Meta will begin using conversations with its Meta AI assistant on Facebook and Instagram to personalize ads and contentThere is no opt-outConversations in WhatsApp won't be used for ads for nowTalking to the Meta AI chatbot on Facebook or Instagram will start influencing the kind of ads and other content you see in a few months. The tech giant announced that the plan to use your interactions with the AI assistant to adjust what you see will begin on December 16. And you won’t be able to opt out. Meta will start notifying users of the update this month."Whether it’s a voice chat or a text exchange with our AI features, this update will help us improve the recommendations we provide for people across our platforms so they’re more likely to see content they’re actually interested in — and less of the content they’re not," Meta explained in its announcement. "For example, if you chat with Meta AI about hiking, we may learn that you’re interested in hiking – just as we would if you posted a reel about hiking or liked a hiking-related Page. As a result, you might start seeing recommendations for hiking groups, posts from friends about trails, or ads for hiking boots."Meta clearly wants people to think of its use of AI data as the same as its use of information you post publicly. But behind the usual pitch about relevance lies a sharper edge: this is about using AI chats as another rich vein of behavioral data, putting assistant conversations on par with likes, shares, and clicks in shaping your digital experience, and in monetizing it. And the only way to not have Meta AI use your data is to avoid interacting with the chatbot.Or you could stick to WhatsApp, which remains excluded from Meta’s ad-targeting plan for now. But if you’ve ever asked Meta AI to suggest a restaurant or recommend a workout routine, that exchange is about to become part of the invisible scaffolding behind your feed.The company says it will respect boundaries around sensitive categories like politics, religion, sexuality, and health, but the definitions of sensitive are hardly universal, and misclassification seems inevitable.Meta AI marketingOn the other hand, it's probable that only a few users are still under the illusion that their online experience is purely organic. But treating AI chat the same as post engagement or ad clicks is new. A chatbot is not a post. And as AI assistants become more natural and conversational, it blurs the mental line between talking to a tool and feeding a data collector. The illusion of intimacy may actually increase people’s willingness to share, even as the assistant quietly takes notes for the ad engine.Meta is a pioneer in this project, but Google has been talking about and experimenting with AI ads in Gemini and from its AI Overviews, and Amazon is using conversations with its Rufus AI chatbot for similar purposes.There's a geographic exception to Meta AI's new role, though. The rollout skips over Europe and the UK for now, thanks to data privacy laws like the EU’s GDPR. Those regulations slow changes in the use of personal data. Meta is working to make it happen there, but it may take some time.Whether this is a good move for Meta might depend on whether people agree that asking a chatbot for advice about your kitchen remodel should mean seeing related content later that day or that liking a recipe post is the same as asking for a recipe. Meta is betting that most people will accept the convenience and won’t object to the behind-the-scenes mechanics. But, if you don't want Meta AI to decide the kind of ads you see, you'll want to ask elsewhere for ideas about your next purchase.You might also likeWould you use Google Gemini if it fills with ads? I tried the new Meta AI app and it's like ChatGPT for people who like to overshareMark Zuckerberg wants everyone to have AI friends, but I think he's missing the point of AI, and the point of friendship

Looking for a different day?A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, April 22 (game #681).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #682) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

BEANGAGTRUNKMUZZLETAILMAYACTPAWTADBITROOTSKETCHBRANCHFLAGFURLEAF

NYT Connections today (game #682) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: In the woodsGREEN: Cats and dogsBLUE: Stand upPURPLE: Add a word that rhyme with “coal”

Need more clues?We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #682) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: PARTS OF A TREE GREEN: CANINE/FELINE FEATURES BLUE: COMEDIC ROUTINE PURPLE: ____ POLE

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #682) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #682, are…

