Google is now making it possible to set expiration dates on shared files and folders in Google Drive, reports Digital Trends. The feature applies to both shared drives and “My Drive,” where users can grant temporary access to a file or folder that’s automatically revoked after a certain date. This also means that temporary editing rights in “My Drive” no longer disappear completely when the period expires. Instead, it’ll revert to the basic authorization applicable to the folder (usually view mode). Expiry dates can be set directly in the regular sharing menu on the web and in the Drive app on Android. Currently, there’s no support for iOS. The feature is currently being rolled out to users in phases. Read...

Black Friday started as a day for bargain sales, but has evolved into a global shopping phenomenon. But the bigger the participation, the more attractive it all becomes… for criminals. According to Austrian fact-checker Mimikama, security researchers have been observing a new wave of scam attempts made possible by generative AI: fake shops that look deceptively real, deepfake videos featuring celebrities, and phishing attacks via social media and text messages. The intended targets are many and varied. Many of these scams are barely recognizable as fake because they’re generated by AI systems that are trained to be realistic. How these new AI scams work The methods used by scammers have changed. With the help of AI tools, entire online shops—complete with legit-looking logos, product images, and fake reviews—can be created in minutes. The pages can even look confusingly similar to real brand websites. Consumers are deliberately lured in with psychological pressure, such as with notices of time-limited discounts (“today only!”) or limited stock (“only 3 left!”) that drive urgency and cause users to rush. Another problem is deepfake videos, in which celebrities and well-known personalities are seemingly advertising exclusive Black Friday deals for these fake shops. In reality, the recordings are AI-generated and the personalities themselves are often unaware of them. People who fall for such videos often end up in fake shops or disclose sensitive data. The result? Loss of money, stolen credit card details, or malware infections. Learn more about detecting AI impersonators. Who’s behind these AI scams? According to Mimikama, it’s no longer a question of individual fraudsters but of entire networks that use AI tools for nefarious purposes. The tools are freely available and require no specialized knowledge. Thousands of fake shops and campaigns are created in mere days. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok often react too late. By the time a fake video is deleted, the damage has often already been done. Payment processors and marketplaces are also slow, usually only recognizing fraudulent transactions after the fact. According to security experts, the problem is that digitalization is progressing faster than consumer protections. How to protect yourself from AI traps To avoid falling victim to AI scams this Black Friday season, consumer advocates recommend simple but effective precautions: Check links: Never open links in emails, text messages, or social media. It’s better to enter web addresses manually in the browser. Check the URL carefully: Look out for typos, extra characters, or unusual domain endings. These are warning signs. Recognize deepfakes: Unnatural facial expressions, blurred lip movements, and unsteady lighting can be indications of fakes. Use secure payment methods: Ideally, shop using methods that offer chargeback options, which includes most major credit cards and payment processing services like PayPal. Be skeptical of social media offers: Don’t rely on celebrity videos or influencer posts. Always check the official store. No time pressure: Don’t let countdown timers or alleged “low stock” pressure you into buying. Read...

Photoshop and other professional image creation programs are often expensive and complicated. Fortunately, there are many alternatives that cost nothing and are easy to use, making them great for beginners, hobbyists, or anyone who just wants to draw and paint without the hassle. Here are some of our favorites. Vectorpea: Like a real Windows program You don’t need expensive computer programs to draw, paint, and illustrate. There are great tools on the web such as Vectorpea. Foundry Vectorpea competes with programs like Adobe Illustrator, but it’s free and doesn’t require installation. You run Vectorpea directly in your browser, but the site itself looks and feels like a regular Windows application. When you’re done, you can save the file to your own hard drive–or to Vectorpea’s cloud service to access it anywhere. However, to use the cloud service, you’ll need to register an account. There are two options to choose from: Free and Premium. The latter includes a larger cloud space and gives you access to the company’s AI service. You don’t have to deal with ads, either. JS Paint: A tried-and-true classic Foundry JS Paint, for example, is a web version of the old classic MS Paint, the drawing program included in Windows. Here, however, it retains its original appearance. Google Drawings: Illustrate with Google Foundry One of the lesser-known programs in Google’s web-based office suite is Google Drawings. Unlike JS Paint, for example, the focus is not on freehand painting, but instead on making different kinds of illustrations. Autodraw: AI does the work Foundry Autodraw is for those who are bad at drawing. This program uses artificial intelligence to identify what it thinks you intended to draw. If you draw an ugly face and press Autodraw, it will turn it into a more attractive one. Magma Draw Together: Art with your friends The great thing about Magma Draw Together is that it lets you draw in a collaborative fashion. Simply create a blank “sheet of paper” and invite one or more friends–everyone can draw on it together. The service was previously called Aggie. Sumo Paint: With or without software Foundry Sumo Paint is a more advanced tool for those who want to draw and paint directly in the browser. It’s also available as a regular computer program. However, the latter requires a paid subscription. Google Canvas: A canvas for any device Google Canvas works on mobile phones, tablets, PCs, and Chromebooks. Foundry Canvas is a simple service for those who want to draw and paint. You don’t need to install any special software, just open it in your browser and log in with your Google account. Everything you draw is automatically saved and displayed on all devices, and the result can be downloaded as a file on your hard drive. Read...

