Earlier this year, a relatively unknown startup from Finland made a startling announcement: It had finally solved solid-state batteries.
Technology
Protect your data before holiday shopping scams strike
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The holiday season is the happiest and riskiest time of year to be online. As millions of us gear up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, scammers do the same.
Every year, they target holiday shoppers with fake websites, “too-good-to-be-true” deals and scam emails that look identical to legitimate retailers. But here’s the part most people miss: scammers don’t just rely on luck. They already have your personal data before you even click “add to cart.”
From leaked email addresses to exposed phone numbers and home addresses, your personal information is being bought and sold by data brokers, companies that collect and resell detailed profiles about you. Those profiles are exactly what scammers use to send realistic “order confirmations,” fake delivery alerts and “urgent payment” texts during this holiday period and beyond.
Let’s unpack how this works and what you can do now to stay safe before the holiday chaos begins.
RETIREES LOSE MILLIONS TO FAKE HOLIDAY CHARITIES AS SCAMMERS EXPLOIT SEASONAL GENEROSITY
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Scammers ramp up fake websites and emails during the holiday shopping rush. (iStock)
Why scammers love the holiday season
November through December is a goldmine for cybercriminals. According to the CISA, reports of online shopping scams spike during this time of year and vary in their approaches. The reason? We let our guard down when we’re rushed, distracted or excited by a deal. Staying alert during the holiday season can help you avoid data exposure and financial losses. Here are some of the most common scams you should be aware of.
Phantom stores
The surge of promotions during the holiday season is the perfect time for “phantom stores” to thrive. It’s a fraudulent store that mimics the interface and products of a well-known brand. Once you purchase from such a website, you’ll never receive your order as the store doesn’t actually exist.
Real-world example: Fake IKEA websites appeared with URLs spelled “ikeaa-sale.com” and “ikea-blackfriday.shop,” mimicking the official ikea.com interface with copied product images, logos and discount banners.
They lured shoppers with huge discounts and clearance offers to steal credit card data. Eventually, they were reported and taken down, but the damage has been done.
What to do? Always check the URL of the store you shop at and only click links from the store’s official website or social media.
Delivery scams
According to recent research, some of the most popular shopping apps are selling your location data to third parties. It’s no surprise that you might receive fake delivery texts.
Your leaked data fuels realistic “order” and “delivery” scams online. (iStock)
MAJOR COMPANIES, INCLUDING GOOGLE AND DIOR, HIT BY MASSIVE SALESFORCE DATA BREACH
Real-world example: Temu is a popular app for scammers to mimic. They can easily find your contact information and order details to text “Your order couldn’t be delivered.” Each text contains a phishing link that can install malware on your device or steal your personal information.
What to do? Make sure the texts you receive come from a legit courier service and double-check it on the store’s website.
Fake order emails
Some scammers use sophisticated phishing tactics to lure victims. They engineer emails from well-known brands, use an urgent tone, place malicious links and urge you to click on your order status. In reality, there is no order status – they’re stealing your data.
Real-world example: Amazon is one of the biggest online retailers worldwide, and that makes the brand easy to mimic. Scammers send emails on behalf of Amazon to try to steal customers’ personal data because it’s highly likely that their victims have used Amazon, making it less suspicious. However, phishing emails have some telltale signs you can look out for.
What to do? Never click on any suspicious links and always check the sender’s contact information.
Unwanted data exposure
When you shop online, you should be aware of the data you share, including your contact information, shopping habits, credit card details and more. All stores collect some type of data about you. However, some companies collect more than you think.
Real-world example: The infamous Target controversy in 2012 revealed how big retailers use data analysis to predict your shopping behavior. The company collected shopping data and managed to produce a predictive model for soon-to-be mothers.
They sent out brochures with baby clothes, vouchers for baby formula and more before the customers even knew they were pregnant. Thankfully, modern shopping looks a bit different. You can opt out of certain data collection and exercise your right to remove personal information from websites that collect it.
What to do? Check what data the stores collect about you and request the removal of any private information you don’t want them to have.
THE TRUTH BEHIND THOSE MYSTERIOUS SHIPMENT EMAILS IN YOUR INBOX
How scammers find you
Imagine you’re browsing for gifts online. Within minutes, your activity generates data points – device info, IP address, browsing habits that feed into online databases. At the same time, data brokers already have your full profile: age, income, address history, family members and even shopping behavior. These profiles are sold to marketers and often leak into criminal databases.
