It happened with fast food giants Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Whether you drive through or dine inside, you can order from both menus at the many combos around the country.Now, well soon be able to do the same with Applebees Bar + Grill and IHOP, which is actually the International House of Pancakes (which nobody says).Shouldwe call itAppleHop or HopBee's? To each his or her own, I guess.Here's the deal on this dining world talk: According toCBS, both major chains have one parent, Dine Brands Inc. It has already started blending the two while still offering each menu.IHOP To Buy Applebees Chain For $1.9 BillionGetty Imagesloading...There will be two different entrances into the same restaurant. Whether you enter through the Applebees or the IHOP door, the same back-of-house andkitchen will be making your meals.According to theNations Restaurant Newswebsite, you can sit on either side and order from both menus.This dual-branded concept will actually make twice as much money as the traditional, standalone locations because it caters to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night eating.IHOP To Buy Applebees Chain For $1.9 BillionGetty Imagesloading...According to USA Today, it's also about efficiency for diners.Urban, suburban, and small college towns are all open according to the first combo Applebee's and IHOP restaurant because these chains do well everywhere, according to Nation's Restaurant News.As for a name change? Both signs will be in front, and branding will stay the same for the most part.Get our free mobile appREAD MORE: A New Chain Is Named New #1 Restaurant in America Popular Restaurants That Have Faded AwayFiled Under: Chain Restaurants, Food, IHOP, RestaurantsCategories: Longform

Remote Booking Specialist Ghost Booking OperationsCompany : Disclose after None disclosure agreement Job Type: Remote Contract Performance-based with third-party payee transfer (details below)Compensation: Position Overview:Remote Booking Team under our Ghost Booking Program. This role involves completing a high volume of internal system transactions to support the optimization and performance ranking of affiliated hotel listings. Due to the nature of this work, strict confidentiality and task accuracy are essential.Key ResponsibilitiesExecute a set number of booking transactions per day, as assigned by the Hotel Group.Use your designated account/profile to perform booking tasks accurately and within specified timeframes.Follow daily performance targets, especially during Peak and Ghost Booking Days (ranging from 100 to 2,000+ transactionsMaintain system consistency and high user experience ratings during booking execution.Ensure real-time reporting of completed tasks through provided dashboards or communication channels.Avoid duplication, errors, or misuse of account privilegesany suspicious activity will be flagged and investigated.Compensation ProcessCompensation will be transferred via a verified third-party payee system upon successful task completion and verification.All transactions and payouts are tracked and audited by the finance team for transparency.You will receive payment based on the number of verified bookings completed per session.Confidentiality & Non-Disclosure:All candidates must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before receiving access to task protocols or booking platforms.Information related to internal systems, booking procedures, account access, and payment channels must be treated as strictly confidential.Sharing or disclosing any part of the process with unauthorized parties is grounds for immediate termination and possible legal action.Qualifications :High attention to detail and ability to follow instructions precisely.Strong sense of integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism.Reliable internet connection and a personal device for completing bookings.Ability to work independently and meet daily deadlines.Previous experience with booking platforms or digital support roles is a plus.Application Process:

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March 25, 20254 min readWhat 23andMe Bankruptcy Means for Your Genetic PrivacyThe bankruptcy of 23andMe highlights a lack of protections for genetic privacy in the U.S.By Allison Parshall edited by Jeanna Bryner23andMe headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy. This means that the fate of its assetsincluding the genetic information of some 15 million users and, by inference, their blood relativesis up in the air. Legal experts, including Californias attorney general Rob Bonta, are urging consumers to delete their information from the site to protect it from potential misuse.The company 23andMe sits on this massive amount of data that is extremely sensitive, says Sara Gerke, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, who focuses on health and privacy law. The case highlights the need for federal laws to ensure peoples genetic privacy, Gerke adds, because right now it literally comes down to where you are living, whether you have proper rights over whats going to happen to your data.Whats Protecting Your Genetic Data?On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The privacy policy of 23andMe allows for the sale of data in the event of bankruptcy, but it also allows customers to delete their accounts, along with their information. The policy also says, however, that the company may nonetheless retain some information for compliance with applicable legal obligations, potentially including ones date of birth, sex and some genetic information.We remain committed to our users privacy and to being transparent with our customers about how their