The Weight of Technology – You are not alone.

1) What “AI training” typically means on social platforms When policies say your information is used to “train,” “improve,” or “develop” AI, they usually mean: Policies vary by region and product. The same company may have different language for: main social apps vs. AI assistants vs. commerce features vs. creator tools. 2) Platform by platform:…

According to TOS & Privacy Policies… Topic Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok Pandora License you grant when you upload You keep ownership but grant Meta a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform/display, translate, and create derivatives—to operate and improve the service (ends when you delete unless…

The short version How platforms define these permissions iOS & iPadOS Android What apps can actually do with that access Granting access doesn’t automatically mean a silent upload—but it does allow the app to read the content you’ve allowed and then decide what to do with it under its privacy policy: Where the disclosures live—and…

On phones, “contacts” refers to your device’s address book (names, phone numbers, emails, notes, birthdays, etc.). Granting access lets an app read some or all of those fields; some apps may also request the ability to create/update contacts. Even though platforms gate access with prompts, what happens after you grant permission is governed by the…

for JeremyAbram.net This guide walks you through a clean, practical, privacy-first setup for Windows 11 (and most steps also apply to Windows 10). It covers OS setup, Microsoft account controls, app permissions, Edge, Office, device encryption, Recall on Copilot+ PCs, networking/DNS, and more—with exact menu paths and what each toggle actually does. 0) Before you…

by Jeremy Abram · JeremyAbram.net Privacy on iPhone isn’t a single switch—it’s a layered system of device security, Apple-level protections, and per-app permissions. Follow these steps in order. Each step explains what to do, why it matters, and (when relevant) what to trade off. I’ve included official sources so you can verify or go deeper.…

A step‑by‑step hardening guide for apps, data, and daily useWritten for JeremyAbram.net This guide is organized in three passes—Basics (15–30 min), Hardened (45–90 min), and Max Privacy (advanced)—so you can stop at any level and still end up safer than 99% of users. Each step explains what to do and why it matters. Read this…

Local autonomy vs. cloud-managed ownership For decades, personal computing was defined by a simple principle: your machine, your data, your control. You installed software, stored files locally, and decided what stayed, what changed, and what ran. Today, a quieter—but profound—shift is underway. Increasingly, the tools we rely on live not in our devices, but in…

Edge computing, predictive syncing, & pre-cached ads — and the creeping shift in who technology serves For decades, personal technology has been framed around empowerment. Your computer, your phone, your smart devices — tools designed to serve you. But as the modern computing landscape becomes increasingly interconnected and algorithm-directed, a subtle inversion is happening: Devices…

Why your devices don’t truly belong to you — ownership illusions, remote control, and digital power We like to believe we own our technology.We buy the phone. We unbox the laptop. We drive the connected car off the lot. But in the modern digital ecosystem, possession is not ownership — not in the traditional sense.…