How Much Wealth Do You Need To Be Financially Successful in the US? This Study Has The Answer

Being financially successful in today’s age seems to be the goal that most of us are chasing. But have you ever wondered what financial success looks like for an average American citizen?

Thanks to a recently conducted survey by Empower that took into consideration 2,200 American adults, we got the answer. They were asked to give their input about financial success concerning yearly salary plans and combined net worth.

The survey shared how the average American citizen’s salary being a little above $270k was enough to attain financial success but we have to agree that the replies varied from one generation to the next.

Gen Z who was born between 1997 to 2012 felt they required at least $600K each year to get that kind of success. Meanwhile, those coming under the Boomers category thought salaries of just $100K per year were enough to get what they wanted easily. Clearly, those with older mindsets were more optimistic than realistic, it seems.

Today, the average American adult earns $63,795 annually as per the latest stats taken from the Social Security Administration. When we look at net worth, Gen Z feels that a $9.5M net worth is enough to delineate financial success. This figure is nine times bigger than where the average net worth stands today.

Generation (Birth Years)	Annual Salary	Net Worth
Gen Z (1997–2012)	$587,797	$9,469,847
Millennials (1981–1996)	$180,865	$5,638,205
Gen X (1965–1980)	$212,321	$5,295,072
Boomers (1946–1964)	$99,874	$1,049,172

It’s interesting to note that that survey showed how 47% of all Americans feel they could never attain the level of financial success that they want. Only 37% were confident to call themselves successful in terms of wealth. Males dominated in terms of this opinion with 42% while only 33% of women felt this way. Furthermore, 50% of respondents felt optimistic that they were or will be financially better than either one of their parents.

These insights hint at an intriguing psychological aspect often overlooked in discussions of financial success — how perceptions of wealth are influenced by cultural and emotional factors.

Beyond the numbers, financial success often embodies a sense of security, independence, and the ability to pursue life on one’s terms.

For Gen Z, this might mean a reaction to uncertainty from global crises and economic disruptions they’ve witnessed growing up, leading to ambitious financial goals. Meanwhile, Boomers’ more conservative benchmarks could stem from lived experiences that taught them to value stability over extravagance.

This psychological interplay suggests that financial success is not merely a reflection of income or net worth but a deeply personal measure, shaped by individual resilience and generational priorities.

Read next: Your Data Privacy Is at Risk: 50+ Major Tech Platforms Exposed for Gaps in Terms of Service!
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Your Data Privacy Is at Risk: 50+ Major Tech Platforms Exposed for Gaps in Terms of Service!

• Researchers analyzed 57 companies' policies, revealing most companies need significant improvements in user privacy.
• Apple led in data protection policies, while companies like Facebook, Netflix, and Tesla showed weaknesses.
• 85% of companies analyzed need Terms of Service improvements, with social media platforms criticized for poor data protection.
• Terms of Service and Privacy Policies often favor companies, leaving users with limited control over data.
• Mozilla and ProtonMail prioritized user privacy, while many tech giants failed to protect user data effectively.

Understanding Terms of Service (ToS) and Privacy Policies (PP) is essential for digital platforms' users who want to protect their data online. But oftentimes, these Terms and Policies are so long/vague and have complex vocabulary that a simple user cannot understand what it's implying. To make things easier for users, the researchers over at Website Planet (WP) examined the ToS and PP of top platforms and put some important points forward that every user should know.

WP Analyzed all important points in ToS and PP like ethical data use, service providers’ obligations, data protection, payment terms and legal safeguards to make users understand their rights, privacy and creative output on digital platforms.

Companies Selected for Analysis

WP analyzed 57 companies to understand their ToS and PP in three categories. These categories were Protection of Children’s Data, Privacy and Data Protection and Secure Payment Information System. The findings by WP revealed that Apple was the only company who had positive ratings in all three categories while companies like 23andme, Facebook, Tesla and Netflix were rated to improve their policies in all three categories. Companies like Upwork, HP, Spotify and John Deree showed neutral ratings.

The analysis of 57 companies showed that 85% of the companies need to improve their ToS and PP, with social media platforms being suspected of not safeguarding user data as they are full of personal and intimate data that users share there. 57 companies in ten sectors were analyzed: Artificial Intelligence (5), Cybersecurity (5), Cloud Computing (3), Social Media (7), Online Services (12), E-Commerce (7), Fintech (4), Autonomous Vehicles (6), Blockchain & Cryptocurrency (5) and Other Industries (3).

Analysis of ToS Elements that Affect User Control and Privacy

Most of the ToS and PP documents are complex and have points that favor the companies. Once you agree to ToS and PP of a company, you are agreeing to them protecting your privacy and theirs, including your personal data, information and personal transactions. Most of the ToS and PP documents include the following categories: Content Ownership Rights, Limitation of Liability, Privacy and Data Protection, Dispute Resolution and Mandatory Arbitration, Secure Payment Information System and Protection of Children’s Data.