YELLOW: PARTS OF A TREE BRANCH, LEAF, ROOT, TRUNKGREEN: CANINE/FELINE FEATURES FUR, MUZZLE, PAW, TAILBLUE: COMEDIC ROUTINE ACT, BIT, GAG, SKETCHPURPLE: ____ POLE BEAN, FLAG, MAY, TAD

My rating: EasyMy score: Perfect

A fairly straightforward Connections day without any trickery or words that can go in several groups.My only detour was thinking that there could be a common thread about mouth coverings, but it didn’t get much further than GAG and MUZZLE.I got today's puzzle in order of difficulty, which always gives me a sense of harmony and that everything is working just the way it should do. On the rare occasions I’ve got the hardest/purple group first it feels as if it is a random fluke (usually it is). COMEDIC ROUTINE was missing the one element of a stand-up performance that has become a major part of comedian’s going viral on social media – responding to hecklers. That said, dealing with abusive audience members has become so commonplace it probably qualifies as a BIT.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, April 22, game #681)

YELLOW: CANCEL, AS A PROJECT AXE, CUT, DROP, SCRAPGREEN: SEEN IN A POTTERY STUDIO CLAY, GLAZE, KILN, WHEELBLUE: THINGS THAT ARE SLIPPERY BANANA PEEL, EEL, GREASE, ICEPURPLE: NATURAL PRODUCERS OF HEAT FIRE, LIGHTNING, SUN, VOLCANO

What is NYT Connections?NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-512gb-samsung-p9-microsd-express-card-is-40-off-right-now-143849385.html?src=rss

Looking for a different day?A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, October 25 (game #1232).Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints. What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.NYT Connections today (game #1233) - today's words(Image credit: New York Times)Today's NYT Connections words are… WELCOMEHALLOWEEKCHILLINGTOYYOGAJAWNSPORTINGPRAYERPSYCHSHOUNDMANAGINGWRESTLINGSAME OLDHOSTEDHERDINGNOT BADNYT Connections today (game #1233) - hint #1 - group hintsWhat are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?YELLOW: Answers to a personal questionGREEN: Add something like a small carpetBLUE: Classy caninesPURPLE: Alterations to scary filmsNeed more clues? We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…NYT Connections today (game #1233) - hint #2 - group answersWhat are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?YELLOW: RESPONSES TO "HOW ARE YOU?"GREEN: KINDS OF MATSBLUE: AKC DOG BREED GROUPSPURPLE: HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGEDRight, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.NYT Connections today (game #1233) - the answers(Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Connections, game #1233, are…YELLOW: RESPONSES TO "HOW ARE YOU?": CHILLING, MANAGING, NOT BAD, SAME OLDGREEN: KINDS OF MATS: PRAYER, WELCOME, WRESTLING, YOGABLUE: AKC DOG BREED GROUPS: HERDING, HOUND, SPORTING, TOYPURPLE: HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGED: HALLOWEEK, HOSTED, JAWN, PSYCHSMy rating: HardMy score: 1 mistakeThe fact that I escaped today with just one mistake from this game is a miracle, as I had absolutely no clue about any of the groups. The closest I got to being confident was the yellow group, where I had a minor wobble over MANAGING but convinced myself that they were all something to do with therapy.My mistake came with collecting the four KINDS OF MATS, where I had TOY instead of WELCOME and figured it out after getting the “one away” pop-up.Down to the final eight I couldn’t see any links at all beyond JAWN and PSYCHS both being odd words and HOUND and SPORTING sounding like they belonged together. I added TOY and HERDING for the hell of it and was thrilled to land a correct set.Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, October 25, 2026, game #1232)YELLOW: STEAL: BOOST, PALM, POCKET, SWIPEGREEN: PASTA SHAPES: BOW TIE, ELBOW, SHELL, WAGON WHEELBLUE: FICTIONAL TOMS: RIPLEY, SAWYER, SWIFT, THUMBPURPLE: THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED: FINGERS, FOOTBALL, GLOW STICK, RUBBER BANDWhat is NYT Connections?NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.