In the news...
- A.I. Is Giving You a Personalized Internet, but You Have No Say in It [nytimes.com]
What’s the cost of a "personalized" internet? "The tech industry’s strategy of forcing A.I. on the masses is at odds with feedback from many users. Americans are generally more concerned than excited about A.I. in their daily lives, with the majority saying they want more control over how the technology is used, according to a survey last spring by the Pew Research Center."
Our own Kamyl Bazbaz, SVP of Public Affairs and Communications, says, "Big companies that have users locked in can get it wrong for a very long time before they ever get fired by a user."
That's why DuckDuckGo’s approach to AI is to provide private, useful and — importantly! — optional AI features for people who want the benefits of AI without the privacy risks.
- TikTok Is Tracking You, Even If You Don't Use the App. Here's How to Stop It [bbc.com]
"TikTok keeps track of everything you do on its app – no surprises there. What's less obvious is how the company follows you around other parts of the internet that have nothing to do with TikTok," warns Thomas Germain for the BBC. "In fact, TikTok collects sensitive and potentially embarrassing information about you even if you've never used the app."
DuckDuckGo's Peter Dolanjski, Executive Director of Product, weighed in: "This is verbatim the playbook that Google and Meta have used over the years. They started collecting small amounts of data and grew that into an empire that has massive visibility into your daily life."
If you’re tired of being tracked online, the piece recommends using a private browser like DuckDuckGo to protect your data, among other helpful tips.
- Disney to Pay $2.75 Million to Settle Alleged Violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act [latimes.com]
"Walt Disney Co. will pay $2.75 million to settle allegations that it violated the California Consumer Privacy Act by not fully complying with consumers’ requests to opt out of data sharing on its streaming services," reports Samantha Masunaga. Read on to see how “the Burbank media and entertainment company allegedly restricted the extent of opt-out requests."
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