TODAY’S TECH ALERT
🚨 ALERT: You need to know this.
I send these alerts only when it’s truly important. This is one of those moments. Please read and share this with someone you know.
This alert is sponsored by ExpressVPN. More on what ExpressVPN can do for you right now below.*
Image: ChatGPT
This is big news that is not getting reported.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports that over 25 states have strict age-verification laws on the books. Red states. Blue states. Doesn’t matter. Texas, Florida, Utah, California, New York and Virginia are all asking for ID. What started as protections for kids has turned into a privacy disaster for everyone.
Want to scroll social media? Verify your identity. Read a news article? Hand over your face scan. Access a basic website? Link your driver’s license.
Here’s the problem. It’s not the ask. It’s the storage.
When you connect your government ID to a browsing session, you create a permanent, hackable record of everywhere you go online. Data breaches happen weekly now. Handing your license to a random website is like leaving your wallet on a park bench and hoping for the best.
⚠️ Your ISP isn’t neutral anymore
Your internet provider used to be a big dumb pipe. Data went in, data came out. They didn’t care what it was.
Not anymore. ISPs are now active gatekeepers. The big ones are testing priority lanes. They detect high-bandwidth traffic like 4K streaming or cloud gaming and slow it down. Unless you pay extra for an entertainment bundle.
It gets worse. ISPs use real-time AI to categorize what you’re doing and sell that intent data to brokers before you even finish your Google search.
🛡️ The 2026 defense
You don’t have to go off the grid. Privacy is all about layers.
Switch to encrypted DNS
Your ISP sees every site you visit through DNS requests. Encrypted DNS closes that hole.
Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Security > Use secure DNS > Select Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)
Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > scroll to DNS over HTTPS > Select Max Protection > Choose Cloudflare
Edge: Settings > Privacy, Search and Services > Security > Use secure DNS > Choose a service provider > Select Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)
Safari: No built-in option, download the free 1.1.1.1 app from Cloudflare instead
Turn on strict tracking protection
Brave: Settings > Shields > Trackers & ads blocking > set to Aggressive
Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Enhanced Tracking Protection > select Strict
Opt out of ISP data sharing
Won’t stop throttling, but this limits what they can sell.
- AT&T: att.com > Profile > Privacy Choices > toggle off Personalized Advertising
- Verizon: verizon.com > Account > Account Overview > Edit profile & settings > Manage privacy settings > turn off Custom Experience
- Comcast/Xfinity: xfinity.com/privacy/your-privacy-choices > Log in > scroll down to Review your privacy preferences > Manage your information > Sensitive personal information preferences > Review settings > fill out the form > Continue > toggle off Storage and usage of sensitive personal information
Disable ad personalization on your phone
iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking > toggle off Allow Apps to Request to Track
Android: Settings > Security and privacy > More privacy settings > Ads > Delete advertising ID
🌐 But none of that beats a VPN
If you use a VPN, you don’t need to worry about all that. A VPN does three things right now:
It bypasses the ID prompt. Route your traffic through a server in a state that hasn’t gone full surveillance mode. No face scan required.
It defeats throttling. Your ISP can’t slow down Netflix if they can’t see you’re on Netflix. Encrypted traffic looks like encrypted traffic.
It future-proofs your data. The threat from scammers harvesting your data now to decrypt later is real. Today’s encrypted data needs to stay encrypted when quantum computers show up.
Layers matter. But a VPN is the foundation.
ExpressVPN is what I use. Lightway protocol built for 2026 speeds. No logging. Independently audited.
Exclusive deal: Go to ExpressVPN.com/kim and get 4 extra months.*
Photo credit(s): ChatGPT
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