SIDNEY HENDELMAN: Oh, Dev’s Guides are the best study guides out there. They just make everything really clear and easy to understand. I use them for homework, and then, on a test, I can just, like, picture the way it looks on the Dev’s Guide, and remember the information.
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Anchor and Sidney Hendelman at his Home
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ANC: Have your grades gone up since you started using Dev’s Guides?
SIDNEY: Oh, for sure. See this B+ on my last math test? I used to get Cs most of the time. My parents were going to get me a tutor, but someone told them about Dev’s Guides, and we decided to try that first. And then my friend Anaya actually had a tutor, and the tutor explained stuff to her using a Dev’s Guide!
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Anchor and Dev Walking on JHU Campus
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ANC voiceover: Dev Joshi-Zachariah plans to continue to run and grow DevsGuides.com for as long as he can while still keeping up with his own studying. Once he graduates from Johns Hopkins, he might work on the business full-time. He says he has ideas for other ways to grow, like expanding into college-level guides or maybe SAT and ACT prep. But for now, it’s enough to balance being an entrepreneur and being a college student himself.
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Anchor and Dev in his Room
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ANC: What’s your best-selling study guide?
DEV: It’s interesting. Science is the most popular subject, with math a close second. Those are the most popular subjects, by far. But in terms of individual study guides, the single best seller, no contest, is my guide to Romeo and Juliet.
ANC: For real?
DEV: Yeah, man. I don’t know why. Maybe because a lot of teens have to read it, or maybe because they have a hard time understanding it. Maybe it’s just a good guide.
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Image of Romeo and Juliet Guide
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ANC voiceover: Or maybe middle and high schoolers just can’t resist a good love story.
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Anchor on Camera
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ANC: Thanks for tuning in to our first episode in our new series on local entrepreneurs. I’m Ashley Simon-Hockheimer, and this is The Underground News.
CHAPTER 16
Rivals Clash Under the Stars
That Sunday night was the start of the Jewish new year, a holiday called Rosh Hashanah. In Baltimore, that meant it was time for Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars. Ash usually dreaded going to synagogue, since it required dressing up, sitting quietly, and waiting until the service was over to eat crumbly, flavorless cookies. But she loved Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars. It was outside in a huge park with a small playground and an enormous hill. Everyone wore jeans and sweatshirts and brought a picnic dinner to eat before and throughout the prayers. The stage with the rabbi was broadcast on a huge screen, like at an Orioles game. There were people directing traffic in the parking lot like at an Orioles game too; Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars was that popular.
“Everyone has to hold something,” Dad said when they got out of their minivan. “I’ve got the blankets.”
“I’ll hold the sushi,” said Ash, slipping the bag of takeout onto her wrist.
“I’ll hold Beckett,” said Abba, strapping on a baby carrier, “and the drinks.”
“Hole keys,” said Beckett, taking the car keys from Dad and stuffing them into his mouth.
“No, you won’t,” said Abba, taking them out and putting them in his pocket.
“I’ll hold Bubbe’s hand,” said Sadie, waving at their grandmother, who’d just gotten out of a car nearby.
“We brought dessert!” said their grandfather, holding up a container of brownies.
They were all holding too much to give each other hugs, but they did lean in for kisses and say “Shana tovah,” happy new year, before setting off toward the park.
Ash was always amazed by the number of people at this service. There weren’t many Jewish people where she lived in Federal Hill, so the events downtown were always small, with the same four or five families. But there were a lot more Jewish people in this part of Baltimore, and Rosh Hashanah was a major holiday. Abba pulled up an article on his phone (which, Ash noticed, had an ad for sushi right in the middle) that said there would be more than six thousand people attending this service, a figure so big Ash could hardly wrap her head around it. But she especially couldn’t wrap her head around why, with six thousand people in a giant park, her family ended up putting their picnic blanket next to the one with the only other Jewish sixth grader at John Dos Passos Elementary School: Harry E. Levin.
“Shana tovah,” Dad said to Harry’s mom, Dr. Chan.
“Happy new year,” she replied.
The grown-ups started chatting. Ash busied herself with setting up dinner, hoping to avoid talking to Harry. But Harry came right over to her and started talking.
“Hey, Ash,” he said. “What are you doing for your portfolio?”
“What portfolio?” she asked, arranging the sushi containers in a line.
“Our quarterly portfolio. For school.”
Ash frowned at the spicy tuna roll. The quarterly portfolio wasn’t due for another month, at least. She had more important things to work on before then. “I don’t know,” she said. “Why?”
“Just wondering,” Harry said. He sat down on her blanket, making himself comfortable. Too comfortable, Ash thought.
“I’m going to put all my work in a slideshow with music,” he continued. “I’ve been working on it at home, trying it with different songs. Want to see what I’ve got so far?”
He pulled out his phone and opened the Van Ness Presentations app.
Tracking, Ash thought. If Harry opened his portfolio right now, would that be represented by a little dot on a map at the Van Ness Media headquarters? Would it be added to his unique user profile? Harry E. Levin spent Sunday night at Oregon Ridge Park celebrating Rosh Hashanah. What else did Van Ness Media know about him?
