For more than a decade, one question has loomed over the race to build autonomous vehicles: Are cameras alone enough to safely replace human drivers, or do truly driverless cars need additional, overlapping sensors like lidar and radar to navigate the world reliably? Tesla has bet billions of dollars that artificial intelligence and cameras are sufficient. Nearly every other major autonomous vehicle developer has gone the opposite direction.
Technology
How surveillance tech led police to accuse the wrong person
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Most people never expect a knock on the door from a police officer to flip their life upside down. Yet that is exactly what happened to Chrisanna Elser in the Denver area of Colorado, near the small towns of Bow Mar and Columbine Valley.
An officer from the Columbine Valley Police Department arrived at her home and accused her of stealing a $25 package from a porch in the neighboring town of Bow Mar, Colorado.
The officer said surveillance technology pointed directly to her vehicle, a forest green Rivian R1T electric pickup truck. But Chrisanna insists she never stole anything.
What followed became a real-world lesson in modern surveillance. Doorbell cameras, license plate readers and phone location data suddenly became evidence in a case she had to fight herself.
CALIFORNIA PORCH PIRATE CAUGHT STEALING SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS INSTALLED TO CATCH HIM
Flock cameras are used in towns across the nation as license plate readers. A Colorado woman was accused of porch theft after police relied on surveillance tech, including Flock cameras, that incorrectly linked her vehicle to the scene. (Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)
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The moment the accusation began
Chrisanna recently joined me on my Beyond Connected podcast to walk through the moment everything started. She remembers the day clearly. “So I laid down because I had a headache and my husband came in and said, there’s a police officer here for you.”
The officer told her a package had been stolen from a home roughly 1.3 miles away in Bow Mar, Colorado. The officer who confronted her was Sgt. Jamie Milliman of the Columbine Valley Police Department, which provides policing services for both Columbine Valley and Bow Mar.
He believed she was responsible. The accusation was based on surveillance tools used around the area. According to the officer, Flock license plate reader cameras had captured her forest green Rivian driving through Bow Mar between 11:52 a.m. and 12:09 p.m. on the day of the theft.
Bodycam footage captured the officer describing the town’s monitoring network. “You can’t get a breath of fresh air in or out of that place without us knowing.”
Chrisanna said she tried to show the officer evidence that she had nothing to do with the theft. But she says he would not review it. “And basically, he just continued to start with that. I was lying to him. Never lied to him once.”
Instead, the officer issued a summons ordering her to appear in court in Jefferson County, Colorado.
The porch camera video that sparked the case
Chrisanna later found the video that triggered the accusation. Neighbors had posted the porch camera footage on the community app Nextdoor while trying to identify the thief. At first, she could understand why the police thought the suspect resembled her. “When I saw the video from far away, I was like, wow, I guess that kind of looks like me.”
But the closer she examined the footage, the more differences she noticed. “She was significantly younger, and she had a bit of a shaved underside under her head.” The suspect ran away from the house and disappeared off camera.
Importantly, the person in the video ran away on foot and did not get into any vehicle, something that conflicted with the police theory involving Elser’s truck. Still, the investigation continued.
COLORADO WOMAN CHASES DOWN ‘PORCH PIRATE’ AND SHAMES HER ON VIDEO
Chrisanna Elser’s situation highlights how surveillance tools can generate leads but still require human verification to avoid mistakes. (Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
What a Flock camera actually is
One of the technologies involved in the investigation was a Flock camera. Flock cameras are automated license plate reader systems made by the company Flock Safety. Cities and neighborhoods across the United States install them at intersections and neighborhood entrances.
They automatically capture:
- License plate numbers
- Vehicle color and approximate vehicle type
- Date, time and location
Police departments can search the camera network to see when a vehicle passed certain locations. In Bow Mar and Columbine Valley, Colorado, the cameras are used by the Columbine Valley police to help identify vehicles connected to investigations.
The systems are designed to help solve crimes such as stolen vehicles, kidnappings and hit-and-run cases. But they generate investigative leads, not proof.
Chrisanna’s case shows what can happen when technology is treated as a conclusion rather than a starting point.
