If you’ve got an iPhone/iPad, and you go into Settings; then down to Safari; then down to Advanced, you’ll see this menu called Website Data…

That’s like a temp-ish storage area for the sites you’ve visited, and many you haven’t but have some presence on your device.

Now, you can go thru those one at a time, deleting the items which are unfamiliar. Or, you can remove all of them at once. And that’s fine. You’ll get a much faster browsing experience amongst other things. And might have to re-login into several sites. Which could be ok, or a pain… depends on your password/passkey use.

And that section of storage that you are like “where is that data stored” if you are low on space, gets a bit easier… a bit.

There’s always been these little crevices in our computers where things happen that you might not be as familiar. It doesn’t make it nefarious. Nor does it make it “magic.” These areas are often the hidden areas of infrastructure holding up the communities and connections you deem valuable. You have every right to be curious about those crevices. Even to look into who has access there that you might be less familiar.

But don’t call the collection of that data intelligent. No more than the section of a closet which has shoes or other clothing you don’t wear as much. Or, a section of a coffee table/desk which has notes, awards, and artifacts from past times. Those crevices are merely a section where work happens - work you might not be attentive to, but it has happened.

Be attentive to all that’s in your pocket/purse/hand. As much as possible. That is where your genuine intelligence is needed.