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In the year since we launched Privacy Pro, we’ve been hard at work making it even more comprehensive, more powerful, and easier to use. Waiting for the perfect moment to sign up? Good news: you can now try Privacy Pro free for 7 days. Visit our blog to learn more about the improvements, and sign up for your free trial here.
In the news...
- 9 Ways DuckDuckGo's Search Assist Differs From Google's AI Overviews [gabrielweinberg.com]
Search Assist is DuckDuckGo's private, optional answer to Google's AI Overviews. Wondering how different they really are? Our founder and CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, says "our goal with Search Assist is to improve search results, not to push AI." He shares nine ways we're making that happen, including:
- You can turn Search Assist up, or turn it off completely — it's your choice.
- When it does appear, Search Assist takes up minimal vertical space, so you can still easily get to other search results.
- Initial Search Assist summaries are intentionally short, usually two brief sentences. This helps reduce the risk of AI "hallucinations."
"At DuckDuckGo, our approach to AI is to only make AI features that are useful, private, and optional," Gabriel says. "If you don’t want AI, that’s cool with us."
- Google Is Experimenting With Machine Learning-Powered Age-Estimation Tech in the US [techcrunch.com]
The debate around online age verification continues, as Google tests "a machine learning-powered tech in the U.S. to determine the age of users and filter content across all its products accordingly."
"The company said it will consider data from Google accounts, including types of details users have searched for or categories of videos they have watched on YouTube, to determine the age. If the company’s tool decides that a user is under 18, they would get an email with details about how Google products might change for them."
- Should Lyft and Uber Charge More If Your Battery Is Low? California May Soon Ban That
[themarkup.org]
"Should a ridehailing company such as Uber or Lyft be able to charge you more because its artificial intelligence programming thinks you’re desperate since it knows your phone is about to die?"
"Surveillance pricing" is a scary reality that Hayward Democratic Sen. Aisha Wahab Is attempting to fight. "Senate Bill 259 would prevent retailers from using artificial intelligence to jack up prices using the information stored on customers’ phones. That could include the phone’s battery life, whether it’s an older model, what apps are installed, what time of day it is, where its user is located and where they live."
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