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AI Companion App: Therapy Tool or Risky Dependency?
An AI companion app is increasingly positioned as emotional support for users experiencing loneliness. Replika reports 25 million users. Character.AI recently restricted users under 18 after three teenage deaths were linked to chatbot interactions. Surveys indicate that 72% of American teenagers have tried AI companion apps, reflecting how quickly these platforms have entered everyday life. Despite their popularity, the reliability of…
The Trust Tax: Why People Pay More for Privacy Apps
Free software dominates modern communication. Email, messaging, and collaboration tools are offered at no upfront cost, supported instead by advertising or data-driven business models. On paper, there is little reason to pay. Yet millions of users continue subscribing to privacy apps such as ProtonMail and Fastmail. Signal operates without charging users at all, absorbing tens of millions in annual costs through…
AI Chatbot Privacy: Can You Actually Opt Out of Training?
AI chatbots are now embedded in daily workflows. Teams use ChatGPT to draft emails, Claude to debug code, and Gemini to summarise documents. What feels like a private exchange is often processed, stored, and potentially used to improve future models. The core issue is AI chatbot privacy. Most major providers rely on user interactions to…
AI Surveillance: Are Your Devices Spying on You?
Connected devices operate continuously in the background. They detect voice commands, track motion, and adapt to evolving usage habits. Although the phrase AI surveillance carries strong connotations, most device activity focuses on service optimisation. Data analysis supports recommendations, feature personalisation, and performance improvements rather than covert monitoring. Are they really spying? In most cases, no. Devices typically use…
Browser Privacy Test 2026: What Chrome Really Blocks
A browser privacy test in 2026 produces uncomfortable results. Running Chrome in incognito mode and testing it through the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Cover Your Tracks tool returns the same outcome most users would not expect: a unique fingerprint and weak protection against tracking. Private browsing does not change that result. Chrome continues identifying browsers through dozens…
Data Consent, AI Privacy and the EU AI Act Delay
In November 2025, the European Commission confirmed it would delay parts of the EU AI Act that apply to so-called “high-risk” systems, pushing some obligations to 2027. Officials framed the move as a simplification. Critics called it a step backwards. One EU lawmaker described the broader reform package as risking a “massive rollback” of digital…
Trustworthy AI: From Wild West to Regulated Intelligence
In 2016, Microsoft’s chatbot Tay was taken offline within 24 hours after it began posting offensive content on social media. It became one of the earliest mainstream reminders that AI, left unchecked, can go wrong very quickly. Fast forward to today, and industry leaders like Sam Altman openly state that advanced AI systems must be…
Google Monopoly Trial Verdict: The Breakup That Wasn’t
Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google operates an illegal search monopoly, delivering the central verdict in the Google monopoly trial. The decision marked the most consequential antitrust finding against a technology company since the Microsoft case in the late 1990s. The Department of Justice pushed for sweeping structural remedies, including the potential sale of Chrome and…
AI Audit: Accountability and Oversight in Enterprise AI
Artificial intelligence now makes decisions that directly affect customers, employees, and revenue. As AI moves deeper into enterprise operations, AI audit has become the primary tool organisations use to demonstrate control, accountability, and trust. The difficulty is that most enterprise AI systems change continuously, while traditional audit models assume stability. So, what AI audits involve in practice, why snapshot…
The AI Trust Gap: How AI Products Sell Their Own Fixes
The AI trust gap today has less to do with fear of artificial intelligence and more to do with how AI products are built and sold. Users still want AI to help them write, hire, detect fraud, and manage risk, but confidence drops when tools appear to introduce friction before offering paid ways to remove it. Over…