Consumer Rights

Meta Reverses AI Feature After Privacy Backlash: What You Need to Know If you use Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, you may have heard the recent news: Meta has backtracked on an AI feature that drew widespread criticism over privacy concerns. The decision came after public pushback, including from regulators and user advocacy groups. While details about the exact feature are still emerging, the episode underscores a broader tension between AI development and personal data rights. Here’s what we know so far and, more importantly, what you can do to keep your data under your control. ...

State Privacy, Data Center, and AI Laws: What Consumers Need to Know A growing number of states are passing laws that change how companies handle your personal data, operate data centers, and use artificial intelligence. While no single federal privacy law exists, these state-level rules create a patchwork of consumer protections—and obligations for businesses. Here’s what the latest wave means for you, and how to stay ahead. ...

New State Laws on Data Centers, Privacy, and AI: What They Mean for You If you’ve used a smart speaker, uploaded a photo to social media, or streamed a video in the past year, you’ve interacted with a data center. And you’ve almost certainly used a service that relies on artificial intelligence to recommend, filter, or moderate your content. ...

New State Privacy and AI Laws: What They Mean for Your Data Intro Over the past two years, a wave of new state laws has reshaped how companies handle personal data and artificial intelligence. While Congress continues to debate a federal privacy framework, states from California to Texas have moved ahead with their own rules covering data centers, consumer privacy, and AI transparency. Many of these laws take effect in 2025 and 2026, creating a patchwork of obligations that can be confusing for consumers. This article breaks down the key developments and explains what they mean for your online safety and digital rights. ...

Cutting Through AI Hype: A Practical Guide from the EFF It’s hard to go a day without seeing a headline about some new AI tool that will “transform your workflow,” “revolutionize customer service,” or “solve complex problems instantly.” Behind much of that language is marketing, not evidence. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit digital rights organization, has been tracking these exaggerated claims for years. They recently launched a campaign called “Help EFF Cut the AI Hype,” urging consumers to take a more skeptical look at the technology being sold to them. ...

Meta’s Keystroke Tracking for AI: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Privacy In early 2026, news emerged that Meta had developed an internal tool that records employees’ mouse clicks and keystrokes to train its artificial intelligence models. The tool, initially reported by TechTarget, raised immediate questions not only inside the company but also among regulators and privacy advocates. While Meta has since scaled back the tool’s scope after employee concerns, the episode offers a useful window into how companies collect behavioral data for AI training—and what it means for the rest of us. ...

New Bill Could Require AI Agents to Protect Your Privacy: What You Need to Know If you use a voice assistant, a chatbot for customer service, or any tool that automates tasks on your behalf, you’re interacting with what policymakers call an “AI agent.” These systems are becoming embedded in everyday life, but the rules governing how they handle your data are still catching up. A new draft bill from a U.S. Senator aims to change that, with a focus on privacy and safety. ...

What Companies Should Do to Earn Your Trust in the AI Era: A Privacy Checklist Intro By now, most of us have used an AI-powered tool without knowing exactly what it does with our data. Whether it’s a chatbot on a retailer’s site, a photo-editing feature in your phone, or a smart assistant at home, artificial intelligence is woven into everyday products. But the more AI spreads, the more people worry about how their personal information is collected, stored, and used. Trust in these systems is fragile, and rightfully so. ...

How to Tell if an AI Tool Respects Your Privacy – A Guide for Consumers Every time you use a new AI tool—whether it’s a chatbot, an image generator, or a productivity app—you’re handing over some data. The company behind it might use that data to improve the model, sell insights, or, in the best case, keep it private and secure. With AI adoption accelerating, the question of how companies handle personal information has moved from a niche concern to a mainstream expectation. ...

When AI Governance Lands on Privacy’s Desk: What It Means for Your Personal Data If you’ve used a chatbot, a smart assistant, or even a website’s product recommendation engine, you’ve already touched AI. Now, governments and regulators are catching up. The phrase “AI governance” has moved from technical conferences into lawmaking halls—and it’s landing squarely on the desks of privacy professionals. For ordinary consumers, that shift matters more than the headlines suggest. ...