WP categories companies as red (vague policies), yellow (only some details) and green (user-friendly and clear cut policies) to better understand how much risks they pose on users.

1- Content Ownership Rights

This included how companies define the ownership of content created and shared by users, and how companies approach the ethical use of content including AI content. Interestingly, no company that was analyzed fell into the green category, while companies in the red and yellow category were almost equal.

30 out of 57 companies (53%) were claiming broad licensing and ownership over user content, with users having minimal control over their content. Google, Disney, Netflix, Tesla, Xiaomi, Instagram, HP and Spotify were included in red companies.

• Also read: Is Your Data Safe? Discover the Social Media Apps You Should Avoid!

27 out of 57 (47%) companies were making users retain content ownership with limited claims to licensing and users having control of their content. OpenAI, Bianance, Meta, Canva, Adobe, Shopify, TikTok and X were included in the yellow category. Only some companies like AWS, Microsoft Azure and Nvidia had guidelines related to AI.

2- Limitation of Liability

To understand what companies' stance would be in terms of loss, the ToS about limitations of liabilities comes in handy. 79% of the companies (45 out of 57) were in the red category and had no warranties and minimal protection. IBM, Kraken, Amazon and Tesla were among those 79% companies. 10 companies were in the yellow category and included PayPal, GM, Reddit and Binance. These companies have capped liabilities and protection only in some specific cases. Only 2 companies (TEMU and Apple) were in the green category, providing clear disclaimers and fair and balanced liability agreements.

3- Privacy and Data Protection

It is also important to understand how companies protect data and privacy of users, and what is the role of third-parties. 80% of the companies that were analyzed were either in the red category or yellow category. 40% of the companies had data retention practices, while 26% were sharing data with third parties. 40% of the companies had some details on retention policies but lacked specifics, while 72% of the companies were sharing data with third parties with some transparency and user control. 20% of the companies were in green in terms of data retention which means they had clear and specific data retention policies, while 2% of the companies were clear cut about sharing necessary data to providers. Apple was the only company that was clear cut about its data sharing policies and how it only shares limited and necessary data to third-party providers.

4- Dispute Resolution and Mandatory Attribution

In case of data theft, cybersecurity issues and data misuse, companies have to provide users’ rights in legal discourses in disputes. 2 companies (Nvidia and Revolut) had mandatory attribution and no opt out, which got them into the red category. 63% or 36 companies were in the yellow category and had action waiver but with user friendly options. Amazon, PayPal, Canva and Reddit were included in the yellow category. Companies in the green category included DeepMind, Facebook, Payoneer, Xiaomi and Apple, and gave users more control over their legal rights.

5- Secure Payment Information System

WP also assessed how different companies are safeguarding users’ payment information so they can be safe from fraud and financial theft. 35 out of 57 companies (61%) fell into the red category as they provided weak security measures to users. Most of them were relying on third parties for payment and had no mentions of security measures. OpenAI, IBM, Reddit, Xiaomi, Tesla, PayPal, Netflix, Instagram, Facebook and TEMU were included in the red category.

• Related: Popular Education Apps Are Asking for Dangerous Permissions — Here’s What You Need to Know

5 out of 57 (9%) of the companies were in the yellow category, meaning they had security measures but there was a lack of detail. Most of them were also relying on third-parties. Those companies included Nvidia, GM, Adobe, Meta and Alibaba. 17 out of 57 companies (30%) were in the green category and had industry standard practices with encryption, secure storage and restricted access. Apple, Amazon, Shopify, X, Shein, Canva, Fiverr, Upwork and Spotify were included in this category.

6- Protection of Children’s Data

There is a lot of misuse of children’s privacy and data so companies need to come up with their privacy policies too. A major 93% (53 out of 57) companies were in the red category, meaning they provide little to no privacy rights to children. Only 2 companies (Disney DTC LLC and Google Deepmind) provided partial protection to children, while 2 companies (Nvidia and Apple) provided clear cut privacy protection to children.

Companies with Major Control Over User Data and Privacy

According to the analysis, companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon, 23andme, TikTok and Tesla were major red flags in terms of control over user data and privacy. They extensively collect user data and share it with third parties. They also have very complex ToS and PP which makes users legally limited and unaware of their rights.

Companies with Minimal Control Over User Data and Privacy

The companies with strong commitment to user privacy were Mozilla, ProtonMail and Signal. Mozilla and NextCloud had emphasized on user control, while ProtonMail and NextCloud also had user ownership of data. NordVPN had a no-log policy for its users. Apple provided app tracking transparency to users.

• Important: Could Hackers Be Spying on Your Phone Right Now? The Shocking Truth About SS7!

Companies with the most clear and user-friendly ToS and PP were Mozilla and ProtonMail. Instagram and Dropbox also showed quirky and humorous language on their privacy agreements.