When historians look back at the PC industry in 2025, they’ll probably remember a time of intense turmoil. Between wildly unpredictable tariffs, geopolitical strife, the AI boom, hardware shortages caused by the AI boom (and tariffs), and hundreds of thousands of industry layoffs, it’s been an eventful – and stressful – year for the PC. Nonetheless, great things happened. We’ve seen the launch of entire new graphics card generations from Nvidia and AMD. The laptops of today are the laptops of tomorrow we’ve always dreamed of. Handheld gaming is exploding in popularity, leaving Microsoft scrambling to make Windows a viable alternative to Valve’s SteamOS on those devices. Security is evolving daily to protect a new breed of AI-powered attacks. Today is a day to celebrate the best of times. This is the Best PC Hardware and Software of 2025, as chosen by PCWorld’s editors. Best laptop: Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Read our review Best Prices Today: $1,650 at Amazon The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 (Aura Edition) is the most impressive Windows laptop we tested this year, and I’ll tell you exactly why. It combines a stunning 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED display with HDR and a 120Hz refresh rate, beastly specs (including an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V CPU, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and Intel Arc 140V graphics), and a battery that can last up to 23 hours. It’s speedy enough to handle work tasks and binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix and, at under three pounds, it won’t break your back.  The 2-in-1 design is nice too, especially if you move around a lot. You can flip it into tablet mode or set it up like a little tent. This versatility is cool when you’re working with limited space like in an airplane seat, for example. The keyboard and trackpad also feel great, and the Yoga Pen sticks right to the top so it’s always handy when you’re ready to create your next masterpiece… or just doodle for fun! -Ashley Biancuzzo Best graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Read our review Nvidia bet the fate of the GeForce RTX 50-series on DLSS 4’s incredible multi-frame gen feature. As magical as the feature can be, it left most of the RTX 50 lineup feeling flat at best, or as uninspiring sidegrades at best. Not the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. Unlike most of the 50-series lineup, the 5070 Ti includes a sizeable performance uplift, while costing less – versus the 4070 Ti, you get 25 percent faster performance for $50 less. Better yet, the 5070 Ti’s prowess makes it the perfect vehicle for DLSS 4’s multi-frame gen – the card delivers killer 1440p and solid 4K performance as-is, but flipping on MFG takes visual smoothness and frame pacing to utterly sublime levels. You’re going to want to pair this beast with a 240Hz monitor if you can manage it. In a weak and price-engorged generation for graphics cards, only the RTX 5070 Ti and AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 series stand out as particularly appealing. The amazing power of DLSS 4 earns Nvidia this well-deserved nod. If you’re dismissing MFG as “fake frames,” you’re missing out. –Brad Chacos Best laptop for battery life: HP OmniBook 5 14 HP OmniBook 5 14 Best Prices Today: $549.99 at Amazon The battery life on the HP OmniBook 5 14 is utter insanity. We’re talking over 25 hours in our testing–you can thank the super-efficient Snapdragon X Plus processor for that one. The 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen also looks great because of its wide color gamut and high contrast ratio. While it’ll breeze through most day-to-day tasks, it isn’t a gaming rig or a 3D workstation, so you may want to mind how you use it. That said, the main draw here is the ridiculous battery life and an OLED display that truly pops… all for under $900! This is one stunner of a laptop. -Ashley Biancuzzo Best monitor: Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED  Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED Monitor S3225QC Read our review Best Prices Today: $695 at Amazon | Not Available at Amazon Prime This year, the monitor that stood out as the best overall – i.e., the monitor most likely to satisfy the versatile needs of the majority of users – was the Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED. Our high regard began with its big, sharp, colorful 4K QD-OLED panel. It grew with the 120Hz refresh rate and support for Adaptive Sync, making it a suitable option for work as well as entertainment, even gaming.   With two video inputs (HDMI 2.1 and USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 support), 90 watts of Power Delivery for connecting to either Windows or Mac laptops, and two USB-C downstream ports supporting 15 watts of USB Power Delivery and 5Gbps of data, it’s up for productivity. The monitor goes on to sweeten the pot with five speakers – wait, what? — for 25 total watts and support for spatial audio. Finally, it seals the deal with a price that undercuts the competition — $850 MSRP, but currently hovering around $700 on Amazon. – Katherine Stevenson   Best password manager: Dashlane Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane Staying sane while dealing with online security is much easier with a password manager. A good password manager, that is—one that quickly creates and fills in strong passwords, stores passkeys, immediately alerts you to compromised or weak passwords, and lets you securely share credentials with others. Dashlane gets the highest possible marks from us not just for its dependability, but its regular updates, too. In particular, the service now supports full passwordless login, which lets you sign in to your Dashlane account without a password. It’s also one of the first to implement secure import/export of passkeys and passwords (aka CXP). This puts it on the leading edge of credential security—other password managers are still working on their rollout. Combined with standard features like passkey support and dark web monitoring, plus surprising extras like VPN access and real-time phishing protection, Dashlane provides a lot of broad protection for your logins. Other password managers may be cheaper, but not as complete. -Alaina Yee Best SSD: WD Black SN7100 WD Black SN7100 1TB Read our review Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Amazon You might expect our pick for best SSD to use the latest-gen PCIe 5.0 interface, which can be 100 percent faster than the previous generation. But while the prospect of such blazing-fast transfer speeds is certainly tantalizing, for most everyday computing activities, including gaming, PCIe 4.0 performs comparably to PCIe 5.0 — and for a lot less money!    