Data Protection

AI Is Guessing Your Secrets: How Inferred Data Threatens Your Privacy and What to Do You might be careful about what you post online and which apps you allow to track your location. But even if you never share your medical history, salary, or political views directly, companies can now use artificial intelligence to infer those private details from seemingly harmless information—your shopping habits, browsing times, or even the way you type. This practice, known as inferred data, is drawing new attention from regulators and consumer advocates after a recent legal analysis from the law firm Dykema highlighted growing risks for everyday internet users. ...

What Is AI Inferred Data and How It Threatens Your Privacy – What You Can Do You probably know that the websites you visit, the songs you stream, and the groceries you buy online leave a trail of data. Less obvious is what companies do with that trail once it’s combined and analyzed by artificial intelligence. They don’t just see what you bought—they can infer your health status, political leanings, income level, and even your race from patterns you never directly shared. This is called inferred data, and it’s becoming a core part of how many tech companies operate, often without your clear consent. ...

InfoQ Launches AI Security & Privacy Cohort for Regulated Industries: What You Need to Know Intro If you work on AI systems in a regulated industry, you’ve probably felt the tension between moving quickly and staying compliant. Finance, healthcare, and government organizations now rely on machine learning models for everything from fraud detection to clinical decision support, but those same models introduce new security and privacy risks that traditional IT controls aren’t designed to handle. ...

How AI Infers Your Private Data Without Asking—And How to Fight Back You might already be careful about what you post online. You skip location tags, avoid sharing your birthday, and never discuss politics on social media. But what if the apps and websites you visit could guess those details anyway—not from what you tell them, but from breadcrumbs you leave without thinking? ...

What Is AI-Powered Inferred Data and Why It’s a Growing Privacy Risk Over the past year, a quieter but significant privacy issue has started to surface in consumer technology: the ability of artificial intelligence to infer sensitive personal information from seemingly harmless data. Unlike traditional data collection—where you knowingly provide your name, email, or payment details—inferred data is entirely generated. Companies feed innocuous pieces of information into AI models, which then predict things like your health status, political leaning, income bracket, or even sexual orientation. ...

Meta is training AI on your keystrokes: What it means and how to opt out If you use Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, the way you type is now part of Meta’s AI training data. The company has been collecting keystroke patterns — how fast you type, how long you pause between keys, even your typing rhythm — to improve its artificial intelligence models. After employees raised concerns, Meta scaled back the tool but didn’t stop it entirely. This article explains what’s happening, why it’s a privacy risk, and how you can limit the data Meta collects from you. ...

AI scribes in doctor’s offices: What you need to know about privacy risks If you’ve visited a doctor recently and noticed they were typing less and letting a screen listen in on your conversation, you may have encountered an AI scribing tool. These systems automatically transcribe and summarise patient consultations, saving clinicians time on paperwork. But a recent warning from the Australian government highlights that the convenience comes with real privacy and safety risks that patients should be aware of. ...

Doctors are using AI scribes more than ever – but is your health data safe? A growing number of doctors are turning to AI scribes to take notes during appointments. These tools listen to consultations and automatically generate clinical summaries, saving doctors hours of administrative work. But an official warning from the Australian government suggests that the privacy risks may outweigh the convenience for many patients. ...

How to protect your privacy when your doctor uses an AI scribe Doctors in Australia and elsewhere are rapidly adopting AI-powered “scribes” that listen in on consultations, transcribe conversations, and automatically generate clinical notes. The trend promises efficiency and reduced paperwork, but a recent warning from the Australian government has put a spotlight on serious privacy risks. If you’ve ever wondered whether your medical appointment is being recorded and where that recording ends up, you’re not alone. Here’s what’s happening and what you can do about it. ...

Doctors Are Using AI to Take Notes—What It Means for Your Privacy You walk into the exam room, sit down, and start describing your symptoms to your doctor. A few minutes later, you notice your physician isn’t typing or writing much. Instead, a small device or a smartphone is sitting on the desk, quietly recording the conversation. That recording is being processed by an AI scribe—software that listens, transcribes, and summarises the visit into clinical notes. ...