Privacy Tips

Is That Chrome Extension Safe? How “Productivity Tools” Turn Into Backdoors You download a note-taking extension because it looks clean, has good reviews, and promises to save you time. A week later, your email account is used to send spam, or worse, someone logs into your bank. This isn’t a hypothetical scenario. Over the past year, security researchers have documented dozens of Chrome extensions that started as harmless utilities and later turned into data-stealing backdoors. ...

Title: Here’s How to Organize Your Digital Records Before Using AI Intro: If you’re about to start using a new AI tool—whether it’s a chatbot, document summarizer, or image generator—you might want to pause and do some housekeeping first. AI tools often process data you feed them, and that data can include sensitive or outdated information you’d rather not expose. The practice of managing what you keep and what you delete, known as records retention, is becoming more relevant for everyday users, not just corporate compliance teams. ...

How AI Is Quietly Undermining Your Privacy — and What You Can Do About It Every time you ask a chatbot a question, dictate a message to your phone, or let a streaming service recommend your next show, an AI system records something about you. These interactions are training data, behavioral signals, or raw text that gets stored, analyzed, and sometimes shared. The convenience is real, but so is the privacy cost. Here’s how that erosion happens and what you can actually do to limit it. ...

How AI Is Quietly Eroding Your Privacy — and 5 Steps to Protect Yourself Every time you paste a question into ChatGPT, ask a smart speaker for the weather, or use an AI writing assistant, you are handing over more than just a query. You are feeding a system that learns from your words, your habits, your mistakes, and sometimes even your personal details. The trade-off between convenience and privacy has never been more one-sided, yet most users are not aware of how deeply AI tools are digging into their data. ...

Your Annual Check-Up for Digital Self-Defense is Here National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) rolls around every March, and while it might not have the fanfare of a major holiday, it’s arguably more important for your financial health. For 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is once again leading the charge, turning a spotlight on the practical steps you can take to guard your money and personal information. Think of it less as a bureaucratic observance and more as your annual reminder to audit your digital safety habits. ...

National Consumer Protection Week 2026: Your Guide to the FTC’s Free Resources Every March, the Federal Trade Commission spearheads National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), a coordinated campaign to help people understand their consumer rights and spot modern scams. For 2026, the FTC has begun its outreach, encouraging consumers to “get ready” and “start planning” to participate. While the full schedule of events and specific 2026 materials are still forthcoming, the agency’s consistent yearly focus provides a reliable blueprint for what to expect and how you can benefit. ...

Your Consumer Defense Playbook for National Consumer Protection Week 2026 Every year, scammers get more sophisticated, but so do the tools to fight them. National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), led by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is a dedicated time to arm yourself with the latest knowledge. With announcements for NCPW 2026 already circulating, now is the perfect moment to understand how you can use this event to strengthen your personal defenses against fraud, identity theft, and digital threats. ...

A Practical Guide from the FTC’s 2026 Consumer Protection Week National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) is more than just a calendar note from the Federal Trade Commission. It’s a concentrated effort to arm everyday people with the knowledge to fight back against the scams and frauds that are increasingly common in our digital lives. For 2026, the FTC is continuing this mission, providing clear, actionable advice that moves beyond simple warnings. ...

Your Guide to the FTC’s 2026 Consumer Safety Advice Another year, another wave of sophisticated scams. As digital life becomes more embedded in our routines, the tactics used by fraudsters grow more convincing. That’s why the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) remains a critical touchpoint. For 2026, the agency has distilled its guidance into clear, actionable advice aimed at helping everyday people build stronger digital defenses. ...

Your Guide to National Consumer Protection Week 2026 It’s that time of year again: National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) is on the horizon for 2026. This isn’t just another calendar note from the government. For a week each year, spearheaded by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alongside a coalition of partners, the spotlight shines directly on empowering you with the knowledge to fight fraud, secure your identity, and navigate the digital marketplace safely. ...