This is why our pick for best SSD is the WD Black SN7100 SSD, a PCIe 4.0 drive whose overall benchmark performance bested those of its peers, even if only by small margins. The upshot is that this drive is fast, and it features a reassuring five-year warranty. Better still, at $74 for 1TB, it’s half the cost of the best PCIe 5.0 drive. Need we say more? – Katherine Stevenson  Best desktop CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry It’s been a slow year for CPUs. Perhaps in reaction to 2024’s performance issues and regressions, both Intel and AMD have been quiet on the desktop front. Instead, focus has been on laptop CPUs. The lone bright spot for desktop enthusiasts? AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. We saw it coming. Last year, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivered stupendous performance in both gaming and content creation. A flagship version would be even beastlier—and the 9950X3D proved that assumption right. Against the Intel Core 9 285K, the 9950X3D showed gaming performance lifts ranging from 25 to 48 percent (!) and a content creation performance boost of about 10 percent on average. And that’s at stock settings. Turn on PBO and you get another bump in performance. The only disappointing thing about the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is that it takes the title with no real competition. But that doesn’t make it a bad chip. On its own merits—and no matter what kind of PC user you are—it’s a win. -Alaina Yee Best Thunderbolt docking station: Plugable TBT-UDT3  Plugable 11-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station Read our review Best Prices Today: $299.95 at Amazon | $299.95 at Plugable I expected 2025 to be a breakout year for Thunderbolt 5 docking stations, and I wasn’t disappointed. Many docks I received, however, were priced at the high end of the spectrum. Plugable’s TBT-UDT3 was a notable exception, a moderately-priced laptop docking station I could recommend to those who needed a current-generation Thunderbolt 4 dock or who were looking to invest in next-gen Thunderbolt 5 hardware. Why did I weigh price so heavily? Two reasons: first, the omnipresent tariff concerns, and second, because Intel has reserved (again!) Thunderbolt 5 as a discrete add-on component, making it the domain of high-end, premium laptops, and not the mainstream. Eventually, that will change. But Plugable gives you tomorrow’s hardware at today’s prices. Plugable’s docking station offers the choice of three displays (or two plus an external SSD), Thunderbolt Share, and a general overall stability that unfortunately isn’t that commonplace. I think it’s the best overall docking station I tested, even though others had standout features that I ranked highly. –Mark Hachman Best antivirus: Norton 360 Deluxe Norton 360 Deluxe Read our review Data breaches keep piling up. So too attacks via phishing links and malware. AI may be helping people with dinner recipes and email writing, but it has also sped up the discovery of vulnerabilities—and exploits of them. Even with good online browsing habits, the most careful person can still fall prey to common tricks. You need a safety net. That’s why we love Norton 360 Deluxe. You could stitch together your own equivalent suite yourself, but this antivirus app pulls together and simplifies a very broad range of features for users. In addition to blocking malware and shady websites, Norton 360 Deluxe also offers dark web monitoring, a VPN, parental controls, a password manager, and 50GB of cloud storage for automated backups of critical documents. The subscription even includes general PC utilities like file cleanup, too. This highly comprehensive level of defense is rare—especially given how little Norton charges. You’ll be hard-pressed to find rivals that cost as little or provide as many features. -Alaina Yee Best gaming handheld: Valve Steam Deck Willis Lai / IDG If you want a solid, affordable handheld gaming PC…just get Valve’s Steam Deck. It’s nearly four years old now, but with a starting price of $400 and a “sweet spot” OLED upgrade at $550, it’s still the best option out there for most gamers (especially if you pair the Steam Deck with a GeForce Now subscription, an utterly transformative duo). SteamOS, smoother and better integrated than Windows 11, is a big part of that. If you want a little more gaming power or a bigger screen, the Legion Go S comes with a SteamOS option that doesn’t require any tweaking…but maybe wait for a sale. –Michael Crider Best high-end gaming handheld: Lenovo Legion Go 2 Lenovo Legion Go 2 Read our review For those who want a lot more oomph and options, and don’t mind paying for it, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is our pick. This beast of a handheld includes the larger screen and Switch-style breakaway controllers of the original design, plus an OLED upgrade and screaming Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. It runs Windows 11, but Bazzite is a Steam-powered option (and probably official SteamOS, later). Just be prepared to pay for it: this thing starts at $1350 USD. –Michael Crider Best gaming laptop: Alienware 16X Aurora Alienware 16X Aurora Not only did the Alienware 16X Aurora impress us with its raw performance, but its high refresh rate display also makes everything look positively delicious. This laptop is equipped to keep up with the latest titles thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and RTX 5070 GPU. You can jump straight into the latest triple-A games without problem, with all the eye candy cranked, and they’ll play amazing. The 16-inch 2560×1600 IPS screen is crisp and big, and the 240Hz refresh rate makes every frame feel as smooth as silk. -Ashley Biancuzzo Best personal data removal service: Incogni Incogni Read our review Best Prices Today: $7.99 at Incogni You might be surprised how much of your personal data is being collected and sold online. Data brokers and people search sites are hoovering up your data at an alarming rate and it’s nearly impossible to keep a lid on it yourself. So the best solution is to let a personal data removal service handle the arduous task of removing this data for you. And none are doing it better than Incogni. The service is dead simple to use, and the set-it-and-forget-it automation begins to work in a flash. After only the first day of using it, Incogni had already sent out hundreds of removal requests on my behalf, saving me months’ worth of effort. Plus, the service regularly follows up with every site to ensure my data doesn’t ever reappear. The addition of Custom removals means there is practically no site that Incogni won’t attempt to wipe your data from either. It can be a bit expensive, but if you’re concerned about your personal data being shared online, the piece of mind Incogni offers is unparalleled. –Sam Singleton  Best gaming monitor: MSI MPG 272URX MSI MPG 272URX Read our review Best Prices Today: $999 at Amazon | $1099.99 at MSI For a gaming monitor to even warrant consideration, it needs to be fast and it needs to have a damn good picture. Those are just table stakes, which the MSI MPG 272URX delivers handily. Not content with the standard 1440p resolution, the 272URX goes full 4K for maximum clarity, and its 240Hz refresh rate renders even fast-paced games with buttery smoothness. Adaptive sync support is a given.   