“What are you putting in your slideshow?” Ash asked as she opened small containers of soy sauce.
“All the stuff Mr. Brooks said. Classwork, projects, art. But you’re supposed to give it a personal touch. So I’m going to put really good music in the background, and edit it with, like, quick cuts.” Harry took a pair of chopsticks, split them apart, and starting using them like drumsticks on the side of a sushi container. “I’ve already got some footage of me drumming and anchoring The News at Nine. Let me show you.”
Harry was her rival. He had spied on her in the hallway and stolen her story about Lucy. But it still didn’t seem right that Van Ness Media was spying on him without him knowing. Ash couldn’t let him open the app and not say anything.
“Hang on,” she said. “Do you think the people at Van Ness Media know what you’re putting in your portfolio?”
“What?” Harry looked like Ash had just asked him to pay for all the sushi. “What are you talking about?”
“Like . . .” Ash fumbled for the right words. Maybe she should start at the beginning. “So, I saw the thing about young creatives to watch, and I couldn’t figure out why Van Ness Media picked you.”
She knew those were the wrong words the instant they came out of her mouth, even before Harry’s face confirmed it. But it was too late to put them back in. “That’s not what I—”
“Not what you meant?” Harry interrupted. “Yeah, right.” He scoffed. “What happened to you, Ash? You used to be kind of cool, but this year you’re so jealous of me, you can’t even talk about anything else.”
“What happened to me?” Ash said, incredulous. It was a good thing he’d interrupted her when he did. Had she really been about to try and help Harry E. Levin? “What happened to you? Ever since you became lead anchor, you’ve been mean and braggy and obnoxious.”
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“Whatever,” Harry said, looking down at the blanket. “You’re just jealous.”
“I’m not,” Ash insisted. “I was, fine, but I’m not anymore. I have The Underground News now, and we’re investigating something about Van Ness Media that might be a big story.”
“You’re lying,” Harry said.
“I’m not,” Ash said again. She glanced at her dads to make sure they weren’t listening. They were still talking to Harry’s parents. Even so, Ash leaned closer to Harry and lowered her voice. “Maya and I went to the Van Ness Media headquarters in Harbor East, and we saw something important. It’s way bigger than you and the stupid News at Nine, okay? So don’t worry about me being jealous.”
Harry glared at her, clearly furious that she’d called his show stupid. Ash glared back with slightly less venom, like she knew she shouldn’t have used that word but was too mad to apologize.
“Shana tovah, everyone,” came the rabbi’s voice through the speakers. “We’re going to begin our service in five minutes.”
“We’d better start eating,” Ash’s grandmother said. “Excuse me, Ashley. I’m going to have some sushi.” She took a plate and some chopsticks and began to serve herself. The rest of Ash’s family followed, crowding between the rival anchors and their dueling glares.
“Come here, Harry,” Dr. Chan said from the next blanket over. “Let’s let them eat.”
But Harry stepped between Sadie and Abba to be closer to Ash. “Van Ness Media sponsors my show,” he said quietly but firmly. “And I was their number one news anchor to watch.”
Ash pressed her lips together and her arms to her chest.
“So, if you’re not lying, and there is big news about Van Ness Media,” Harry said, “you’re not going to break it. The News at Nine will get there first.”
CHAPTER 17
Reporters Dig Deep, Break Through
Harry’s threat kicked the Renegade Reporters’ investigation into high gear. Maya volunteered to learn more about how companies track personal data online. Her brother was pleased with how his interview came out, so he was happy to help. Brielle offered to dig into the Van Ness Media software itself. She poked around the apps at school and at home to figure out what, exactly, users agreed to and how their personal information was stored. That left Ash to research Maria Van Ness. She spent the week reading articles, watching interviews, and learning as much as she could about the Van Ness Media founder and CEO.
On Saturday afternoon, they all met at Maya’s house to share what they had learned.
Ash walked up just as Brielle was being dropped off. “I came this close to stepping in dog poo on my way here,” Ash said with a shudder.
“Someone on my street put up a sign that says Pick up after your pet,” Brielle said. “Then the dog pooped right in front of it.”
The door to Maya’s house opened just wide enough for the girls to see Maya’s head. She looked left and right, then hurried her friends inside and closed the door quickly behind them.
“The dog poo bandit is still on the loose,” Ash reported.
But Maya clearly had bigger concerns. “Did you bring your phones?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course,” Ash said, taking hers out of her jacket pocket.
“Turn them off,” Maya said.
“What?” Brielle said, making it very clear that she wouldn’t.
“They’re tracking devices,” Maya said. “Please turn them off?”
“I probably shouldn’t,” Ash said. “My dads want me to leave it on for emergencies.”
“Can you at least turn off the location settings, then?” Maya pleaded.
“Okay,” Ash said slowly, “but I don’t know how.”
“Here.” Brielle took Ash’s phone, moved her thumb around the screen, and handed it back. “I’m leaving mine on, though,” she said, “because this just seems extra.”
