Warning: Take these steps to protect your privacy on FaceApp

If you’ve been on social media at all over the last few days, you’ve probably noticed your friends, family and even celebrities posting pictures of themselves aged dozens of years using an app called FaceApp.

However, there are new warnings about what might be happening to those pictures you’re allowing the app to access and how they might be used in the future.

Techcrunch reports that the company, a Russian startup, is uploading users’ photos to the cloud, rather than making those crazy image transformations directly on your device.

“FaceApp goes on to specify that it ‘might’ store the photos users have chosen to upload in the cloud for a short period, claiming this is done for ‘performance and traffic’ — such as to make sure that a user doesn’t repeatedly upload the same photo to carry out another edit,” Techcrunch says.

That doesn’t sound too reassuring to us.

If you’ve downloaded and used FaceApp, here’s how to remove your pictures from their storage

If you’ve given FaceApp permission to access your photos and you’re concerned about how they could be used, the company has outlined how to request that your pictures be deleted:

1. Open the app on your device
2. Click ‘Settings’
3. Click ‘Support’
4. Click ‘Report a bug’
5. In the subject line of the report, write: privacy
6. Submit it

As always, be careful about the apps that you download — and especially with the data you share with them!

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New report: These U.S. airports have the cheapest international flights

Living close to an international airport doesn’t necessarily translate into cheaper fares on flights abroad. But a new study indicates that is the case for certain international airports across the United States.

A recent report from Scott’s Cheap Flights shows that the airports with the cheapest international flights have three things in common:

• Near a big city
• Among the busiest
• Not limited to one region

Which U.S. airports have the cheapest fares abroad?

The fact that the airports with the cheapest flights abroad aren’t concentrated in one geographical area is huge: It basically means that most of us are a relatively short distance from major savings on airfare.

Here are the top 10 U.S. airports with cheap international flights and the number of deals they had last year, according to Scott’s Cheap Flights.

As you can see, JFK Airport in New York has the highest number of cheap international flights by far, according to Scott’s Cheap Flights.

Another reason for JFK’s #1 ranking is that the airport is one of the most connected in the United States, meaning that it is a leader in international flights.

Now that you know which international airports have the cheapest flights, you can incorporate money expert Clark Howard‘s #1 rule of travel.

“By following that simple rule, I’ve been able to visit every continent except Antarctica and every state except North Dakota. And I’ve done it all on a dime.” See how Clark travels for less.

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New report: The best deals on used cars under $20,000

Buying a used car in 2019 doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, there are plenty of vehicles you can get for under $20,000.

The vehicle search engine iSeeCars.com recently released a list of best bargains on lightly-used cars under $20,000, including everything from full- and mid-size models to compact cars and SUVs.

Report: Here are the best used car deals under $20,000

A sticker price under that amount is about right for a new driver, recent graduate or anyone looking to save money on a used vehicle.

To be clear, this is not a list of the best cars for under $20,000, but rather the best deals based on price drops after depreciation. Here are the best used cars for 2019.

iSeeCars.com analyzed more than 4.8 million car sales to identify models with the greatest loss in value after three years. The top 10 vehicles all depreciated more than 1.4 times the 38.2% average for all vehicles.

The list below shows not only the used vehicle, but its price after three years and depreciation figures.

As you can see, many of the best used car bargains under $20,000 are hybrids. iSeeCars.com CEO Phong Ly says there’s a good reason for that.

“New hybrid vehicles are more expensive than their non-hybrid counterparts with the Kia Optima Hybrid costing an additional $4,303,” Ly says. “However, there isn’t a high demand for these hybrid vehicles, and their steep depreciation brings their resale value close to that of their non-hybrid versions.”

Ly says the average price of a three-year-old Fusion Hybrid is only about $200 more than a gasoline-powered Fusion.

However, iSeeCars.com notes that non-hybrid versions of these vehicles also depreciate at an above-average rate due to the overall decline of the sedan market in the United States.

Before you purchase any used vehicle, check Consumer Reports for reliability information. It’s one of Clark’s 7 steps to buying a used car!

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New report: The best cell phone providers in America

Consumer Cellular has been named the best cell phone provider for customer satisfaction, beating Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and a number of smaller carriers.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) June 2019 report, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) including Consumer Cellular scored higher than the major wireless providers like the Big 4.

ACSI report: Low-cost cell phone provider is #1 for customer satisfaction

An MVNO is a cell phone carrier that partners with one or more networks, but it doesn’t own any towers. Here’s an example…

Consumer Cellular is an MVNO that has relationships with AT&T and T-Mobile. Customers get access to one of those networks for talk, text and data. So, Consumer Cellular may be a good option if AT&T and T-Mobile provide reliable coverage in your area.

The ACSI report covers three categories of wireless telephone service providers:

Both categories of MVNOs are doing a good job keeping customers happy, while MNOs have room for improvement. Here’s a category-by-category breakdown of the latest ACSI rankings on a 100-point scale…

Mobile network operators 

Key takeaway: This is the lowest-performing category in the wireless industry and includes the biggest brands. T-Mobile ranks #1 for customer satisfaction for its value and ease of billing, while Sprint finishes last. T-Mobile is in the process of merging with Sprint to better compete against Verizon and AT&T.

Mobile network operators

Category average: 73 

Company  ACSI score  T-Mobile 76 U.S. Cellular 74 Verizon Wireless 74 AT&T 73 Sprint 65

Full-service mobile virtual network operators

Key takeaway: Full-service MVNOs rank much higher than the Big 4. The report found that AT&T-owned Cricket Wireless is the best full-service MVNO for customer satisfaction, followed by Metro by T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile. These prepaid carriers get high praise for ease of billing, mobile apps and in-person customer service.

Full-service mobile virtual network operators

Category average: 77 

Company  ACSI score  Cricket Wireless (AT&T) 79 Metro by T-Mobile (T-Mobile) 76 Virgin Mobile (Sprint) 76 Boost Mobile (Sprint) 74

Value mobile virtual network operators

Key takeaway: Customer satisfaction with value MVNOs is the highest among the wireless categories, with an average ACSI score of 81. Top-ranked Consumer Cellular stands out for its ease of billing. Subscribers also like its discounts for AARP members and no-contract, postpaid service.

Value mobile virtual network operators 

Category average: 81

Company  ACSI score  Consumer Cellular 85 Straight Talk Wireless 80 TracFone Wireless 77

Final thought 

MVNOs offer cheaper cell phone plans compared to the Big 4 wireless providers, which is probably why they scored so much higher in this ACSI report.

If you currently have Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint, you may want to consider switching to an MVNO to save money. Like your network? Start by looking for MVNOs that partner with your existing network and use the same towers.

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Here’s a partial list of Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint alternatives, including links to reviews from Team Clark:

The ACSI Wireless Service and Cellular Telephone Report 2018-2019 is based on interviews with more than 19,000 customers. You can download the report to learn more about the findings by clicking here.

To compare your options, read Team Clark’s guide to the best cell phone plans and deals!

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