by Liz Gumbinner | Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks
Phishing cons are getting increasingly sophisticated, as even my tech-savvy boyfriend and I did a double take at this Netflix phishing email — before realizing it was complete crap. The goal, as with most phishing emails: To get you to provide your personal...
by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks, Internet Safety
With the recent CloudPets hack, and others like it (remember Hello Barbie?), it’s becoming clearer that smart toys, particularly the stuffed animal kind, could pose a privacy risk that parents should know about. Don’t get us wrong, we love smart toys and...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
There have been plenty of times I’ve been stuck with a low charge on my smart phone or tablet, especially when I’m traveling, and have used one of those public charging ports to juice my device up again. Well, you might want to skip those because from what...
by Kate Etue | Internet Safety
If you own an Internet-connected VIZIO smart television, you might have heard that they’ve been collecting data on your viewing habits for years, and surprise, it’s a serious breach of privacy. We took a close look at the reports and the claim on the FTC...
by Kate Etue | Internet Safety
Online privacy is becoming harder and harder to wrangle. Remember Spokeo? Well, recently there’s been a ton of buzz about a newish site called Family Tree Now. It’s been around for a couple years, but within the last 24 hours I have heard everyone from my...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
We share a lot about Internet privacy and talking to kids about web safety here on Cool Mom Tech, because we’re parents too, and let’s just say parenting in the digital age is no easy feat. Sometimes, it can be downright scary. That’s why we think...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
I’m sure I’m not the only one who always finds it a little disconcerting when an item I was shopping for on the web pops up as a Facebook ad. Well, get ready to see more of that on Google, unless you opt-out of their new privacy policy. If you were an...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
As much as I love social media, I’m also aware of how scary of a place it can be, whether it’s dealing with annoying comment trolls or full-blown cyberbullying. That’s why I’m really pleased that Facebook has listened to the concerns...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
A few years ago, we warned parents about Whisper, a free app that allows users to post about anything and everything anonymously, then connect in groups based on interests and location. But recently, a Denver teen was lured by a sex offender through the app, which is...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety, Best Apps
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard something about Pokemon Go, the new, free app that’s blowing up the Internet. In fact, it’s about to take over Twitter in user activity. Seriously. We’ve been getting lots of...
by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks, Internet Safety
Parents are always asking us how to monitor the safety of their kids online. Combine that with social media, and it can be really overwhelming for parents to know how to educate their kids while still keeping track of their activity. And as someone with a tween in the...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
Just a few days ago while perusing new Cool Mom Picks Instagram followers (hey, thanks new followers!), I clicked over to the Sesame Place Instagram feed and noticed something pretty surprising in their bio: Photos using #sesameplace become property of Sesame Place In...