Consumer News: How to make your house disappear from Google Maps

From turkey to stuffing, this affordable bundle covers all the essentialsplus stylish extrasto help you celebrate without breaking the bank.

• Target is offering a full Thanksgiving meal for four for under $20 making it one of the most budget-friendly holiday meals youll find this year.

• The bundle includes a turkey and all the essential sides in one convenient package no guesswork, no picking dozens of items separately.

• On top of the food bundle, Target is also rolling out stylish dcor, seasonal apparel, and gift items to help you host in style (without overspending).

With grocery prices climbing, hosting a Thanksgiving meal can feel like a budgeting challenge.

Enter Targets latest holiday offer: a full meal for four people priced under $20, or less than $5 per person.

Its designed to give families the comfort of a traditional festive spread turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce and more while removing some of the cost and effort.

Even better? Target isnt just thinking about the food. The retailer is backing this bundle with dcor, gifting, and convenience services that help bring the whole holiday table together without the stress of hunting down deals or wondering which side dish to add.

"What I love about Target during the holidays is our ability to help families celebrate in style while spending less and that's exactly what we're doing this Thanksgiving," Lisa Roath, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer of food, essentials and beauty, Target, said in a news release.

"Our under-$20 Thanksgiving meal is priced even lower than last year's, but we're not stopping there. We also have new seasonal sides, stylish table dcor, festive apparel and beautiful greenery and florals. Put it all together and Target's making it an absolute joy for everyone to create an elevated, unforgettable Thanksgiving experience."

Whats included

Heres the full breakdown of the bundle offered by Target (pricing prior to tax):

• Good & Gather Premium Basted Young Turkey (Frozen, up to 10 lb.) offered at $0.79 per pound (same as last years price).

• Good & Gather Russet Potatoes 5 lb. bag.

• Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce 14 oz.

• Stove Top Stuffing Mix 6 oz.

• Heinz Home Style Roasted Turkey Gravy 12 oz.

• Favorite Day Soft French Bread.

• Good & Gather Frozen Corn.
  

All together: the meal is offered at under $20 for the full bundle serving four people.

Additional items

Target is also offering seasonal sides, pies, and entertaining dishes priced at $4.99 each from November 16-29. These include:

• Favorite Day apple and pumpkin pies.

• New Good & Gather sides like Harvest Squash Empanadas, Chicken Pot Pie Empanadas, Mashed Sweet Potato with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar and Vegetables with Parmesan Cheese.
  

Shoppers can choose how theyd like to get their holiday hosting items from Target shopping in-store, store or drive-up pickup, same-day delivery, next-day delivery, or two-day delivery.

New ADT data reveals how theft can shake confidence, disrupt sleep, and erode trust in your community

• Nearly one in four theft victims say they feel less safe in their homes after a break-in, and many struggle to regain peace of mind.

• ADTs data shows that theft can deeply affect emotional well-being leaving 40% of victims with less trust in their neighborhood and 35% feeling helpless or violated.

• Experts say rebuilding security starts with practical steps like home monitoring, better communication with neighbors, and habits that keep your home protected every day.

For most people, home is where you should feel safest.

But when that space is violated whether through a break-in, a porch theft, or even an attempted burglary the emotional fallout can linger long after the locks are changed. According to new data from ADT, the trauma of a home theft can ripple through nearly every part of daily life, from how well people sleep to how much they trust their neighbors.

The security companys data also shows that nearly a quarter of people whove experienced theft say they feel less safe in their own homes afterward. Four in ten report losing trust in their neighborhood, and over a third say the experience left them feeling helpless or violated.

ConsumerAffairs spoke with Jimmy Lin, Vice President of Product Management at ADT, about the hidden emotional toll of home break-ins and what homeowners can do to rebuild their sense of security after the unthinkable happens.

The mental toll of a break-in

Lin explained that many consumers are nervous about home break-ins for the safety of their belongings, but these events can unfortunately have a larger impact than just on your possessions.

From ADTs 2025 Safety Report, we found that break-ins can take away peace of mind, with nearly a quarter of Americans reporting that they feel less safe in their homes after experiencing theft.

Additional data showed that over one-third of those affected by theft said they felt helpless or violated afterward. That emotional weight can last long after the locks are changed or insurance claims are filed.

Prioritize safety at home

While it may be hard to shake these feelings, prioritizing safety at home is how consumers can get some control back.

The best way to ensure youre safe at home is with a security system, which typically includes indoor and outdoor security cameras, door and window sensors, security alarms, and motion sensors, Lin said.

Home security systems are designed to protect your home and property from break-ins as well as other threats like fires and carbon monoxide. Systems with 24/7 professional monitoring add another layer of protection with experts monitoring your system around the clock and responding to any alerts or emergencies immediately. Daily habits like keeping doors and windows locked seem obvious, yet 38% of people always or occasionally leave their door unlocked while at home and 20% leave windows open while away.

Talk to your neighbors

After any breach of home safety, your neighborhood may not feel as safe as it once did. However, Lin encourages consumers to maintain communication with their neighbors, as this sense of community can ensure more people are looking out for you and your family.

When it comes to home and neighborhood safety, lock up, stay aware of routines that leave your home vulnerable, and talk to your neighbors, he said. Being part of a community that watches out for each other can help you recover faster after an incident.