But lest you think the 272URX’s talents begin and end with gaming, consider this: generous connectivity, including four video inputs, Power Delivery, and a KVM switch; a full complement of image-quality adjustments via a user-friendly on-screen menu; and HDR support. In sum, it’s an all-around winner. – Katherine Stevenson  Best Chromebook: Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 Read our review Best Prices Today: $499.99 at Amazon Prime | $559.99 at Amazon When it comes to Chromebooks, the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is damned near flawless. It’s got an Intel i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, so it’s zippy when running everyday tasks, and the 14-inch 1080p touchscreen display looks sharp whether you’re cranking on daily workflows or zoning out to YouTube. It’ll also last around 13 hours on a single charge. You’ll get through a full workday, no problem – and with how great the keyboard feels, you won’t have any complaints while doing so. -Ashley Biancuzzo Best webcam: eMeet Piko+ 4K EMeet Piko+ Read our review Best Prices Today: $89.99 at Amazon Prime | $95.99 at Amazon I am so glad I picked eMeet’s Piko+ 4K for our best webcam of 2025: the only flaw that I could find with this cute little 4K webcam is that it lacked a traditional webcam mount. Imagine my surprise when I double-checked my review and our shopping listings, only to discover that eMeet now ships a “traditional” version of this webcam, too! I absolutely loved the clarity that this dual-lens 4K webcam offered, especially in low light. This webcam’s visual capabilities were simply excellent (the mic is merely average, but that’s okay) and the $90 price splits the difference between our $40 budget webcams and the $150-$250 you’d pay for an ultrapremium offering. I wasn’t expecting much from this webcam, but I was blown away by what it offers. –Mark Hachman Best VPN: NordVPN NordVPN Read our review Best Prices Today: $3.39 at NordVPN (Monthly) It’s never easy to select the best VPN overall. There are so many factors to consider such as privacy, ease of use, server network size, unblocking capabilities, and speed. The reasons people have for using a VPN varies widely and that all needs to be taken into account. Will the VPN be used to get around country blocks for streaming, staying anonymous online, torrenting, or something else—the list goes on and on. Many VPNs excel at a few of these functions, but rarely manage to shine across the board. That is, except NordVPN. It’s one of the only services that consistently ranks at the top, or close to it, of each category. That’s why it’s my pick for this year’s best VPN. Not only does it continue to be the fastest VPN I’ve ever tested, but it has a huge server network, a vast array of security extras, and its no-logs policy is backed by plenty of independent audits. It also never fails to unblock streaming services and fully supports P2P. No other current service exemplifies all of the elements of a great VPN like NordVPN, full stop. –Sam Singleton Best cheap VPN: Surfshark Surfshark Read our review Best Prices Today: $2.19 at Surfshark (Monthly) Each time I review Surfshark I’m amazed at the new and interesting features it adds to the service while maintaining such an inexpensive subscription price. At this point, I find myself asking, what doesn’t Surfshark have? Not only do you get the VPN with an outstanding server network and lightning-fast speeds, but you also have access to a whole slew of top-notch privacy and security extras such as multi-hop, antivirus protection, rotating IP, ad- and tracker-blocking, and more. The best part is that all of these great features and tools can be had for less than the price of a cup of coffee every month with Surfshark’s long-term plans. Even shady off-brand VPNs that market themselves as “cheap” barely offer subscriptions for this price—and none of them have the feature set or verified privacy record of Surfshark. It’s by far the best value VPN for those on a budget—and one of the best VPNs overall. –Sam Singleton  Best portable SSD: Teamgroup X2 Max  Teamgroup X2 Max Read our review Best Prices Today: $96.99 at Amazon For truly portable storage that can be carried with ease and used without the need for any additional cables or adapters, look no further than the Teamgroup X2 Max USB stick. This USB 3.2 Gen2 drive uses NVMe internals to deliver sustained transfers of approximately 1.1GBps.   Sure, you can find portable drives that are even faster than that – USB 3.2×2 or USB4, for example. But they won’t feature this lil’ one’s unique flexibility in the form of dual connectors. With both USB-A and USB-C connectors, one on each end, you are assured of being able to plug into any device as-is. Now that’s convenience! – Katherine Stevenson Best Windows Backup software: EaseUS Todo Backup 2025 Easeus ToDo Backup 2025 Read our review Best Prices Today: $39.95 at EaseUS This year, things got interesting in the backup software space. Our long-time favorite backup program was knocked from its perch by EaseUS Todo Backup 2025, which made impressive strides to achieve what our reviewer dubbed “the most efficient workflow I’ve seen.” He also described the interface as “a joy.” Wow. These are the kind of superlatives that make the tedious chore of backing up data much more welcoming.    Of course, EaseUS Todo Backup 2025 provides all the necessary functionality you need for complete confidence: whole drive and partition imaging, file and folder backup, sync, disaster recovery including a WinPE recover disk, and more. We also love that EaseUS bucks the trend by offering a perpetual licence ($59.99, or $79.99 for lifetime upgrades) in addition to a yearly subscription ($39.99). Although, to take advantage of EaseUS’s optional cloud storage at a respectable $20 per year for 1TB, you will need to opt for the subscription tier. – Katherine Stevenson   Best online backup service: iDrive  iDrive Online Cloud Backup Read our review Best Prices Today: $69.65 at iDrive It makes a lot of sense to use an online backup service. In the context of the trusty 3-2-1 rule for backups, an online backup suffices as one of the two distinct types of media that’s suggested, as well as checks the box that a backup be kept in a remote location.   What’s really great about iDrive, our pick for best online backup service, is that it offers even more than that, such as a client for local backups and basic imaging and disaster recovery, which is pretty rare among online services.     The Personal tier, which starts at $69.65 per year, has support for multiple devices and includes 5TB of online storage. With its comprehensive feature set and user-friendliness, iDrive is tough to beat. – Katherine Stevenson Best USB-C Hub: OWC USB-C Travel Dock OWC USB-C Travel Dock Read our review Best Prices Today: $29.99 at Amazon Most USB-C hubs are dongles: you get a long rectangular slab of plastic or aluminum about the length of a utility knife, with a number of ports attached. OWC’s Travel Dock looks a bit more like a docking station without the size of a docking station. It’s only 3.2 inches on a side, and ports sprout from all three sides of this 5-in-1 hub: USB-A, Ethernet, USB-C power input, HDMI, and an SD card reader. Even the cord tucks away. For about $35 ($30 as I write this) you get the most important four ports you’ll need, all in a compact little square that still fits inside a pouch, purse, or pack. Or…perhaps a stocking? –Mark Hachman Read...

