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Go ahead: Resolve to be healthy in 2024 and get your financial house in order. But 2024 may also be the year you decide to take control of the personal data you share across the internet.

Your online personal data is scattered all over the web. Every time you sign up for a new social media platform or purchase something online, you give those companies bits and pieces of your personal data.

These pieces of your data are then collected by both companies and data brokers — which then sell it to other companies that can use your info to sell ads targeted at you. If you’ve given out your online data liberally, you’re paying for it now with ads that track you across the internet.

The fix to this can be somewhat complicated and confusing. Consumer Reports, however, has an app called Permission Slip that reaches out to companies on your behalf and orders them to stop selling your information.

Read on to find out exactly how to use Permission Slip to reassert some control over your online data. Plus, here are our picks for the best VPNs to protect your privacy online and the best password managers to keep your login information secure.

What is Permission Slip?

To help you claw back a bit of your personal data, some states have passed legislation that allows you to exercise some control over what happens to it. Depending on the state, you can prohibit data brokers from selling your data or delete your online data outright. But the process of controlling your data on websites can be confusing, and it’s often unclear whether you’ve opted in or out of selling your personal data. And due to the nature of how your data is shopped around, it could be nearly impossible to locate all of your online data and protect it.

This is where services like Consumer Reports’ Permission Slip come in. Permission Slip does the legwork of collecting the places that might have your data, including more than 100 companies that use your personal information. All you have to do is submit your request for your info to either be deleted outright or simply not sold any more.

How do I use Permission Slip?

To get started using Permission Slip, sign up for the service with your email address. I decided to sign up with the email address that I frequently use when signing up for rewards programs or making accounts online — that way I would be addressing most of the places that could be selling my data.

After signing up, you’ll be presented with options of popular companies and data brokers that could have your information. If you think that company might have your data, and you want to do something about it, select Learn More & Take Action. If you don’t think this company has your data and you would like to no longer see it as an option, select Hide and it won’t clog up your suggestions.

Once you’ve selected Learn More & Take Action, you will be taken to a screen that shows you what sort of data the company usually collects, and what your options are. Depending on the company and the state that you live in, you could have the option to prohibit companies from selling your data or to delete your account outright. It’s important to note that if you’re deleting your account and you have a rewards program with that company, you will lose those rewards upon deletion.

When you’ve decided whether you want to delete your account with a specific company or simply prohibit it from selling your data, Permission Slip will ask you a couple of questions that can help companies and data brokers correctly identify you and properly take care of your information.

After you input your personal info the first time, the process for continuing to remove your data is pretty simple. You will just scroll through Permission Slip’s suggestions, select companies that might have your info and then delete your account or prohibit the company from using your data.

It’s important to note that while Permission Slip is submitting the request on your behalf, you still might have to confirm the request directly with the company. It also might take a bit of time to have your request processed and your information deleted, so patience will be your friend during this process.

For more, here’s the best tax software for 2024 and here’s when Tax Day is this year.

Max subscribers won’t have to shell out an extra $10 to watch live March Madness games on the B/R Sports tier, as Warner Bros. Discovery is delaying charging customers for the add-on option. On Friday, the media giant shared that it’s working on some technical upgrades in the app, so fans can continue to enjoy live sports for free into the spring.

Max introduced live sports programming through its newly-added Bleacher Report (B/R) Sports this past October, granting viewers access to MLB, US Soccer, NHL, NBA and more. During its rollout, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the streaming service’s add-on would be available to all subscribers at no extra cost through Feb. 29. After that date, the price would be $10 per month, which is in addition to the service’s monthly subscription rate of $10, $16 or $20 — depending on the plan.

“The B/R Sports Add-On will continue to be made available to Max subscribers on us for a few more months as we finalize some tech integrations that will ensure a more seamless customer experience with our platform partners,” an email statement from Max said.

