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1 in 3 Americans Has Experienced an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s How to Protect Yourself Introduction A new survey from the Pew Research Center brings a troubling number into focus: about one in three U.S. adults say they have been the victim of an online shopping scam. The finding, published in November 2025, lands at a time when holiday shopping is in full swing and scammers are especially active. If you shop online regularly—and most of us do—understanding the scope of the problem and knowing how to avoid it is worth your time. ...

Online Shopping Scams Are More Common Than You Think – Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a deal that turned out to be fake, you’re not alone. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, about a third of Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a large share of the population, and the problem touches every age group and income level. ...

Can Ambient AI Help Classrooms Without Compromising Student Privacy? As schools explore ways to use artificial intelligence to support instruction, a new category of tools is drawing attention: ambient AI. These systems—often voice assistants, smart cameras, or sensor arrays—work in the background, capturing audio, video, or other data to analyze classroom dynamics, track student engagement, or personalize lesson pacing. The promise is appealing: real-time feedback for teachers, early detection of struggling students, and more efficient use of class time. But the privacy risks are equally real. ...

One in Three Americans Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or landed on a website that looked legitimate but turned out to be fake, you’re not alone. New data from the Pew Research Center shows that about a third of Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That statistic is a useful reminder that these scams are not rare exceptions—they are a regular risk for anyone who shops online. ...

How to Keep Student Data Safe When Using AI in the Classroom Intro More classrooms are trying out “ambient AI” tools — voice assistants, smart cameras, or software that tracks attention and engagement. The promise is real: personalised lessons, faster feedback, and less admin work for teachers. But every microphone, every logged keystroke, and every facial movement analysis raises a question many schools are still unsure how to answer: can ambient AI enhance classroom learning without compromising privacy? That question, recently explored in discussions on Conduit Street Blog, is urgent as schools rush to adopt technology that often outpaces their privacy policies. ...

AI Hype Is Everywhere – Here’s How to Spot It and Protect Your Privacy Every few months, a new “AI-powered” product promises to transform your life – a smarter assistant, a faster way to edit photos, a tool that predicts everything from your health to your next purchase. The claims can be impressive, but many are built on more vapor than fact. When companies rush to slap “AI” on a feature, the real costs often land on you: your personal data, your wallet, and your ability to make informed choices. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been pushing back against this trend, urging consumers and policymakers to cut through the hype. Here’s how you can do the same. ...

4 Free Mac Apps That Boost Productivity, Security, and Creativity – Hands-On Review What happened: A recent article on MSN highlighted four free Mac applications that aim to improve productivity, security, and creativity. While the specific apps named in that piece may vary depending on when you read it, the idea of finding capable software without spending money is always worth looking into. I tested four commonly recommended free Mac tools across those three categories to see how they actually hold up in daily use. ...

How to Spot AI Hype and Protect Your Privacy: EFF’s Practical Guide Introduction Every few months, a new AI product promises to revolutionize your life. It can write your emails, edit your photos, or chat with you like a human. The marketing is polished, the demos are slick, and the claims are huge. But behind the hype, there’s often a less glamorous reality: your personal data being collected, analyzed, and sometimes sold. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit digital rights group founded in 1990, has launched a campaign called “Help EFF Cut the AI Hype” to help consumers see through the noise and make informed decisions. This article walks through the practical steps you can take today. ...

Don’t Fall for the AI Hype: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Privacy Introduction Every week there is a new AI tool promising to transform your workflow, your creativity, or your daily life. Beneath the breathless announcements, however, a quieter problem is growing: many of these products collect far more personal data than they admit, and the marketing is designed to make you overlook that fact. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been flagging this pattern for years, and as AI hype reaches new heights, their advice is worth heeding. ...

Don’t Fall for AI Hype: How to Spot Overblown Claims and Protect Your Privacy Every week, a new AI product promises to revolutionize your workflow, make you more creative, or solve problems you didn’t even know you had. The marketing language is polished: “cutting-edge,” “magical,” “human-like understanding.” But beneath the enthusiasm, many of these tools collect far more data than they admit, and the actual capabilities often fall short of the demo videos. ...