When you sign up for a new app or platform, you’re often asked to “agree” to the terms of service and privacy policies. But what does that consent mean, and is it meaningful?

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.

Cybersecurity experts are warning about WormGPT, a black-market AI tool designed for criminals. Unlike mainstream AI models that include content filters, WormGPT deliberately omits safeguards, allowing users to generate phishing emails, malware code, and scam scripts at scale.

In early 2025, TikTok quietly updated its privacy policy for users in the U.S. and Europe. The changes, buried deep in the fine print, outline broader data-sharing arrangements with its parent company ByteDance, as well as unnamed “business partners.” Privacy advocates warn that these updates could expose users to greater tracking, profiling, and potential government access.

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.

AI chatbots have become a daily fixture, from customer support and virtual assistants to AI companions. But behind their smooth conversations lies a complex system that even their creators sometimes struggle to fully explain. This opacity is what many refer to as the “black box” problem in AI: we see the inputs and outputs, but not always the logic in between.

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.

Microsoft has appointed Cari Benn as its new Chief Privacy Officer (CPO), a move seen as a renewed pledge to place privacy and trust at the heart of its global operations.

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.