Sports fans can stream live broadcasts from TNT, TBS and TruTV, as well as original programming, TV shows, on-demand content and documentaries. With NCAA, NBA and NHL season games running into April, viewers have one more way to catch the latest match-ups without cable. Max has slowly begun embracing the live-streaming model to stand out in the space, offering B/R Sports and live news via CNN Max’s 24/7 feed.

To hear more about how to watch sports as a cord-cutter, check out our NBA streaming guide, NHL games and coverage on live TV streaming services.

Welcome to a new year, when some of you may be setting goals tied to your streaming TV budget. Fortunately, there’s just a small selection of new and interesting releases coming out in January, so you don’t have to spread your attention — or dollars — all over the streaming space this month if you don’t want to. But big standouts include Griselda, Lift, Good Grief, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Marvel’s Echo.

You might be thinking about canceling a streaming service because of cost and the content that’s currently available. I’d like to offer one strategy during a time of tight budgets: Churn like ice cream. Also known as rotating, it’s a move that can save cash while letting you keep up with the titles you want to watch. You may want to avoid this method, however, if you recently signed up for a new streaming deal that allows you to pay a fraction of the platform’s regular monthly price.

Otherwise: Churn, baby, churn. Subscribe, cancel, roll with a different service, then resubscribe, keeping your favorites in a rotation. Rotating streaming services can be a money-saver when Netflix, Disney Plus, Max and others aren’t streaming anything you want to watch at a given time. Just remember to shut off autorenewal for your monthly subscriptions. This method may not fly if you’re sharing your streaming accounts, but if you can work out an arrangement with your crew, go for it.

Here are my suggestions for which streamers to keep or cancel in January, based on new series and movies hitting each service (I didn’t consider live TV streaming services). Your tastes may be different, but if nothing else, I urge you to at least consider the concept of rotating for savings. It’s easier than you might think.

Read more: Best Streaming Services of 2024

January streaming service rotation

	Keep	Cancel
Disney Plus	X
Netflix	X
Max	X
Peacock		X
Starz	X
Paramount Plus		X
Apple TV Plus	X	X
Prime Video	X
Hulu	X

These services are probably worth it in January

Disney Plus: Marvel’s newest show, Echo, is set to arrive with its complete first season on Jan. 9. The series will also stream on Hulu until April. Percy Jackson streams throughout the month until its finale on Jan. 31. And younger viewers will want to watch 10 new episodes of Bluey on Jan. 12. If you’re only streaming for Echo, you can opt for either Hulu or Disney Plus, rather than pay for both, and then cancel after you watch the whole season.

Netflix: Dan Levy’s Good Grief hits the platform this month, as do Griselda and the second part of Gyeongseong Creature. The platform’s You Are What You Eat documentary, which follows twins, is taking off too. Here’s a peek at what else drops on Netflix in January:

• Fool Me Once (Jan. 1)
• Society of the Snow (Jan. 4)
• The Brothers Sun (Jan. 4)
• Good Grief (Jan. 5)
• Gyeongseong Creature Part 2 (Jan. 5)
• Sonic Prime, season 3 (Jan. 11)
• Boy Swallows Universe (Jan. 11)
• Lift (Jan. 12)
• Maboroshi (Jan. 15)
• Love on the Spectrum, season 2 (Jan. 19)
• Griselda (Jan. 25)
• Masters of the Universe: Revolution (Jan. 25)

Starz: Keep streaming Raising Kanan, season 3 (no new episode on Jan. 5, however). If you’re a fan of Hightown, look out for its final season to debut on Jan. 26. If you’re not a fan of either show, cancel.

Prime Video: If you’re a Prime member, you probably get this service at no additional cost. Just remember that ads will begin on Jan. 29, unless you pay an additional $3 per month to stream without them. This month, you can stream football, Foe (Jan. 5), Role Play (Jan. 12), Zorro, season 1 (Jan. 19) and Expats, season 1 (Jan. 26).