The overlooked camera that could have cleared her
Chrisanna began doing something she never expected. She started investigating the accusation herself. While reviewing the evidence, she discovered something critical. Her truck had been parked directly in front of another Flock surveillance camera controlled by the town of Bo Mar during the entire time police claimed she committed the theft.
“Actually, my truck was parked right in front of a Flock camera in my neighbor’s driveway the whole time.” If investigators had reviewed that camera first, the case might have ended immediately.
The hidden phone feature that helped prove her innocence
Chrisanna also discovered another piece of evidence hiding in her own phone. It was a feature called Google Location Timeline.
The setting tracks where your phone travels if location history is enabled. “Anywhere your phone is, if you have your timeline turned on, it will track you,” Chrisanna said. In her case, it helped reconstruct exactly where she had been that day.
She later discovered the data showed she had visited a tailor just outside of Bow Mar for a noon appointment located more than a quarter mile from the theft location.
A Columbine Valley Police officer questions Chrisanna Elser on her front porch near Bow Mar, Colorado. Police later dropped the case after reviewing new evidence showing Elser’s vehicle was parked during the alleged crime. (Columbine Valley Police Department)
How Chrisanna built the timeline that cleared her
Chrisanna gathered multiple sources of proof to show where she had actually been.
Her evidence included:
• Google Location Timeline data
• Flock camera images
• Photos from other stops she made that day
• Video from her own vehicle’s onboard cameras and GPS system
She built a timeline and sent the evidence to the police. Eventually, the Columbine Valley Police Chief, Bret Cottrell, reviewed the information and responded by email. Chrisanna read the message she received.
“Hi, Anna. After reviewing the evidence you’ve provided. (nicely done btw), we have voided the summons that was issued. We have double checked with Jefferson County courts, and the case was not yet entered into the system; therefore, there is no record on file. Thank you for getting back to us with the evidence you said you would be able to provide. Sincerely, Bret”.
After roughly two weeks, the summons was voided, and the case was dropped. The actual porch theft was never solved, Chrisanna said. The officer involved later received a formal reprimand and was ordered to complete additional training, according to internal police documents.
We reached out to the Columbine Valley Police Department for comment, but did not receive a response before our deadline.
How someone might obtain Flock camera footage
Many people assume they cannot access surveillance footage used by police. In some cases and jurisdictions, they can. For example, in Colorado, residents can request certain government records under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), the state’s public-records law similar to the federal Freedom of Information Act.
Chrisanna said her husband suggested requesting the footage through public records laws. “If the city, if they’re using any surveillance on you at all, you can do a Freedom of Information Act.” While FOIA technically applies to federal agencies, people often use the term to describe public-records requests more broadly.
Steps to request Flock camera footage
- Identify the police department operating the cameras
- Submit a public records or FOIA request
- Include the date, time and location you need
- Request related bodycam or license plate reader records if necessary
Access rules vary by state and department. Still, the footage may be available when cameras are owned by a city or town.
Technology still needs human judgment
Chrisanna does not believe surveillance tools should disappear. But she believes they need clear guardrails. “They are a useful tool, but they are not a replacement for police work as it was in this case,” she said.
Technology can help solve crimes and protect communities. Yet when investigators rely on it without verifying the facts, mistakes can happen.
DOORBELL-CAM COMPANY RING PARTNERS WITH 405 POLICE AGENCIES ACROSS US TO SHARE FOOTAGE, FIGHT CRIME
License plate reader data and doorbell footage led police to accuse the wrong suspect before new evidence cleared her. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
How to turn Google Location Timeline on or off
Chrisanna used Google’s Location Timeline as part of the evidence that helped prove where she was on the day of the alleged theft. Many people do not realize this feature exists, but you can check it anytime through Google Maps.
