Technology

Why your holiday shopping data needs a cleanup now

Published

3 months ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

Why your holiday shopping data needs a cleanup now

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If the ads you see in December feel a little too accurate, you are not imagining it.

The holiday shopping season is the busiest time of the year for retailers and for data brokers. These companies quietly track, collect and sell your personal information. Every search, click, cart add and purchase feeds a digital shopping profile tied to your name, phone number, email and address.

If you do not clean it up before the year ends, that profile will follow you into 2026. It fuels more scam calls, targeted ads, identity theft attempts and privacy risks you never agreed to. Here is how your profile forms, why data brokers want it and how to erase it fast.

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FBI WARNS EMAIL USERS AS HOLIDAY SCAMS SURGE

Your digital shopping profile forms every time you browse, click or buy during the holiday season. (iStock)

Your digital shopping profile forms the moment you shop online

Your profile starts forming the second you browse Amazon, Target, Sephora, Walmart or any online store. Every interaction adds new data points, including:

Items you viewed
Items you added to your cart
Purchases and near-purchases
Shipping and billing addresses
Total spending
Preferred brands
Device type and browser
IP address and physical location

Activity spikes in November and December. You are searching for gifts, deals, decorations and electronics. Data brokers watch this surge and collect more aggressively.

How data brokers get your information

Data brokers gather your personal information from several places at once. Here are the most common sources.

1) Retailers send your shopping data to third parties

Most retailers use analytics, advertising or measurement partners. These partners are often data brokers. The more companies that handle your information, the higher the risk of exposure.

Marketing tools may analyze personal details such as age, race, gender, location and shopping habits. Even without clear consent, partners often receive:

Full purchase histories
Timestamps
Product categories
Loyalty account details

Some stores even share in-store behavior when you scan a loyalty card.

2) Shopping apps track far more than what you buy

Apps from Amazon, Temu, Walmart, SheinTarget and others track everything you do. They often collect:

Real-time location
Device data
Contact lists if allowed
Swipe patterns
Time spent viewing specific items

This behavioral data becomes extremely valuable to data brokers. It also helps scammers understand how to target you.

Data brokers collect this activity from retailers, apps and tools to build a detailed record of your habits. (iStock)

3) Price-comparison tools copy your browsing habits

Browser plugins that offer price drops or deal matching often collect far more than you expect. An FTC investigation revealed that they can capture details from location and demographics to mouse movements.

Data points like these get packaged, sold and added to your digital shopping profile. Scammers can then build highly targeted attacks.

What scammers can do with your digital shopping profile

Scammers use these profiles to run more convincing attacks during the holiday season. With access to your data, they can:

Send fake order confirmations
Launch refund scams
Send fraudulent delivery texts
Commit identity theft
Resell your information to other criminals

If you interact with a scam even once, your profile may be marked as verified. That makes you a priority target for future attacks.

PROTECT YOUR DATA BEFORE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SCAMS STRIKE

Why December is the best month to delete your data

Each January brings a surge in scams, including refund scams, account update scams, IRS scams, Medicare scams and subscription renewal scams. Many of these attacks rely on the holiday shopping data collected in the weeks before.

If you delete your data now, you reduce:

Scam calls
Spam emails
Targeted phishing attempts
The number of companies holding your personal information

Data brokers must delete your information once you request it. Acting now limits how much of your 2025 activity they can store and resell.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENS ON THE DARK WEB, AND HOW TO STAY SAFE

However, removing your data manually is nearly impossible. You would need to contact and send opt-out requests to:

People-search sites
Marketing data brokers
Retail data aggregators
Ad-targeting vendors
Shopping analytics platforms
Credit-linked identity brokers

One at a time.

The fastest way to delete your digital shopping profile

This is why I recommend using an automated data removal service. They remove your exposed data from hundreds of data broker sites and continue to monitor new threats.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Clearing your data in December reduces scams, cuts targeted tracking and protects your privacy heading into the new year. (iStock )

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Your digital shopping profile may feel invisible, but it shapes the ads you see, the scams you receive and how exposed your personal information becomes. The holiday season gives data brokers more information in two months than they collect during the rest of the year. Use December to clean it up. With a few smart steps and an automated data removal service, you can enter 2025 with fewer scams, fewer trackers and more control over your privacy.

What part of your digital shopping profile surprised you most after learning how data brokers track you? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

One of Grammarly’s ‘experts’ is suing the company over its identity-stealing AI feature

Published

48 minutes ago

March 12, 2026

Press Room

One of Grammarly’s ‘experts’ is suing the company over its identity-stealing AI feature

For months, Grammarly has been using the identities of real people (including us) for its “Expert Review” AI suggestions without getting their permission, and now it’s facing a lawsuit from one of the journalists included, as previously reported by Wired. The class-action complaint filed by journalist Julia Angwin on Wednesday alleges that Superhuman violated the “experts’” privacy and publicity rights by breaking laws against using someone’s identity for commercial purposes without their consent.

