Latest news with #MerlinAI
Euronews
7 days ago
- Euronews
AI browsers share sensitive personal data, new study finds
Artificial intelligence (AI) web browser assistants track and share sensitive user data, including medical records and social security numbers, a new study has found. Researchers from the United Kingdom and Italy tested 10 of the most popular AI-powered browsers –including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot, and Merlin AI, an extension for Google's Chrome browser – with public-facing tasks like online shopping, as well as on private websites such as a university health portal. They found evidence that all of the assistants, excluding Perplexity AI, showed signs that they collect this data and use it to profile users or personalise their AI services, potentially in violation of data privacy rules. 'These AI browser assistants operate with unprecedented access to users' online behaviour in areas of their online life that should remain private,' Anna Maria Mandalari, the study's senior author and an assistant professor at University College London, said in a news release. 'While they offer convenience, our findings show they often do so at the cost of user privacy … and sometimes in breach of privacy legislation or the company's own terms of service'. 'There's no way of knowing what's happening with your browser data' AI browsers are tools to 'enhance' searching on the web with features like summaries and search assistance, the report said. For the study, researchers accessed private portals and then asked the AI assistants questions such as 'what was the purpose of the current medical visit?' to see if the browser retained any data about that activity. During the public and private tasks, researchers decrypted traffic between the AI browsers, their servers, and other online trackers to see where the information was going in real time. Some of the tools, like Merlin and Sider's AI assistant, did not stop recording activity when users went into private spaces. That meant that several assistants 'transmitted full webpage content,' for example any content visible on the screen to their servers. In Merlin's case, it also captured users' online banking details, academic and health records, and a social security number entered on a US tax website. Other extensions, such as Sider and TinaMind, shared the prompts that users entered and any identifying information, including a computer's internet protocol (IP) address, with Google Analytics. This enabled 'potential cross-site tracking and ad targeting,' the study found. On the Google, Copilot, Monica, and Sider browsers, the ChatGPT assistant made assumptions about the age, gender, income, and interest of the user they interacted with. It used that information to personalise responses across several browsing sessions. In Copilot's case, it stored the complete chat history into the background of the browser, which indicated to researchers that 'these histories persist across browsing sessions'. Mandalari said the results show that 'there's no way of knowing what's happening with your browsing data once it has been gathered'. Browsers likely breach EU data protection rules, study says The study was conducted in the United States, and alleged that the AI assistants broke American privacy laws that deal with health information. The researchers said the browsers likely also breach European Union rules such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which governs how personal data is used or shared. The findings may come as a surprise to people who use AI-supported internet browsers – even if they are familiar with the fine print. In Merlin's privacy policy for the EU and UK, it says it collects data such as names, contact information, account credentials, transaction history, and payment information. Personal data is also collected from the prompts that users put into the system or any surveys that the platform sends out. That data is used to personalise the experience of people using the AI browser, send notifications, and provide user support, the company continued. It can also be used when responding to legal requests. Sider's privacy page says it collects the same data and uses it for the same purposes but added that it could be analysed to 'gain insights into user behaviour' and to conduct research into new features, products, or services. It says it may share personal information but does not sell it to third parties like Google, Cloudflare, or Microsoft. These providers help Sider operate its services and are 'contractually obligated to protect your personal information,' the policy continues. In ChatGPT's case, the OpenAI privacy policy says data from EU and UK users is housed on data servers outside of the region, but that the same rights are guaranteed.
Economic Times
01-05-2025
- Economic Times
Merlin AI unveils MCP Plugin for seamless cross-platform workflows and more AI tools to boost productivity
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How It Works Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Writing & Content Creation Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Productivity & Automation Before You Use Any AI Plugin, keep these things in mind: Foyer Tech Inc.'s Merlin AI has announced the launch of the MCP Plugin — a powerful new tool designed to streamline workflows across the most popular productivity platforms, all from a single AI prompt. With MCP, users can effortlessly connect applications like Google Docs, Sheets, Notion, Jira, Slack, and over 20 more, transforming Merlin AI into a centralized, intelligent hub for cross-platform drafting reports based on spreadsheet data to updating Jira tickets using specs from Notion, or even pushing real-time summaries to Slack, the MCP Plugin handles it all — instantly and automatically. Users only need to link their tools once; from there, Merlin AI takes to Merlin AI: MCP from Merlin Labs (available on the sidebar)Connect your favourite productivity appsType your desired prompt in the Merlin AI chatHere are some more plugins you can check out to improve productivity and general work Merlin AI is a new entrant, here are some other useful AI tools across different categories:GPT for Docs undefined paid plans for AI for Slides undefined paid upgrades for full with AI (Workspace Labs): Google Docs' experimental tool for AI-assisted writing and rewriting. Free for Labs AI-powered grammar, tone, and clarity checker. Free version available; premium offers advanced SEO Plugins (Free Versions)AIOSEO: Includes an AI-powered Title/Description Math: Offers limited free credits for Content AI to support SEO and content Tools: Unbackground (Figma): AI background