Despite growing public awareness and new privacy laws, data broker companies that buy, sell, and aggregate personal information continue to thrive. These firms compile data from credit reports, social media, app usage, and even offline purchases, building profiles that can include thousands of data points per person.

Almost every website now greets visitors with a cookie consent banner, claiming to offer a choice over tracking. But privacy advocates warn that many of these pop-ups are designed not to inform, but to manipulate. Known as dark patterns, these interfaces use visual tricks to steer users toward accepting all cookies, often burying “reject all” options behind extra clicks, small text, or confusing layouts.

Health and wellness apps have surged in popularity, but their privacy practices are often murky. An analysis of 10 top apps — from fitness trackers to meditation and period-tracking apps — reveals that most collect far more data than necessary and reserve the right to share it with advertisers or data brokers.

AI is transforming consumer lending, promising faster credit decisions and greater access. But the reality is more complicated. Many AI-based scoring systems rely on alternative data — utility payments, online behavior, even social media activity — to predict creditworthiness.

Phishing is the practice of tricking people into revealing sensitive information, and has long been a top cyber threat. But in 2025, phishing has entered a new era: attackers are now using AI tools to generate highly convincing and customized phishing messages at scale.

Artificial intelligence tools are reshaping how companies hire — but not always for the better. Across industries, AI-driven systems promise to make recruitment more efficient, objective, and scalable. Yet recent research highlights that these technologies often replicate or even amplify bias rather than eliminate it.

Meta’s standalone AI chatbot has ignited privacy concerns after users discovered their private conversations appearing in the public “Discover” feed. Given sensitive topics like mental health struggles, relationship difficulties, sexuality, and political opinions, many users mistakenly believed their content was private.

A new IBM global study highlights a troubling gap between AI policy rhetoric and real-world governance. Although 80% of executives say AI governance is critical to responsible innovation, only 20-30% have put robust practices in place.

In a significant development within the 2025 federal budget bill, lawmakers have proposed a 10-year moratorium on state-level AI regulation. This provision, supported by major tech lobbying groups and some Republican legislators, aims to establish a uniform national standard for AI governance. Proponents argue that avoiding a fragmented regulatory patchwork will reduce legal complexity and foster innovation and economic competitiveness.