Apple TV Plus: Killers of the Flower Moon lands on Jan. 12, so a $10 subscription may be worth it if you really want to see the movie. Other new releases include Masters of the Air (Jan. 26) and Criminal Record (Jan. 10).

Hulu: Fans can keep streaming Fargo, enjoy Fox or ABC network shows, and check out a few new arrivals:

• Ishura — anime (Jan. 3)
• The Golden Bachelor Wedding (Jan. 5)
• Grimsburg (Jan. 8)
• Echo (Jan. 9)
• Self Reliance (Jan. 12)
• 75th Emmy Awards (Jan. 16)
• Death and Other Details (Jan. 16)
• The Bachelor, season 28 (Jan. 23)

Max: The biggest reason to keep Max this month is for True Detective: Night Country, which is set to debut Jan. 14. You can also watch Rick and Morty, season 7 (Jan. 22) or the new Nikki Giovanni documentary (Jan. 8).

Skip these services for now

Peacock: This one isn’t a must-have if you aren’t into NFL games, network shows, the new Ted series or other live sports. Take a break from Peacock unless you snagged that $2 special this past Black Friday.

Paramount Plus: Football fans may want to keep this service, but if not, cancel unless you’re interested in the Golden Globes (Jan. 7), June (Jan. 16) or Sexy Beast (Jan. 25).

Save money on streaming by waiting it out

Waiting until most or all of the episodes of a series land on a platform is a wise strategy, if you don’t get FOMO. That way, rather than pay for a service for several months to cover the six- to 10-week run of a show, you can catch up on everything by subscribing for one month. Then repeat the cycle.

Look at True Detective’s new season. There are six episodes in Night Country, which will air weekly into February. Why pay for two months of Max when you can wait to watch it in full anytime in February? Some of you may want to drop Apple TV Plus after watching Killers of the Flower Moon, or choose to binge Masters of the Air in March when its season wraps. The same strategy works for Hulu’s Ishura, which streams into March.

Think about how much you’re paying per month for each streaming service you have, and do the math. Netflix is $7 to $23 (plus extra member fees), and Paramount Plus starts at $6. Apple TV Plus is $10. Disney Plus is anywhere from $2 to $25 depending on bundles. Max costs $10 to $20. Hulu starts at $8, and Starz runs $10. Peacock has a base rate of $6 a month. Should you decide to rotate, set yourself a calendar reminder to alert you when it’s time to resubscribe or cancel. See you in February for another streaming look-ahead.

Samsung has a new flagship on the way. The upcoming Galaxy S24 lineup will be showcased at the next Galaxy Unpacked event, which is scheduled to take place on Jan. 17. Its predecessor, the Galaxy S23, is the best premium Android phone you can currently get, and we expect its upcoming flagship will also impress.

If you’re ready to get a jumpstart on reserving the latest devices, you won’t want to miss this offer. The company is currently letting you reserve your opportunity to preorder the newest Galaxy smartphone, and they’re sweetening the deal by offering $50 in Samsung credit and up to an additional $970 in savings for those who want to lock in preorders ahead of Unpacked.

If you’re a fan of Samsung, this is a great opportunity to secure your spot to preorder the new phone and get that additional credit to use on a purchase at Samsung’s online store. All you have to do in order to qualify is submit your name and email address on Samsung’s reservation site. We expect preorders to go live shortly after the Unpacked event later this month. And even if you reserve your space now, there’s no obligation to follow through if you decide not to buy later, so it’s worth it to go ahead and sign up if you’re interested.

Noted in the small print on Samsung’s site, the company will also be offering free storage upgrades during the preorder phase as it has done for previous launches, and additional Samsung credit may also be provided dependent on type of device purchased during preorder. Both of those factors make getting in early an even better value.