data is managed, the company said in an open letter to its users.At least 13 states require companies to obtain consent from users before transferring their genetic data in the event of an acquisition, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. And in 19 states, companies must delete users data upon their request.In many states, nothing is going to kick in to protect users, Gerke says. That means it goes back to the privacy statement.What Happens Next?If 23andMe is sold, the buyer would initially be required to comply with the original privacy policy, which limits how customers data can be shared. But it could then make changes to the policy.If individuals are not reading what is in [the new privacy policy], Gerke warns, then they might have just sold away their data.Those changes could potentially be quite substantial, Gerke says. For example, 23andMe currently says it wont share data with insurance companies. A buyer could update the policy to allow for the sale or sharing of data, for example, with life, long-term care or disability insurance companies, she explains. (The new owner could not share the data with health insurers, however, because this would violate a federal nondiscrimination law called the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, or GINA.)If 23andMe is not sold to another company, its assets could be sold off to repay creditors. The biggest asset that they have is all of this information, says Mark Rothstein, a bioethicist at the University of Louisville.For now, there are no changes to the way [23andMe stores, manages or protects] customer data, according to a press release that announced the bankruptcy.The Bigger Ethical QuestionsThe fate of 23andMes data may also impact the blood relatives of its customers. Not only [does your DNA sample] have information about you but also about your close relatives, Rothstein says.This is a long-standing bioethical question regarding genetic testing, but it is an even more problematic question now, if this data might get into hands that we dont want it in, Gerke says.Even a relatively small repository of genetic data can be used to infer information about a large swath of the population. A 2018 study of the genealogy platform MyHeritage found that from as dataset of 1.28 million individuals, an estimated 60 percent of the U.S. population of northern European descent could expect to have a third-cousin or closer match. And 23andMe reports around 15 million users worldwide.Law enforcement routinely uses these genetic information databases to look for potential suspects. In 2018 the Golden State killer was identified by law enforcement officials after they used the genetic repository GEDmatch to find third-cousin connections to crime-scene DNA, and many similar cases have followed. The researchers in the 2018 study determined that a genetic database that covered only 2 percent of a population would have a third-cousin match for almost any given person in that population.What Can We Do?The U.S. is an outlier internationally for not having a federal law that protects privacy, including genetic privacy, Rothstein says. The countrys health privacy protections rest on one law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which applies to health insurers and health care providers but not to direct-to-consumer companies such as 23andMe, whose users are designated as consumers and not patients.HIPAAs scope is too narrow, Gerke says, because it was developed at a time where we were thinking about traditional health care systems, not todays expanded landscape of health-related providers and services. She urges lawmakers to expand HIPAA or GINA or to pass a new law that could safeguard the privacy of people across the country.We are going to potentially see other cases with similarly massive amounts of data in the future, Gerke says. We do need to start to think, as a society..., about how much control individuals should get over their datathat if they dont want this..., they could say no.

Game publishers talk challenges of GTA 6 launch in new report: "We don't want to be anywhere near that""It's proven to be very stressful".Image credit: Eurogamer/Adobe Stock/Kunakorn News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on March 25, 2025 A new report has highlighted the "havoc" Grand Theft Auto 6's lack of a release date is causing among game publishers, as they attempt to draw up launch plans for their titles that won't put them on a collision course with Rockstar's all-consuming sequel - with one executive reportedly saying, "We don't want to be anywhere near that."Following comments made by EA's Andrew Wilson earlier this year suggesting the publisher would be willing to shift the new Battlefield's release in order to avoid GTA 6, journalist Christopher Dring spoke to a number of industry executives to understand how Rockstar's game was impacting their own decision-making behind the scenes - with the responses he received reflecting those previously expressed by Wilson.Speaking on the newly launched The Game Business podcast, Dring shared a quote from the boss of "one of the biggest games publishers in the world", who didn't want to go on record. "Rockstar games always suck a lot of money and, more importantly, time out of the market," the executive told Dring. "We don't want to be anywhere near that. We're working up multiple different plans for our title."GTA 6, as revealed back in 2023.Watch on YouTubeAnother senior executive from a different publisher shared similar sentiments, telling Dring, "Even without GTA, it's immensely difficult to find free time for new games to shine. Time is the real scarcity for us, not money. It's tough