I’ve got an idea. Instead of one big topic, I’m going to run through some recent tech stories and tell you which ones deserve your attention, and which ones you can safely ignore. Each story gets a verdict.

Let’s do this…

Flock Cameras: Congress Is Finally Paying Attention

I think it’s safe to say we’re all familiar with Flock cameras and the impact they’ve had on our Pop Culture. For those who need reminding, Flock sells internet-connected cameras that photograph passing cars and log the plate, make, model, and color (Northeast Times) and Flock says more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies use them. (Investigate West)

After months of ignoring the topic, the bureaucrats in Washington are finally taking action. A bipartisan House bill, the No FLOCK Act, would cut 10% of a state’s federal highway funding if it doesn’t limit plate readers to a handful of narrow uses. (Gadget Review) Senator Josh Hawley has also introduced the Stop Flock Abuse Act, and Flock’s CEO has acknowledged that Congress should create regulations.(CBS News) Missouri’s governor has already signed an order banning AI facial recognition integration with Flock and is requiring data deletion after 30 days. (Hoodline)

Here’s why I think this subject belongs on a women’s tech blog. Cybernews, citing a Washington Post investigation, reports at least 69 male police officials have been accused, charged, or convicted of abusing plate-reader systems, and describes allegations that some of these guys used the cameras to track their wives and girlfriends. (Cybernews) A Pennsylvania lawmaker put it plainly: data that can show where someone has been is dangerous in the wrong hands, especially for a survivor trying to stay safe. (WHP)

In fairness, women aren’t the only people affected, and sheriffs say these cameras help them solve violent crimes. (Hoodline) But this is one of the rare tech stories where you can act: find out whether your town uses these cameras and whether your state has a bill in play.

Verdict: Pay attention.

The iPhone Duo is a Hot Mess, Y’all – (IMHO)

The facts first. Apple’s first foldable shipped October 23 at $1,999. It has the same A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro, which costs $1,199, and the Pro Max costs $1,299. (9to5Mac) For that extra $800, you have to give up Face ID (it uses Touch ID), the Action button, the telephoto camera, and the variable aperture on the main camera. (MacRumors) It’s also heavier, at 254 grams versus 211, and thicker closed, at 11.3 mm versus 8.75. (MacRumors)

In fairness, reviews are mostly positive, but there have been a lot of folks on TikTok and Youtube discussing the inner display cracking when it’s opened and how only a handful of apps have been updated to work with the Duo’s outer and inner screen dimensions. The selling point is that it opens to a 7.6-inch screen with 80% more screen area than the 18 Pro, and Apple says the closed screen has about 90% of the 18 Pro’s. (I don’t think that’s accurate) (iPhone in Canada) Even so, MacRumors says that if you mostly message, scroll social media, and take photos, there’s less reason to pay extra, (MacRumors) and Marques Brownlee says most people should skip it. (Dexerto)

Now my opinion, flagged as exactly that. I haven’t held one, so this is my read of the specs and reviews, not a hands-on test. I think the Duo is a two-handed device. Opening it takes two hands, according to 9to5Mac’s reviewer. (9to5Mac) Closed, I suspect the squatter screen has too little room for the apps, shortcuts, and widgets I use to run my day on the go. Many women do exactly that, and for them I think the Duo is juice that’s just not worth the squeeze. And honestly, Apple has some nerve charging $800 more than the 18 Pro for a phone with weaker cameras and no Face ID, but they will still sell a bajillion of them… SMH.

Verdict: Skip it. (This one’s purely my opinion.)

AI Chatbots and Women’s Health: Read the Fine Print

If you’ve ever typed a symptom into a WebMD at midnight, this one’s for you. 😉

Researchers built a Women’s Health Benchmark to test 13 large language models, including the ones from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI, on questions across five specialties: obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, primary care, oncology, and neurology. They reported failure rates of roughly 60% on the benchmark. (arXiv)

Now, before you panic, let’s discuss the caveats. The 96 questions in the benchmark were selected because they stumped models, so 60% is not the error rate for women’s health questions in general. (arXiv) The models tested are also from late 2025, so newer versions may do better. And the researchers point out why this gap exists: women have historically been underrepresented in medical research and clinical trials, which means there’s less data to learn from. (arXiv)

Separate studies in Nature Medicine suggest that when real people use chatbots for health advice, the advice often leads them astray. (NPR/Spokane Public Radio) My rule: use a chatbot to prepare questions for your appointment, not to replace the appointment.

Verdict: Pay attention, but with a grain of salt.

Your Turn

Which of these do you want me to dig into? And have you ever asked a chatbot a health question? Did it help? Tell me in the comments. 💙👇