💰 Your driver’s license is making money but not for you

I hope your Sunday is off to a lovely start, {{first_name | my tech friend}}. Faith moves mountains, as they say, but what happens if you’re in zero gravity? One astronaut took prayer to new heights, literally. 

🙏🏽 Can you guess who was the first person to take communion in space? Was it: A) Neil Armstrong, B) Buzz Aldrin, C) John Glenn or D) Mae Jemison? Because when you’re 240,000 miles above Earth, there’s no better time to reach for something even higher. The answer is at the end!

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📺 Tired of scrolling for something worth watching? Head to my YouTube channel! It’s packed with smart tips, real laughs and tech talk that actually matters. Click now and enjoy screen time that’s finally worth it. — Kim

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Your driver’s license has two jobs: ID and moneymaker. But sadly, no money for you.

State DMVs across the country are quietly making millions selling your personal data. I’m talking names, addresses, license types, accident records and even court history. 

That information gets bundled and sold to insurance companies, private investigators and data brokers. Fun times we’re living in.

The numbers are huge. California’s DMV reportedly pulls in around $50 million a year by selling drivers’ records, including names, addresses and other sensitive details. In Oregon, the DMV pulled in over $60 million.

Florida was found selling not just registration data but full contact and demographic information to marketers, insurers and data brokers. Delaware, Texas, Wisconsin and other states do the same.

Nope. According to the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), some disclosures of driver and vehicle information are allowed without your consent, especially for law enforcement, insurance, vehicle safety or other “permissible uses.” 

The DPPA was supposed to stop this kind of thing, but legal loopholes let states cash in. You don’t get a say. You don’t even get notified.

Once your info is sold, it’s fair game to be resold, re-shared and packed into digital dossiers that follow you everywhere online and off.

Data brokers aggregate your DMV record with shopping habits, GPS pings, credit profiles and social media posts. Some use it to sell you stuff. Others use it to assess your risk, whether you’re applying for insurance or even a job.

This is beyond shady, and it’s happening behind your back. Over 420 data brokers are buying and selling your personal info, including your DMV records. That’s right: your driver’s license data, sold to investigators, marketers, even identity thieves.

Incogni, a sponsor of my national radio show, automatically sends removal requests to these brokers, follows up and makes sure your info gets deleted. It’s set-it-and-forget-it privacy.

Your name, your address, your habits, they should belong to you, not some faceless company cashing in behind your back.

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Flock cameras, installed by HOAs, apartments and local businesses, are live feeds police can access anytime. Privacy red flag? Think so. Plus, Neil deGrasse Tyson deepfakes, Kim K’s AI legal drama, and tap-to-pay scams. I also give advice to Jane from Atlanta who asks: How can I help businesses tap into AI?

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen right now on your favorite platform:

Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart, Pandora or wherever you get your podcasts.

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🤖 AI joins the dark side: Add this to your “uh-oh” tech list. Google found the first real case of hackers using AI-powered malware (paywall link). Two strains, PromptFlux and PromptSteal, can rewrite their own code mid-attack, hide from detection and even chat with hackers through prompts. One’s already been linked to the Russian military. It’s early tech, but a big reminder the bad guys have AI, too. 

You look familiar: Ever wanted to ring a doorbell and get your face added to a database? You’re in luck. Amazon’s new Ring cameras can recognize “familiar faces,” but here’s the rub: They scan people’s faces without asking. The EFF says it might break biometric privacy laws in states like Illinois and Texas. Amazon says that’s your problem. Also, the scanning happens in the cloud. Sleep tight.

🥳 The Promised LAN: Last month, I sat on an 11-hour flight from London with no Wi-Fi. Argh. Those days are coming to an end. Starlink hit 8 million subscribers and inked a shiny new deal with British Airways’ parent company to install satellite Wi-Fi on 500 planes from BA, Iberia and Aer Lingus. I believe Wi can Fi.

Robo-trainer takes the field: Apparently, NFL players now have digital clones. They call it “Digital Athlete,” and it watches every sprint, twist and fall to warn when someone’s about to pull a hamstring. It even flashes red if a player’s overworked (paywall link). It’s basically Fitbit meets Minority Report, except the stakes are million-dollar knees instead of your 10,000 steps goal.

