AI Reviews Privacy Policies: Insights Revealed
In today's digital age, understanding privacy policies has become more important than ever. With companies collecting vast amounts of personal data, it's crucial to know what information is being gathered, how it's used, and who has access to it.
To navigate this complex landscape, privacy-first AI tools like the browser extension Legal Ease can be a valuable asset. These tools use advanced natural language processing and machine learning models to provide real-time, clear summaries of complex privacy policies. They highlight what data is collected, how it’s used, stored, or shared, and potential privacy risks.
One such tool is Perplexity, which discloses de-identified information to advertisers and other third parties, including browsing activity, device usage, and other collected data. However, it's important to note that this information doesn't tie back to the user's name or address. By using CTRL+F (or Command+F on iOS) to search the full text of the Perplexity policy for "advertising", users can be directed to a section explaining how Perplexity discloses their information.
Perplexity's privacy policy states that they do not "sell" or "share" personal information as defined under the CCPA. However, the summaries may be vague, so follow-up questions can be asked to get a sense of what language to search for in the full text. The language used to describe options for controlling data collection or sharing can vary from one policy to the next, with terms like "opt out," "privacy settings," or "data settings."
AI responses to follow-up questions may not always be helpful, but they can indicate whether the privacy policy mentions a particular topic. If the initial AI summary doesn't mention any options for controlling data collection or sharing, follow-up questions can be asked to get a sense of what language to search for in the full text.
By using AI to quickly summarize and skim through privacy policies, users can check what they're agreeing to before using a service, and make informed decisions about whether to use it or not. For necessary services, users can find and make use of every privacy setting that service offers. Some options for protecting privacy may include opting out of certain data collection, turning off cookies and tracking technologies, or requesting data deletion.
It's always worth verifying anything an AI chatbot tells you by searching the full text of the privacy policy. By staying vigilant and using AI to our advantage, we can take control of our online privacy and protect ourselves in the digital world.
In the realm of cybersecurity, the advanced technology of AI-powered privacy tools like Legal Ease and Perplexity comes into play, providing insights into complex privacy policies, even discussing aspects like data collection, usage, and disclosure in non-technical language. Perplexity, for example, discloses de-identified information to third parties, but it doesn't associate this data with a user's name or address.