out there."A third senior executive - the European boss of an unnamed triple-A publisher - highlighted additional concerns, specifically around the "fall" launch window previously touted for GTA 6's launch by Take-Two Interactive. "We don't want to launch just before or just after the game," the executive explained. "If it arrives in late October, that means you either have to launch early - which a lot of people seem to be doing with the recent glut of summer release dates. Or go later, putting you up against the Black Friday sales.""If we move out of 2025," the executive continued. "what if Rockstar do too? Will we have to push our game up or will we have to delay further? It's proven to be very stressful."Dring said these kind of considerations are currently "causing a bit of havoc" across the games industry, and it's not just a problem for publishers looking to launch new releases; GTA 6's arrival is likely to impact the fortunes of live service games too. One "top 10 live service games" developer told Dring, "GTA 6 is basically a huge meteor and we will stay clear of the blast zone. We will nudge our updates back or forward three weeks to avoid it. Of course, the problem is everyone is going to do the same. So three to four weeks before or after GTA 6, you're going to get a load of live service games dropping content in what they believe will be the safe zone.""It's obviously going to get a little bit messy," Dring observed. But as he also highlighted, history suggests publisher have good reason to be concerned. Looking back to GTA 5's launch in September 2013, Dring explained, 50 percent of the month's game revenue was for Rockstar's title - despite it only releasing half-way through September. As for GTA 5's launch week in the UK, Rockstar's game reportedly accounted for 89 percent of all games sold and 94 percent of all video game revenue - and the the title is also said to have accounted for two thirds of all games sold in the UK during the three-week "blast zone" following its release.Take-Two has been doggedly sticking to the same non-specific "fall" launch window for Grand Theft Auto 6 since announcing it last May - despite persistent reports of a potential delay. But as noted by Game File's Stephen Totilo during The Game Business podcast, there seems to be one relatively safe spot on the 2025 calendar right now: it's unlikely GTA 6 will release on or during the weeks surrounding 23rd September - given that's the launch date Take-Two reserved for Borderlands 4 earlier this year.

The best over-the-toilet storage is one that can maximize the space in a small bathroom without looking like an eyesore. Whether you have a tiny powder room or a full bath that needs extra storage, the right bathroom shelf can help you create a clutter-free, organized oasis. Transform this often-overlooked area above the john with thoughtfully designed shelving that keeps toiletries neat and accessible. You can even amp up the interior design without having to go full remodel by adding this storage organizer that doubles as a decor-worthy display.The storage options range from floating shelves to midcentury-modern ladder shelving thats perfect for propping up a picture or lining up those IKEA baskets. Ahead, discover our top picks for organizers, including a freestanding unit that can double as a washing machine hutch and a glass-shelf piece that glistens in chrome.Our Top Picks for the Best Over-the-Toilet StorageBest Scandi-Style Shelf: Umbra Bellwood Over-The-Toilet Shelf, $180Best Metal Design: Pottery Barn Everson Over-the-Toilet Ladder, $499Best for Closed Storage: Hokku Designs Freestanding Over The Toilet Storage, $182Best Ladder Shelf: West Elm Modern Leaning Over-The-Toilet Cubby, $199Best Floating Storage: QEEIG Over-The-Toilet Wall-Mounted Floating Shelves, $55 $44Umbra Bellwood Over-The-Toilet ShelfSpecsDimensions: 24"W x 10.3"D x 66"HMaterials: Engineered wood and metalColors available: White/natural or black/walnutIf we didnt know better, wed think this Scandinavian-inspired option from Umbra could double as a bookshelf. Not only does it have ample storage space, but the soft bentwood legs and gently arched top give it plenty of visual interest. With three adjustable shelves, you can fine-tune a design thats perfect for your space. As an added bonus, the brand pledges sustainability by working with Design for the Planet.Pottery Barn Everson Over-the-Toilet LadderSpecsDimensions: 28.5"W x 10"D x 66"HMaterials: Steel and glassColors available: Polished nickelThis sophisticated metal tower will level up any bathroom. It features glass shelving with ornamental joint and foot detailing and has built-in adjustable levelers for added stability on uneven floors. The sturdy, striking display is the perfect home for your favorite products, candles, and tchotchkes.Piroska Freestanding Over The Toilet Storage by Hokku DesignsSpecsOverall dimensions: 34.5"W x 7"D x 38.5"HMaterials: Manufactured woodColors available: White or naturalA more understated, shorter over-the-toilet storage fits right in if you want to amp up your bathroom decor. What it lacks in height it makes up for in an abundance of shelvingthere are four adjustable shelves, two of which have 10 different positions so you can play Tetris for the ultimate space-saver setup. Its perfect if you have a weakness for lotions and need a spot to store your collection. It comes in white and natural, but the sleek silhouette is also perfect for a DIY project, should you want to paint this bathroom organizer in a bold color.West Elm Modern Leaning Over-The-Toilet CubbySpecsOverall dimensions: 28"W x 122"D x 79"HMaterials: Kiln-dried solid mahogany wood and engineered woodColors