On August 15, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of 37 state Attorneys General, led by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, sent a letter to Instagram requesting that it make “immediate changes to its newly implemented location-sharing feature, which allows a user’s precise location to be displayed on a
Privacy Tips
Privacy Tip #455 – Match Group Settles with FTC Over Deceptive Advertising
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
If you are a Match.com user, you will want to be aware that the FTC recently announced that “Match Group, Inc., and Match Group, LLC (Match), the owners and operators of online dating services Match.com, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, The League, and other dating sites, have agreed to pay $14 million, permanently stop misrepresenting guarantees and locking…
Privacy Tip #454 – Students Sue Kansas School District Over AI Surveillance Tool
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Current and former students at Lawrence High School and Free State High School, located in Lawrence, Kansas, have sued the school district, alleging that its use of an AI surveillance tool violates their privacy.
The allegations revolve around the school district’s use of Gaggle, which is an AI tool that mines the district’s Google…
Privacy Tip #453 – Proton Launches Encrypted AI Assistant
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Proton AG, a Swiss company that “decided to build a better internet where privacy is the default,” and desires to “build an internet that puts people before profits, create a world where everyone is in control of their digital lives, and make digital freedom a reality,” has launched an AI tool “where every conversation is…
Privacy Tip #452 – Temu + TikTok—Assess Risk Before Downloading
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
We have repeatedly warned our readers about the risks associated with TikTok. We are reminding our readers that the popular Temu app raises the same concerns.
The risks have prompted almost two dozen attorneys general to file lawsuits against Temu, alleging that it is “dangerous malware” that secretly monetizes user data in an unauthorized manner.…
Privacy Tip #451 – Disaster Victims Fall Prey to FEMA Impersonators
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
In the wake of the recent July 4th flooding tragedy in Texas, scammers and criminals are reaching out to victims to take advantage of their vulnerability. Unfortunately, this is not the first-time criminals have used natural disasters to prey on victims.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued a scam alert to warn consumers about…
Privacy Tip #450 – Old Routers Pose Security Risk
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently issued a public service announcement “to inform individuals and businesses about proxy services taking advantage of end of life routers susceptible to vulnerabilities.” When technology reaches its end of life, the manufacturer no longer supports patching the technology, which opens it to vulnerabilities. This has been a long-standing…
Privacy Tip #449 – Scammers Hijacking Websites to Insert Fake Support Number
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Malwarebytes recently reported that it has found scammers hijacking websites of name brands, including banks, software companies, and social media platforms to trick victims into calling a fraudulent telephone number instead of a 24/7 support line.
According to Malwarebytes:
Here’s how it works: Cybercriminals pay for a sponsored ad on Google pretending to be a…
Privacy Tip #448 – Privacy Tips for 2025: A Timely Reminder
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
After writing over 500 privacy tips in my career, it gets a little difficult to find new content to keep the tips relevant and timely. I came across a recent post by the CyberGuy, Kurt Knutsson, that I thought our readers would get some insightful tips from, including up to date ideas on how…
Privacy Tip #447 – Understanding Cybersquatting
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
We are seeing an increase in cybersquatting incidents. What is cybersquatting and how can it affect you?
According to Sentinel One, cybersquatting, or domain squatting, “involves the registration, selling, or use of an Internet domain name in bad faith to profit from the goodwill of a trademark that belongs to someone else.” Cybersquatting spoofs…