Do not rely on habits that feel secure but are not, such as hiding keys under mats, using fake signs and decoy cameras, or assuming daytime means lower risk. In fact, package theft commonly happens in the middle of the afternoon between 12 PM and 6 PM.

Settlement follows state investigation into streaming privacy practices

• Californias attorney general says Sling TV failed to make it easy for users to opt out of personal data sales.

• The company also allegedly lacked sufficient protections for childrens data.

• The $530,000 settlement requires Sling TV to overhaul its privacy and opt-out systems.

Sling TV LLC and Dish Media Sales LLC have agreed to pay $530,000 to settle allegations that they violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), state officials announced. The settlement resolves a California Department of Justice investigation into how streaming services and connected TVs handle consumer data and opt-out rights.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Sling TV failed to provide users with an easy way to stop the sale of their personal information and did not offer adequate privacy protections for children using the platform.

The proposed agreement, which still requires court approval, includes both financial penalties and strict compliance measures. Sling TV must now implement clear, simple opt-out processes, limit data collection for minors, and improve transparency for parents.

Privacy lapses centered on confusing opt-out process

Investigators found that Sling TVs opt-out process was needlessly complex and failed to meet CCPA requirements. The platform combined cookie preferences with the opt-out feature, which did not actually prevent the sale or sharing of user data.

Consumers were directed to an embedded link leading to a multi-step web form. Even customers logged into their accounts had to manually submit personal detailsincluding their name, address, email, and phone numberto request data protections.

The company also did not offer child-specific profiles that would reduce or eliminate targeted advertising for younger viewers, a key expectation under state law.

Streaming platform relied on personal data for ads

Sling TV operates both a paid subscription and a free, ad-supported streaming service, using viewer information such as age, gender, location, and income to deliver personalized ads. Regulators said the companys advertising model increased the need for strict data-handling safeguards.

Companies that profit from personal data must make privacy a priority, Bonta said in announcing the settlement.

Under the agreement, Sling TV must redesign its privacy settings so that opting out of data sales takes minimal effort and reflects how consumers actually interact with its services. The company must also clearly disclose how childrens data is collected, stored, and used.

Broader crackdown on digital privacy compliance

The settlement is part of Californias broader push to enforce the CCPA across digital platforms, particularly streaming services and connected TV providers that rely heavily on user data.

Attorney General Bontas office has previously warned companies that misleading or burdensome opt-out systems violate consumer protection laws. The Sling TV case signals that regulators plan to hold more streaming and advertising platforms accountable for privacy transparency.

Todays settlement sends a clear message, Bonta said. California consumers deserve control over their personal informationand companies must make that control easy to exercise.

Amazon, Perplexity trade blows over "trespassing" and bullying

• Amazon is suing Perplexity for pretending to be human
• Perplexity says Amazon is bullying its competitors
• It's a fast-developing battle over the use of AI "agents"

Amazon filed a lawsuit Tuesday against AI startup Perplexity, accusing it of illegally accessing Amazon customer accounts and disguising automated browsing as human activity through its agentic shopping feature.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, marks one of the first major legal battles over how autonomous AI agents should interact with commercial websites. It underscores growing tension between major tech platforms and startups building tools that can independently navigate and act online.

Amazon alleges covert access and security risks

In the complaint, Amazon said Perplexitys Comet browser and its integrated Comet AI agent used automation to log in to Amazons site, browse listings, and place orders without authorization. The tech giant accused the startup of covertly accessing private accounts, posing security risks to customer data, and ignoring repeated requests to stop.

Rather than be transparent, Perplexity has purposely configured its CometAI software to not identify the Comet AI agents activities in the Amazon Store, Amazon said in the filing. Perplexitys misconduct must end. That Perplexitys trespass involves code rather than a lockpick makes it no less unlawful.

Amazon added that the automated tool degraded customers shopping experiences and interfered with its ability to deliver personalized recommendations built up over decades.

Perplexity accuses Amazon of bullying competitors

Perplexity, which has grown rapidly amid the boom in AI-driven assistants, has previously rejected Amazons claims, saying the company was using its market power to stifle innovation.

The startup said it had already received a legal threat from Amazon demanding that it block Comets AI agent from operating on its site. Bullying is when large corporations use legal threats and intimidation to block innovation and make life worse for people, Perplexity wrote in a blog post.

The company said its software keeps user credentials stored locally rather than on its servers, and that users have the right to choose whichever AI assistant they trust to handle online tasks. Easier shopping means more transactions and happier customers, the company said, according to a Reuters report. But Amazon doesnt caretheyre more interested in serving you ads.

The battle over AI agents heats up

The case highlights a brewing debate over how autonomous digital agentsAI tools capable of independently performing online actions such as searching, comparing, and purchasingshould be regulated.

Amazon itself is developing similar features, including Buy For Me, which lets users shop across brands within its app, and Rufus, an AI assistant designed to recommend items and manage shopping carts.

Perplexitys Comet browser represents a new generation of AI-enhanced interfaces designed to handle everything from writing emails to completing purchases. But as companies like Amazon tighten control over their ecosystems, questions about transparency, data access, and fair competition are moving from the engineering lab to the courtroom.

Whats next

Amazon is asking the court to bar Perplexity from using automated agents to access its site and to require the company to disclose how its system interacts with user accounts.

The outcome could set a precedent for how AI agents are allowed to interact with major online platformsa decision that may shape the future of automated web browsing and digital commerce.