Work Advice: How to keep workplace tech off your personal phone
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Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Leaked ChatGPT Conversations Show People Asking the Bot to Do Some Dirty Work
This should go without saying, but ChatGPT is not a confidant. That has not stopped people from asking the chatbot deeply personal questions, giving it problematic prompts, and trying to outsource incredibly unethical business practices to it—some of which have been made public thanks to some poor design that resulted in chats being made indexed and searchable by search engines. Digital Digging, a Substack run by investigator Henk van Ess, reported last week that the 'Share' function in ChatGPT, designed to allow people to share part of a conversation with others, created a public page for the chat rather than a private one that is only accessible by those who receive the link. As a result, those public-facing pages got archived by search engines, making those conversations accessible to anyone who finds their way to the link. Obviously, many of those conversations should be private. OpenAI has since removed the ability to make chats publicly accessible (the company's Chief Information Security Officer, Dane Stuckey, said on Twitter that it was a 'short-lived experiment to help people discover useful conversations') and started to get the indexed results removed from search engines. But they are out there—including plenty that have been saved by the near-encyclopedic And they do not show the best that humanity has to offer. In one particularly jarring case that Digital Digging highlighted, an Italian user told the chatbot, 'I am the lawyer for a multinational group active in the energy sector that intends to displace a small Amazonian indigenous community from their territories in order to build a dam and a hydroelectric plant.' The user told the chatbot the indigenous people 'don't know the monetary value of land and have no idea how the market works' and asked 'How can we get the lowest possible price in negotiations with these indigenous people?' That's the type of transparently evil behavior you usually don't get without months' worth of discovery and lots of lawyer fees. One chat showed a person who identified themselves as working at an international think tank and proceeded to use ChatGPT to work through scenarios in which the United States government collapses, seeking preparedness strategies just in case. (Frankly, not a bad idea.) Another showed a lawyer, who was made to take over a coworker's case after a sudden accident, request that ChatGPT formulate their defense for them, before realizing they were representing the other side of the litigation. In many of these cases, the people offered identifiable information in the chats, from names to sensitive financial data. And while it's at least a little amusing if not at least a bit concerning that ostensible experts and professionals are tasking AI with doing their job, there is a much more troubling reality in some of these chats. Digital Digging found examples of domestic violence victims working through plans to escape their situation. Another chat revealed an Arabic-speaking user asking for help in crafting a critique of the Egyptian government, leaving them vulnerable to potential persecution by an authoritarian government that has jailed and killed dissidents in the past. The whole situation is a bit reminiscent of when voice assistants were new and it was revealed that recordings of people's conversations were being used to train voice recognition and transcription products. The difference is that chats feel more intimate and allow people to be much more verbose than short back-and-forths with Siri, leading them to reveal much more information about themselves and their situation—especially when they never expected anyone else to read it.
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Fox News
Stop Google from following your every move
Google's apps, such as Chrome, Maps, Search, and YouTube, are constantly tracking your activity and sending it to Google. But don't worry, Google doesn't use the data for nefarious purposes like selling it to third parties to line its pockets. It's all used to improve and personalize your experience, leading to faster searches and relevant recommendations. The downside? It means Google always knows what you're doing or where you are when using its apps and services. Furthermore, having this data stored somewhere means it's vulnerable to data breaches. If you'd prefer a tighter grip on your digital footprint, there are things you can do to stop Google from tracking you. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my Everything you do in Google's apps is tracked in your Google account. Follow the steps below to put an end to it. Timeline is a Google Maps feature that shows all the places you've been and the routes taken to get there. The good thing is that Google automatically deletes this data every three months, but that is still a long time to have it around. Timeline is not enabled by default, but if you turned it on and forgot, now is the time to turn it off. To serve you personalized ads, Google looks at your usage habits across its apps and services to create a marketing profile based on that. Unfortunately, you can't disable ads completely, but you can disable ad personalization to stop the tracking. Even if you disable Google's tracking settings, it's still possible for other websites to collect your data through tools like Google Analytics and AdSense. To block even more trackers, use a privacy-focused browser. For stronger protection, consider pairing these steps with a strong antivirus software. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, which could potentially access your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at To add another layer of privacy, using a virtual private network (VPN) can hide your location and encrypt your internet activity. This makes it much harder for companies, advertisers, or hackers to monitor online behavior. For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Q: Will turning off tracking stop all data collection?A: Not completely. These steps reduce Google's tracking, but some data may still be collected by websites using Google services like Analytics or Ads. Q: Do I need to update these settings on each device?A: No. Once you update your settings in your Google account, the changes apply across all devices using that account. Q: Can I delete everything Google has already tracked?A: Yes. You can delete past activity during the process of turning off each setting. Follow the prompts above to remove old data. You don't need to abandon Google to take control of your digital privacy. By adjusting just a few key settings, you can limit how much of your personal activity Google stores and uses. These changes give you more privacy while still letting you enjoy the convenience of your favorite apps like Maps, YouTube, and Chrome. It only takes a few minutes to make a big difference. Your privacy needs might change as time goes on, so adjusting these settings is not a one-off event. Be sure to review your Google account regularly or explore the options to find ways to automate the data deletion process. For instance, you can set it so that Google automatically deletes your data every three, 18, or 36 months. If you want a more private browsing experience that removes a lot of the tracking headaches, consider using your browser's incognito mode. Is the convenience Google tracking offers worth it, or do you prefer to remain private? Let us know by writing us at Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Washington Post
Meta disrupts millions of WhatsApp scam accounts as internet schemes rise
Meta said Tuesday it banned more than 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts this year linked to scam operations, as the company fights a wave of criminal activity on the internet that has wrangled billions of dollars out of victims' savings. Scam accounts were often linked to criminal centers across Southeast Asia, where they run multiple operations at one time, from fraudulent crypto investments to pyramid schemes. Meta warned users that the operations often ask targets to pay up-front to get promised returns or earnings. Later, scammers sometimes show their victims how much they have already 'earned' before asking them to deposit even more money into the scam, according to the company.