available: WhiteFor those who agree that less really is more, this contemporary over-the-toilet ladder is a sleek, simple pick that will fit well with any bathroom design style. Its leaning silhouette and glossy white finish give it an airy quality that will leave your bathroom feeling spacious and open. The design is easy to assembleall you need is a pencil, level, screwdriver, and a pair of helping hands.QEEIG Over-The-Toilet Wall-Mounted Floating ShelvesSpecsDimensions: 15.7"W x 6.7"D x 1.5"H (per shelf)Materials: MDF and metalColors available: White, brown, black, gray, white with black accents, and white with gold accentsEliminate shelf legs with these floating wood pieces that are anchored with a highly practical metal basket. Each set comes with three shelves. One of the best parts of floating shelves is that you can stack them however you like to create the exact amount of vertical space you need. Amazon buyers love this set: It has almost 2,300 five-star ratings. Should you want to repurpose this bathroom space saver, you can use it as home decor in a living room or home officeno one will know that the wall-mounted basket was once used as a toilet paper holder.West Elm Mid-Century Over-The-Toilet ShelfSpecsDimensions: 26"W x 14.7"D x 72"HMaterials: Solid poplar woodColors available: AcornThis freestanding unit features a rich acorn finish with two fixed open shelves. It works beautifully in vintage-inspired and contemporary bathrooms alike. Theres plenty of room for hand towels and a few decorative accents. We also appreciate its durability, as the solid kiln-dried wood and sealed metal finishes are protected from the moisture that is so prevalent, especially in small spaces. If you want to double down on the style, West Elm has a matching bathroom storage cabinet and medicine cabinet.Kallstrom Freestanding Over The Toilet StorageSpecsDimensions: 25"W x 10"D x 68"HMaterial: Metal (frame) and manufactured wood (shelves)Colors available: BlackLooking for something with an industrial vibe? The sturdy shelving unit is a beautiful blend of metal and wood with plenty of open shelving for storage baskets, folded towels, and bathroom essentials while adding a bold, modern edge to the space. To soften the rich tones, add decorative items like a bright potted succulent or stack some colorful washcloths atop the storage rack.

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is discussing plans to eliminate an entire team responsible for publishing and maintaining critical atomic measurement data in the coming weeks, as the Trump administration continues its efforts to reduce the US federal workforce, according to a March 18 email sent to dozens of outside scientists. The data in question underpins advanced scientific research around the world in areas like semiconductor manufacturing and nuclear fusion.We were recently informed that unless there is a major change in the Federal Government reorganization plans, the whole Atomic Spectroscopy Group will be laid off in a few weeks, in particular, since our work is not considered to be statutorily essential for the NIST mission, Yuri Ralchenko, the group's leader, wrote in the email, which was seen by WIRED.Ralchenko noted that atomic spectroscopy has been used to discover many new exoplanets and develop powerful new diagnostic techniques, among other applications. Unfortunately, the story of atomic spectroscopy at NIST is coming to an end, he wrote.In response to a request for comment from WIRED, Ralchenko said he wasnt permitted to speak about budget and management issues and referred questions to NISTs public affairs department. NIST and its parent agency, the Department of Commerce, did not respond to requests for comment.The Atomic Spectroscopy Group studies how atoms absorb or emit light, allowing researchers to identify the elements present in a given sample. It then collects and updates those calculations in the Atomic Spectra Database, a catalog of industry-leading spectroscopy information and measurements that plays a crucial role in fields like astronomy, astrophysics, and medicine. In a blog post published last week highlighting the importance of the database, NIST said it receives an average of 70,000 search requests worldwide each month.It is really difficult to overestimate the importance of this data, says Evgeny Stambulchik, a senior staff research scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel who started a petition to gather signatures from other researchers and members of the public who oppose the cuts to the atomic spectroscopy team. The petition currently has over 1,700 signatures.Stambulchik, whose speciality is plasma spectroscopy, says that atomic spectroscopy is essentially the only tool that can be used to interpret remote objects in space, like those observed by the powerful James Webb telescope. Its also basically the only tool for investigating matter at temperatures reaching tens of million degrees, he adds, such as inside a nuclear fusion reactor.Another plasma physicist at a US institution who asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak to the media said they use this data daily to build reliable models for designing future fusion reactors. Losing this trusted data source would hinder private fusion companies," they explain.The US scientist says the data provided by NISTs Atomic Spectroscopy Group is useful to researchers and engineers across multiple fields. The kind of carefully curated data this group provided underpins reliable systems like GPS and lithography, they say. It is this kind of rigorous science and engineering that keeps our bridges up and our power on. This is not move fast and break things.

