for it every time you unlock your Kindle.

🥂 Make this your best tech year yet! Listen to my award-winning radio show, airing this weekend on over 420 stations. Find yours via my handy station finder. Prefer streaming? Listen commercial-free on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart or in the Komando Community.

🙋‍♀️ Got a crazy tech problem? Book an appointment to speak with me today, and you could get your answer on air! Hint: The wilder, the better. 

Declare your dedication: Love the show? Tell your local station! Hit their “Contact Us” page or send a social media shout-out. Your 30 seconds keeps the tech talk coming to your city. TY!

💸 $200,000 gone: Randy in Kansas City, Missouri, fell for an online romance scam and sank his savings into fake crypto. When he tried to cash out, the site vanished. Now he’s asking about recovery services. Catch my advice in this podcast.

Don’t just listen! Check the show out on my YouTube channel. You get to see how I react to all the stories and calls. So fun. Click here to watch and subscribe. 

🎧 Or use the links below to listen on your schedule.

What sport do you think of when you look at a pile of cardboard? For YouTuber Peter Sripol, it’s not boxing. 

He sees aviation. Peter built a flyable, one-seater airplane out of 97% cardboard. I’m talking wings, fuselage, even the dashboard, which is made from a pizza box. It’s got double props, a detachable landing gear system and enough thrust to clear a driveway.

Think Transformer made of takeout leftovers.

Watch it fly for a few seconds before grounding. Hey, that’s farther than most New Year’s resolutions.

Are you a winner? Before you head out, take 10 seconds to check WinFromKim.com. We have unclaimed Amazon gift cards from my Christmas Cash Giveaway, and I’d hate for yours to expire.

🪄 Tomorrow, your photos are a mess. AI can do magic, and I’ll break it down. This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the U.S.

The answer: A) Less than 1%. Even with its infinite tabs and data centers the size of small countries, Google only sees the surface web. The other 99% is hidden in the deep web locked behind private servers, secure paywalls and corporate databases. Google is the thin layer of sunlight on the very top.

🧮 I hate it when people use the average of several data points to represent their data. It’s just mean.

🛠 Keep making things better, including yourself. I believe in you. — Kim

Photo credit(s): Gemini, Tecknet, Peter Sripol

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