Digital Privacy

What to Know About Police AI Surveillance—and How to Protect Your Privacy If you live in Sarasota County, your local sheriff’s department has recently added more AI-powered surveillance tools. A story in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune from early May 2026 details how the sheriff’s office is expanding its use of cameras and analytics that can automatically detect and track people and vehicles. The move has drawn criticism from privacy advocates who say the public was not given enough say before the technology was deployed. ...

Your Face, Your Data: What to Know About AI Surveillance in Your Neighborhood In May 2026, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office quietly expanded its use of artificial intelligence surveillance tools, according to local reporting. The move includes a suite of technologies that have become increasingly common in American policing: facial recognition cameras, automated license plate readers, and predictive policing algorithms. For residents of Sarasota—and for anyone living in a city where similar systems are being deployed—the expansion raises a set of practical questions about how these tools work, what risks they carry, and what you can actually do to protect your privacy. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams and Keep Your Money Safe Online shopping has become a routine part of life for most of us. It’s fast, convenient, and often cheaper than going to a physical store. But that convenience also attracts scammers. Each year, fraudsters invent new ways to trick shoppers into handing over money, credit card numbers, and personal information. Government sources like the VA News (.gov) regularly issue alerts about these threats, especially during peak shopping periods. Whether you’re a veteran or not, the advice applies to everyone. This article walks through the most common online shopping scams and the practical steps you can take to avoid them. ...

Title: How to Protect Your Privacy When Police Use AI Surveillance Intro News from Sarasota, Florida, recently made headlines: the local sheriff’s office announced it is expanding its use of AI-powered surveillance tools. While the specific details remain limited, the move is part of a broader pattern. Police departments across the country are adopting technologies like facial recognition, predictive analytics, and drone-based monitoring. For privacy-conscious individuals, understanding these tools — and knowing what steps to take — is becoming more important than ever. ...

Social Media Scams Cost Americans Billions: How to Protect Yourself Fraud is moving online, and social media platforms have become a prime hunting ground. In 2024, older Americans alone lost an estimated $2.4 billion to scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The total losses across all age groups are likely much higher. With artificial intelligence making scams more convincing than ever, learning to spot the red flags is no longer optional—it’s essential. ...

Your Chrome Extensions Might Be Spying on You: How to Check and Secure Them Many of us have a handful of Chrome extensions installed—a password manager, an ad blocker, a note-taking tool, perhaps a grammar checker. They make browsing faster and more convenient. But each extension you add also adds a potential entry point for attackers. Recent reports describe a rise in “supply-chain attacks” where legitimate productivity extensions are hijacked or quietly updated with malicious code, turning them into backdoors into your browser, your accounts, and your data. ...

Social media scams cost Americans billions: 5 ways to protect yourself now Fraud has found a comfortable home on social media. According to Federal Trade Commission data, older Americans alone lost $2.4 billion to scams in 2024, and the total across all age groups runs much higher. Scammers are flooding Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms with fake storefronts, bogus investment offers, and impersonation attempts. Meanwhile, AI tools have made their messages and profiles more convincing than ever. Here is what is happening, why it matters, and what you can do about it. ...

The 3 Best To-Do List Apps in 2026, Tested and Reviewed Every January, the urge to get organized starts fresh. For many, that means picking a to‑do list app. But with so many options, and with new AI features and privacy policies changing rapidly, choosing the right one has become more complicated than just downloading the first free option. ...

Shift’s New Browser Promises Private AI – Here’s What to Know The past few years have made one thing clear: many people no longer trust the default choices for browsing the web. Between data collection, tracking, and the latest wave of AI tools that phone home with your queries, the idea of a browser that respects privacy has become more appealing than ever. Into that gap steps Shift, a company best known for its desktop email and app integration tool, which is now launching a browser it claims puts privacy first — especially when it comes to AI. ...

Shift’s New Privacy-First AI Browser: What It Means for Your Online Privacy If you’ve been following browser news lately, you’ve probably noticed a common theme: companies are racing to add AI features while also promising they won’t spy on you. The latest entry in this category comes from Shift, a company known for its desktop email and app management tool. According to a report by PPC Land, Shift has launched a new browser that it describes as “privacy-first” and built to address the growing trust gap between users and tech companies. Let’s take a look at what’s actually being offered, how it fits into the current landscape, and what you should consider before switching. ...