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What the New Studies on AI-Powered Police Reports Mean for Your Privacy Over the past year, a growing body of research has questioned the reliability of artificial intelligence tools used by law enforcement to generate police reports and identify suspects. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has published several reports documenting how these systems can produce inaccurate results, with real-world consequences that include wrongful arrests and eroded digital privacy. If you live in a jurisdiction where police use AI, it is worth understanding what these studies found and what you can do to protect your rights. ...

AI-Assisted Police Reports Under Fire: New Studies Highlight Errors and Bias Police departments across the country are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to draft incident reports and assist with investigations. The promise is simple: save time, reduce paperwork, and increase efficiency. But a growing body of research—including recent studies by the American Civil Liberties Union—suggests the technology is far from reliable. Early findings indicate that AI-assisted police reports contain notable error rates and may embed existing biases, raising serious questions about fairness and accuracy in the criminal justice system. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams and Stay Safe: A Practical Guide Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts scammers looking to steal your money or personal information. The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued several warnings about scams that target shoppers, particularly veterans and their families. With seasonal sales and year-round deals, knowing how to identify a fake offer can save you time, money, and identity headaches. ...

AI-Generated Police Reports: Why Studies Are Questioning Their Reliability and What That Means for You Law enforcement agencies across the United States are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence tools to help write police reports. These systems promise to save time and reduce paperwork, but a growing body of research—including a new study from the American Civil Liberties Union—raises serious questions about their accuracy, fairness, and impact on citizens’ privacy. ...

Online shopping scams are getting smarter — here’s how to protect yourself Every time you type your credit card number into a shopping site or click a link in a “deal alert” email, you’re making a bet that the person on the other end is legitimate. Most of the time, that bet works out fine. But online shopping scams are becoming more sophisticated, and even cautious shoppers can get tripped up. ...

Why Experts Are Questioning AI-Powered Police Reports — and What It Means for Your Rights Police departments across the United States are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to write incident reports. The idea is simple: save time, reduce paperwork, and let officers focus on patrol. But new research from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) suggests that these AI-assisted reports come with serious downsides—inaccuracies, built-in bias, and a surprising lack of accountability. ...

How Privacy Tech Can Make AI Safer for You: What the GAO Report Means Intro If you’ve used ChatGPT, an AI photo editor, or a health symptom checker, you’ve probably wondered: what happens to my data? A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that the answer may lie in a set of tools collectively called privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs). The report, published May 20, 2026, and covered by MeriTalk, argues that PETs are essential for making AI adoption safe—not just for organizations, but for the people whose data feeds these systems. ...

New GAO Report: How Privacy Tech Can Keep You Safe When Using AI If you’ve used a chatbot, an AI image generator, or even your phone’s autocorrect, you’ve traded some of your data for that convenience. How much, and where it ends up, isn’t always clear. A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that a set of privacy technologies could help tip the balance in favor of consumers—making it possible to use powerful AI without handing over the keys to your personal information. ...

How to spot and avoid online shopping scams: tips from VA.gov Online shopping has become part of daily life, but it has also opened the door for scammers looking to steal money and personal information. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regularly publishes warnings and practical advice to help veterans and their families — and really, anyone — stay safe when shopping online. The guidance from VA News covers the most common tricks fraudsters use and how to avoid them. Because scammers constantly adjust their tactics, it’s worth reviewing the basics regularly. ...

GAO Report: Privacy Tech Can Make AI Safer — Here’s What That Means for You Every time you ask an AI chatbot a question or let a voice assistant schedule a meeting, you’re handing over data. How that data is stored, used, and shared isn’t always clear. A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirms what many privacy researchers have been saying: the best way to protect users during the rapid adoption of AI is to build privacy protections directly into the technology. ...