That’s why scam calls, texts and emails often feel so “real.” They use your name, the right retailer, even your city. They’re not guessing. They’ve bought your digital footprint.
The “holiday cleanup” your data needs
Most people clear their browser cookies or delete old emails to “stay private.” But that’s like locking your front door while leaving all your personal documents on the lawn.
If you want to stop scammers from targeting you this holiday season, you need to remove your personal data from the source, the data broker databases that feed these scams.
That’s where a data removal service comes in. 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.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.
Practical steps before you shop
To make sure your online shopping season stays stress-free and scam-free, here’s what CyberGuy recommends doing this week:
INSIDE A SCAMMER’S DAY AND HOW THEY TARGET YOU
1) Run a privacy scan with a data removal service
Before the holiday rush, remove your exposed data from data brokers. You’ll reduce the number of scam calls, emails and texts you get this season and protect your financial info before it’s too late.
Take control by removing personal data from broker databases before you shop. (iStock)
2) Secure your email
Use strong, unique passwords for each online store or service. Consider a password manager to simplify this.
Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.
Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com.
3) Check for fake stores
Before clicking a social media ad or email, hover over the link. Legit retailers use secure “https://” URLs and their exact brand name – no extra words or letters.
4) Avoid public Wi-Fi
Don’t shop or enter payment info over public Wi-Fi in an airport, café or mall, for example. Scammers can easily intercept unencrypted traffic.
5) Use credit cards or PayPal – not debit cards
HACKERS TARGET ONLINE STORES WITH NEW ATTACK
Credit cards have stronger fraud protection and make it easier to dispute unauthorized charges.
6) Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)
Turn on 2FA for your email, bank and shopping accounts. Even if scammers get your password, they can’t log in without your second verification step.
7) Keep your software and apps updated
Cybercriminals often exploit outdated browsers or apps. Update your phone, computer and shopping apps before the holiday rush to close those security holes.
8) Monitor your bank and credit statements
Check your accounts daily during the shopping season. The faster you spot a suspicious charge, the easier it is to reverse and protect your funds.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Black Friday through Cyber Monday is the peak time for data harvesting. Every purchase, coupon code and sign-up adds to the profile that marketers and data brokers hold on you. That information can linger online for years, long after the sales end. The good news? It’s easier than ever to reclaim your privacy. By taking just a few minutes today, you can enjoy the holidays knowing your personal data is no longer on the open market.
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Not only that, but Donut Lab, a spinoff of Verge Motorcycles, said that its solid-state battery — long considered the “Holy Grail of batteries” for their high-density, durable, fast-charging abilities — would go into production later this year.
Battery experts were understandably skeptical. After all, solid-state batteries are one of those technologies, along with artificial general intelligence and the hyperloop, that seem perpetually two years away. And while most legitimate efforts in this field — whether academic or commercial — have some level of published research or recognizable names attached, Donut Lab seemed to have emerged out of nowhere, with no known researchers or prior presence in the field. This lack of traceability immediately raised concerns about the startup’s credibility.
“I can’t say they didn’t do it,” said Eric Wachsman, the director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute and an expert on solid-state batteries and solid oxide fuel cells. “All I can say is they haven’t demonstrated that they have.”
The skepticism seems warranted, especially when you consider how many other people have been chasing the solid-state dream. Were we really to believe this obscure startup had beaten Toyota, Stellantis, and the entire nation of China to the punch? The odds were against it.
Donut Lab seemed to anticipate the doubt, launching a website last February called idonutbelieve.com that would serve as a platform to publish independent tests verifying that, in fact, its solid-state battery was real, and spectacular. Over the course of several weeks, the startup posted third-party results from state-owned VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland that it said proved its battery was what it said it was: a fast-charging, high-energy-density solid-state battery that wasn’t actually a supercapacitor in disguise.
“The resistance won’t disappear when we present the proof,” Donut Lab CEO and cofounder Marko Lehtimäki said in a video. “It will just intensify because this new technology is a threat to the established players in the industry.”
But Donut Lab is still hiding the ball on some key information. At CES in January, the startup said its solid-state battery has an energy density of 400Wh per kilogram—roughly twice that of typical lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in production. Not only that, but it could charge to full in five minutes, had a practically unlimited lifespan of 100,000 charging cycles, was unaffected by heat and cold (negative 30 degrees Celsius and 100C), and contains no rare earth elements, precious metals, or flammable liquid electrolytes.
