New Tool Spots When AI Agents Are Spying on You If you’ve started using an AI agent to help with shopping, scheduling, or browsing, you may have noticed how convenient they are. But a new research tool from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) suggests that convenience can come with a cost: some AI agents may be quietly working against your interests, sharing your data, or acting beyond your instructions. ...
1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s What to Watch For If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true ad on social media or received a suspicious text about a delayed package, you’re not alone. New data from the Pew Research Center shows that roughly one in three U.S. adults — 32 percent — say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is a reminder that fraud isn’t something that only happens to careless shoppers; it’s widespread enough that most of us know someone it has affected. ...
1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online — Are You Next? A new survey from the Pew Research Center, released in November 2025, puts a number on something many of us have suspected: online shopping scams are not rare. According to the data, about 31 percent of U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That’s nearly one in three people. ...
Title: How Canada’s Privacy Ruling Could Change What AI Does With Your Data Intro On May 12, 2026, Canada’s federal privacy regulator issued a ruling that may reshape how artificial intelligence companies train their models. The decision, from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), requires businesses to obtain explicit consent before using personal data to train AI systems. For consumers, this means your social media posts, browsing habits, and even public comments could soon be off-limits for training unless you actively opt in. The move is already drawing both praise from privacy advocates and criticism from innovation-focused groups like the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). Here’s what happened, why it matters, and how it may affect you. ...
How to Spot Fake Prom Dress Websites: A Scam Alert for Online Shoppers If you’ve started shopping for prom or another formal event, you’ve probably noticed dozens of websites offering dresses at prices that look too good to be true. Recently, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a specific alert about fake prom dress websites targeting shoppers in New York’s Hudson Valley. But this kind of scam isn’t limited to one region. As prom season heats up across the country, fraudulent clothing sites tend to multiply. Here’s what happened, why it matters, and how you can protect yourself—or your money—if you stumble into one of these traps. ...
How Canada’s New Privacy Ruling on AI Training Data Could Affect Your Data In May 2026, Canada’s privacy watchdog—the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC)—issued a ruling that has stirred debate on both sides of the border. The OPC concluded that an AI company may have violated Canadian privacy law by scraping public social media data for training purposes without explicit consent. The ruling has been praised by privacy advocates and criticized by innovation-focused groups, including the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), which called it a “bad precedent.” ...
Shopping Scams Are Surging: How to Spot and Stop Them Before You Lose Money Online shopping has never been more convenient—or more dangerous for your wallet. A recent report from Belarus showed that in a single day, authorities logged 400 scam attempts targeting online shoppers. While that number may seem far away, the tactics used there are the same ones hitting marketplaces like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Amazon every day. Here’s what happened, why it matters for you, and how to keep your money safe. ...
Canada’s New Privacy Ruling on AI Training Data: What It Means for Your Privacy If you use chatbots, image generators, or any AI tool that learns from your input, a recent Canadian ruling could change how those services handle your data. On May 12, 2026, Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner issued a decision requiring AI companies to obtain “meaningful consent” before using personal data to train their models. The move has drawn sharp criticism from some policy experts, who argue it sets a bad precedent that could hamper innovation and create confusion for both companies and users. Here’s what happened, why it’s controversial, and what you can do to protect your personal information. ...
Online Shopping Scams Are Skyrocketing – Here’s How to Avoid Getting Duped Introduction A few days ago, authorities in Belarus reported that consumers filed roughly 400 complaints about online shopping scams in a single day. That figure—surprising even for a country with a relatively small e‑commerce market—reflects a troubling broader trend. Fraudsters are becoming more organized, more aggressive, and more creative in how they target everyday shoppers. Whether you buy from major marketplaces, social media storefronts, or independent websites, the risk is real and growing. ...
1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online: How to Avoid Being Next If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a product that turned out to be counterfeit, you’re not alone. According to a November 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a large enough number to suggest that virtually everyone who shops on the internet either knows someone affected or has been hit themselves. The question is: what can you do to avoid becoming part of that statistic? ...