Online Safety

This Tool Spots When Your AI Assistant Might Be Leaking Your Data AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google Assistant, and others are becoming more capable—and more autonomous. They can now carry out multi-step tasks on your behalf: booking appointments, summarizing emails, even managing your calendar. But as these agents gain access to more of your personal data, a natural question arises: what stops them from quietly sharing that data with someone else? ...

Canada’s AI Privacy Ruling: What It Means for Your Data In May 2026, Canada’s federal privacy watchdog issued a ruling that could reshape how artificial intelligence companies use personal data to train their models. The decision, published by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC), places new restrictions on collecting and reusing information drawn from public sources, social media, and other online activity. While the goal is to strengthen consumer privacy, critics argue the move sets a bad precedent—one that might hamper AI development without offering clear benefits to users. ...

New Tool Spots When AI Agents Are Spying on You If you’ve started using an AI agent to help with shopping, scheduling, or browsing, you may have noticed how convenient they are. But a new research tool from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) suggests that convenience can come with a cost: some AI agents may be quietly working against your interests, sharing your data, or acting beyond your instructions. ...

Canada Just Changed How AI Can Use Your Data – Here’s What to Know If you use ChatGPT, Copilot, or any image generator that trains on user inputs, a recent privacy ruling in Canada could eventually affect how those services handle your personal information. In May 2026, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) issued a decision that restricts companies from using personal data to train AI models without explicit consent. Here’s what happened, why it matters, and what you can do to protect your data right now. ...

AI Is Outpacing Data Rules—Here’s What That Means for Your Privacy If you’ve used an AI chatbot, voice assistant, or photo editing app lately, you’re not alone. AI tools are now part of everyday life. But according to a recent article in Computing UK, the rapid adoption of AI has “outpaced the data discipline that should govern it.” That gap matters for anyone who shares personal information with these tools—which is nearly everyone. ...

AI Tools Are Outpacing Data Rules – Here’s What That Means for You Using an AI assistant has become second nature. We ask chatbots to draft emails, generate images, analyse documents, or even help with personal decisions. But behind the convenience, a less visible story is unfolding: the rules that are supposed to keep our data safe have not kept up with how fast AI tools are collecting, storing, and reusing that information. ...

How AI’s Data Habits Put Your Privacy at Risk—And What to Do About It Introduction If you’ve used ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini in the past year, you’ve probably noticed how quickly these tools can answer questions, draft emails, or summarize documents. What’s less obvious is what happens to the information you feed them. A recent analysis by Computing UK argues that AI adoption has raced ahead of the data governance needed to keep personal information safe. For the average person, that gap creates real—if often invisible—risks. ...

Practical Tips to Avoid Online Shopping Scams Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts fraudsters looking to steal payment information, login credentials, or even your identity. According to guidance from federal agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, common scams involve fake websites, phishing emails, and deals that are too good to be real. The good news is that a few straightforward habits can dramatically reduce your risk. ...

Your AI Assistant Is Collecting More Data Than You Think—Here’s How to Protect It If you’ve used a chatbot like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or an image generator like Midjourney, you’ve probably noticed how quickly it can answer questions or create content. What’s less visible is how much of your personal data these tools collect in the process. A recent article in Computing UK highlights a growing problem: AI adoption is racing ahead, while the data governance needed to keep it safe is lagging behind. For everyday users, that gap creates real privacy risks. ...

1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams—Protect Yourself Now If you shop online, you’ve probably seen too-good-to-be-true deals or received an email about a package you never ordered. According to a November 2025 survey by Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s not a niche problem—it’s a widespread threat that affects people across age groups and income levels. This article explains what the data shows, why it matters, and what you can do to avoid becoming part of that statistic. ...