Steps to check Google Location Timeline
- Open the Google Maps app
- Tap your profile icon in the top right
- Select Your Timeline
- Tap the three-dot menu or More
- Tap Location & privacy settings
- Turn Timeline / Location History on or off
If enabled, Google Maps may store a record of places your phone has been. Some people use it to remember trips or travel routes. Others prefer to turn it off for privacy. Either way, the data can become important if you ever need to prove where you were at a certain time.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Most people assume surveillance protects them. Doorbell cameras catch porch pirates. License plate readers track stolen cars. Phone location data helps people retrace trips. But Chrisanna’s experience reveals another side of the technology. Data can suggest conclusions before investigators verify them. And when that happens, the person accused may have to gather their own evidence. Her takeaway is simple. “If they have evidence on you, you should have evidence on yourself.” For more of Chrisanna’s story and the full conversation, you can listen to or watch the complete episode on the Beyond Connected podcast at getbeyondconnected.com.
Let me leave you with this question. If technology ever pointed the finger at you tomorrow, would you have the data needed to prove where you really were? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Until now, that argument has largely been left to executives and engineers. New Jersey lawmakers are trying to settle it in state law.
A bill expected to come up for a vote later this year would require companies seeking to operate fully autonomous vehicles in New Jersey to use cameras plus two other sensing technologies, most commonly lidar and radar. If enacted, New Jersey would be the first state to codify such a hardware mandate into law, moving ahead of a nearly identical proposal currently pending action in neighboring New York. The measure would also effectively prevent Tesla’s camera-only Robotaxi system from operating in New Jersey unless the company changed its hardware.
”This is not anti-Tesla,” Democratic state Sen. Andrew Zwicker, the bill’s primary sponsor, told The Verge. “I’m pro-New Jersey safety.”
Zwicker, a physicist who works at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (New Jersey doesn’t restrict legislators from outside jobs), said after riding in a Waymo robotaxi in Phoenix he became convinced autonomous vehicles could transform transportation.
”I was amazed how quickly you get used to it,” he said.
The technology, he argues, could dramatically expand mobility, reduce traffic deaths, and make transportation more accessible. But he believes the technology should roll out cautiously in the nation’s most densely populated state.
”At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can,” Zwicker said. “Can we get there? Maybe. But we’re not there yet.”
The proposal would establish a three-year pilot program governing the testing and deployment of fully autonomous vehicles in New Jersey. Companies would have to use multiple sensing technologies, report certain crashes, and receive state authorization before operating fully driverless commercial services. They would also have to complete at least 50,000 miles of supervised testing in New Jersey without a major incident before removing the human safety driver.
While state battles over autonomous vehicles have largely centered on safety performance, oversight, and potential job losses, New Jersey is attempting something different: legislating how the vehicles themselves should be built.
“At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can.”
— New Jersey state Sen. Andrew Zwicker
The sensor requirement is by far the bill’s most consequential provision and it would have repercussions beyond Tesla. Elon Musk has long argued that cameras paired with increasingly capable artificial intelligence are the best and most cost effective way to operate autonomous vehicles. Humans navigate the world using vision alone, Musk has said, so sufficiently advanced AI should eventually be able to do the same. Eliminating lidar and radar also dramatically lowers hardware costs, making it easier to build robotaxis cheaply enough to deploy at massive scale.
Musk has even argued that adding more sensors can reduce safety by forcing software to reconcile conflicting information.
”Lidar and radar reduce safety due to sensor contention. If lidars/radars disagree with cameras, which one wins?” he wrote on X last year. “We turned off the radars in Teslas to increase safety. Cameras ftw.”
Most of the rest of the autonomous vehicle industry disagrees. Companies including Waymo and Zoox combine cameras with lidar and radar, arguing that each sensing technology has different strengths and weaknesses. Cameras capture rich visual detail, allowing vehicles to recognize colors, traffic signs, lane markings, and pedestrians, but they can struggle in poor weather, darkness, or glare. Radar performs better in rain and fog and excels at measuring the distance and relative speed of nearby objects. Lidar uses lasers to create detailed three-dimensional maps of a vehicle’s surroundings, making it particularly effective at determining the shape and distance of nearby objects.
Rather than relying on a single sensor, those companies combine the strengths of all three, arguing that redundancy makes autonomous driving safer. Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon electrical and computer engineering professor and autonomous vehicle safety expert, said camera-only systems may eventually become capable enough for fully autonomous driving. But he doesn’t believe they are today.
As Koopman put it, “eyeballs are better than cameras for many reasons” and “human brains are fundamentally more powerful than AI because we understand.” While there are situations where Koopman said camera-only works just fine — clear weather, favorable lighting, and less complex roads — he believes it’s not ready for broad consumer use.
