By Kim Komando The Kim Komando Show Published February 21, 2025 8:34pm EST close Cell phones banned in LA schools Family therapist Thomas Kersting joins 'Fox & Friends' to weigh in on Los Angeles classroom cell phone ban. Linda recently called my national radio show with a question that flooded my inbox. Clearly, a lot of you have experienced a similarly eerie moment."I was shopping yesterday at Walmart, looking at kitchen knives. I called my friend and told her where I was in the store. I didnt buy the knives. Today, I received an email advertising the very knives I was looking at! How did that happen? I never looked knives up online."IM A TECH EXPERT: 10 AI PROMPTS YOULL USE ALL THE TIMEWin an iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence ($999 value).No purchase necessary.Enter to win now!I hear you: "Kim, her phone was listening!" The answer isnt that simple, but I can explain whats really going on.Your digital trailEven if Linda never searched online for knives, her smartphone was busy collecting data. Your phone tracks your location, not just through GPS but also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals. A woman is pictured texting on her phone. (iStock)If youve connected to a stores Wi-Fi or walked in with Bluetooth on, Walmart and other retailers can track your movements. They know where youre standing in the store. They also know you didnt buy the knives.Retailers sell this data to ad networks that then work with data brokers to get your email address. Bingo. Linda got an email from the knife company. I bet she starts seeing ads for knives and related items online, too.But wait, theres moreFacebook, Instagram, Google and weather apps track your location, even when running in the background. If youve granted them location access, they know where you are and later use that data to serve you ads.5-MINUTE CLEANUP FOR YOUR PHONE AND COMPUTERYoure being secretly tracked by 3 settings on your phoneThrow AI into the mixOdds are, Linda is now going to get email pitches and see ads on social media for new cutlery, charcuterie boards and cooking classes. This is how AI-driven advertising works. It takes one interest (kitchen knives) and expands it into related categories.How to protect your privacyTheres a lot you cant control in this whole tracking mess. That makes it even more important to do what you can. The Google logo is displayed at the Google headquarters on September 2, 2015, in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Erase your digital breadcrumbsDont stay logged into Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc., while youre shopping. The easiest way is to open a new incognito or private window thats separate from the accounts youre signed into.Heres how to start your browser in Incognito mode by default:For Chrome on a PC, drag the icon from your Start menu to the desktop to create a shortcut. Then right-click and select Show more options > Properties. There, youll see the URL string under "Target." Add -incognito to the end.On Safari for Mac, click Settings> General> Safari opens with a private window.For Android phones, tap and hold the browsers icon, then select Open in Private tab.On iPhone, press and hold your browsers icon and choose New Private Tab (for Safari) or Incognito Search (for Chrome).10 TECH UPGRADES TO SAVE YOUR TIME, PRIVACY AND MONEY THIS YEARI recommend you regularly clear cookies on your phone, too. If youve never done that,here are the steps.Manage location trackingTurn off location tracking for retail apps in your phones settings.Disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when not in use.Avoid public Wi-Fi, as retailers use it to log your visit. A close-up shot of a woman using a laptop while working from home. (iStock)Adjust your ad settingsVisitGoogle Ad Settings to turn off ad personalization.Update ad preferences on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon and the rest.Review app permissionsTurn off microphone access for apps like Facebook and Google.Limit background app tracking in your phones settings.Its a creepy feeling when this sort of thing happens. Remember, this combination of retailers, advertisers and data brokers is trying to get you to spend a buck.Get tech-smarter on your scheduleAward-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.National radio:Airing on 500+ stations across the US -Find yours or get the free podcast.Daily newsletter:Join 650,000 people who read the Current (free!)Watch: OnKims YouTube channelPodcast: "The Current powered by Kim Komando" - Listen wherever you get podcastsCopyright 2025, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.