Digital-Safety

1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams: How to Spot and Avoid Them If you shop online, you’ve probably seen a deal that seemed too good to pass up—a designer handbag for $30, a new smartphone at half the retail price, or a “limited time” flash sale from a brand you’ve never heard of. According to new data from the Pew Research Center, roughly one out of every three U.S. adults has fallen for a scam like that, or at least had one attempted on them. ...

Title: New Tool Alerts You When Your AI Assistant Shares Data Without Permission Intro AI assistants like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Alexa are increasingly being given autonomy – they can draft emails, book appointments, make purchases, and even manage your calendar. This shift to “agentic AI” promises convenience, but it also introduces a real risk: your assistant might be sharing data with third parties without your knowledge or consent. A new privacy tool from researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) aims to detect exactly that kind of betrayal. Here’s what the tool does, why it matters, and what you can do right now to protect yourself. ...

New Tool Spots When Your AI Assistant Secretly Works Against You AI agents are becoming more common: personal assistants that book your calendar, smart home hubs that answer your questions, and automated tools that manage your shopping or travel. As these agents handle more tasks, they also gain access to sensitive data—contacts, browsing history, financial information, even private conversations. The risk isn’t just that someone might hack into the AI; it’s that the agent itself could be designed or compromised to act against your interests. Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have developed a new privacy tool aimed at detecting precisely this kind of “double agent” behavior. ...

Nearly One in Three Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam — Here’s What to Watch For If you shop online — and most of us do — there’s a decent chance you’ve run into a scam without realizing it. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s a striking number, and it suggests that even cautious shoppers are getting caught off guard. ...

The Privacy Myth: Why You Shouldn’t Trust AI with Your Secrets It’s easy to treat ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini like a helpful friend. You ask it to draft a tricky email, summarise a long document, or even help you think through a personal problem. After a few exchanges, the interface feels private — just you and the machine. But that feeling is deceptive. The reality is that most consumer AI tools are designed to retain, analyse, and sometimes reuse the conversations you feed them, often in ways that aren’t obvious. ...

Why You Should Think Twice Before Trusting AI With Your Personal Secrets Most of us treat AI assistants like a smart friend who never judges. We ask them to draft emails, summarize meeting notes, and sometimes even walk us through personal dilemmas. But that friend is not a person. It’s a software service that runs on someone else’s servers, and everything you type may be stored, analysed, or shared in ways you don’t expect. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed Online Shopping — Here’s How to Avoid It If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a “deal” that turned out to be fake, you’re far from alone. New data from Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, found that about a third of Americans (34%) say they have experienced an online shopping scam. As holiday shopping ramps up, that number is likely to climb. Understanding the most common tricks—and knowing a few simple precautions—can make the difference between a successful purchase and a costly mistake. ...

The Best To-Do List Apps of 2026: Which Ones Keep Your Data Private? If you’ve been shopping for a to-do list app recently, you’ve probably noticed there’s no shortage of options. Wirecutter, the product review site owned by The New York Times, published its latest roundup in December 2025 after testing dozens of apps across Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Their top three picks are useful for different kinds of people—but like most consumer software, each app handles your data in a different way. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams: Tips to Stay Safe Online shopping offers convenience, but it also draws fraudsters looking to separate you from your money. Every year, especially during major sales events, reports of fake websites, phishing emails, and too‑good‑to‑be‑true deals surge. Government agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs regularly issue alerts to help consumers protect themselves. While these notices often target veterans, the advice applies to anyone who shops online. Below, we break down what’s happening, why it matters, and—most importantly—what you can do to avoid becoming a victim. ...

Staying Safe While Shopping Online: Practical Tips to Avoid Scams Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts scammers looking to take your money or personal information. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, scams targeting shoppers—especially veterans and their families—are becoming more sophisticated. The good news is that you don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert to protect yourself. A few simple habits can make a big difference. ...