Maya was clearly unhappy, but she didn’t argue.
“Maya,” Ash said, “are you okay?”
“Not really.” Maya started walking upstairs. “I’m glad I don’t have a smartphone. This tracking stuff is creeping me out.”
“Um, yeah, we can tell,” Brielle said, following her.
In all the years Ash had been friends with Maya, she’d never seen her this nervous. The feeling was contagious, like a yawn. It made Ash’s legs tremble as she lowered herself onto Maya’s bed. “Tell us what you found out.”
“Yeah, you go first,” Brielle said, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Gum?”
Ash took a piece, but Maya shook her head. She got a notebook from a drawer of her nightstand and joined Ash on the bed. “Basically,” she began, “people are spying on us all the time.”
“That’s what your brother showed you guys, right?” Brielle said, unimpressed. “That companies track what everyone does online, and they use it to make detailed profiles about people?”
“Yes, but there’s so much more,” Maya said. “The GPS in your phone knows that you went from your house to my house just now, and so do any apps that have access to your location—that’s why I said to turn it off. If any apps have access to your microphone, they could be recording what we say right now, without us knowing. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t have a smartphone, like me. Smart speakers do it too. And there are cameras in public places and in smart doorbells recording people, and then facial recognition software can tell you who those people are.”
“Let’s use that footage to catch the dog poo bandit!” Ash joked, trying to lighten the mood.
But Maya kept it heavy. “Every single thing you do is being recorded, everywhere. Like, when you’re inside a store, there are these things called ‘Bluetooth beacons’ that interact with your phone to track what you do, even if your Bluetooth is off! Like, if you spend a long time by the potato chips, you might start seeing ads for potato chips.”
Brielle tapped her hands on the floor. “I was in the supermarket with my granddad yesterday, and he couldn’t decide which yogurt to buy, regular or Greek. Then, when we were waiting to check out, he all of a sudden got a coupon for Greek yogurt on his phone!”
“For real?” Ash asked.
“Mm-hmm. We thought it was a crazy coincidence.”
“Did you buy Greek yogurt?” Maya asked nervously.
“Yeah! We had regular in the cart, but I ran back to switch it so we could use the coupon.”
This was too much for Maya. Her body deflated like a balloon until she was lying flat on her back, her hands over her face.
“It could have just been a crazy coincidence,” Ash tried, chewing her gum slowly.
Maya shook her head behind her hands. “It wasn’t.”
“Well,” Brielle said, “it is a little creepy, but it’s also good. I mean, my dad wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without GPS. And my granddad saved a dollar on that yogurt.”
Maya peeked through her fingers. “A dollar? You’ll let companies track your every move for one dollar?”
“They’re not tracking my every move,” Brielle said, rolling her eyes. “Well, I actually don’t really know, because I tried to read the privacy policy for Van Ness Movie Maker, and it was impossible to understand. It was like one of those reading comprehension tests, only ten times longer, and a million times harder.” Brielle took out her phone—which made Maya wince—and pulled up a file she’d saved. “Like, listen to this. It’s on page thirteen, which isn’t even the last page.” She placed her gum on her pinky and then began to read. “ ‘In respect of processing of Personal Data detailed in this Privacy Policy, such processing is necessary for the purposes of a legitimate interest pursued by Van Ness Media, and we have assessed that such interests are not overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the persons to whom the Personal Data relates.’ I mean, huh?”
The looks on Ash’s and Maya
’s faces expressed the same reaction. Ash had no idea what that meant. She asked for Brielle’s phone and reread that paragraph to herself a couple times. “Legitimate interest pursued by Van Ness Media,” she mumbled.
“Legitimate was one of our spelling words last year,” Maya remembered. “It means valid, reasonable, or fair.”
Ash read the sentence to herself again. “So, I think this means that Van Ness Media can use our personal data for whatever they decide is a good reason.”
“Whatever they decide is a good reason,” Maya repeated. “We get no say.”
“Well, we sort of do,” Brielle pointed out, putting her gum back in her mouth. “We have to click the box to accept the terms and conditions when we sign up for the program or app.”
“Oh,” Ash said. “Is that what that’s for?” Whenever she wanted to use something new on her computer or phone, a screen would pop up with a long document in small type. She always just scrolled to the bottom of it and hit the accept button without reading any of it. Sometimes there was no document, just a link to one, and Ash always hit accept without bothering to click the link. “What happens if you don’t click the box to accept?” she asked Brielle.
Brielle shrugged. “Then you can’t use the app.”
“See? That’s unfair,” Maya said. “It’s all or nothing. Either you let them collect your personal information and do whatever they want with it, or you can’t use the app at all.”
“Good point,” Ash agreed. “They get to make the rules. If there were a button that let you use the app without giving up your personal information, I bet a lot of people would click it. What do the companies use our information for, anyway?”
“Ads, mostly,” Maya said hopelessly.
“Honestly?” Brielle said slowly. “I don’t see why that’s so bad.”
Maya stared at her like she’d said she didn’t see why drowning kittens was so bad.
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