Changing the deal Report: Boeing asks Trump admin to weaken penalties in 737 Max crash case Boeing plea deal opposed by victims' families might be made even weaker. Jon Brodkin Mar 25, 2025 12:40 pm | 23 An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 landing at Miami International Airport October 17, 2024. Credit: Getty Images | CHUYN An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 landing at Miami International Airport October 17, 2024. Credit: Getty Images | CHUYN Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreBoeing is trying to withdraw a plea agreement and obtain more lenient treatment from the Trump administration in a case involving two deadly 737 Max crashes, The Wall Street Journal reported today.Boeing previously agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States. Boeing could still plead guilty but face weaker penalties than it agreed to last year if the Justice Department and a federal judge agree.Trump's Department of Justice "is reviewing numerous pending criminal cases that haven't yet gone to trial or been approved by courts," and "Boeing stands to benefit from fresh eyes at Trump's Justice Department, which is inclined to at least modify parts of the agreement," the WSJ wrote, citing people familiar with the matter. "Allowing Boeing to rescind its plea agreement, or lightening the company's punishment, would mark one of the most prominent examples of the Trump administration's lighter-touch approach to some white-collar enforcement."In July 2024, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal charge and pay $243.6 million for violating a 2021 agreement that was spurred by 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed a combined 346 people.Boeing had avoided prosecution in January 2021 when it signed a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to pay $2.5 billion in penalties and compensation to airline customers and the victims' families. But in May 2024, the Justice Department said it determined that Boeing violated the deferred prosecution agreement "by failing to design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the US fraud laws throughout its operations."Judge rejected previous plea dealBoeing's plea deal was for a charge of defrauding the Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft Evaluation Group, and the plea agreement was submitted for review in US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Judge Reed O'Connor, a George W. Bush appointee, rejected the plea deal in December because it "requires the parties to consider race when hiring the independent monitor" and because Boeing wouldn't actually have to comply with the monitor's recommendations.But as the WSJ notes, "O'Connor has said Boeing's crime 'may properly be considered the deadliest corporate crime in US history.' Nothing in his earlier ruling contemplated tearing up the guilty plea altogether or not hiring an independent monitor."Boeing and the government are still negotiating changes to the deal, the WSJ reported. One of the changes under discussion would let Boeing "forgo hiring an outside monitor to ensure its compliance with the law," the report said.In addition to the $243.6 million fine, Boeing's original deal required it to invest at least $455 million in its compliance and safety programs. It's not clear whether the $243.6 million fine is likely to be reduced or scrapped, but the WSJ writes that "Boeing isn't trying to walk back its commitment" to invest in compliance and safety improvements.O'Connor ordered the sides to provide "an update on how they plan to proceed in this matter" by April 11. The latest status report filed by the US and Boeing said "the parties are continuing to meet and confer on a resolution of this matter short of trial" and "have not reached agreement but continue to work in good faith toward that end."Boeing and the DOJ both declined to comment when contacted by Ars today.Any attempt to lessen Boeing's penalties would presumably be opposed by victims' families, whose lawyers criticized the deal struck with the Biden administration. In July, the Clifford Law Firm said the deal "unfairly makes concessions to Boeing that other criminal defendants would never receive and fails to hold Boeing accountable for the deaths of 346 persons." We contacted the firm today and will update this article if it has any comment on the report of Boeing trying to weaken the deal.Jon BrodkinSenior IT ReporterJon BrodkinSenior IT Reporter Jon is a Senior IT Reporter for Ars Technica. He covers the telecom industry, Federal Communications Commission rulemakings, broadband consumer affairs, court cases, and government regulation of the tech industry. 23 Comments