Much of that remains unsubstantiated. Even after posting five independent test reports from VTT, the startup has yet to demonstrate three of the most important metrics: chemistry, density, and cycle-life claims.
The stakes are incredibly high. Imagine an electric vehicle that can travel 700–800 miles on a single charge, and that wasn’t at risk of bursting into flames because the flammable electrolytes had been replaced with a solid material.
In lithium-ion batteries, the motion of the liquid electrolytes generates heat, and in certain situations, this can slip into a “thermal runaway” effect that results in a fire. By comparison, solid-state batteries would make it safer to quickly draw power from (or add it back to) the battery, meaning you could theoretically charge an EV faster. It also could mean, structurally, less room has to be devoted to temperature control, which could allow companies to squeeze more battery cells into the same size pack.
After reviewing the tests of the Donut battery, Wachsman said there are still significant concerns. During the extreme heat tests, for example, the pouch surrounding Donut’s battery lost its vacuum seal. Gas generation inside batteries — caused by processes like electrolyte decomposition or oxygen release — can lead to swelling and rupture of the battery pouch. But without knowing the exact chemistry of the cell, it’s difficult to say how significant it is that Donut’s battery had this failure.
Setting aside the Donut battery for a moment, solid-state batteries have struggled to graduate from the laboratory to the assembly line because of well-documented problems. These batteries are often plagued by the formation of metallic cracks called dendrites that cause them to short circuit. Think of them like cracks that form on a sidewalk when a tree root grows underneath.
Dendrites have been a thorn in the side of battery developers since the 1970s. One reason lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous while other approaches have stalled is that their commonly used graphite anodes are less susceptible to dendrite formation.
But new discoveries could help engineers finally overcome these hurdles. A research team from MIT recently published a study in Nature that found that chemical reactions caused by high electrical currents that weaken the electrolyte also make it more susceptible to dendrite growth. That’s why developing stronger electrolytes alone hasn’t solved the decades-old dendrite problem. And it could point to the importance of developing more chemically stable materials to finally fulfill the promise of solid-state batteries.
Progress is already being made — where else? — in China. Last month, CATL, which controls nearly 40 percent of the global battery market, filed a patent application for solid-state batteries with a reported 500Wh energy density. According to CarNewsChina, the battery maker has already been planning small-scale production in 2027. But automotive-grade cells won’t be ready likely until the end of the decade.
Other Chinese companies are rushing ahead. Automaker FAW said recently that its “liquid-solid-state” lithium-rich manganese cell with 500Wh/kg was ready for vehicle integration.
China is already laying the groundwork for mass production by the end of the decade, by which point it hopes the technology will be mature. And why wouldn’t it? This is a country that has taken EVs and battery development seriously for years, allowing it to corner the market on much of the world’s supply.
Different companies are taking different approaches. For example, Honda is committed to sulfur-based electrolytes despite emerging alternatives. Last October, Toyota announced “the world’s first practical use of all-solid-state batteries in BEVs” by 2027 or 2028. And Mercedes, using a prototype battery from startup Factorial, was able to get an electric EQS sedan a real-world range of 749 miles.
“The companies probably have a ways to go,” said Alevtina Smirnova, director of the NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Solid-State Electric Power Storage. “Because there is no comparison to what is happening now in China to what is happening here in the US.”
For its part, Donut Lab is unperturbed by the skepticism around its claims. On April 1st, Lehtimäki posted a new video addressing some of the controversy surrounding its solid-state batteries. He also revealed that Donut Lab had created a second, more production-ready version of its battery that would start shipping to customers later this year.
There was a crucial admission: The widely discussed “100,000 cycles” figure was a design target, he said, not an experimentally verified result. Actual testing has been conducted over shorter cycles, with projections extrapolated based on known variables such as charge rate, temperature, and usage conditions.
He then pivoted to a more near-term project: Donut Lab’s latest merch drop, including a “tin-foil”-covered bucket hat.
