Technologies

Think Black Friday Spam Was Out of Control? You Have No Idea

Big retail names such as CB2, Anthropologie and Victoria’s Secret are among the worst offenders.

During the holidays, you expect a surge of spam emails, especially if you’re shopping online. But it may be even worse than you suspected.

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On Wednesday, Proton, an encrypted email service, released its spam watch report, which audited marketing emails sent over 28 days, including the Black Friday weekend. The report showed that 80% of retailers are embedding hidden trackers into their marketing emails that tell them whether you open the email, the device you’re using to view it, and if you click on any of the links. If you open up one of these emails, you’re setting yourself up for more spam.

The report raises questions about consumer privacy and how retailers are using our data.

Hunting for embedded tracking links

Proton created an inbox specifically to capture marketing emails between Nov 4 and Dec 1. Before the email is displayed, it goes through Proton Mail’s servers, which scan the message code against a database known for detecting domains and pixel signatures. Proton also used its own enhanced tracking protection feature to block retailers from collecting extra information. It examined 50 of the largest retailers that have both online and brick-and-mortar locations, analyzing the timestamp, sender, subject line, and whether such an email carried an embedded tracking link or pixel.

Proton researchers combined the data with loyalty-program membership counts, each retailer’s US market share, and the number of emails sent by similar retailers. Proton broke down these companies into four groups. The retailers they dubbed «worst of the worst» are those that email frequently and include the most tracking links. Some stores actually managed not to bombard their customers with emails containing trackers, and Proton labeled them the «most respectful» senders.

Specific stores, and where they ranked

The worst of the worst list included CB2, Anthropologie, Victoria’s Secret, VS Pink, and Crate and Barrel.

«These brands represent the highest daily frequency across the full study window — the ones constantly vying for attention,» the study noted.

But Nike, Bass Pro Shops, H&M, New Balance and Burlington scored in the most respectful group, sending no emails with trackers during the time Proton monitored the email.

«The Spam Watch findings confirm a harsh reality: the inbox has become a high‑volume, high‑noise channel where brands battle for attention while silently gathering data on every open,» said Anant Vijay Singh, Head of Product at Proton Mail, in a statement. «This is not accidental–it is an engineered assault on your attention and your privacy.»

Do this to reduce spam emails

Maintaining your private data from third parties is a genuine concern for many people. This latest report further supports fears consumers have about how corporations are using their personal data.

In some cases, to protect yourself, you can opt for data removal services such as Operty.

You can reduce spam marketing emails by using email protection services similar to DuckDuckGo or — yes, the company that ran the study — Proton.

iPhone users who pay for iCloud Plus have access to a Hide My Email feature, which can also help minimize spam.

Technologies

How Verum Ecosystem Is Rethinking Communication

David Rotman — Founder of the Verum Ecosystem

For David Rotman, communication is not a feature — it is a dependency that should never rely on a single point of failure.

As the founder of the Verum Ecosystem, Rotman developed a communication platform designed to function when internet access becomes unreliable or unavailable.

Verum Messenger addresses real-world challenges such as network outages, censorship, and infrastructure failures. Its 2025 update introduced a unified offline-capable messaging system, moving beyond Bluetooth-based or temporary peer-to-peer solutions.

Verum’s mission is simple: to ensure communication continuity under any conditions.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, Feb. 1

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 1

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Some of the clues are kind of tricky, but I was able to fill in enough of the others to get them all answered. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Spot to shop
Answer: MART

5A clue: Pounded sticky rice sometimes filled with ice cream
Answer: MOCHI

6A clue: ___ Chekhov, «Three Sisters» playwright
Answer: ANTON

7A clue: Like many dive bars and bird feeds
Answer: SEEDY

8A clue: Jekyll’s evil counterpart
Answer: HYDE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: What makes the world go ’round, per «Cabaret»
Answer: MONEY

2D clue: Performed in a play
Answer: ACTED

3D clue: __ Island (U.S. state)
Answer: RHODE

4D clue: Itty-bitty
Answer: TINY

5D clue: Squish to a pulp, as potatoes
Answer: MASH

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 1, #496

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 1, No. 496.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun one. The blue group made me think of dusty gum sticks, and the purple one requires you to look for hidden names in the clues. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Splish-splash.

Green group hint: Vroom!

Blue group hint: Cards and gum.

Purple group hint: Racket stars.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Aquatic sports verbs.

Green group: Speed.

Blue group: Sports card brands.

Purple group: Tennis Grand Slam winners, minus a letter.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is aquatic sports verbs. The four answers are kayak, row, sail and swim.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is speed. The four answers are mustard, pop, velocity and zip.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is sports card brands. The four answers are Leaf, Panini, Topps and Upper Deck.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is tennis Grand Slam winners, minus a letter. The four answers are ash (Arthur Ashe), kin (Billie Jean King), nada (Rafael Nadal) and William (Serena and Venus Williams)

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