Big Tech Spying? Here's How to Protect Your Privacy

The race for AI innovation is heating up. Software giants are collecting vast amounts of user data to train their next big thing. But is this convenience coming at the cost of our privacy? Microsoft Copilot's Recall Feature: Taking Screenshots, Text Analysis, and Storing into their Database.

Did you know Microsoft's Copilot, a new AI assistant in Windows 11. Takes screenshots of your activity? This "Recall" feature uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to analyze text in those screenshots, building a local database to supposedly better assist you. But this raises serious privacy concerns. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/copilot-plugins-android-phones-as-webcams-and-other-improvements-hit-windows-11/ 

Adobe's Terms of Service: A Cloud of Surveillance? Adobe's recent terms of service update requires users to agree to allow them to monitor everything - everything you create and store in their cloud. This includes reading documents, watching videos, and even listening to audio files! https://helpx.adobe.com/support/programs/adobe-support-policies-terms-and-conditions.html 

Protecting Your Privacy: Steps You Can Take These are just a few of examples of how software companies might be infringing on user privacy. Here's how to fight back: Be Wary of New Softwares: For corporate uses, and stick with approved programs to minimize privacy risks. Think Before You Cloud: Consider storing files locally or on a secure internal network instead of the cloud, especially for sensitive information. Review Terms of Service: Don't just click "agree" blindly. Carefully read software terms of service to understand how your data is being used. 

Taking Action Against Adobe: As a first step, we recommend avoiding the Adobe cloud altogether. Look for alternative storage solutions within our company network. Need Help? 

Our IT team is working to mitigate these privacy concerns. If you have any questions or require assistance, don't hesitate to contact us through a Ninja ticket. Remember, your privacy matters. By taking these steps, you can take back control of your data.