Online Safety

What the Fireflies.AI Lawsuit Means for Your Privacy When Using Meeting Assistants AI meeting assistants like Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai, and Rev have become common in remote work. They transcribe conversations, summarize action items, and claim to boost productivity. But a recent lawsuit against Fireflies.ai has drawn attention to a less visible cost: the collection of biometric data such as voice prints and facial expressions—often without explicit consent. The case, filed under Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), offers a practical warning for anyone using these tools. ...

Is That Productivity Chrome Extension a Security Risk? Here’s How to Check Introduction If you use Chrome regularly, you probably have a handful of extensions installed. A grammar checker, a password manager, a PDF tool, maybe a tab organizer. We install them to save time and work more efficiently. But recent security research has shown that even popular productivity extensions can be turned into backdoors, giving attackers access to your browsing data, credentials, and more. This article explains how that happens, why it matters for everyday users, and—most importantly—what you can do right now to check your own extensions. ...

Your local police may be using AI surveillance—here’s what you need to know Earlier this month, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office announced it was expanding its use of AI-powered surveillance cameras across the county. The new system, supplied by Flock Safety, adds automatic license plate readers and video analytics to dozens of intersections and public spaces. Facial recognition software is also part of the mix, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. ...

Is Your Chrome Extension Spying on You? How Productivity Tools Become Backdoors You probably have a handful of Chrome extensions you rely on daily—a password manager, an ad blocker, a note-taking tool, maybe a grammar checker. They’re small, convenient, and easy to install. But what if one of them was secretly logging your keystrokes, reading your email, or sending your corporate credentials to a third party? It happens more often than you might think. ...

5 things you should never tell your AI chatbot (to protect your money) AI chatbots are convenient. They can draft emails, summarize articles, help with travel plans, and even offer financial advice. But the ease of conversation can lead to oversharing—and that can be costly. A recent column in The Washington Post drew attention to five categories of personal information that should never be handed over to a chatbot, no matter how helpful it seems. Below is a summary of the advice, along with context on why it matters and what you can do instead. ...

Five Things You Should Never Tell an AI Chatbot About Your Money AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and others have become everyday tools for quick answers, writing help, and even financial advice. Their convenience is hard to beat. But there’s a catch: these tools are not designed to keep your secrets safe. Recent incidents and expert warnings — including a Washington Post column, a Reader’s Digest piece, and a BBC report showing how easily chatbots can be hacked — make clear that sharing certain types of information with a chatbot can put your money and identity at risk. ...

New Google Scam Looks Real—Here’s How to Spot It and Stay Safe A fresh wave of phishing emails impersonating Google is hitting inboxes, and they’re clever enough to fool people who usually know better. The messages mimic official Google security alerts or shared document notifications. The goal: trick you into clicking a link that leads to a fake login page, where your credentials are stolen. Reports from Reader’s Digest and other consumer safety outlets confirm this scam is actively circulating, so it’s worth taking a few minutes to learn the telltale signs. ...

The Hidden Danger in Your Browser: How Productivity Extensions Can Turn Into Backdoors It’s easy to install a Chrome extension that promises to save time – a grammar checker, a tab manager, a password filler. These tools feel harmless, even essential. But the convenience hides a real security risk: an extension can become a backdoor into your system, and a poorly chosen one can expose your employer’s entire network. ...

Hidden Danger in Your Chrome Extensions: How to Spot a Backdoor Chrome extensions make life easier. They block ads, manage passwords, check grammar, and automate repetitive tasks. But that convenience comes with a trade-off: every extension you install gets a degree of access to your browser and the data flowing through it. ...

How Your ‘Helpful’ Chrome Extension Could Be a Backdoor for Hackers You probably installed that grammar checker, tab manager, or coupon finder without a second thought. It looked useful, had good reviews, and came from the Chrome Web Store — so it must be safe, right? Unfortunately, that assumption has become increasingly dangerous. ...