Posts

How Privacy Tech Can Make AI Safer for Everyone: A New Report Explains A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) could be a key piece of making artificial intelligence safer for widespread use. The report, published in May 2026 and first covered by MeriTalk, arrives as concerns about how AI tools handle personal data have become more urgent. But what does this actually mean for someone who uses ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or any other AI service? This article cuts through the policy language and explains what these technologies are, why the government is paying attention, and what you can do to protect your data right now. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams: Advice from the VA Online shopping has become routine for most of us, but the convenience comes with a persistent risk: scams. Every year, fraudsters invent new ways to separate shoppers from their money and personal information. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published several recent articles warning about these threats, focusing on how veterans and the general public can stay safe. This guide distills that advice into a straightforward set of practices you can use right now. ...

What the GAO Says About Privacy Tech for Safer AI: A User’s Guide If you use ChatGPT, Gemini, or any other generative AI tool, you’ve probably wondered what happens to your data. It’s a fair concern. These services often send your prompts to remote servers, and that information can be used to retrain models – or worse, mishandled. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams This Year Online shopping scams are becoming more sophisticated each year, and they often target veterans and military families who use VA benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs has published several alerts in recent months warning about fake websites, phishing emails, and impostor calls designed to steal personal information and benefit payments. Knowing what to look for and how to respond can save you money and protect your identity. ...

What the GAO’s Privacy Tech Recommendation Means for Your AI Tools If you’ve used a chatbot, voice assistant, or even an app that recommends music, you’ve likely wondered: where does my data go? A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that the answer may soon depend on how well companies deploy a set of tools called privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs). The report, published in May 2026, argues that PETs are not just a nice addition to AI systems—they may be essential for safe, widespread adoption. ...

5 Online Shopping Scams to Watch Out for in 2026 (and How to Avoid Them) Introduction Online shopping scams are not new, but they are getting harder to spot. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has repeatedly warned about fraudulent websites, phishing messages, and payment fraud targeting shoppers, especially around peak shopping seasons. In January 2026, VA News published a reminder to “watch out for scams and stay safe while online shopping,” highlighting how scammers are using more convincing tactics — including AI-generated content — to trick consumers. For anyone buying goods online, knowing the current threats and how to respond can mean the difference between a lost payment and a safe transaction. ...

How Privacy Tech Can Make AI Safer for You (GAO Report Insights) The news cycle around artificial intelligence is relentless, but a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) offers a quieter, more practical take: the building blocks for safer AI might already exist, and they center on privacy technology. This isn’t about government regulation alone—it’s about the tools that can protect your data when you use an AI chatbot, a recommendation engine, or any smart app. Here’s what the report says and why it matters for everyday internet users. ...

Want to Use AI Safely? A New Government Report Points to Privacy Tech That Helps Every time you ask a chatbot a question or use an AI image generator, your data goes somewhere. Often it’s processed on a company’s servers, and sometimes it’s stored or used to train the next model. For consumers concerned about where that information ends up, a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) offers some reassurance—and a roadmap. ...

Privacy Tech That Can Keep Your AI Use Safe: What You Need to Know If you use ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or an image generator like Midjourney, you’ve probably wondered what happens to the data you type or upload. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that privacy-enhancing technologies—often called PETs—could be a practical answer. And for everyday users, the good news is that some of these protections are already available. ...

How Privacy Tech Makes AI Safer: What the GAO Report Means for You A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report argues that privacy-enhancing technologies could be central to making artificial intelligence safer for widespread adoption. But if you are an ordinary user of chatbots, image generators, or voice assistants, you may wonder what that actually means for the data you share. This article explains the key technologies behind the headlines, how they protect your information, and what you can do to choose AI tools that respect your privacy. ...