There is a caveat with this deal, though. Any reservation credit received cannot be applied to preordered Galaxy S24 devices, so you will instead need to spend it on additional Samsung products when you make your preorder purchase. That means you’ll want to use it towards items like cases, chargers and other items, but not the devices themselves. If you don’t use all of it, any remaining credit will be forfeited, so keep that in mind as you shop. Trade-in credit, on the other hand, will offset against the upfront cost of the device you buy.

When Apple released iOS 17.2 in December, the update added new features, including the long-awaited Journal app, but it also gave you more control over some features on your iPhone. For example, iOS 17.2 lets you disable inline predictive text from showing up in Messages.

When Apple launched iOS 17 in September, one of the new features was inline predictive text. The feature predicts what you are going to write as you type (although not always accurately) and if you hit space, you add the suggested text automatically. If you accidentally hit space, you have to delete the word or phrase and start over. Some people — myself included — found the feature annoying, and Apple seemingly heard the complaints and allowed people to turn this feature off with iOS 17.2.

Here’s how to turn inline predictive text off.

Turn inline predictive text off

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Tap Keyboards
4. Tap the switch next to Show Predictions Inline

Now, when you type a message, you won’t run the risk of adding a word you don’t intend to add. You’ll still see predictive text, the suggested words and emoji, over your keyboard.

Turn all predictive text off

If you find all predictive text annoying, you can easily turn that off, too. Here’s how:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Tap Keyboard
4. Tap the switch next to Predictive Text

When you type a message now, you won’t see a box over your keyboard with suggested words or emojis. Turning predictive text off also disables inline predictive text, so you won’t see any suggestions whatsoever. You can type without interruption.

For more on iOS 17, check out all the new features in iOS 17.2, what was included in iOS 17.1 and our iOS 17 cheat sheet.

Ever thought the Microsoft Xbox Series S game console looks like a toaster? You’re not alone. And now, there’s actually a real toaster that’s designed to look like the Xbox — and it even imprints the Xbox sphere logo on the bread it toasts. Game on!

The Xbox toaster is available only at Walmart online, where it’s priced at $40. It includes a wide slot that accommodates bagels, Texas toast and more, plus a six-setting shade selector and digital LED countdown timer so you know just how long it’ll be before your toast pops up.

A defrost button allows users to toast frozen items, and the cool-touch exterior means even younger gamers are safe from burns. There’s also an anti-jam function, automatic temperature control, removable crumb tray and non-stick coated plates.

But the two coolest things about this gamer-ready toaster are its Xbox-mimicking appearance and the Xbox sphere logos it imprints on your toast. Microsoft hasn’t exactly trumpeted the appliance’s existence — a representative for the company didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Strictly speaking, this isn’t part of the Xbox-PlayStation rivalry, but if it were, Microsoft would be winning. When the PlayStation 5 came out, many gamers joked that it looked like an ice-cream sandwich — and they weren’t wrong. So far, Sony hasn’t come out with a PS5-themed ice cream sandwich maker, although some creative types have made ice cream cone skins for the console.

In the real world of console sales, the PS5 is outselling Xbox by nearly a 3-to-1 margin, selling 22.5 million units in 2023 to 7.6 million for the Xbox Series X/S consoles, according to a Financial Times report. But in the kitchen world, it’s the Xbox that’s toasting the competition.

This isn’t the first Xbox-themed kitchen appliance. An Xbox mini fridge came out in 2021, following the brief appearance of a larger Xbox-themed fridge. Now, you can cool your Xbox jets in three sizes — there’s a cooler, a mini fridge and the larger compact refrigerator.

One of the reviewers on Walmart’s site was delighted that what was once a gamer joke has turned into a real, usable appliance.

“Haha, so they actually did it,” a reviewer going by Roberto wrote on Walmart.com. “They made another meme come true…I wasn’t sure this would even toast well, but to my surprise it actually performs really well as a toaster.”

But be warned, gamers: You’re going to have to crank up the heat in order to get X to mark the spot.

“The X logo on the toast only really appears if you really toast it,” the reviewer said.