More and more hackers are targeting regular people with the goal of breaking into their bank accounts, stealing their crypto, or simply stalking them. These types of attacks are still relatively rare, so theres no need for alarm. But its important to know what you can do to protect yourself if you suspect someone accessed your email, social media account, chat apps, or any other major service and platform.A few years ago, I wrote a guide to help people protect themselves, and understand that most of the companies you have an account with already offer you tools to take control of your accounts security, even before you contact them for help, which in some cases you still should do.Here we break down what you can do on several different online services, including Gmail (and more broadly a Google account), Facebook, Apple ID, and more. And come back often because this is a regularly updated resource, both in terms of making sure the instructions for each individual service or platform are up to date, as well as to add new ones.Just like in the previous guide, theres an important caveat. You should know that these methods dont guarantee that you havent been compromised.If you still arent sure, you should contact a professional, especially if you are a journalist, a dissident or activist, or otherwise someone who has a higher risk of being targeted, such as a person in an abusive relationship. In those cases, the non-profit Access Now has a digital security helpline that will connect you to one of their experts.Another caveat: If you havent already, you should enable multi-factor authentication on all your accounts, or at least the most important ones (email, banking, social media). This directory of websites that use MFA (or 2FA) is a great resource that teaches you how to enable multi-factor authentication on more than 1,000 websites. (Note that you dont have to use the multi-factor app promoted on that site, there are plenty of other alternatives.)Increasingly some online services offer the use of a physical security key or a passkey stored in your password manager, which is one of the highest safeguards to prevent account intrusions that rely on password-stealing malware or phishing.Explore below, or skip directly to the section of your choice.Gmail lists all the places your account is activeThe first thing you should do if you suspect someone has broken into your Gmail account (and by extension all the other Google services linked to it) is to scroll all the way down in your inbox until you see Last account activity in the bottom right corner.Click on Details. You will then see a pop-up window that looks like this:Image Credits:TechCrunchThese are all the places where your Google account is active. If you dont recognize one of them, for example if it comes from a different location, like a country you havent visited recently or have never been, then click on Security Checkup. Here you can see on which devices your Google account is active.Image Credits:TechCrunchIf you scroll down, you can also see Recent security activity.Image Credits:TechCrunchCheck this list to see if there are any devices that you dont recognize. If in any of these places above you see something suspicious, click on See unfamiliar activity? and change your password:Image Credits:TechCrunchAfter you change your password, as Google explains here, you will be signed out of every device in every location, except on the devices you use to verify that its you when you sign in, and some devices with third-party apps that youve granted account access to. If you want to sign out there too, go to this Google Support page and click on the link to View the apps and services with third-party access.Image Credits:TechCrunchFinally, we also suggest considering turning on Googles Advanced Protection on your account. This enhanced security protection makes phishing your password and hacking into your Google account even harder. The drawback is that you need to purchase security keys, hardware devices that serve as a second-factor. But we think this method is important and a must-use for people who are at a higher risk.Also, remember that your email account is likely linked to all your other important accounts, so getting into it could turn out to be the first step into hacking into other accounts. Thats why securing your email account is more important than virtually any other account.Outlook and Microsoft logins are in the account settingsIf you are concerned about hackers having accessed your Microsoft Outlook account, you can check when and where youve signed in, as Microsoft puts it in the account settings.To go to that page, go to your Microsoft Account, click on Security on the left-hand menu, and then under Sign-in activity go to View my activity.Image Credits:TechCrunchAt this point, you should see a page that shows recent logins, which platform and device was used to log in, the type of browser and the IP address.Image Credits:TechCrunchIf something looks off, click on Learn how to make your account more secure, where you can change your password, check how to recover a hacked or compromised account and more.Microsoft also has a support portal with information on the Recent activity page.As we noted above, your email account is the cornerstone of your online security, given that its likely that most of your important accounts think social media, bank and healthcare provider, etc. are linked to it. Its a popular target for hackers who want to then compromise other accounts.Keep your LinkedIn account locked downLinkedIn has a support page detailing the steps you can follow to check if your account is logged into a device or location on the web, iOS and Android that you dont recognize.LinkedIn has a specific page on its website where you can check the places where you are logged in.Image Credits:TechCrunchIf you dont recognize one of those sessions, click on End to log