remover for images. Free for all Fill (Photoshop Beta): Allows AI-powered content addition/removal via text prompts. Free during (Web): Free web-based image generator using text WordPress plugin offering a free AI chatbot (LYRO) for automated Automator: Enables automation across WordPress plugins and tools. Free version for Docs: Chrome extension that provides real-time AI editing within Google Docs while preserving important to consider a few key factors. Always review the data privacy policy and check what permissions the plugin requires, especially if it accesses sensitive information. Many free tools come with usage limits, such as restricted features, prompt counts, or time-bound trials, so be clear on what's included. Make sure the plugin is compatible with your platform or tools, and be aware that performance may vary depending on the AI model it relies on, which could change or become unavailable over time. Most importantly, treat AI-generated content as a helpful starting point rather than a final output—fact-check thoroughly and use it ethically. Lastly, keep in mind that some plugins may affect the speed or performance of your device, particularly on older systems.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Merlin AI unveils MCP Plugin for seamless cross-platform workflows and more AI tools to boost productivity
Foyer Tech Inc.'s Merlin AI has announced the launch of the MCP Plugin — a powerful new tool designed to streamline workflows across the most popular productivity platforms, all from a single AI prompt. With MCP, users can effortlessly connect applications like Google Docs, Sheets, Notion, Jira, Slack, and over 20 more, transforming Merlin AI into a centralized, intelligent hub for cross-platform collaboration. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Nuclear Power! How India and Pakistan's arsenals stack up Does America have a plan to capture Pakistan's nuclear weapons? Airspace blockade: India plots a flight path to skip Pakistan From drafting reports based on spreadsheet data to updating Jira tickets using specs from Notion, or even pushing real-time summaries to Slack, the MCP Plugin handles it all — instantly and automatically. Users only need to link their tools once; from there, Merlin AI takes over. How It Works Head to Merlin AI: Enable MCP from Merlin Labs (available on the sidebar) Connect your favourite productivity apps Type your desired prompt in the Merlin AI chat Here are some more plugins you can check out to improve productivity and general work flow. While Merlin AI is a new entrant, here are some other useful AI tools across different categories: Writing & Content Creation GPT for Docs & Sheets: Adds Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude to Google Docs/Sheets for writing, summarizing, translating, and analyzing. Free trial with credits; paid plans for more. Plus AI for Slides & Docs: Generates drafts, rewrites text, and builds presentations from prompts. Free trial available; paid upgrades for full features. Write with AI (Workspace Labs): Google Docs' experimental tool for AI-assisted writing and rewriting. Free for Labs users. Grammarly: AI-powered grammar, tone, and clarity checker. Free version available; premium offers advanced features. AI SEO Plugins (Free Versions) AIOSEO: Includes an AI-powered Title/Description Generator. Rank Math: Offers limited free credits for Content AI to support SEO and content creation. Design Tools: Unbackground (Figma): AI background remover for images. Free for all users. Generative Fill (Photoshop Beta): Allows AI-powered content addition/removal via text prompts. Free during beta. ImageCreator (Web): Free web-based image generator using text prompts. Productivity & Automation Tidio: WordPress plugin offering a free AI chatbot (LYRO) for automated support. Uncanny Automator: Enables automation across WordPress plugins and tools. Free version available. Pointer for Docs: Chrome extension that provides real-time AI editing within Google Docs while preserving formatting. Before You Use Any AI Plugin, keep these things in mind: It's important to consider a few key factors. Always review the data privacy policy and check what permissions the plugin requires, especially if it accesses sensitive information. Many free tools come with usage limits, such as restricted features, prompt counts, or time-bound trials, so be clear on what's included. Make sure the plugin is compatible with your platform or tools, and be aware that performance may vary depending on the AI model it relies on, which could change or become unavailable over time. Most importantly, treat AI-generated content as a helpful starting point rather than a final output—fact-check thoroughly and use it ethically. Lastly, keep in mind that some plugins may affect the speed or performance of your device, particularly on older systems.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Merlin AI launches MCP plugins to automate workflows
Merlin AI, developed by Foyer Tech , has introduced the MCP Plugin , a tool designed to automate workflows across popular productivity platforms like Google Docs, Sheets, Notion, Jira, Slack, and more—all with a single AI-driven prompt. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This innovation aims to simplify task management, turning Merlin AI into a unified "shared brain" for seamless collaboration across apps. The MCP Plugin allows users to link their favourite tools once, enabling Merlin AI to perform complex operations, such as drafting reports from Sheets data, updating Jira tickets based on Notion specs, and sharing summaries on Slack, all through intuitive prompts. How MCP works To access MCP: 1. Visit Merlin AI ( 2. Enable MCP from Merlin Labs (sidebar option). 3. Connect your preferred productivity apps. 4. Enter prompts in Merlin AI chat. 5. Watch as workflows automate within seconds. By eliminating the hassle of context switching, the MCP Plugin empowers users to focus on their priorities, promising smoother transitions and smarter task execution across platforms. This roll-out positions Merlin AI as a leader in the AI productivity space. Merlin AI recently launched the AskMerlinAI bot on X (formerly Twitter), enabling users to generate images via prompts. The bot has already gained traction, with hundreds of users creating visualisations featuring public figures and trending themes. Pratyush Rai, CEO of Foyer Tech Inc., described MCP as the "future of productivity," emphasizing its potential to eliminate the need for toggling between tabs and juggling tools. According to Rai, the plugin exemplifies Merlin AI's mission to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency at scale.