“To run 24/7 across the majority of public roads in New Jersey today, it needs lidar,” he said. “It’s pretty clear that today camera-only technology is not up to the challenge.”
Koopman supports the New Jersey proposal but said he would prefer even stronger safeguards, such as requiring conventional driving controls like steering wheels and pedals so first responders could move disabled vehicles (so no Cybercabs, which don’t have either), and limits on how many AVs can be on the road during the pilot (a potential provision Zwicker said he’s considering).
“It’s pretty clear that today camera-only technology is not up to the challenge.”
— AV expert Philip Koopman
“The difference between 100 cars and 10,000 cars is night and day,” Koopman said. When the scale is small, “There’s just not enough cars for that much weird stuff to happen to them.” He pointed to Waymo, which now operates more than 3,500 commercial robotaxis across 11 US metro areas.
”They never used to have problems with floodwaters and school buses — not because they could do floodwaters and school buses,” Koopman said. “But with 100 cars it just doesn’t happen that often.”
Despite a lot of fanfare, Tesla currently only has a handful of unsupervised Robotaxis on the road, mostly in Texas, according to data from Robotaxi Tracker, suggesting it hasn’t been as easy to scale the camera-only approach as Musk had previously promised. Last year he predicted that Tesla would have hundreds of thousands of fully self-driving Teslas operating by the end of 2026. (Tesla did not respond to requests for comment for this article.)
Many of the bill’s provisions mirror recommendations from SAVE-US, a nonprofit that advocates for stricter autonomous vehicle regulation. Physicist and SAVE-US national campaign director Shua Sanchez said the group formed because Congress has failed to establish national rules while autonomous vehicle companies have expanded into states with dramatically different levels of oversight.
“California has the best safety regulations in the country,” he said. “Texas, Arizona, and Georgia have almost no state oversight.”
Among the organization’s priorities is requiring redundant sensing systems.
“We don’t have a problem with Tesla as a company,” Sanchez said. “We have a problem with camera-only autonomous vehicles.”
Nearly every major stakeholder has sought changes to the bill. Waymo successfully pushed to remove a requirement that safety drivers remain in vehicles throughout the pilot, and Uber argued the state should continue requiring human drivers for most rides, according to Zwicker.
Tesla has been lobbying against the legislation in New Jersey, according to Zwicker, who said company representatives met with lawmakers to argue that advances in artificial intelligence make additional sensor types unnecessary. Zwicker said that while the tech has gotten better, “I’m not convinced yet that they’re ready to go.”
The debate has spilled beyond the state House.
“As written, the legislation imposes restrictions so severely that Tesla’s autonomous vehicle technology couldn’t legally operate in New Jersey,” read a Tesla missive to New Jersey Tesla owners encouraging them to contact lawmakers. “Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market.”
Zwicker said his office received roughly 4,000 emails within a day. “The messaging wasn’t about the details of the bill,” he said. “It was that Zwicker is trying to take away your Autopilot.”
“Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market.”
— A Tesla message to NJ owners
Zwicker rejects that characterization. The legislation applies only to fully autonomous vehicles operating under the proposed state pilot program — not driver-assistance systems that require a licensed human driver to remain behind the wheel.
The fight in New Jersey reflects a broader vacuum in autonomous vehicle regulation. Congress has debated national autonomous vehicle legislation for years without passing a comprehensive framework, leaving states to develop their own rules as commercial robotaxi services expand. Robotaxi services already operate in states including California, Texas, Arizona, and Georgia under dramatically different regulatory systems. While California requires extensive testing permits and public reporting, it doesn’t specify which tech the AVs need to get there. Texas has adopted a far lighter-touch approach, which lets automakers self-certify that their autonomous vehicles are ready for the road.
New Jersey’s bill raises the possibility that AV tech there could differ from that of other states. Zwicker says that isn’t his concern.
“The technology doesn’t exist in the Northeast at all,” he said. “The goal is to start now, do it safely, and build public trust.”
Sanchez sees the sensor requirement as a common-sense safeguard rather than a restriction on innovation.
