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Is That Chrome Extension Spying on You? How to Spot Dangerous Add-Ons Productivity extensions can make your browser faster and your work easier. But they also come with a hidden risk: some of them are designed to steal your data. Recent reports have highlighted a growing trend where seemingly harmless add-ons are being used as backdoors into enterprise networks. If you have more than a few extensions installed, it’s worth taking a few minutes to check what they’re actually doing. ...

OpenAI Just Released a Privacy Filter – Here’s How It Works and How to Use It On April 22, 2026, OpenAI released an open-source tool called the OpenAI Privacy Filter. It automatically detects and masks personally identifiable information (PII) in documents—things like names, email addresses, phone numbers, and other sensitive data. The tool is designed to help people clean up documents before sharing them or using them with AI services. It’s available on GitHub, can run locally on your own machine, and doesn’t require sending your data to OpenAI’s servers. ...

Is That Chrome Extension Spying on You? How to Spot a Backdoor You probably have a handful of Chrome extensions installed—maybe a grammar checker, a coupon finder, or a tab manager. They make life easier. But a recent report from Security Boulevard (March 6, 2026) detailed something unsettling: attackers have been turning “productivity” extensions into backdoors, especially in enterprise settings. While the report focused on businesses, the same risks apply to anyone who uses extensions on a personal device. ...

Your Chrome Extensions Could Be Spying on You — Here’s How to Stay Safe If you use Chrome for work or personal tasks, you probably have a handful of extensions. A grammar checker, a password manager, a note-taking tool. They make life easier. But a series of incidents over the past year has shown that even popular, well‑rated extensions can be turned against you. Attackers are finding ways to hijack them, and the results range from credential theft to full account takeover. The good news: you don’t have to uninstall everything. A few deliberate checks can dramatically reduce your risk. ...

Beyond the Ratings: How Secure Are This Year’s Best To-Do List Apps? Intro Every January, millions of people resolve to get organized. And every December, Wirecutter (The New York Times’s product-review arm) publishes an updated guide to the best to‑do list apps. Their 2026 round‑up, released in late 2025, named three top contenders based on features, design, and reliability. But if you’re like most users, you probably didn’t ask one question: what happens to my data after I type my tasks into these apps? ...

AI Is Eroding Your Privacy: What You Need to Know and How to Protect Yourself Smart assistants, chatbots, recommendation engines—AI tools have become nearly invisible helpers in daily life. They suggest what to watch, help draft emails, and answer questions instantly. But each interaction often comes with a privacy cost that is easy to overlook. A recent Substack article by Heather Parry, titled “AI’s erosion of privacy,” brings the growing tension between convenience and data protection into sharp focus. Understanding how these systems collect and use your information is the first step to protecting yourself without abandoning the tools you rely on. ...

Stop telling your AI chatbot these 5 things – your bank account depends on it AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot have become everyday tools for drafting emails, summarizing documents, and even getting financial advice. Their convenience is real. But convenience comes with a risk many users overlook: everything you type can be stored, reviewed, and potentially exposed. ...

Here is a practical, useful blog draft written in a natural human style. It avoids hype and sticks to what is known, with clear steps for readers. How to Spot a Dangerous Chrome Extension and Protect Your Data If you are like most people, you probably have a handful of Chrome extensions installed—something for password management, a grammar checker, maybe a coupon finder or a note-taking tool. These small add-ons can make your browser genuinely more useful. But they also come with a risk that many users overlook: an extension can gain access to everything you type, every page you load, and even your files in Google Drive or other services. ...

Protect Your Privacy in an AI World: A Practical Guide The convenience of AI tools comes with a growing privacy cost. Every query you type into ChatGPT, Google Bard, or similar services generates data that companies can use for training, analytics, and sometimes sharing with third parties. A recent piece by Heather Parry on Substack lays out how this erosion of privacy is accelerating as AI becomes more embedded in daily life. Whether you use AI for work, study, or casual exploration, it’s worth understanding what’s happening and how to take back some control. ...

How AI Tools Are Eroding Your Privacy — and What You Can Do About It Intro More apps and devices now include AI features that make life easier—voice assistants, auto-generated replies, smart photo organization, chatbot help. But each of these conveniences comes with a hidden trade-off: your personal data is being collected, analyzed, and often shared in ways that are not transparent. A recent piece on Heather Parry’s Substack highlighted how quickly this erosion of privacy is happening, and it’s a conversation every internet user should pay attention to. This article walks through what’s actually going on, why it matters, and how you can take back some control. ...