What do you think of when you hear the term “wearable technology?” Smart watches, fitness trackers and Bluetooth headsets? All good examples, but the term is expanding. Now it could mean a denim jacket from Levi’s and Google that allows wearers to pair the clothing with a smartphone. That may sound harmless, but wearable tech can also be a risk to your security and privacy. Marketplace’s Jon Gordon spoke with Amanda Parkes, a fashion technologist with the Future Tech Lab, about some of the new technology that might be making its way into your closet and why you may want to handle it with care.

Apple might be getting in the chip business. Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Apple plans to replace Intel processors in Mac computers with microchips of its own. The move would stem from Apple’s strategy of making all of its devices — like Macs, iPhones and iPads — work more like each other and more seamlessly. Marketplace Tech host Jon Gordon spoke with Dwight Silverman, the tech editor at the Houston Chronicle, about what’s behind the move. 

There is a lot of junk in space. And there looks to be more coming as private companies send more satellites into low-Earth orbit. Last week, SpaceX got conditional approval from the Federal Communications Commission to launch more than 4,000 satellites. Marketplace Tech host Jon Gordon speaks with Marcia Smith, editor at SpacePolicyOnline.com, about what happens when all those satellites — new and old — eventually stop working. 

Your internet service provider is watching you. At least, it’s watching where you go on the web and selling that data to third parties. There were regulations dealing with the issue for a few months, but the Trump administration did away with them. If you want to obscure your web activity, you can use something called a virtual private network, but they’re expensive and a little shady. Now the internet company Cloudflare says it’ll keep your information away from your ISP. Marketplace Tech host Jon Gordon spoke with Travis LeBlanc, a former Federal Communications Commission regulator, about how Cloudflare’s service works. 

A ransomware attack in Atlanta affected city services including the court system, first responders and utilities. Attackers demanded a ransom of $50,000, which the city refused to pay. It made us wonder: Just how vulnerable are American cities to ransomware? Marketplace’s Jon Gordon talks about it with Chester Wisniewski, a principal research scientist at security firm Sophos in Canada.

Tech companies know a lot about us — a lot more than we realize. The recent scandal involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica shined a spotlight on this issue and the lack of control we have over how companies track us online. But it’s not just what social networks know about us that can be problematic. People-finder sites, like Spokeo, amass and sometimes sell our info. Marketplace Tech host Jon Gordon spoke with Gennie Gebhart of the Electronic Frontier Foundation to find out how much of yourself you can realistically scrub from the internet.  

A self-driving Uber car struck and killed a pedestrian last week in Arizona. The state, which welcomed autonomous vehicle testing with the promise of little regulation, has suspended Uber’s Arizona operations. Uber had already voluntarily stopped all self-driving activities after the accident. Marketplace Tech host Jon Gordon spoke with reporter Jimmy Jenkins of public radio station KJZZ in Tempe, Arizona, to take a second look at how self-driving cars will be regulated.

The most profitable part of Amazon’s business has nothing to do with retail. A huge chunk of the internet is powered by Amazon Web Services, ranging from Pinterest to Buzzfeed to Netflix. The thing is, cloud computing is hard, and lots of companies are turning to Amazon to make it happen. But what are the downsides? Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks about it with Lily Hay Newman, who covers security for Wired.

Facebook’s data collection habits have been an eye opener for many in the past few weeks, with users learning how little control they have over their data. And Facebook isn’t just collecting data to figure out who you are, but also who you know and who your friends know. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Kashmir Hill, who covers privacy and tech for Gizmodo, to explain the so-called shadow profiles on Facebook.