The creative minds behind Xbox seem more than willing to play with products. In November, the company held a giveaway of an Xbox console and controller themed to fit the Wonka feature film. The console that was given away was only chocolate-colored, but one of the controllers included was made of pure chocolate, while another was a real controller in burgundy, meant to match Willy Wonka’s coat from the film. Sweet!

Years after rival web browsers made the move, Google Chrome on Jan. 4 will begin blocking websites from using third-party cookies, the easiest way to track our online behavior as we move around the web.

The browser will block third-party cookies for 1% of users on computers and Android phones, said Anthony Chavez, leader of Google’s Privacy Sandbox project, in a blog post. Google will extend the block to all Chrome users by the end of 2024 under a schedule that has been pushed back several times in recent years.

The Chrome change, even though it so far only affects a small portion of people, is a momentous change for the web. Cookies, small text files that websites store on phones and PCs, have been used nearly since the dawn of the web, and ejecting them has been tough despite a growing effort to protect privacy online. Chrome is the dominant browser, accounting for 63% of web usage, according to analytics firm StatCounter.

Major browser competitors, including Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Brave, began blocking cookies years ago, and Microsoft Edge offers the same with a “strict” privacy setting, but Google moved more slowly. It was more cautious about undermining the online advertising industry, which supports many websites as well as advertisers. And the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority intervened in 2021 with concerns that Chrome blocking third-party cookies would give an unfair advantage to Google’s advertising business by letting the company track behavior on its own websites without third-party cookies.

Cookies have plenty of benign uses, like remembering your language preferences, protecting against fraud or making it easier to return to a site without having to log in again. Many of those uses involve first-party cookies, though, not third-party cookies that can be set by advertisers showing ads or social networks adding share buttons. And worse things can happen than seeing an ad for a particular shoe on Amazon after you looked at the product elsewhere on the web.

“In the worst cases, third-party cookies are used to track users around the web, building up a detailed profile of them that could include not only interests but also deeply personal information such as gender, sexuality, religion, political affiliation, etc.,” said Chris Mills, a technical writer who previously worked at Mozilla, in a post on the MDN site for web developers. “This information can be used to build creepy, invasive online experiences and is also sold to other third parties.”

Without cookies, some have employed tracking technologies that are more surreptitious and harder to block, like fingerprinting that identifies characteristics of your computing device. Now Google and others are working on replacements for at least some of what cookies offered, for example, helping advertisers know if their ads have been seen. Finding a way to help advertisers while protecting privacy has been tough, but Google believes it’s possible.

“As we work to make the web more private, we’ll provide businesses with tools to succeed online so that high quality content remains freely accessible — whether that’s news articles, videos, educational information, community sites or other forms of web content,” Chavez said.

Google has worked to build new tools to substitute for third-party cookies. For example, a programming interface called Topics is designed to help with targeted advertising without tracking your website activity. But even when that’s added to Chrome and other browsers like Edge based on its Chromium open-source foundation, other browsers like Safari and Firefox don’t support it.

Correction, Dec. 15: This story initially misstated the time when Google will start blocking third-party cookies for 1% of users. It plans to start Jan. 4.

When you think of some of the biggest brands in audio, Bang & Olufsen is one that immediately springs to mind, though perhaps not in the world of gaming headsets. But, the B&O Beoplay Portal headphones are designed especially for gaming with all the features you might expect. And today, Woot will sell you a pair for around 66% off the retail price.

The Beoplay Portal headphones normally retail for $500, but today Woot has slashed that price to an incredible $170. You don’t need to enter any codes or clip any coupons, but this price is only available for a matter of hours — or until the units sell out. You do get to choose your color, so make sure to pick the one you like best before placing an order.

Designed to work with Xbox Series S and X, PlayStation and PC, these headphones feature multiple functions designed for gamers, including a lossless connection and quick, intuitive controls. They’re also lightweight and feature a padded headband and memory foam ear cups to relieve pressure and provide comfort, even during extended gaming sessions.

