Technology
Tech folklore and internet facts
Myth
A missed call from a +91 number cannot be a scam if it looks local
Myth
UPI collect requests are safe to accept if the name matches your niece
Myth
Truecaller name means the person is verified by the government
Myth
KYC PDFs forwarded in a family group are always from RBI
Myth
Aadhaar numbers should be posted on WhatsApp to unlock a government gift
Uncertain
Jio or Airtel towers cause the village crop to fail by themselves
Myth
A cheap Chinese phone cannot have malware if the box is sealed
Myth
IRCTC waits on a third-party WhatsApp agent with extra tatkal slots
Myth
Paytm or GPay gold schemes in a forwarded PDF are always official
Myth
You should share your OTP so the bank can cancel a fraud they just called about
Myth
A swollen phone battery is a personality quirk
Myth
You can puncture a swollen pack to let the gas out
Myth
A space heater is fine on a rug under a desk unattended
Myth
Extension cords are rated for any space heater
Myth
A power strip cannot be a fire hazard if it has a switch
Partly true
USB juice jacking is a myth
Partly true
A borrowed charger cannot carry data
Partly true
Guest mode is the same as a factory-new machine
Myth
A wind turbine on a moving car is free energy
Myth
A taped webcam means you are invisible to every mic
Partly true
Smart speakers are off when they show a pretty clock
Uncertain
A wifi pineapple on the kitchen counter is just fruit
Partly true
Aluminum foil on the router aims the wifi like a dish reliably
Myth
A copper wrap around a phone boosts signal
Myth
Magnets in the wheels can push a car without energy input
Myth
Water-fueled cars were suppressed by oil companies as a finished product
Myth
Perpetual motion hubs will be in next year's model
Uncertain
Dashcams always get you fired
Myth
You should store spare Tesla-sized packs in a sealed hot closet
Myth
Lithium batteries like ovens and dashboards
Myth
DC fast charging once will brick the pack
Myth
You cannot charge an EV in the rain
Partly true
Hybrid batteries are a $20,000 surprise on every car at 40,000 miles
Partly true
Regenerative braking means you never change brake pads
Myth
A bigger home charger always charges faster than the car can take
Myth
Solar on the roof of a car can power highway driving easily
Myth
Incognito on a shared computer hides you from the next user completely if you forget to close the tab
Myth
You should shake a laser printer like a ketchup bottle to fix streaks
Myth
Inkjet printers are happiest sitting unused for a year
Myth
3D printers print working kidneys at home now
Myth
A QR menu cannot be a phishing page
Myth
NFC tap-to-pay broadcasts your PIN to the room
Partly true
Contactless cards can be drained by a stranger in the next car through a tunnel
Myth
A Faraday bag is required for every grocery run
Myth
Smart keys cannot be relay-attacked
Myth
Radar detectors make you invisible to police
Myth
Laser jammers are a harmless prank
Myth
A bigger spoiler makes a family sedan downforce like an F1 car
Myth
Underglow is a performance upgrade
Partly true
Loud exhaust adds horsepower you can measure on a napkin
Partly true
Nitrogen in tires is a magic gas that cannot leak
Myth
You should top off the gas tank until the pump clicks five more times
Myth
Premium fuel cleans a regular-fuel engine as a monthly treat
Myth
Octane is a power additive like sugar in gas
Partly true
Hot water in the washer fluid keeps you safer in winter
Myth
You can mix any coolant colors because they are just dye
Myth
Brake fluid is the same as power-steering fluid
Myth
A spare donut tire is fine at highway speed for a road trip week
Partly true
TPMS means you never need a gauge
Myth
Alignment is only for people who hit curbs on purpose
Myth
You can fix a cracked windshield with toothpaste as a legal repair
Partly true
Headlight restorers last as long as new lenses forever
Myth
LED headlights are illegal everywhere
Uncertain
A phone mount on the dash is always illegal
Partly true
Voice texting is not driving distracted
Myth
Autopilot means you can nap
Myth
Over-the-air car updates cannot change how the car brakes
Myth
An EV cannot use a car wash
Partly true
You must precondition a heat-pump EV or it will not move in winter
Myth
Level 1 charging ruins an EV battery
Myth
WEP is fine if your password is long
Myth
Guest Wi-Fi is pointless at home
Partly true
IoT devices should all live on the main LAN with the laptops
Myth
A strong magnet will wipe a modern phone from your pocket
Myth
X-ray airport machines erase your laptop drive
Partly true
You must eject a USB stick or the files are always destroyed
Myth
Formatting a drive once with a quick format meets legal destruction standards
Myth
Buffering means your internet is broken forever
Myth
The best Wi-Fi is always the highest channel number
Myth
Hiding your Wi-Fi name makes it invisible to attackers
Myth
Tor makes you a superhero in every jurisdiction
Myth
Once you post online you can always delete it everywhere
Myth
Social networks show you everything your friends post in order
Myth
If it is on the internet it must be true
Partly true
Wikipedia can never be used because anyone can edit it
Myth
Google's first result is always the best answer
Partly true
Incognito plus a VPN plus a new email means the ads stop knowing you
Myth
Clearing cookies deletes your entire government file
Partly true
Your phone is listening to every word to serve one ad for shoes
Partly true
