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Malware Hides in Signed Productivity Apps: How to Stay Safe A new malware campaign called TamperedChef is making the rounds, and it relies on a trick that many users find hard to spot: malicious software that carries a valid digital signature. The attackers are packaging information stealers and remote access trojans (RATs) inside what appear to be legitimate productivity applications—think PDF converters, document editors, or note-taking tools. Because these apps are code‑signed, they often slip past antimalware scanners and the initial caution of users who have been taught that a signed app is a safe app. ...

AI Data Centers Coming to Your Neighborhood? What They Mean for Your Privacy and Security Across the country, a new kind of neighbor is appearing in residential and mixed-use zones: artificial intelligence data centers. These facilities, once confined to remote industrial parks, are increasingly being proposed or built closer to homes, schools, and apartment buildings. For residents, this raises legitimate questions about privacy, security, and who gets to decide what happens next. ...

Meta employees are raising red flags about AI data privacy — here’s what it means for you What happened? Earlier this week, internal dissent at Meta spilled into public view. Employees have warned that the company’s aggressive push to train AI models — including its large language model LLaMA and generative features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — is using user data in ways that lack meaningful consent and transparency. The story was covered by Yahoo Finance, which highlighted both the privacy concerns and the potential investor risks if regulation or public backlash escalates. ...

Beware of Fake Productivity Apps: New Malware Uses Signed Apps to Steal Your Data Recent reports from cybersecurity researchers detail a campaign called “TamperedChef” that distributes information-stealing malware and remote access trojans (RATs) through productivity applications that appear legitimate—and in some cases, are signed with valid digital certificates. For the average user, this is a reminder that even software that passes a security certificate check can still be dangerous. ...

# Meta Employees Are Worried About AI Privacy — Here's How to Protect Your Data If you use Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, your data is part of what fuels Meta’s artificial intelligence systems. This practice isn’t new, but it recently came under sharper scrutiny after employees inside the company publicly raised concerns about how the company handles privacy in AI training. For ordinary users, the controversy raises a practical question: can you stop your personal information from being fed into Meta’s AI models? And if so, how? ## What Happened Reports from early June 2026 detail that Meta employees have openly criticized the company’s data practices related to AI. The criticism centres on a perceived lack of transparency and consent when Meta collects user information to train its language models, image generators, and recommendation algorithms. The backlash isn’t just internal. Several employees have taken the discussion to public channels, arguing that Meta’s current approach risks eroding user trust and could invite tighter regulation. Investor attention has also grown, as privacy controversies often affect stock performance and long-term business stability. Meta’s privacy policy has long stated that it may use public and non-public data for AI development, subject to local laws. But critics say that the way this consent is obtained is vague and that most users never realise their activity — posts, messages, photos, and even metadata — can be repurposed for training. ## Why It Matters to You Even if you don’t actively post much, your engagement patterns (likes, time spent on content, interactions) contribute to the training data that Meta uses to improve its AI. This data can be used to refine everything from content moderation to the chatbots you see. The main issue is consent. While Meta offers some controls, they are not always easy to find, and the opt-out process varies significantly depending on where you live. Regulations like the GDPR in Europe and the CCPA in California give users stronger rights, but in many regions, users have fewer options. The employee backlash shines a light on this inconsistency. It’s a reminder that even if you don’t receive a prompt or a notification, your data may still be in the training pipeline. ## What You Can Do Right Now Depending on which Meta platforms you use, you can take steps to limit how your data is used for AI training. These settings are often tucked away, but they exist. **On Facebook and Instagram** 1. Go to **Settings & Privacy** → **Privacy Center** (or just Privacy, depending on your app version). 2. Look for a section called **Data Use** or **AI Training**. 3. In some regions, you will see a toggle to opt out of data being used for generative AI model training. Turn it off if available. 4. Also review **Activity Off-Meta Technologies** — this controls how your activity on other websites and apps gets linked to your Meta profile. Limiting this reduces the data Meta can collect. **On WhatsApp** WhatsApp is encrypted end-to-end for messages, but metadata and business chats are different. - Open **Settings** → **Privacy** → scroll to **Data Sharing with Meta**. - Here you can opt out of data being shared for certain AI purposes. Note that availability depends on your country and your account type (personal vs. business). **General tips** - Check your privacy settings at least once a year. Meta updates its policies and settings regularly. - If you live in the EU, UK, or California, you have stronger legal rights to object to data processing. Use those rights through the same settings pages. - For users elsewhere, consider using Meta products with the most restrictive privacy settings available. Posting less and using app-specific privacy features (like limiting who sees your posts) reduces the data surface area. One important caveat: opting out may not retroactively remove data already used for training. It usually prevents *future* data collection for AI purposes. The extent of this coverage is not always clear, and Meta does not publicize a full audit trail. ## What to Watch For The employee backlash is unlikely to be the last word. Privacy regulators in multiple countries are already examining how AI companies train their models. Meta’s own internal dissent could push the company to offer clearer controls or change how it communicates with users. In the meantime, staying informed is the best protection. Follow updates from digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation or access now, and keep an eye on Meta’s official blog posts about privacy policy changes. Don’t rely on a single article or a viral headline — these settings evolve, and what works today may change tomorrow. ## Sources - *Yahoo Finance* report on Meta employee backlash, June 2026. - Meta Privacy Policy (current version) and official help pages for data use and AI settings. - Public statements from Meta employees cited in multiple news outlets. - Guidance from digital rights organizations on opting out of AI training data. Note: availability of opt-out settings varies by region and account type. Always check Meta’s official help center for the latest instructions.

A New Malware Hides in Signed Productivity Apps – Here’s How to Stay Safe If you’ve ever downloaded a PDF editor, office suite, or communication tool from a third‑party website, you’ve probably noticed the little blue checkmark that says “Digitally signed by…” It’s meant to reassure you that the software comes from a legitimate source and hasn’t been tampered with. But a newly discovered malware campaign called TamperedChef is exploiting exactly that trust. ...

What to Know About AI Data Centers in Your Neighborhood: Security and Privacy Risks You might have heard that AI companies are building data centers in residential areas, not just in industrial parks. This trend is picking up speed, and if you live near a planned site – or even an existing one – it’s worth understanding what that means for your security, privacy, and quality of life. ...

Meta Employees Are Sounding the Alarm on AI Privacy: What You Can Do to Protect Your Data Recent reports of internal dissent at Meta over how the company handles user data for artificial intelligence training have drawn fresh attention to privacy risks on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. While employee backlash does not always lead to immediate policy changes, it often signals unresolved issues that eventually affect consumers. This article explains what the controversy is about, why it matters for your data, and which settings you can adjust right now to limit exposure. ...

AI in Medical Imaging: A Privacy Risk You Need to Know About Artificial intelligence can now analyze X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans faster than many radiologists. It catches subtle findings that human eyes might miss, and in some cases it can even predict disease before symptoms appear. But the same technology that improves diagnosis also creates new privacy risks for patients. As AI becomes a standard part of radiology, the sensitive data inside medical images is being handled in ways most people are not aware of. ...

How to Spot Signed Malware Disguised as Productivity Apps Most people assume a digitally signed application is safe. That blue checkmark or “signed by” notice in your operating system’s installer dialog suggests the software has been verified and hasn’t been tampered with. But attackers have found a way around that trust. A recent malware campaign, tracked as TamperedChef, uses valid code-signing certificates to make malicious productivity apps look legitimate. Once installed, the software delivers information stealers and remote access trojans (RATs) that can steal passwords, capture screenshots, and give attackers control of your machine. ...