“There are absolutely brilliant people working at Tesla trying to make camera-only autonomy work,” he said. “But they’re trying to do it with one arm tied behind their back.”
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How to use airline miles and points
The Miles Guy explains how to stop wasting points, spot bad redemptions and get more value from travel rewards, in an interview with Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson.
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Airline miles used to feel like a secret travel weapon. You saved them, watched the award chart and then pounced when the right seat opened up.
Now? You may search for a flight and see a price so ridiculous that it makes you want to close the laptop.
That is exactly why I sat down with David Fleming, a travel rewards consultant known online as The Miles Guy. His job is helping travelers squeeze more value out of airline miles, hotel points and credit card rewards without getting fooled into bad redemptions.
FAKE BOOKING.COM TRAVEL CREDIT SCAM TARGETS TRAVELERS
Dynamic pricing can make the same airline seat cost a reasonable number of miles one day and a shocking amount the next. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
And here is the big takeaway: airline miles can still be valuable, but the old tricks no longer work the same way.
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Why airline miles feel harder to use now
Years ago, many airlines used fixed award charts. That made it easier to know what a flight should cost in points. Now, that predictability is mostly gone. “The airlines and their frequent flier programs went to something called dynamic pricing, which basically ties the cost of the ticket to the number of points you use,” Fleming told me during our conversation on the CyberGuy Report podcast.
He gave one eye-popping example. Air France Flying Blue business class from Los Angeles to Paris used to show up for around 67,500 points one way. Now, on some days, that same type of redemption can balloon to an outrageous level. “Some days you’re now seeing them for 700,000 points one way,” Fleming said. “Which is bananas.”
That is the kind of number that should make you pause before clicking “book.” If you want a broader refresher on how travel rewards work, CyberGuy’s guide on how to rack up points and miles for travel is a helpful read at CyberGuy.com.
Flexibility is still your best travel hack
If you have any wiggle room in your schedule, use it before you spend your miles. “The key really is to book your trip around your flights,” Fleming said. “Find the dates that have the best mileage redemptions available, and book those and let that be your guide.”
That may sound annoying if you already picked your vacation dates. However, shifting by a day or two, or flying from a different airport, can save you a huge number of points.
This approach works best when you are traveling alone or with one other person. It gets harder with kids, school schedules, work calendars and family obligations. Still, even a little flexibility can help. The goal is to stop treating every mileage price as a good deal just because it uses points instead of cash.
Book a refundable ticket as a backup
One of my best strategies is to book a refundable cash ticket as insurance while watching for mileage seats. Here is how it works. You book a refundable fare, so you know you can get where you need to go. Then you keep checking for award seats. If a better mileage redemption becomes available, you can cancel the refundable ticket and book with points.
Fleming said that strategy still has value, even though it worked better before dynamic pricing became so common. “If you book a refundable ticket, you know if something does open up, you always can cancel that refundable ticket, get your money back, and book the mileage ticket,” Fleming said.
There is another version of the same idea. If a good mileage ticket doesn’t appear, you can look for a cheaper, nonrefundable cash fare closer to the trip. Then you cancel the refundable ticket and buy the cheaper fare instead. It takes effort, but it gives you options.
Ask about paid upgrades before you board
Paid upgrades can be hit-or-miss. Still, Fleming says asking at the counter or gate can sometimes pay off. “You might have to be a little proactive and ask the gate agent or the person at the ticket counter, ‘Hey, do you have any upgrades available? And if yes, how much are they?’” Fleming said.
He shared the story of a friend who was flying economy on a transatlantic flight. At the counter, the airline offered him a business class upgrade for $140. If he had bought that upgrade online earlier, it would have cost more than $1,200. That will not happen every time. Airlines may have no seats, no deal or no interest in discounting the upgrade. Even so, the question costs nothing. Ask politely at check-in, at the ticket counter or at the gate: “Are there any paid upgrades available, and what would the cost be?” You can always say no.
Know when points are a bad deal
This may be the hardest part for many travelers. Sometimes the smartest move is to keep your miles. Fleming uses a rough benchmark of about 2 cents per point. So, if 100,000 points would cover a ticket that costs about $2,000, that can be a fair deal.
