Digital Privacy

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. ...

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. ...

Online shopping scams to watch and simple ways to avoid them Nearly one in three U.S. adults have experienced an online shopping scam, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey. That figure—about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them—underscores just how common these schemes have become. Whether it’s a too-good-to-be-true deal on social media, a phishing email pretending to be a retailer, or a fake website that looks exactly like a trusted brand, the risk is real. ...

How to See Through AI Hype and Protect Your Privacy Every few weeks, another AI product promises to transform your work, your home, or your health. The marketing is relentless: smarter chatbots, faster image generators, devices that “learn” your habits. But behind the polished demos, there’s often a less glamorous reality—one that involves collecting more of your data than necessary, making confident errors, and slipping privacy trade-offs into fine print. ...

How to Spot Scam Ads Online and Protect Yourself from Fraud If you’ve ever been served an ad on social media that looks almost exactly like a promotion from a trusted brand—except the URL is off, or the discount seems too good to be true—you’ve seen the growing problem of scam ads. These deceptive advertisements are appearing more frequently across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and even Google search results, mimicking well-known companies to steal money or personal information. ...

How to Spot AI Hype and Protect Your Privacy Every week, a new gadget or app promises to be “powered by AI.” The term is everywhere—from toasters that “learn” your toast preference to customer service chatbots that claim to “understand” you. But behind the buzz, many of these products deliver far less than they promise, and some even collect more of your personal data than you’d expect. ...

Don’t Fall for AI Hype: 5 Questions to Ask Before Trusting a New AI Tool Every week brings another announcement of an AI tool that promises to transform your workflow, protect your privacy, or predict your needs. The marketing language is seductive: “revolutionary,” “secure by design,” “state-of-the-art.” But behind the press releases, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is urging consumers to slow down and look more carefully. The nonprofit digital rights group has been tracking overblown claims about artificial intelligence for years, and its message is straightforward: hype often hides real risks to your privacy and autonomy. ...

Worried About Meta AI App Using Your Photos? Here’s How to Protect Your Privacy Recent reports have raised questions about how Meta AI handles photos uploaded through Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Users have noticed that the company’s AI features may automatically access images for training and enhancement purposes, sometimes without a clear opt‑out. If you want to keep your personal photos private, the following guide explains what Meta AI does with your images and how to limit or revoke access. ...

How to Cut Through AI Hype: A Practical Guide for Everyday Users Every few months, another AI product promises to revolutionize your life. It will write your emails, edit your photos, manage your calendar, and maybe even make you breakfast. But beneath the breathless headlines and sleek marketing, the reality is often more mundane—and sometimes more troubling. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit that has defended digital rights for decades, is asking consumers to help cut through the noise. Their message is simple: don’t let hype distract you from the actual risks and limitations of today’s AI tools. ...

Cut Through the AI Hype: EFF’s Guide to Separating Fact from Fiction Every week, another product claims to be “powered by AI”—from toasters that recommend recipes to chatbots that promise to be your therapist. The word “intelligence” gets thrown around so loosely that it’s easy to assume anything labeled AI must be cutting‑edge. But behind the marketing, many of these tools come with serious privacy trade‑offs, unclear data practices, and performance that rarely matches the promises. ...