Account Security

Instagram’s new AI image generator uses your photos: Here’s how to opt out In early July 2026, Instagram activated an AI image generation tool that can pull from public photos on the platform to create new images. The feature went live quietly, and privacy experts quickly raised alarm. As reported by The Guardian and Yahoo Finance UK, the default setting for public accounts is to allow your photos to be used as training material for this AI. If you post publicly on Instagram, your images may now be fed into a system that can produce altered or entirely new visuals that resemble you or your content. ...

Meta’s Keystroke Data: How Your Typing Could Train AI – and What to Do About It If you use Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, Meta has been collecting more than just your likes and shares. Recent reporting shows the company has been gathering anonymized keystroke data—including your typing patterns and mouse movements—to train its artificial intelligence models. The tool was later scaled back after employee pushback, but the episode raises a straightforward question: Should you be worried about how you type being used to teach AI? ...

Is Your X Account at Risk? Privacy Advocates Warn FTC of ‘Serious’ Threat Privacy advocates have formally alerted the Federal Trade Commission that Elon Musk’s X poses a “serious risk to Americans’ privacy,” according to a report from Ars Technica. The complaint argues that recent changes to the platform’s data practices – including expanded data sharing, reduced transparency, and the use of user posts to train AI models – violate past FTC orders and put users at greater risk of surveillance, identity theft, and unwanted exposure. ...

X’s New Privacy Risks: What Changed and How to Protect Your Account A coalition of privacy advocacy groups has filed a formal warning with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about changes at X (formerly Twitter) that they say pose a “serious risk to Americans’ privacy.” The warning, reported by Ars Technica, follows a series of policy and feature updates under the platform’s current ownership. While the FTC has not yet announced an investigation, the filing puts the agency on notice—and gives millions of X users reason to review their account settings right now. ...

Fraud EDU: How to Avoid Social Media Scams and Digital Party Traps in 2026 If you use social media regularly, you have probably noticed that the scams have gotten harder to spot. In 2026, fraudsters are no longer just sending clumsy phishing emails or posting fake giveaway links. They are using AI-generated videos that look and sound like people you trust, and they are baiting users with realistic invitations to events that don’t exist. ...

ChatGPT Gets New Account Security Features: Here’s What to Do If you use ChatGPT regularly, your account likely contains a history of conversations, saved prompts, and possibly personal or work-related information. Until recently, the security options protecting that data were limited. That changed in early June 2026, when OpenAI began rolling out a set of account security controls that bring ChatGPT in line with other major online services. ...

Prime Day Scams Are Real: 9 Tips to Shop Safely and Save Money Every year, Prime Day brings steep discounts on everything from electronics to household goods. It also brings a predictable surge in phishing emails, fake storefronts, and too‑good‑to‑be‑true offers designed to separate you from your money or personal information. If you plan to shop during the event, it pays to know what you’re up against. ...

Don’t Get Scammed This Prime Day: 9 Essential Tips to Shop Safely Prime Day has become one of the biggest shopping events of the year, with millions of people hunting for deals on everything from electronics to household goods. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the busiest times for scammers. Phishing emails, fake websites, and counterfeit sellers flood the internet, all designed to trick you into giving up your money or personal information. The good news is that a few simple precautions can make a huge difference. Here’s what you need to know to stay safe this Prime Day. ...

Prime Day and Father’s Day Deals Are Here – How to Shop Without Getting Scammed Major sale events like Father’s Day and Amazon Prime Day draw millions of shoppers looking for discounts. This year, spending is expected to reach record levels, especially over the long weekend leading into Prime Day. Where there’s money moving fast, scammers follow. Phishing emails, fake websites, and too-good-to-be-true deals surge during these periods. Here’s a practical guide to spotting the traps and keeping your purchases safe. ...

Venmo Finally Fixes Its Privacy Settings—Here’s What Changed For years, sending money through Venmo meant your transactions could be seen by anyone who happened to browse the app’s public feed. That default was flagged as an “alarming” privacy risk as early as 2018, but it took eight years for the company to change course. Now, Venmo is finally making transactions private by default. Here’s what you need to know and how to check your own settings. ...