Six students away on medical elective are back in New Zealand, after deadly protests led to a night-time curfew in Dar es Salaam and a nationwide internet shutdown. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Highly automated and effective data removal Extremely easy to use Transparent removal tracking and progress Strong privacy standards Cons Verification of data removals is limited Ultimate plans are expensive Our Verdict Incogni’s automated data removal service expertly leverages privacy laws to compel data brokers to delete your personal information across hundreds of sites. The service is easy to use, secure, and effective at large-scale data deletion, though users must extend some level of faith in its confirmation process and pay a premium for the full feature set. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today 1 month$15.98/month12 months$95 ($7.99.mo)See all plans & pricing at Incogni Incogni in brief: Data removal sites: 420+, plus an additional 2,000+ custom removals Data removed information: Yes, for every site Identity monitoring: No Free version available: No Cost: $15.98 per month, or $95 for one year Most people are unaware of just how much of their data is out on the web available for anyone to buy and sell. Most of this is done by data-aggregator and data-broker websites which hoover up as much info as possible about as many people as possible. They then match this data to each individual to create personal profiles that are then packaged and sold online. There are so many of these data-broker sites now that it’s nearly impossible to remove your data from each on your own. As a result, a number of personal data-removal services have cropped up to help customers with this process. Incogni, from the famous VPN Surfshark, is probably the most famous and popular data-removal service—at the time of this writing it has processed over 245 million removal requests It makes the entire process of removing your data from these sites easy and effective. All requests are automated and the service even continually sends new requests to make sure your data never reappears in the future. What are Incogni’s features and services? Incogni is a personal data-removal service that delivers in an easy and automated format. Using its database of more than 420 data-broker websites, it sends removal requests on your behalf and requests that your data be added to suppression lists so it doesn’t reappear, and follows up every 60 to 90 days for as long as you’re subscribed. The service takes advantage of privacy laws in both the U.S. and EU to force data brokers into compliance. It leverages these legal frameworks in a really clever way too—the removal of your personal data is not only a request, but actually a compulsory legal requirement. All of the removal requests and their progress can be found under the Dashboard in your Incogni account on its website. Each request is shown as “In progress” or “Completed” based on whether the data broker has processed and confirmed the removal. Incogni shows detailed information relating to each removal request including when it was processed and completed, plus what data was removed. Sam Singleton You can click on the drop-down next to each request to see more detailed information including the data removed and a summary of the data-broker site itself. Each request comes with a unique ID and shows the last time it was updated and the average resolution time for the request as well. Incogni will follow-up with additional removal requests periodically to ensure your data doesn’t reappear on that site in the future. If you opt for the Ultimate or Family Ultimate plans, you’ll also gain access to Incogni’s Custom Removals feature. With this tool you can manually add your own data broker or public search sites not covered by the service’s automatic removals. When I reached out to Incogni about this tool, a representative assured me that each individual Custom Removal request is personally handled by an Incogni agent. As far as I know, there is no other service on the market that gives its customers the same individualized attention. That alone should be applauded. Incogni’s Custom removals are easy to set up and each request receives individualized attention. Incogni Custom removals can also cover sites outside of data brokers and traditional public search sites. This includes business and company information sites, legal resources, limited court record sites, and more. Not everything can be removed, but Incogni will give it a try if it can. As you are allowing Incogni to handle a lot of highly personal data, you want to make sure your data is in safe hands. According to its privacy policy, Incogni only shares your personal data to process a removal request with each data broker.  It does not sell, nor ever has sold, the personal data of customers. It complies with all personal rights according to U.S. and EU data protection laws. Customer data is only retained for a maximum of 12 months after you cancel the service. Finally, Incogni underwent a third-party security audit by Deloitte in August 2025 and the firm gave it a successful third-party assurance rating. These all lead me to believe that Incogni is doing its part to maintain the integrity of the vast user data it’s privy to. How much does Incogni cost? Incogni offers four subscription tiers: Standard, Unlimited, Family, and Family Unlimited. Each tier is offered in either a monthly plan or annual plan.  The Standard and Family plans are nearly identical, as are the Unlimited and Family Unlimited. Opting for the “family” versions of each provides the same service for up to five members on a single plan. The Standard plan is offered for $15.98 per month or $95 annually (at $7.99 per month), which is a 50 percent discount. With the Standard plan you get access to automated removal requests for over 420 data broker sites, up to three different emails, phone numbers, and addresses per person, plus recurring removals as long as your subscription lasts. The Ultimate plan is $29.98 per month or $179 annually (at $14.99 per month). If you opt for the Ultimate plan, you’ll get everything from the Standard plan plus unlimited custom removal requests for over 2,000 additional sites, plus live phone support. While the monthly price does seem expensive, the annual plans are much more affordable. Additionally, while data brokers have between 30 and 45 days to respond to a removal request, Incogni will continue to finish up any outstanding removals even if your subscription runs out.  Incogni also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans, which is even more incentive to give it a try if you’re curious. Incogni: Getting started You can add up to three emails, addresses, and phone numbers to your Incogni profile. Incogni Getting started with Incogni is pretty straightforward. After sign-up you can create your account and begin entering your personal data. This includes emails, addresses, phone numbers, and names or aliases you may be associated with, plus your birth date.  