Privacy-Focused Alternatives to Big Tech

Ads are now appearing in ChatGPT.

Google updated its free results about you tool to remove search results that contain ID numbers like your passport, driver’s license, or Social Security number.

Want something more heavy duty to remove your personal information from the web? Check out newsletter sponsor Incogni.

Deleted doesn’t always mean it’s gone, as we found out with the Nancy Guthrie case.

If you really want to protect your security camera footage, you have to go local or end-to-end encrypted.

Samsung has set a date for the next Galaxy Unpacked to unveil the S26 lineup on February 25th in San Francisco.

Tech and finance strategist Igor Pejic breaks down Bitcoin’s sharp selloff and what it reveals about where tech investing is headed next, separating hype from real fundamentals.

Gordon in Costa Mesa wants to know if he should buy a new laptop. Rich said to clean up his old one and, at the very worst, reset his PC.

John and Rosemead want a new email provider for his business. Rich said to take a look at StartMail, ProtonMail, and FastMail.

Deborah in Tennessee wants to know the difference between a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro, and whether I’d recommend buying a refurbished MacBook. I said if you go refurbished, make sure it’s from a reputable source like Apple’s official refurbished store, Back Market, or Amazon Renewed.

TikTok’s local feed is genius. It shows you stuff nearby, but it might want your precise GPS location for best results.

T-Mobile has a new feature called Live Translation, which will translate phone calls in 50 different languages with no special phone or app necessary

$5.5 billion worth of settlement checks are going out now related to a credit card lawsuit over swipe fees

Tech journalist Jared Newman talks about some of the latest tech tips and tricks from his Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter.

Check out the article Everyone is stealing TV, which explains the proliferation of so-called black boxes.

Greg in Canada is blind and says his Pixel phone will sometimes dial numbers without him asking. Rich says to go into Gemini settings, Gemini unlock screen, and toggle off the option where it says “Make calls and send messages without unlocking”

Clark says every time he opens a PDF, it opens in Word. He wants it to open in a PDF reader. Rich says to change the default program.

The Verge’s Installer newsletter had a great piece this week on alternative products that can help you ditch Big Tech.

Sam is worried about his Time Capsule going away and wants to know what he can use to back up his computer instead. Rich mentioned using Time Machine on a Mac, FreeFileSync, cloud services like Carbonite or iDrive, or a network-attached storage device from companies like Synology or QNAP.

Ethical hacker Dave Chronister, founder of Parameter Security, breaks down what AI personal assistants like OpenClaw really do and the privacy and security risks.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.