So I was playing one of those mobile word search games on my phone, and it opened up Google to this pop up that said "Data Leakage has been detected" and that some of my data has been leaked from another website in the background. It didn't say what type of information. Underneath this, and green button said "Start audit". The URL looked to be a random sequence of numbers and letters, and when I try to go back to it through my history but it just takes me back to the Google start page.

I assumed it was a scam cause it was out of nowhere, but still I'm a bit scared

I guess I'm pretty late to the party in raising a red flag. Given how good AI has become at creating not just text and images that look absolutely real, it's now also extremely good at generating video content that looks incredibly realistic.

Great examples are the Jensen Huang videos floating around everywhere these days, whether it's him appearing as Drake in the Hotline Bling music video, replacing Neo in The Matrix while looking at the woman in the red dress, or showing up as a new employee in The Office.

I'm just using these as examples to illustrate that we're reaching a tipping point where it will become almost impossible for more than 99% of internet users to distinguish between what's real and what's AI-generated or AI-modified.

What if the AI-free internet continued to use "www", while the AI-enabled internet used a URL prefix like "waiw."?

It seems like things are really getting out of hand, and we need to put regulations in place to keep this development somewhat under control.

Hey everyone! I’m moving soon and currently have spectrum and lets just say I’m not a fan lol. I’m going to be changing providers but I’m not sure which is the best for what I need. I took a ss of the providers available for me to choose from. There’s only two people in the house, 1-2 streaming tvs, and one Xbox that we play frequently. What do you guys think? Any help is appreciated greatly!! 🙏

Does anyone know the superadmin credentials for this router??

First Outlook was down this morning, and now Claude seems to be having a moment too.

At this point, I'm starting to think the entire internet decided to take a long weekend without telling us. 💀

Anyone else having issues or is it just one of those days?

Outlook, Teams, Copilot and other Microsoft 365 services were disrupted worldwide starting November 12, 2026. Microsoft says there’s no indication of a cyberattack, and it blames servers becoming overwhelmed while handling secure connections. It has not announced a root cause. For you, the lesson is the same as in my cyberattack posts: whether it’s a hacker or a bad day for a data center, have a backup plan.

Where do I pay for the internet archive to speed up?

Hey, I recently resigned from a job and the employer was abusive, and did a lot of illegal things surrounded around pay. A few other coworkers and I have contacted our national fair work commission only to be told we need his contact info? He never provided any of us with his number or email, and getting either would be so helpful in this case.

Like the title says, my local internet service provider is (finally) installing fiber optic lines. This service provider is almost universally hated in my area, to the point where almost everyone (including me) has either satellite or lte hot spots. In the past they’ve had outages multiple times a week, and speeds notably slower than advertised, and customer service that is atrocious to deal with. Now that they’re installing fiber optic would this fix their performance issues they’ve had in the past or should I continue to use my satellite internet? Thanks

Anyone else noticed this?

Sometimes an app just won't load when connected to Wi-Fi, but the moment you switch to mobile data, it works perfectly fine.

The weird thing is, the Wi-Fi itself seems fine. Other apps and websites work without any problems.

I've always found this a bit confusing. If the internet connection is working, why would only certain apps have issues?

Is it something to do with the router, internet provider, or maybe the way certain apps connect?

Hello Friends, I have done all of this and I still can't use incognito on my pixel 7a. What should I do?

Thank you!

If the pop-up continues even in Safe Mode, it is not being caused by a third-party app you downloaded. Safe Mode disables all user-installed apps, which means the pop-up is coming from a system setting, a default browser setting, or an active network-level redirect.

Here is what to check next:

1. Check Private DNS & Proxy Settings

High probability

A compromised DNS setting forces your phone to route web traffic through malicious servers that inject pop-ups into your browser.

* Open Settings > Network & internet.

* Tap Private DNS.

* If it is set to a custom hostname you don't recognize, switch it back to Automatic or Off, then tap Save.

Verification: Browsing in Chrome no longer redirects your web requests to ad servers.

2. Clear Chrome's Default Homepage & Storage completely

Browser state reset

If Chrome was set to automatically launch a specific URL on startup, it will reload that pop-up page every time it opens.

* Open Chrome, tap the three vertical dots (top right) > Settings.

* Tap Homepage and ensure it is either turned Off or set to Chrome's homepage.

* Go back to main Settings > Apps > All apps > Chrome.

* Tap Storage & cache > Manage space (or Clear Storage) > Clear All Data.

Verification: Chrome launches to a blank default start tab without loading the bad URL.

3. Test on a Different Wi-Fi Network or Mobile Data

Network check

If your home Wi-Fi router DNS was hijacked or your local network is injecting ads, the pop-up will affect your device even in Safe Mode.

* Turn off Wi-Fi and switch strictly to Mobile Data (or test on a different Wi-Fi network).

