- AI is rapidly embedding itself into daily life—from smartphones and web browsers to drive‑through kiosks—with baked‑in assistants changing how we seek information. However, this shift also means AI tools are increasingly requesting extensive access to personal data under the pretext of functionality.
- This mirrors a familiar pattern: just as simple flashlight or calculator apps once over‑requested permissions (like contacts or location), modern AI apps are doing the same—collecting far more than needed, often for profit.
- For example, Perplexity’s AI browser “Comet” seeks sweeping Google account permissions: calendar manipulation, drafting and sending emails, downloading contacts, editing events across all calendars, and even accessing corporate directories.
- Although Perplexity asserts that most of this data remains locally stored, the user is still granting the company extensive rights—rights that may be used to improve its AI models, shared among others, or retained beyond immediate usage.
- This trend isn’t isolated. AI transcription tools ask for access to conversations, calendars, contacts. Meta’s AI experiments even probe private photos not yet uploaded—all under the “assistive” justification.
- Signal’s president Meredith Whittaker likens this to “putting your brain in a jar”—granting agents clipboard‑level access to passwords, browsing history, credit cards, calendars, and contacts just to book a restaurant or plan an event.
- The consequence: you surrender an irreversible snapshot of your private life—emails, contacts, calendars, archives—to a profit‑motivated company that may also employ people who review your private prompts. Given frequent AI errors, the benefits gained rarely justify the privacy and security costs.
Perspective:
This article issues a timely and necessary warning: convenience should not override privacy. AI tools promising to “just do it for you” often come with deep data access bundled in unnoticed. Until robust regulations and privacy‑first architectures (like end‑to‑end encryption or on‑device processing) become standard, users must scrutinize permission requests carefully. AI is a powerful helper—but giving it full reign over intimate data without real safeguards is a risk many will come to regret. Choose tools that require minimal, transparent data access—and never let automation replace ownership of your personal information.
AI Data Privacy and Protection: The Complete Guide to Ethical AI, Data Privacy, and Security
A recent Accenture survey of over 2,200 security and technology leaders reveals a worrying gap: while AI adoption accelerates, cybersecurity measures are lagging. Roughly 36% say AI is advancing faster than their defenses, and about 90% admit they lack adequate security protocols for AI-driven threats—including securing AI models, data pipelines, and cloud infrastructure. Yet many organizations continue prioritizing rapid AI deployment over updating existing security frameworks. The solution lies not in starting from scratch, but in reinforcing and adapting current cybersecurity strategies to address AI-specific risks —- This disconnect between innovation and security is a classic but dangerous oversight. Organizations must embed cybersecurity into AI initiatives from the start—by integrating controls, enhancing talent, and updating frameworks—rather than treating it as an afterthought. Embedding security as a foundational pillar, not a bolt-on, is essential to ensure we reap AI benefits without compromising digital safety.
The AI Readiness Gap: High Usage, Low Security – Databricks AI Security Framework (DASF) and the AI Controls Matrix (AICM) from CSA can both be used effectively for AI security readiness assessments
Hands-On Large Language Models: Language Understanding and Generation
Trust Me – ISO 42001 AI Management System
ISO/IEC 42001:2023 – from establishing to maintain an AI management system
AI Act & ISO 42001 Gap Analysis Tool
Agentic AI: Navigating Risks and Security Challenges
Artificial Intelligence: The Next Battlefield in Cybersecurity
AI and The Future of Cybersecurity: Navigating the New Digital Battlefield
“Whether you’re a technology professional, policymaker, academic, or simply a curious reader, this book will arm you with the knowledge to navigate the complex intersection of AI, security, and society.”
AI Governance Is a Boardroom Imperative—The SEC Just Raised the Stakes on AI Hype
How AI Is Transforming the Cybersecurity Leadership Playbook
IBM’s model-routing approach
Top 5 AI-Powered Scams to Watch Out for in 2025
Summary of CISO 3.0: Leading AI Governance and Security in the Boardroom
AI in the Workplace: Replacing Tasks, Not People
Why CISOs Must Prioritize Data Provenance in AI Governance
Interpretation of Ethical AI Deployment under the EU AI Act
AI Governance: Applying AI Policy and Ethics through Principles and Assessments
Businesses leveraging AI should prepare now for a future of increasing regulation.
Digital Ethics in the Age of AI
DISC InfoSec’s earlier posts on the AI topic
Secure Your Business. Simplify Compliance. Gain Peace of Mind
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