The service allows each user to enter up to three emails, phone numbers, and home addresses—each email needs to be verified though. I would recommend that everyone take advantage of this and fill up these extra data points, even if you haven’t used these old addresses or numbers in a long time. Old data has a funny way of following you around years or even decades later. After you enter in this information, Incogni will ask you to grant it the power to make requests on your behalf and away you go. Incogni will take over at this point and begin automatically sending out removal requests to known data-broker sites. You can see each request and its progress on the dashboard. The number of requests will balloon quickly. Just on my first day alone Incogni had sent out 585 requests, and each time I reloaded the page more and more were marked as completed. I received a few emails such as this directly from data brokers confirming my data was removed.Sam Singleton Once the requests begin, you may receive some emails from data brokers themselves verifying that they have removed your data from their sites. For me personally, I only received two or three over the course of a few weeks. The vast majority of these verification emails are sent directly to Incogni so you won’t be spammed. How are Incogni’s results over time? From day one Incogni was showing results. This honestly surprised me as data brokers have a month or more to respond to data removal requests. Additionally, Incogni itself shows the “Average resolution time” for each data broker under the Requests tab and most of them have averages in the two to three week range. Still, after just 24 hours I already had multiple pages of completed removals. Flash forward to a month later and I now have 743 requests sent, 662 removals completed, and 81 still in progress.  The Incogni Dashboard shows a graph displaying requests, time saved, and suppression list entries. Sam Singleton A neat little addition that Incogni includes on the dashboard is the amount of “Time saved” which is based on an estimate of how long it would take to submit each request manually. In just this short amount of time it claims to have saved me over 496 hours—which amounts to an insane amount of overtime I’d have had to put in just to do this myself. Another useful thing that Incogni does is request not only that your data be removed, but also a request to suppress your data. This means that a data broker has agreed to never re-collect any of your personal information in the future.  As of the time of writing, I have 102 suppression list entries, meaning that I’ll never have to worry about those sites collecting my data again. This is, at least, in theory. While I can dig into the requests page and see which brokers are suppressing my data, I would need to individually reach out to each to confirm this. Something that I, and most other people don’t have the time to do. It should be noted that while Incogni does not verify that your data has been removed on private data broker sites, it does verify removals on public search sites. In fact, this is the inherent problem with Incogni’s service: As most removal confirmations are sent to Incogni, you have to trust that the data it claims it removed has actually been removed. Of course, Incogni isn’t the only personal data-removal service that has this problem—it’s inherent to the entire industry.  To Incogni’s credit, they do this on purpose so that you aren’t spammed with hundreds, or even thousands, of removal confirmation emails. Out of curiosity, I visited a few public search sites at random from the list of those confirmed to be removed by Incogni just to check if my data was truly wiped.  All except one, Spokeo, had indeed removed any trace of me from their website. Spokeo still had a profile on me, but due to it being behind a paywall I wasn’t able to verify what data it had. This isn’t exactly an issue with Incogni’s service, rather these public search sites that don’t agree to suppression often re-add profiles over time.  Incogni tries to keep these recurrences to a minimum by periodically resubmitting new removal requests. And indeed, a new pending request by Incogni was already underway for Spokeo when I checked. Incogni occassionally asks you to verify records it found that may be associated with you in order to further enhance its services. Sam Singleton At the top of the Incogni Dashboard, I occasionally found a red banner indicating that Incogni found additional records that might belong to me. When I clicked on the banner, it took me to a “Verify your record” screen where I was asked to double-check some possible aliases that Incogni had identified as potential matches.  Most of these were only tangentially related to me—same first name, similar ages, etc. Some of them were obviously not me with completely different info that left me baffled as to why they would be potential matches.  When I questioned Incogni about this they said that the record verification tool is constantly learning and improving upon itself. As it’s still relatively new, it may produce results that seem puzzling. They assured me that over time—and with enough user input—the tool would become much more precise. So for now, users have an incentive to sort through the head-scratchers in order to improve the algorithm and receive more accurate results in the future. What data does Incogni remove? Incogni checks for personal data on both public search sites as well as private data brokers. As mentioned previously, this list currently totals over 420 sites.  The type of information that Incogni sends removal requests for include any current or former names, physical addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers associated with you. The more information you provide to Incogni, the more effective it is at removing all of your data. This is why it’s always a good idea to fill in all available physical address, email, and phone number slots allowed on your profile in Incogni.  For public search sites, Incogni checks for your information first, then sends a removal request. Once the removal has been confirmed, Incogni verifies the removal and provides you with all of the information removed. As for private data brokers, the process is a little trickier. These companies have the ability to stock up a lot more data on an individual user and generally keep their practices (and clients) hidden. Consequently, it’s next to impossible for Incogni to verify your data with these sites. Instead, it takes a shotgun approach by sending out mass removal requests to all the private data brokers it tracks, requesting that your data be removed. It doesn’t check that your data has been removed; it just marks the status as “Completed” when the broker confirms the removal. While this might seem unreliable, most of these data brokers are located in the U.S. or EU where there are massive fines for mishandling removal requests thanks to laws such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act). Therefore, it’s safe to assume that these removal confirmation responses that Incogni receives are true. Is Incogni worth it? Yes, Incogni is absolutely worth using for anyone who values their privacy. Keeping personal info off the internet is an important step in combating identity theft, scammers, harassment, and more. Incogni automates the entire process making it dead simple to use—it’s as easy as just setting and forgetting. It can be hard to justify another monthly (or yearly) subscription in today’s world, but the payoff in privacy with Incogni can be huge. I do wish that there was a way to see removal confirmations from each site rather than just trusting Incogni that it received them on your behalf. Still, that’s a minor gripe and if you put in the legwork you can probably verify this yourself. Overall, the service works quickly and efficiently to remove and suppress data brokers from collecting and selling your personal information. When it comes to data-removal services, Incogni is the one to beat. Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article. Read...