“On average, you might say that a point is worth $0.02,” Fleming said. “I just kind of set the goal at $0.02 a point.” However, if an airline wants 100,000 points for a $500 ticket, you may want to pay cash and keep the points for something better. That is where people get burned. They see “free flight” and forget that points have value. Those points took spending, flying or credit card bonuses to earn. Burning them on a weak redemption can cost you later.
Tracking your loyalty accounts, point balances and expiration dates can help you stop rewards from slipping through the cracks. (iStock)
Compare points before you book
Airline miles and hotel points can both be easy to waste. Before you redeem either one, compare the points or miles price with the cash rate. That helps you see whether you are getting strong value.
One tool CyberGuy has covered before is Awayz. It can help you compare cash prices with award pricing so you can decide when to use points, miles or cash. Its hotel search can be especially helpful if you have rewards spread across programs like Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG, Accor, Choice or Wyndham. Awayz can also help you look for award availability and spot better dates. That can save time when you are planning a trip with flexible travel dates.
Still, treat any travel search tool as a starting point. Prices and award availability can change fast. Before you transfer points or book, confirm the final price, taxes, fees, cancellation rules and availability directly with the airline, hotel or loyalty program.
BOOKING A SUMMER TRIP? HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE GIVING SCAMMERS
Track every loyalty account in one place
You cannot use your rewards well if you do not know what you have. Fleming says that starts with keeping your travel accounts organized.
“I created a spreadsheet which basically lists my program, American Airlines, my account number, my password, when the points expire and how many points I have,” Fleming said. “Then you know what you have to work with.”
I use a phone contact called “Travel Profile.” In that contact card, I store airline, hotel and rental car loyalty numbers in alphabetical order. So, when I am checking into a hotel or renting a car, I can quickly find the right number.
Here is how to set one up:
- iPhone: Open the Contacts app > tap the + button > enter Travel Profile as the name > scroll to Notes > type your airline, hotel and rental car loyalty numbers in alphabetical order > tap Done.
- Samsung Galaxy : Open the Contacts app > tap the + button > choose where to save the contact, such as Phone or Google > enter Travel Profile as the name > tap View more if needed > add your loyalty numbers in Notes > tap Save.
One important warning: do not store passwords in this contact card. Use it for loyalty numbers only. Keep account passwords in a secure password manager instead.
The trade-off is that a phone contact will not show your current point balances or expiration dates. That is where a spreadsheet or password manager can help, especially if you have dozens of travel accounts.
Watch expiration dates before points disappear
Some airline miles no longer expire. Fleming noted that United MileagePlus miles and Delta SkyMiles do not expire. However, other programs still have expiration rules. Flying Blue, the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, now uses a single 24-month validity period for miles, with qualifying activity able to extend that date. That means you should check each program before assuming your miles are safe forever.
Also, do not ignore small balances. A few thousand points may not buy a long-haul ticket, but they may help with a hotel night, upgrade or short flight later.
Airline status may not go as far as it used to
I asked Fleming whether airline status still means anything. His answer was blunt. “Unless you have the top tier status, I don’t think so,” Fleming said.
I get it. There was a time when top-level status could feel special, especially when flights were delayed or canceled. You could call a dedicated number, find the right person at the airport and sometimes get real help getting where you needed to go.
That still happens, but it feels less dependable than it used to. Planes are packed, upgrades are harder to clear and airlines often sell premium seats instead of handing them to loyal flyers.
Status can still help with free bags, preferred seats and priority support. However, I would not chase it blindly unless the perks still match how often you fly and what you are spending to get them.
Use travel tech to get ahead of delays
One of my favorite travel apps right now is Flighty. It tracks your aircraft before it becomes your flight, which can give you an early warning when trouble is starting to build.
For example, your plane may still be in another city with several flights to complete before it ever gets to you. If one of those earlier flights gets delayed, Flighty can often show the ripple effect before the airline sends an official alert. Flighty can send real-time alerts for delays, gate changes and cancellations.