Angwin says she found out her identity was used by way of Casey Newton, who is also one of the experts that The Verge uncovered being used by Grammarly when we tested the feature this week. Several current Verge staff members popped up attached to Grammarly’s AI-generated suggestions, too, including editor-in-chief Nilay Patel.

CEO Shishir Mehrotra says that “the agent was designed to help users discover influential perspectives and scholarship relevant to their work, while also providing meaningful ways for experts to build deeper relationships with their fans. We hear the feedback and recognize we fell short on this. I want to apologize and acknowledge that we’ll rethink our approach going forward.”

Technology

Transfer photos from your phone to a hard drive

Published

1 hour ago

March 12, 2026

Press Room

Transfer photos from your phone to a hard drive

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If you own a smartphone, this moment eventually arrives. A warning pops up saying your storage is almost full. Photos stop syncing. Apps slow down. Suddenly, you are deleting emails, clearing messages and searching for anything that will free up space.

Many people hit this problem because their photos automatically back up to services like Google Photos or iCloud. Those services include a limited amount of free storage. Once it fills up, the solution is usually the same. Pay for more space.

Janice from Alabama recently wrote to us about this exact situation.

YOUR IPHONE HAS A HIDDEN FOLDER EATING UP STORAGE SPACE WITHOUT YOU EVEN KNOWING

“My Google storage of 15 GB is almost used up, according to Google. I need to get my photos off my phone. How can I do this and keep access to them? I don’t want to delete them. I continually empty trash, delete emails, etc. I understand that this is a common problem with Google users on Android phones. Their answer is to purchase more storage space. I don’t appreciate being held hostage by Google. Any suggestions?”
— Janice in Sylacauga, Alabama

Janice is far from alone. Millions of smartphone users face the same choice every year. Either pay monthly for more storage or move their photos somewhere else. The good news is that you can store your photos on a hard drive you own, keep access to them anytime and avoid ongoing subscription fees. Let’s walk through the easiest ways to do it.

Smartphone users can free up storage by transferring photos to a computer and external hard drive instead of paying for more cloud space. (Yusuf Coskun via Getty Images)

Method 1: Transfer photos from your phone to a computer

The simplest approach is to first copy your photos to a computer. After that, you can move them to an external hard drive.

For iPhones

Apple devices use a slightly different process. Instead of opening the phone like a storage device, you import photos through the Photos app on your computer.

On a Mac

Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable (Lightning or USB-C, depending on your iPhone model)
Unlock your iPhone if it is locked
If prompted, tap Trust This Computer on your iPhone
Open the Photos app on your Mac
Select your iPhone under Devices in the sidebar
Choose the photos or videos you want to transfer
Click Import Selected or Import All New Items

The photos will download to your Mac’s photo library.

Another option: Use iCloud Photos

If you are signed into iCloud and iCloud Photos is enabled on your iPhone, your photos may already be syncing automatically. In that case, you can simply open Photos on your Mac or visit iCloud Photos in a browser on your desktop to access and download them without connecting your phone.

HOW TO HIDE PHOTOS ON YOUR IPHONE AND ANDROID FROM SNOOPS

With a USB cable and a hard drive, users can protect thousands of photos while reclaiming valuable phone storage. (Jun via Getty Images)

For Android phones

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable
On your phone, choose File Transfer when prompted
Open File Explorer on Windows or Finder on Mac
Locate your phone under connected devices
Open the DCIM or Pictures folder
Copy the photos you want to save

Once copied, paste the files into a folder on your computer. This step gives you a full backup before moving them to a drive.

On Windows

Connect your iPhone with a USB cable
Unlock your phone and tap Trust This Computer
Open the Photos app on Windows
Choose Import from a USB device

Windows will copy your photos directly to your computer.

Method 2: Move the photos to an external hard drive

Once your photos are on your computer, transferring them to a hard drive is quick.

Plug your external hard drive into your computer
Open the drive in Finder or File Explorer
Drag your photo folder onto the drive
Wait for the files to finish copying

Now your photos are stored safely on a device you control. External drives can hold tens of thousands of photos, depending on the size of the drive. Check out our best external drives article at Cyberguy.com.

