Bonus: Stop your data from being sold

One app, two minutes, zero shenanigans  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  # Brought to you by: =​ Time for Bonus Intelligence — a single new useful tip or tool that'll work on whatever device(s) you're using! Remember: If you'd rather not receive these Wednesday emails, ​[you can easily opt out of them](=)without affecting the rest of your subscription. ✅ [​Got it — don't show this again​](=)​ This week's Bonus Intelligence issue comes to us from [JR Raphael]() of our excellent [Android Intelligence newsletter](). But it's still meant for you, too — whatever device you're using. That's what Bonus Intelligence is all about! -Chris By [JR Raphael](), author of [Android Intelligence](=) We've talked a ton about privacy in these email-scented quarters of ours as of late. But throughout all of our conversations, there's been one incredibly effective tool I've been hesitant to talk about. It's an app that makes it delightfully easy to tell all sorts of companies to stop selling your personal info. The companies range from online retailers to regular ol' brick and mortar businesses, and odds are, you aren't even aware most of 'em might be doing shady stuff with your data in the first place. Today, I'm ready to recommend it. And I think you'll be very intrigued to give it a try. #top Time to reclaim control The app in question is called [Permission Slip](), and it's made by the folks at the independent and nonprofit publication Consumer Reports. 🌍 It's specific to the US, for now. (Apologies, international pals!) But it's available at long last on both iOS and Android — the latter of which had been under development and "coming soon" for months leading up to now, which is why I had held off on recommending it broadly until today. (The Android app also went through a rough beginning in its first several days online, with intermittent connectivity issues and lots of folks being unable to actually use it. That's why you'll see some low reviews for it in the Play Store as of now. But those early kinks seem to be ironed out, and it's working perfectly fine in my experience at this point.) ➜ The way Permission Slip works is simple: - It shows you a swipeable collection of cards representing different companies you might've interacted with at some point. - When you see one you've used, you tap it — and the app then shows you exactly what types of data that company collects on you and what it might do with it. - With one more tap, you can have the app either instruct the company to stop selling your data, if it does that — or ask it to delete your account entirely. [A list of types of data Netflix collects and uses] [A request to ask Netflix to stop selling data] ⌚ The whole thing takes about 20 seconds to set up and two to four minutes to use, depending on how many companies you end up tapping. So what actually happens when you submit a request, you might be wondering? Well, the first time you do it, Permission Slip asks for your permission to file the opt-out delivery on your behalf. Once you grant that, it'll actually draft a formal request for the company to either stop selling your stuff or delete your data entirely, depending on which path you pick, and then send it into the company for official processing. [A request being submitted for Intuit to stop selling data] [A confirmation screen that a request has been successfully submitted] The app can notify you of updates, if you so choose, with most responses coming in within about 15 days. And that's it. Not a bad way to take back control, wouldn't ya say? 📌 You can [download Permission Slip]() for either [Android](=)or [iOS](=). 💰 It's completely free to use. 🕶 The app does require some basic personal info of its own in order to confirm your accounts, but Consumer Reports is [clear about the fact](=) that it doesn't sell or share that data in any disconcerting way. Now, speaking about the ups and downs of our tech-connected future... #top SPONSORED MESSAGE Discover breaking AI news *before everyone else* 🤯 =​ Mark Cuban famously said “the world’s first trillionaires are going to come from somebody who masters AI… and applies it in ways we never thought of.” So how do you get your brain gears turning and unearth that trillion-dollar idea? ​[Subscribe to The Rundown AI](=). It’s where 300k high potentials absorb essential news, cutting-edge tools, and the greater implications of AI across every industry. The best part? The Rundown AI only takes 3 minutes to read and is completely F-R-E-E. A few topics worth gluing your eyeballs to: - Microsoft’s AI data leak - ​[New AI-generated Coca-Cola flavor](=) (holy sh*t, we’re screwed) - Canva’s new AI design magic ➜ [BONUS: Subscribe to The Rundown AI and receive the beginner-to-advanced ChatGPT guide as a freebie!](=)​ [READ TODAY’S AI NEWS! ➜](=) #top This Week's Bonus Intelligence Quiz Which of the following companies has the worst, most difficult-to-read privacy policy, according to a late-2022 analysis? Remember: NO CHEATING! Anyone can look up info on the web. Stick with the spirit of the game and test your actual knowledge without searching. It's just for fun, anyway! [Google]( [Microsoft]( [eBay]( [Disney+]( Answer correctly before next Wednesday and secure your spot on the [Bonus Intelligence Leaderboard](=)! Last week's question and answer: Which book supposedly served as inspiration for Google Earth? Snow Crash. The book's author, Neal Stephenson, says he's been told the fictional Earth application he imagined for the book is at least in part what inspired the service's founders to start their creation.   You received this email because your address was signed up for the Windows Intelligence early preview. If you didn't mean to sign up or no longer wish to be subscribed, you can [unsubscribe or update your preferences here](=).