When you’re buying a set of headphones, sound quality is an important aspect to consider. The powerful sound from the Beoplay Portal headphones’ two 40mm drivers will keep you immersed in the game. These headphones also offer Dolby Atmos support and feature active noise cancellation to help you filter out distractions so you can stay focused.

While gaming, you can expect to get up to 12 hours of battery life, but you can nearly double that when you’re not connected to a console and only using Bluetooth and ANC. As for chat, these headphones feature beamform microphone technology, which creates a virtual boom arm to help you come through clearly, whether you’re talking with friends or collaborating with colleagues. You can also customize your sound through the Bang and Olufsen app, available for iPhone and Android.

Not sure these headphones are for you? Our list of the best headphone deals might just have what you’re looking for.

Ahead of next week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft has announced the biggest change to Windows keyboards in almost three decades — a new dedicated key to launch its AI tool Copilot.

The Copilot key will live to the right of the space bar and activate Microsoft’s recently released Copilot service, which helps people perform tasks like summarizing documents, recommending music and answering questions you might ask a search engine or AI chatbot. It will replace either the menu key or the right control key on some keyboards.

“We believe it will empower people to participate in the AI transformation more easily,” Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, wrote on Thursday. “The new key will invoke the Copilot in Windows experience to make it seamless to engage Copilot in your day to day.”

Read more: With Windows Copilot, AI Is Getting Into Microsoft’s Most Important Software

The addition of the AI key highlights Microsoft’s commitment to artificial intelligence. The company incorporated generative AI into some of its most important products over the last year, including Windows 11 and Microsoft search engine Bing. Copilot relies on the large language models, particularly Open AI’s GPT-4.

The button will arrive on the first wave of Windows 11 laptops and PCs of Microsoft’s partners in the days leading up to CES next week, as well as at the technology conference itself. The imminent new line of Dell XPS laptops is already featuring the new key.

Microsoft says to expect a wider release in late February through spring, including on upcoming Surface devices. In time, the Copilot button will become a required feature.

For Windows users who don’t have Copilot enabled or those who live in countries where Copilot is not available, the new key will bring up Windows Search. Windows users currently can bring up Copilot by pressing the Windows key + C.

“This [new button] will not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC,” Mehdi wrote.

Read more: Remember Bing? With ChatGPT’s Help, It’s Coming for Google Search

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.

It’s a new year, and that means it’s a great time to invest in the new gear you’ll need for the months ahead. Whether you’ve just been putting off buying the things you need around the home and office or you received new devices over the holidays that now need to be outfitted with accessories, Journey can help. Right now the company is offering 20% off sitewide for during its New Year sale. Just use promo code START20 at checkout to get the discount.

If you’re looking to keep your desk free of clutter this year, you may want to grab the Alti wireless charging desk mat. It has a hideaway pocket for important documents, a spill-proof exterior and a detachable charging panel that can charge compatible smartphones and earbuds while you work. It normally costs $130, but right now the coupon code will drop the price to just $104.

And if you want a solid MagSafe power bank that doubles as a stand for your phone while you’re on the go, the Rapid Go wireless kickstand power bank is a solid choice. Regularly $70, you can get it for just $56 with the promo code. Along with wireless charging, it also sports a USB-C and a USB-A port, allowing you to charge up to three devices at once. Of course, if you prefer a charging stand, you may want to snag the Trio 3-in-1 wireless charging station. It’s just $112 with the discount, saving you $28, and it can charge your smartphone, earbuds and smartwatch simultaneously. Plus, it doesn’t take up much space if you want to put it on your nightstand.

There are plenty of other devices available as well, including laptop sleeves, phone cases and more, so be sure to shop the entire sale selection at Journey to find exactly what you need. And if you’re looking to upgrade your current device without breaking the bank, be sure to check out our roundups of iPhone 15 deals, AirPods deals and Apple Watch deals.