BEST WAYS TO SAVE YOUR PHONE’S PHOTOS BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

Moving photos from an iPhone or Android device to a hard drive helps preserve memories without ongoing subscription fees. (Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Method 3: Transfer photos directly to a USB flash drive

If you prefer skipping the computer, some flash drives plug directly into smartphones. These drives typically include:

USB-C connectors for Android phones
Lightning connectors for older iPhones
USB-C connectors for iPhone 15 and newer models

After connecting the drive, open the companion app that comes with it. From there, you can move photos directly from your phone to the drive. This option works well when you need to free up space quickly. Be sure to explore our best flash drive recommendations at Cyberguy.com.

Method 4: Keep your photos organized

After transferring photos to a hard drive, spend a few minutes organizing them.

Create folders by:

Hard drives are reliable, but keeping a second backup ensures your memories stay protected if one drive ever fails.

Why this approach saves money

Cloud storage can feel inexpensive at first. Over time, the monthly charges add up. An external hard drive often costs less than a year or two of cloud storage fees. After that, the storage is essentially free. Even better, your photos stay under your control rather than sitting only on a company server.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Janice asked a question many people quietly wonder about. Do we really need to keep paying companies just to store our own memories? Fortunately, the answer is no. With a simple cable and an affordable hard drive, you can free up phone storage, keep every photo you want and avoid ongoing storage fees. Once you try it, the process becomes fast and routine.

So, here is something worth thinking about. If your phone holds years of photos and videos, should those memories live only on a company’s cloud server or somewhere you fully control? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Technology

Microsoft’s next Xbox, Project Helix, won’t reach alpha until 2027

Published

13 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Microsoft’s next Xbox, Project Helix, won’t reach alpha until 2027

We’re here at the 2026 Game Developers Conference, where Microsoft “VP of Next Generation” Jason Ronald is talking about a topic near and dear to many gamers’ hearts: the future of Xbox. Ronald says the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will have a custom AMD chip with “an order of magnitude increase in raytracing performance” up to and including path tracing, and a next-gen version of AMD’s FSR upscaling technology that relies on machine learning and includes frame generation — which can improve the perceived smoothness of a game by imagining new frames between existing ones.

But don’t expect that next Xbox soon: Microsoft will begin sending out “alpha versions” of Project Helix to developers in 2027, Ronald revealed here at GDC.

Details about Project Helix.

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Ronald also confirmed that Xbox and Windows are getting closer together, beyond the fact that Project Helix will play PC games too. “PC is becoming an increasingly important part of Xbox. We’re bringing the best of Xbox to Windows itself,” says Ronald.

Microsoft is bringing the Xbox mode that originally shipped with the Xbox Ally handheld to more Windows computers “to select markets starting in April,” as well as Advanced Shader Delivery, which precompiles shaders so you can download them alongside a game or its updates, instead of having to wait when you launch a title.

Ronald says the Microsoft team’s been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make the Xbox mode “feel distinctly Xbox” and feel the same as you migrate between devices and cloud. He says gamers play 3-5 games at any one time on average, and you should be able to pick up and play whether you’re on console, PC, or cloud.

As we spotted outside the keynote, Microsoft wants game developers to just build once for both Windows and Xbox, instead of building twice for both. It’s creating a unified development environment where “The vast majority of code that your game runs on Xbox is the exact same code that runs on other platforms,” says Ronald.

And while he isn’t promising all games will be this way, Ronald suggests that you won’t have to buy those games multiple times, too: the already-existing Xbox Play Anywhere program lets you buy once and “play on any screen,” he says. The catalog of Xbox Play Anywhere games now has more than 1,500 titles, Ronald says.

As part of the 25th anniversary of Xbox, the the game preservation team will also re-release an unspecified number of older Xbox titles under its Game Preservation program, Ronald says. “As one of the largest publishers in the industry, we feel a deep responsibility to preserve games from the past.” And he hints that “some of our most iconic first-party franchises are returning this year.”

A slide from an Xbox GDC 2026 presentation showing games that are part of game preservation.

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

The news follows Microsoft’s recent announcement of the codename for its next-generation console, Project Helix, which the company says will play both console and PC games. That announcement about Helix was made by new Xbox boss Asha Sharma, who took over as Microsoft’s gaming CEO in February. Former Xbox boss Phil Spencer is retiring, and former Xbox president Sarah Bond, who had been seen as a potential successor to Spencer, also announced her departure.

Last year, Bond hinted that the next-generation Xbox would be more like a PC and noted that it would be a “a very premium, very high-end curated experience.” In her first memo since taking over Xbox, Sharma promised a “renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console,” and in her post about Helix, Sharma said the console would “lead in performance.” This week, Sharma also posted a picture of the original Xbox prototype, which Microsoft is showing at the GDC Festival of Gaming. We’ve got pictures.

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