You can also track a flight right inside the Messages app on your iPhone. Send yourself, or someone else, the airline name and flight number , such as Delta 1234 or American 456. You can also try the airline code and number, such as DL1234 or AA456. Once the flight number appears underlined, tap it and select Preview Flight. You should see details such as flight status, departure time, arrival time, terminal, gate and baggage claim when available.
One low-tech trick I still swear by is carrying a UK plug adapter. Some airplane outlets get loose from heavy use, especially with standard U.S. plugs. A UK adapter may fit more securely in certain universal airplane outlets, but it will not work on every aircraft or every seat. Also, treat it as an adapter, not a voltage converter, and use it only with chargers that support the power range printed on the charger.
Protect your miles like money
Airline miles and hotel points have real value. That makes them attractive to hackers. A thief who breaks into a loyalty account can drain your miles, book travel or sell access before you notice. Since many people rarely check old airline and hotel accounts, fraud can sit there longer than it should.
CyberGuy has covered how hackers can hijack travel rewards programs and drain miles. To protect yourself, use strong, unique passwords for every travel account and store them in a secure password manager. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) when available and review your balances often.
You should also keep strong antivirus software on your devices to help block malicious links, phishing pages and other threats that can lead to account theft. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
Also, consider using a data removal service to reduce how much personal information is floating around online, since scammers can use exposed details to make travel-related phishing messages look more believable. 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.
Finally, be careful with any email claiming your miles are expiring or offering a too-good-to-be-true travel deal. Go directly to the airline or hotel site instead of clicking links in surprise messages.
Asking about paid upgrades at the airport may not always work, but sometimes one polite question can unlock a much better seat for less. (iStock)
Pick travel credit cards carefully
Travel credit cards can still unlock value, but only if the perks match how you actually travel. If you fly one airline often, a co-branded card may help with bags, boarding or award discounts. If you want flexibility, a transferable points card may give you more options across different airlines and hotel partners.
Before you chase a welcome bonus, read the annual fee, spending requirement and redemption rules. A giant bonus can lose its appeal if you have to overspend to earn it. CyberGuy’s best airline credit cards guide at cyberguy.com/ can help you compare travel cards, perks and earning structures before you apply.
Watch the CyberGuy Live replay: Lock Down Your Phone in 30 Minutes
Your phone holds your email, passwords, photos, banking apps and personal data. In this free CyberGuy Live replay, Kurt the CyberGuy walks you step by step through simple phone security fixes you can do at your own pace. You’ll learn how to improve your privacy settings, spot the latest phone scams, use trusted security tools and walk away with a simple checklist to stay protected. Watch the replay and get our checklist here: CyberGuyLive.com
Kurt’s key takeaways
Airline miles are still worth collecting, but you have to be more careful than ever about how you spend them. Dynamic pricing means the same seat can cost a reasonable number of points one day and an outrageous number another day. That is why flexibility, research and patience can make such a big difference. Before you redeem, compare the cash price against the point price. If the value looks weak, save your miles and buy the ticket instead. Also, organize your loyalty accounts now, not when you are standing at a rental car counter or rushing through an airport. A spreadsheet, secure password manager or travel profile in your phone can keep your rewards from becoming a pile of forgotten numbers. And next time you fly, ask about paid upgrades. You may get nothing. Or you may hear a price that makes the whole trip feel like you beat the system. For more of my conversation with David “The Miles Guy” Fleming, you can watch the full podcast episode at CyberGuy.com.
Do you still think airline miles are worth chasing, or have airlines made the rewards game too confusing to trust? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Amid public backlash over its smart glasses, Meta announced that it will be updating its glasses with a new feature that will disable the camera when it detects that someone has tampered with or destroyed the glasses’ privacy LED light. The update is meant to address modders who have taken actions such as physically drilling into the LED light.
Meta has previously tried to discourage tampering with the LED light. For example, starting with its second generation glasses, blocking the light with tape or other objects will trigger a prompt asking users to uncover the recording light. However, many modders have found various workarounds for that particular measure.
Meta’s VP of wearables Alex Himel told The Verge that the privacy-focused update was on the way a few weeks ago after launching cheaper Meta Glasses without Ray-Ban branding. At the time, Himel acknowledged that the company was aware of increasing misuse alongside wider adoption of the devices.
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