Bluetooth drains the battery even when nothing is connected, always by 80%
Myth
5G causes COVID-19
Myth
5G is a mind-control ray
Uncertain
Wi-Fi routers cause cancer at home like a tiny reactor
Partly true
You should stand far from a microwave or it will cook your organs
Myth
Smart meters are secretly broadcasting your conversations
Myth
Electric cars will all brick when it rains
Myth
Electric cars are worse for the climate than gasoline in every country
Myth
Self-driving cars are fully solved and never need a driver
Myth
Cruise control is the same as autopilot on a highway forever
Partly true
ABS makes it safe to slam brakes on ice without steering care
Myth
Four-wheel drive means you can stop shorter on snow
Myth
Premium gas gives every economy car extra horsepower
Myth
Idling warms the engine better than driving gently
Myth
You should change oil every 1,000 miles no matter what the maker says
Myth
Bigger tires always make a car faster
Partly true
Diesel engines cannot be clean in any sense
Partly true
Hybrid cars do not use gasoline on the highway
Myth
A bigger phone battery pack that gets very hot is a good bargain
Myth
Any USB cable is the same as any other
Myth
Lightning vs USB-C is only about the shape, never the chips
Myth
Wireless charging is magic with no energy loss
Myth
A screen protector makes a phone unbreakable
Myth
Waterproof ratings mean you can take a phone scuba diving forever
Myth
Restarting a computer is a superstition
Myth
The Recycle Bin is a secure wipe
Myth
Incinerating a hard drive is the only way anyone deletes files
Myth
SSDs cannot fail because they have no moving parts
Myth
RAID is a backup
Partly true
The more RAM you have, the faster every old laptop becomes
Myth
You need a discrete GPU to send email
Myth
Mining Bitcoin with a laptop is a good side hustle in 2026
Myth
Cryptocurrency is completely anonymous
Myth
NFTs always include the copyright of the image
Myth
The blockchain cannot be used for anything dumb
Myth
AI chatbots understand like a person and never bluff
Myth
If an AI says it with confidence, it checked a database
Myth
AI art has no energy or data cost
Myth
Captchas prove you are a good person
Uncertain
Robots will take every job next month
Myth
The first computer was a 1990s beige box
Myth
The internet and the web are the same word for the same thing
Myth
Email is instant and never delayed
Myth
Reply-all is a victimless click
Myth
Bcc is a good place to hide a secret from the server
Myth
A PDF cannot have malware
Myth
QR codes are always safe because they are just pictures
Myth
Smart TVs do not have microphones or tracking
Myth
Turning a device off at the wall is the same as sleep
Myth
Smart bulbs cannot be on a botnet
Myth
Your printer is a simple appliance with no security story
Partly true
Factory reset removes every hidden account token
Myth
Open source means no one is responsible and it is always insecure
Myth
Closed source means hackers cannot find bugs
Partly true
The dark web is only criminals
Myth
End-to-end encryption means the company can read the plaintext anytime
Myth
A screenshot is a legally binding signature
Partly true
Deepfakes are always easy to spot by looking at the hands
Myth
You can trust a viral video because it has a lot of views
Partly true
Old phones become slow only because companies hate you
Myth
A factory-new battery will stay at 100% health for five years of fast charging in a hot car
Myth
You need to defrag an SSD weekly
Myth
More RGB lights make a PC faster
Myth
Overclocking is free performance with no extra heat
Myth
A screen's refresh rate does not matter if you cannot see 24 fps film
Myth
8K is required to enjoy a 50-inch living-room TV from the couch
Partly true
HDR means the picture is just more saturated
Partly true
Streaming always uses less data than a download of the same film
Myth
Incognito mode makes you anonymous on the internet
Myth
Files in the cloud cannot be lost
Myth
The cloud is a fluffy warehouse in the sky
Myth
Updates exist only to ruin your workflow
Myth
Ransomware is a myth used to sell software
Myth
Antivirus means you can click any attachment
Myth
If a site has a padlock, phishing is impossible
Partly true
SMS codes are the strongest 2FA
Myth
Two-factor authentication is only for spies
Myth
Security questions like your first pet are unguessable
Myth
Changing your password every week to Password2 is good hygiene
Myth
A long password that is a single dictionary word plus 1 is strong
Partly true
HTTPS in the address bar means the site is trustworthy
Myth
Public Wi-Fi is safe if the coffee shop is nice
Myth
A VPN makes you untraceable and unlocks every crime legally
Partly true
Dark mode always saves huge battery on every screen
Myth
Closing all apps on your phone every hour saves lots of battery
Myth
A signal booster app can create bars from nowhere
Partly true
Airplane mode is only for takeoff theater
Myth
Leaving a phone at 100% on the charger all night always explodes it
Myth
You should drain a lithium phone to zero every night
Partly true
Fast charging destroys every battery on week one
Partly true
A higher milliamp-hour number always means a phone lasts two days
Myth
More megapixels always means a better camera
Myth
Opening the case of a PC voids every law of physics
Partly true
Linux is impossible for ordinary people to use
Myth
Macs do not get malware
Myth
A paperclip in the factory reset hole always wipes iCloud too
Myth
Deleting a file instantly vaporizes it off the drive