When your internet is running slow it can be beyond frustrating. Grappling with downloading or uploading files when your internet is chugging along can be tedious. Figuring out why your connection has gone slow is a must-do if you’re to overcome the problem. But where to start? Here are five common reasons your internet could be running slow that you can use as a guide. 1. Network congestion Network congestion is like a traffic jam on your data highway. It occurs when there is more data trying to travel across a network than the available bandwidth can handle. The overload leads to annoying performance issues, such as increased latency. A common cause can be when too many devices are connected to your network at the one time. There’s not much you can do about it except maximize your internet plan with your service provider or find a service provider whose network doesn’t suffer as bad congestion. You might also decide to use your internet at times other than peak times. 2. Background applications consuming bandwidth If you’re running programs or downloading large files in the background while surfing the web, you might be consuming your available bandwidth as those programs or downloads clock up megabytes. You might not even be aware of the apps and programs running and the effects they’re having on your internet speed. To prevent that happening you should regularly check to see what background processes are running and close unused apps and programs to free up bandwidth for other important tasks. 3. IP throttling Some internet service providers deliberately slow down internet connections. This can be done for a variety of reasons. For example, for users that have reached certain data limits, to ease congestion or to prioritize other traffic. Throttling can affect your overall internet experience making activities like streaming, downloading, browsing, or gaming slower than usual. In some cases, a VPN can help prevent IP throttling by changing your IP address, or the home address that your internet service provider sees as belonging to your connection. PCWorld reviews VPNs, so be sure to check out our list of the best VPNs. Pexels: Jakob Zerdzicki 4. Malicious software or viruses Viruses and other malware can affect your internet speed in a number of ways. They can run in the background of your PC, consuming your computer’s CPU and memory resources. Alternatively, they can chew up bandwidth by downloading or uploading files without your knowledge. In some cases, viruses can even infect your router causing it to malfunction or slow down. Viruses can also conduct malicious activities like Distributed Denial of Service (DDos attacks) which can further degrade your internet performance. Make sure you are using a reliable antivirus program, such as one of those that PCWorld recommeneds. 5. Outdated or broken router When all is said and done, if your internet is slow and there is no apparent reason, you could have a router suffering from technical difficulties. Alternatively, your router might just be old and not support the latest technological standards, or the firmware could be out of date. If you can’t just update the firmware, you’re going to need a new router to facilitate faster speeds and get you back surfing the web in double time. Related content 7 warning signs your computer was hacked — and what to do Solve your Wi-Fi problems with these smart router settings How to speed up your laptop without spending a dime Read...

Email platforms in web browsers are very popular and easy to use. However, Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo each have their pitfalls. Many marketing messages, spam, or phishing attempts use tracking pixels, which are designed to spy on the user and send information back to the sender. With the Trocker browser extension for Google Chrome and compatible browsers (Edge, Brave, Opera, etc.), you can prevent spying and block any feedback. Once installed, the extension automatically scans your inbox and searches for emails containing tracking pixels. The Trocker browser extension offers protection against spying via tracking pixels. The T icons warn users and block access.Foundry When you open these emails, the tool marks the trackers with a T symbol on a grey background to the right of the sender’s address. If you move the mouse pointer over the icon, the extension displays the target address of the tracking pixel in a pop-up. Clicking on the icon deactivates the blocking of the link. Trocker also marks the position in the email with a purple T icon. Read...