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A worker stocks merchandise at a Lowe’s home improvement store in Chicago, Illinois, on Feb. 26, 2025. Lowe’s reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded Wall Street estimates. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
– Lowe’s CEO warns AI can’t climb a ladder as company makes $250M bet on blue-collar future
– Wisconsin town becomes first in nation to pass referendum restricting AI data center development
– Amazon rebuilding customer shopping experience around AI from ground up
HAMMERING IT HOME: Lowe’s CEO warns AI can’t climb a ladder as company makes $250M bet on blue-collar future – The CEO of Lowe’s highlighted the physical limitations of artificial intelligence, noting that AI “can’t climb a ladder,” while simultaneously announcing the home improvement company’s massive $250 million investment focused on the future of blue-collar work.
CITIZENS FIGHT BACK: Wisconsin town becomes first in nation to pass referendum restricting AI data center development – A local community in Wisconsin became the first in the nation to pass a referendum designed to restrict the development of massive artificial intelligence data centers in their area.
CLEAN SHEET: Amazon disrupting itself, rebuilding customer shopping experience around AI from ground up – Tech giant Amazon is intentionally disrupting its own established e-commerce models by rebuilding the entire customer shopping experience from the ground up to center around advanced artificial intelligence technologies.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks during an Amazon Devices launch event in New York City, Feb. 26, 2025. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
SECURITY DISPUTE: Federal appeals court rejects Anthropic bid to block Pentagon blacklist in AI dispute – A federal appeals court denied a bid by artificial intelligence company Anthropic to block a Pentagon blacklist amid an ongoing legal dispute regarding defense contracting and AI technology.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth marveled at the ‘war time speed’ of Operation Epic Fury forces. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WHAT’S AT STAKE: OPINION: Chad Wolf: China’s AI mockery shows fight for America is underway – Former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf argues in a Fox News Digital op-ed that China’s mockery in the artificial intelligence space is a clear indicator that the high-stakes fight for America’s future is already actively underway.
ENEMY WITHIN: OPINION: We could win AI war, still lose all our freedoms if we aren’t careful – A newly published opinion essay from Fox News Digital explores the complex geopolitical and domestic threats surrounding artificial intelligence, cautioning that the United States could successfully win the global AI arms race but still risk losing fundamental freedoms if careful guardrails are not implemented.
REVOLUTIONARY MOMENT: Hollywood titan believes AI is a revolutionary moment reshaping industries – A prominent Hollywood titan expressed strong convictions regarding artificial intelligence, characterizing the technology’s rapid advancement as a revolutionary moment that is fundamentally reshaping the entertainment industry and beyond.
BOT DOC: AI chatbots refilling psych meds sparks debate – If you have ever waited weeks just to renew a mental health prescription, you already know how frustrating the system can feel. Now imagine handling that refill through a chatbot instead of a doctor.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has struggled for years to have enough air traffic controllers to address shortages, with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) saying in January that the number of people in the job in the US has declined by around 6 percent “in the last decade.” Now the Trump administration is rolling out a recruiting campaign targeting gamers ahead of the opening of the annual air traffic control hiring window on April 17th.
Even with the campaign, getting qualified individuals through training and into the role may still be a challenge: according to the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), the FAA is facing “considerable challenges with training, including a shortage of qualified instructors, training capacity limitations, an outdated curriculum, and high training failure rates.”
An FAA video full of clips of things like Madden NFL, Fortnite, League of Legends esports, and the Xbox One stinger from commercials promises an average salary of $155,000 per year after three years and says that “you’ve been training for this.”
In a press release, the FAA says that air traffic controllers said in exit interviews that gaming was an influence on “their ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity.” The FAA’s website about the application process encourages applicants to “level up” their career. However, the Trump administration isn’t the first to target gamers for the role; according to The New York Times, the Biden administration launched a “Level Up” recruiting push in 2021, encouraging gamers as well as women and members of minority groups to become air traffic controllers.
Getting more air traffic controllers has been a focus for Sean Duffy, President Trump’s secretary of transportation, and he announced a plan to “supercharge” hiring shortly after he was sworn in for the job last year. That campaign closed in March 2025 and “attracted more than 10,000 applications,” resulting in about 600 trainees entering the Controller Training Academy, the OIG says. And the GAO says that some attrition during the air traffic controller hiring process “may be preventable,” noting that the hiring process can be “difficult to navigate” and that applicants may have already accepted other jobs by the time they get an employment offer.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union representing air traffic controllers, “welcomes innovative approaches to expanding the candidate pool,” including “outreach to individuals with high-level aptitude skills such as gamers,” according to a statement from NATCA president Nick Daniels.
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