Gen Z’s cash allergy: Cash had a good run, but it’s done. The Fed says Americans only use cash for seven out of 48 monthly payments, and Gen Z’s leading the digital rebellion (paywall link). They’re swiping and tapping like it’s Monopoly money. I was in Fort Lauderdale for the boat show last weekend and stopped by a Marriott hotel lobby to grab a granola bar. The woman behind the counter told me I could charge it to my room. I said I wasn’t staying there and asked if they took Apple Pay. No. Cash? No way. Credit cards? No to that too. Then she looked at me and said, “Go ahead and take it.” So I walked out with a free granola bar, thanks to the kindness of a stranger. 😇

📱 Speaking of free, Free phones aren’t really free: Big carriers hide costs in long contracts that keep you stuck for years. Consumer Cellular keeps it honest with no hidden fees and no long commitments. If you’re over 50, get two unlimited lines for $30 each and save $25 when you switch at ConsumerCellular.com/Kim.*

Why can’t Meta stop the fraud? Easy. It probably doesn’t want to. Hear how it made billions off scam ads last year. Plus, the Musk-Altman feud and a big Google Maps update. Then I talk to caller Byron, who says scammers drugged him and used facial recognition to unlock his phone. Scary!

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen right now on your favorite platform:

Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart, Pandora or wherever you get your podcasts.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Next time you’re stuck on a tricky word, ask Siri instead of guessing. Say, “Hey, Siri, how do you spell Liechtenstein?” She’ll read it out letter by letter, no typo stress.

Streaming maniac: Amazon cut the Fire TV Cube price down to $99.99 ($40 off), and it’s worth it. It’s like if a Fire Stick and Alexa had a baby with 4K Ultra HD, Wi-Fi 6E and Dolby Atmos. Basically, it turns your old TV into a modern TV. 

🖼️ Give your screenshots style: Using the Snipping Tool on Windows 11? You can make every capture pop with a border. Open the app, click the three-dot menu > Settings and turn on Add border to each screenshot.

Speed up your clicks: If your mouse feels slow on your Mac, go to System Settings > Mouse > Tracking speed and slide it up. While you’re there, go to Secondary click and set it to Click Right Side for that Windows-style feel. Bonus: Try the free Mos app for smoother scrolling, too.

Send Reels via DM: Scrolling memes on Instagram? Don’t tag your friends in the comments. When you’re on a post, tap the arrow icon, pick who you want to share it with and hit Send. This way, you’ll know when your friend’s “seen” it and decided to ghost you.

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🚶🏼‍♀️ Take me on a nice walk: Click to listen to my latest show on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart, Pandora or wherever you get your podcasts. I also make chores go by faster!

Cover your tracks: Prepare to be shocked. Peek at how website trackers use your browser to get info about you and target you.  

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Site downtime: Quickly check if a website is down for everyone or only you. 

I’m baking this for Thanksgiving: Or maybe sooner, this apple galette recipe looks amazing.

Sketch into something polished: Draw roughly and turn it into a clean image. 

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⛪️ The answer: B) Buzz Aldrin. Right after the lunar landing, before Neil Armstrong took that iconic step, Aldrin quietly took communion on the moon. Buzz brought a tiny chalice and wafer from his home Presbyterian church with him to the moon, becoming the first person to perform a Christian communion service on a celestial body.

Buzz Aldrin is a man who demands respect. I saw him speak a while ago, and he said, “I’m the second guy to walk on the moon. Neil before me.”

Tomorrow, flightmares are here because of all the cancellations. I’ll tell you how to use tech to deal with it. This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the United States wishing you a great Sunday. 

✨ A few small wins add up fast. Go get one today. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): Bing Image Creator, HPBS

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This newsletter and its content are intended for informational purposes only. They are provided without warranty of any kind. You shouldn’t construe anything provided here as legal, health, medical, technical, tax, investment, financial or any other kind of advice.

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