Security expert Troy Hunt, who operates Have I Been Pwned, recently received 2 billion unique email addresses that were found across multiple malicious lists and internet sources, including 1.3 billion unique passwords. Like the 183 million breached email addresses from before, this data comes from an aggregated collection by security firm Synthient, which collates and summarizes from various data leaks. After processing, the data set now only contains unique credentials (i.e., no duplicate combinations) that were intercepted by Infostealer software. These were either freely available on the internet or could be collected via Telegram groups. You should definitely check the HIBP website to see if your accounts are compromised. How the data was checked In a blog post, Troy Hunt describes how he checked the data records for correctness and accuracy. Firstly, he entered his own name and found an old email address from the 90s that he had actually used. He also found several linked passwords, but only one actually belonged to his account. He then contacted several people who followed his email list, who were also asked to check their data. Some stated that they had found old passwords that were no longer used, while others also discovered current access data for their accounts. Some of the data therefore dated back several decades, while other data was new. Hackers also use this procedure of trying out different combinations. With “credential stuffing” (as this method is called), it doesn’t matter how old the data is. Since many people rarely change their passwords, attackers can test out various known credentials until they eventually succeed. Even insecure passwords (such as “12345”), dates of birth, or names can be cracked quickly. Check if your password is compromised Hunt uploaded the passwords to his Pwned Passwords database, where you can also check whether a particular password has already been cracked. The passwords are saved without an associated email address, so it’s only about the security of the password itself. For security purposes, it doesn’t matter whether you have already used an insecure password or someone else has: “If you have a password of ‘Fido123!’ and you find it’s been previously exposed (which it has), it doesn’t matter if it was exposed against your email address or someone else’s. It’s still a bad password because it’s named after your dog followed by a very predictable pattern. If you have a genuinely strong password and it’s in Pwned Passwords, then you can walk away with some confidence that it really was yours. Either way, you shouldn’t ever use that password again anywhere.” Hunt recommends regularly checking your own passwords and email accounts (even if they’re just throwaway email addresses). After all, you never know who else could get hold of your data. Further reading: How to check if your email address is compromised Read...

The dirty secret with Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks is that they’re great for piracy, but maybe not for much longer. Amazon confirmed this week that it will block Fire TV apps that provide access to pirated content, including apps that users sideload onto their devices from outside Amazon’s Appstore. Amazon is working with Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), an anti-piracy coalition for the entertainment industry, to identify offending apps. The news was first reported by The Sun and confirmed by AFTVNews. If you’re not using a Fire TV device for anything illicit, you might not see the problem. But the move is also part of a broader push by Amazon to lock down what people can do with their devices, for legitimate purposes or not. Those who bought a Fire TV with the expectation of an open platform may soon wind up with a different kind of device entirely. What’s a piracy app, anyway? Neither Amazon nor ACE has disclosed which specific apps they plan to block or how they will define a piracy app. One concern is that apps with legitimate uses could become collateral damage. In 2015, for instance, Amazon removed the popular media player app Kodi from its Appstore, deeming that it could be “used to facilitate the piracy or illegal download of content.” Although the Kodi app itself does not distribute pirated content, its third-party add-on system allows users to connect with sources of piracy. Still, Kodi also has a wide range of legal uses, such as playing media files, tuning to internet radio stations, and recording over-the-air channels. In those regards, it is functionally similar to other media player and server apps that Amazon welcomes into its Appstore, including Plex, Emby, and VLC. For now, Kodi is still available on Fire TV devices via sideloading—that is, installing the app from outside Amazon’s official app store—but it’s unclear whether that will continue under Amazon’s new policy. Amazon and ACE did not respond to questions on whether they’ll target Kodi in particular or media player apps in general. So far, the only examples of blocked piracy apps on Fire TV are Flix Vision and LiveNet TV, which Amazon temporarily disabled in June due to malware-like behavior. Amazon unblocked both apps a month later, though they are likely the kinds of apps that the company will target for removal in the future. Clamping down Regardless of which apps Amazon decides to block, Fire TV is becoming less hospitable to sideloading overall. While most Fire TV devices still support sideloading for non-piracy uses, an Amazon spokesperson said the feature is meant for developers to test their apps. Those who sideload apps for other purposes are misusing the feature, the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, Amazon’s new Fire TV 4K Select streaming dongle has more explicit sideloading restrictions. The device, which runs on a new Linux-based operating system called Vega, only offers the feature to registered developers. Amazon’s new Fire TV 4K Select limits sideloading to registered developers.Ben Patterson / Foundry In the past, sideloading has allowed users to make Amazon’s devices more useful by addressing gaps in the company’s app catalog. During Amazon’s eight-month fight with NBCUniversal over distribution terms for Peacock in 2020, for instance, subscribers were able to sideload the Android TV version of the app. HBO Max required the same workaround for nearly two months after its own launch that same year. Users of Amazon’s Fire tablets have also sideloaded Google’s Play Store to access a significantly broader app selection, and retro game enthusiasts have sideloaded popular emulation apps such as RetroArch. It’s no surprise that Amazon wants to clamp down on this behavior. The company likely earns little from the actual sale of its Fire TV devices, and instead relies on ad-supported content, subscription sales, on-demand content purchases, and aggressive home screen advertising to make money. The company already blocks apps that modify its home screen or remap its remote control buttons, so cutting off apps that exist outside of its monetization purview would be the next logical step. What it means for you Amazon’s crackdown on piracy apps isn’t all bad news. Over the years I’ve heard from non-tech-savvy readers who’ve paid hundreds of dollars for “fully loaded” Fire TV devices, only for them to stop working with no recourse. I also get earnest questions from folks who see ads for inexplicably cheap streaming services, not realizing they’re too good to be true. Those services should be harder to access by folks who don’t know any better. But for those who want access to more open streaming platforms—for piracy or not—the options are becoming more limited. Devices that run on Google’s Android TV platform, such as Walmart’s inexpensive Onn boxes, don’t have the same sideloading restrictions, though Google’s plan to make developers verify their identities could change that calculation. Roku players and Apple TV devices don’t support sideloading at all. In the end, if you really want full control over your streaming experience and all the software that runs on it, you might just have to use an actual computer. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV advice. Read...