* Try opening a clean tab.

Verification: If the pop-up only occurs on your home Wi-Fi, the issue is on the router/network level rather than your phone.

4. Reset All App Preferences

Device reset option

This resets all system defaults, background restrictions, and permission overrides back to factory defaults without deleting your personal files.

* Open Settings > System > Reset options.

* Tap Reset app preferences, then tap Reset apps.

Verification: System-level default link handlers and pop-up permissions are completely restored.

196 minutes because of 5 callers ahead of me. But also I had already waited 41 mins already.

that's what, spending 40+ minutes per caller.

It frustrates me that Xfinity has an essential monopoly on wifi where I live, but hopefully once other services like StarLink or Amazon Leo etc become more readily available, companies like Comcast can just fade into nothing

I was shocked to read stories of damage to property, house explosions and deaths from hitting gas lines, plumbing and electrical damage...

What are your thoughts on these incidents?

Was 811 not called beforehand? Can even 811 be wrong on exactly where the utilities run?

I was going to have fiber installed via 6 inch deep trench and a sidewalk bore but now I have reservations about proceeding.

My BGW620-700 running firmware 5.39.7 experiences severe packet loss whenever my PS5 Pro downloads over wired Ethernet. With the PS5 downloading, a directly connected via ethernet PC gets 40% packet loss to 1.1.1.1 and 90 ms average latency. As soon as I pause the download, the same test returns 0% packet loss and 4 ms average latency. l've tested multiple Ethernet cables, gateway ports, switches, and IPv6 enabled and disabled. This causes my deco mesh wifi extenders to die off too so I basically have unusable internet wired or over wifi whenever I'm downloading a game to my PS5. But here's the thing, I did the same tests with the ps5 on wifi and everything is normal. But I don't want it on wifi. I want it on ethernet. Like what. 😐 Pls help. At&t support says there's nothing they can do. Ps I have 5 gig and ps5 is only connected to a 1g port

If I turn my iPhone into an cellular hot spot,
could I run my tablets off that as opposed to buying separate cellular data plans (I don’t need to buy wifi, I have access to that at work) for each of them?

It looks like my husband’s phone is also capable of creating a personal hot spot, so could he run his tablets off off his personal hot spot and I run mine off my own personal hot spot.

Thanks!!!

Okay, so here's an interesting situation out of Missouri.

My family lives in an area with quite a few Amish communities and independently operated home businesses.

My dad is about as far removed from modern technology as you can get. He doesn't use smartphones, doesn't mess with the internet, and primarily uses a landline.

I'm essentially his unpaid IT department. I manage his online business presence and help him navigate the technology side of things.

Well, Google just mailed him an actual physical business verification letter!

He called me about it, we laughed about it, and he even thanked me for helping him with his business.

But here's where things get a little more complicated.

I'm not exactly an anonymous person online myself. I'm a Meta Verified model and actress, and although I'm nowhere near nationally famous, I'm fairly recognizable in my small town. If you Google my first and last name, my public-facing information comes up, including my modeling and acting presence.

Because of my public profile, I've also experienced account-security problems and previous suspected compromises. I'm particularly cautious about what I scan, what accounts I connect, and which devices I use for verification.

So when my dad called me about this letter containing a QR code, my immediate reaction was:

"Dad, PLEASE don't scan that thing until we figure out exactly what it is!"

I don't necessarily think Google is doing anything wrong. I understand that businesses need to verify their identities and locations. But I also don't feel comfortable automatically using my personal phone to complete the process.

Now the entire family is trying to figure out how this works.

Some questions I'd genuinely love answers to:

How common is it for Google to send actual physical business verification letters in 2026?

Does Google determine the verification method based on the business, location, or other factors?

Is the QR code simply part of the standard Google Business Profile verification process?

Can someone manage and verify another person's business without using their own personal Google account or phone?

Has anyone else received one of these letters recently?

I'm not trying to turn this into a conspiracy theory. I'm genuinely curious about the intersection of online business verification, public profiles, privacy, and account security.

It's just ironic that my dad, who barely touches technology, gets a physical letter from Google, and his daughter, who handles his online presence, is the one who's hesitant to touch it.

Small-town Missouri meets the digital age. 😂

I'd love to hear from anyone who's dealt with Google's business verification process.

Not sure if this is the right place but im kind of weirded out. I had been looking up midterms results, and my youtube watch history was midterms results. Then I refresh the google page i had open with the midterm results, and all of a sudden it says something like:

"we've detected suspicious activity" with a "Im not a robot" button thing, and like a giant wall of text, i barely glanced at it, so i dont remember if it was actually text or random letters, I drew what it looked like

As soon as i clicked "Im not a robot" the page refreshed to the midterms results search - but then it randomly downloaded a file "f.txt" ??

So weird. I deleted the file and didnt open it. What was that?