out of that particular session, and enter your password when prompted. If you click on End these sessions, you will be logged out of all the devices other than the device that you are using.On iOS and Android, the process is the same. In the LinkedIn app, tap on your profile picture on the top, tap on Settings, then Sign in & Security, then Where youre signed in. At that point you will see a page that is essentially identical to the one you can see on the web.LinkedIn also has a security feature that requires you to confirm on your app if someone tries to log into another device.Image Credits:TechCrunchIf you tap on the sign-in request notification, you will see a page that asks you to confirm that it was you who just attempted to login. There you can confirm the log in, or block the attempt.Image Credits:TechCrunchYahoo offers email tools to helpLike other email providers, Yahoo (which owns TechCrunch) also offers a tool to check your account and sign-in activity with the goal of allowing you to see any unusual activity that could be a sign of compromise.To access this tool, go to your Yahoo My Account Overview or click on the icon with your initial next to the email icon on the top right corner, and click on Manage your account.Image Credits:TechCrunchOnce there, click on Review recent activity. On this page you will be able to see recent activity on your account, including password changes, phone numbers added and which devices are connected to your account, as well as their corresponding IP addresses.Image Credits:TechCrunchImage Credits:TechCrunchGiven that it is likely that you have linked your email address to sensitive websites like your bank, your social media accounts and healthcare portals, among others, you should make an extra effort to secure it.Ensure your Apple Account is safeApple allows you to check which devices your Apple Account (formerly Apple ID) is logged in directly through the iPhone and Mac system settings, as the company explains here.On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, tap your name, and scroll down to see all the devices that you are signed in on.Image Credits:AppleOn a Mac, click on the Apple logo on the top left corner, then System Settings, then click on your name, and you will also see a list of devices, just like on an iPhone or iPad.Image Credits:AppleIf you click on any device, Apple says, you will be able to view that devices information, such as the device model, serial number and operating system version.On Windows, you can use Apples iCloud app to check which devices are logged into your account. Open the app, and click on Manage Apple Account There you can view the devices and get more information on them.Image Credits:AppleFinally, you can also get this information through the web, going to your Apple ID account page, then clicking on Devices in the left-hand menu.How to check Facebook and Instagram securityThe social networking giant offers a feature that lets you see where your account is logged in. Head to Facebooks Password and Security settings and click on Where youre logged in.Image Credits:TechCrunchIn the same interface you can also see where you are logged in with your Instagram account, provided its linked to your Facebook account. If the accounts are not linked, or you just dont have a Facebook account, go to Instagrams Account Center to manage your Instagram account and click on Password and Security, and then Where youre logged in.Here you can choose to log out from specific devices, perhaps because you dont recognize them, or because they are old devices you dont use anymore.Just like Google, Facebook offers an Advanced Protection feature as well as for Instagram, which essentially makes it harder for malicious hackers to log onto your account. Well apply stricter rules at login to reduce the chances of unauthorized access to your account, the company explains. If we see anything unusual about a login to your account, well ask you to complete extra steps to confirm its really you.If you are a journalist, a politician or otherwise someone who is more likely at risk to be targeted by hackers, you may want to switch on this feature.Its easy to see whether your WhatsApp is safeIn the past, it was only possible to use WhatsApp on one mobile device only. Now, Meta has added functionalities for WhatsApp users to use the app on computers, and also directly via browser.Checking where you logged in with your WhatsApp account is simple. Open the WhatsApp app on your mobile phone. On iPhones and iPads, tap on the Settings icon in the bottom right corner, then tap on Linked devices.There, you will be able to see a list of devices, and by clicking on one of them you can log them out.Image Credits:TechCrunchImage Credits:TechCrunchOn Android, tap on the three dots in the top-right corner of the WhatsApp app, then tap Linked devices and you will see a page thats very similar to what you would see on Apple devices.Signal also lets you check for anomaliesLike WhatsApp, Signal now lets you use the app via dedicated Desktop apps for macOS, Windows, as well as Linux.Image Credits:TechCrunchFrom this screen of Linked Devices, you can tap on Edit and remove the devices, which means your account will be logged out and unlinked from those devices.To see where you are logged into X (formerly Twitter), go to X Settings, then click on More on the left-hand menu, click on Settings and privacy, then Security and account access and finally Apps and sessions.From this menu, you can see which apps you have connected to your X account, what sessions are open (such as where you are logged in) and the access history of your account.You can revoke access to all other devices and locations by hitting the Log out of all other sessions button.Image Credits:TechCrunchSecuring your Snap accountSnap has a feature that allows you to check where you are logged in. A Snapchat support page details the steps you can follow to check. You can use both the app on iOS and Android, or Snapchats website.On iOS and Android, open the app, tap on your profile icon, then the settings (gear) icon, then tap on Session Management. At that point you will be able to see a list of sessions your account is logged into. It looks like this:Image Credits:TechCrunchOn the web, go to Snapchat Accounts, then click on Session Management. There you will see a list of logged-in sessions that looks essentially the same as the image above. Both on the web and in the app, you can log out of sessions that seem suspicious or you dont recognize.Snapchat also has a security feature that alerts you on your phone when someone is logging into your account, whether its you or a would-be intruder.Image Credits:TechCrunchTechCrunch tested this sign-in flow on different devices. The notification above may not display if you log back into a device you had already logged into. But if Snapchat thinks a login is suspicious perhaps because the person logging in is using a different device or IP address the app will show whoever is attempting to log in a new screen asking them to verify the phone number associated with the account, showing only the last four digits.If the person attempting the login then taps Continue, the account owner will receive a text message on their phone number with a code, which prevents the other person from logging in.However, you will only get this alert after the person has entered your correct password. Thats all the more reason to make sure you use a long and unique password, which makes passwords harder to guess, and enable multi-factor authentication with an authenticator app, rather than your phone number.Discord lets you see which apps and devices have access to your accountDiscord went from being a somewhat niche chat app for video game players to a key platform used by major crypto organizations and companies, as well as by pretty much anyone who wants a nimble and highly customizable group chat about any topic or community you can imagine. Given how popular Discord is, its users can be prime targets for hackers.To check where your account is logged in, and see if theres anything suspicious there, click on the gear icon next to your Discord username on the bottom left part of the app, which opens User Settings.Image Credits:TechCrunchThen click on Devices, which will be displayed on the left-hand menu, under User Settings. This will open a screen listing all the devices where your Discord account is logged in.Image Credits:TechCrunchIf you dont recognize one of these devices, click on the X icon, or Log Out All Known Devices if you dont recognize one or any of them.If you have multi-factor authentication enabled for Discord (and you should!), you will be prompted to enter the code created by your preferred multi-factor authentication app.Once you do that, the device will be removed and your account will be logged out from there.You may also want to check Authorized App, just above Devices in the left-hand menu. This shows all the apps that you linked to your Discord account, as well as what level of access they have to your account, such as accessing your Discord username, avatar, and others. Theres nothing wrong with having authorized apps, but perhaps theres an app here you dont recognize, or you dont need anymore. If thats the case, click on Deauthorize.Image Credits:TechCrunch / Getty ImagesSince you are here, also check Connections, just below Devices in the left-hand menu. This shows what other accounts, such as from services like BlueSky, Reddit, or Spotify, are linked to your Discord account.Image Credits:TechCrunchThen you can click the X next to your external app account to disconnect it, if you want.Telegram lets you see all active sessionsTelegram is one of the most popular chat apps in the world, and is used in very sensitive contexts like the war in Ukraine. But even if you are just someone using it to chat with friends, you should check where youre logged in.To do that, click on Settings, then on Active Sessions on the left-hand menu.Image Credits:TechCrunchIf you are concerned about anything here, click on Terminate all other sessions, which will let you stay logged in where you are, but logs you out everywhere else. Otherwise, if you want to remove just one session, click on it, and then click on Terminate Session.Image Credits:TechCrunxchTelegram also offers you the option to automatically log you out and terminate old sessions after a certain amount of time of your choosing, such as after one week, one month, three months, or the default of six months.First published on July 14, 2024, and updated to include Discord and Telegram.