Take a look at the infographics below for more insights:

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of Terms of Services and Privacy Policy of top platforms so that users can make sense of their privacy and data protection. As most of the companies mentioned here were in red and yellow categories, which shows how many companies are prioritizing their business and themselves over their users.

Read next:

• Are Your Favorite Apps Secretly Spying on You Through Dangerous Permissions?

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• Social Media Users Urged to Guard Against AI-Generated Fake Media
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Why Your Business Needs External Attack Surface Management

Image source: Pexels/Tima Miroshnichenko

Nowadays there are many threats that could lead to the access of the sensitive data of every business, especially if their operations are online. Therefore, it is very important to keep sensitive information and data safe from threats and hackers.

If someone is running a big business then they cannot just rely on a simple tool or app to protect their data from risks and hackers. Fortunately, external attack surface management is a very smart way to protect your business from hackers.

Once you fully implement this management system in your business then it will be harder for hackers to find the weak points of your environment, let alone getting access to your sensitive data.

In this article you will learn all you need to know about EASM and why it has become the need of the time now.

What Is External Attack Surface Management?

EASM is a management system that allows you to manage and monitor different exploitable parts of your business, also known as your attack surface. These parts of your business have to be available online and this system will help make these parts more secure.

A hacker is always going to look for a weak point in your business. Think about it! What can be a weak point of your online business? It could be your website, domain, or APIs you use.

External attack surface management is the right solution for this because it helps you to find out all the weak points of your business before it causes a major problem for you.

Purpose of EASM

Check out the purpose of EASM below.

1. Risk Factor

It has become very easy for hackers to get access to a business because more and more businesses are making use of different cloud services and applications.

There are many tools available like firewalls but they are not very effective on their own. EASM is the right choice in this regard because it helps you to monitor your online business properly.

2. Weak Point Locator

Hackers are definitely not behind nowadays because they are also making use of different applications to find out the weak points of a business. If you want to save yourself from falling into trouble then you should definitely get EASM.

Your Guide on EASM

Here is how EASM works:

Online Footprint

If you want EASM to work, then first you need to locate all the digital tools which are connected to your online business.

This includes everything and it will be like carrying out an audit for your website because this will also include all the things that you don't even remember anymore like the applications you used to use once.

Monitoring

EASM comes with a lot of benefits because it also monitors the online setup of every business and keeps a look out for potential threats and risks. An example of this can be if you have a weak password then it will let you know and give you a warning to change weak points.

Prioritizing Issues

EASM works very smartly because it has a feature to give priority to the issues based on how important they are. This saves a lot of time because you can actually spend your time on the things that matter.

Benefits of Using EASM

Here are the benefits of using EASM:

1. Saves Time

EASM is very helpful because it helps to identify the weak points and fix them. In the long run, it saves a lot of time and money.

2. Faster

EASM provides an option for real-time alerts and it can be helpful to get things done quickly. In case something goes wrong then a quick action can be taken.

3. Build Trust

EASM has a lot of benefits and one such benefit is that it helps you to build a lot of trust with your customers.

How EASM Stands Out?

Many businesses are still using traditional firewall and antivirus software. They are typical tools which can be beneficial sometimes but if you want full coverage then you will not be able to get it just by using these. You need something extra and that is where EASM comes in.

Who Can Benefit from EASM?

A lot of businesses are benefiting from EASM nowadays and you can also be one of them.

Let's take a look at the businesses that can benefit from EASM below:

Retailers

Healthcare providers

Financial institutes

How to Get Started with EASM?

Are you ready to protect your business? If you are answer is yes then take a look below:

Take Stock of Your Online Assets

Make a list of all the websites and applications that are used by your business. Having this list will be very beneficial because it will help you understand the scope of your attack surface.

Choose an EASM Solution

This is the most crucial part when you have to choose the management system you are going to implement in your business. Make sure that you choose the one that is easy to use and comes with the most amount of features relevant to you.

Keep Reviewing Your Setup

Monitoring is the most important part even after you have installed the system in your business. If you want continuous growth for your business, then it is important to stay up to date and get regular updates.

Are you looking for the right solution for your business right now? Certain platforms bring a lot of tools that you can try and it will help you to secure your business in the long run.

Final Thoughts

You always have to be one step ahead when it comes to the safety and security of your online business. It is a misconception that online security is just about stopping the hackers from getting to your website.

There are so many other threats out there and you need to protect your business from them. External attack surface management is the right system to implement in your online business because it will protect your data and build a relationship of trust with your customers.

External attack surface management is no rocket science because it is simple and very easy to use. It is better to be safe now rather than being sorry later.

by Web Desk via Digital Information World

New Study Shows AI Chatbots Can Work Better in Responding to Different Social Situations than Humans

According to a new study published in Scientific Reports, AI chatbots are more capable of evaluating social situations and producing quick solutions to challenging social problems than humans.

Researchers used Situational Judgement Test on chatbots like Microsoft CoPilot and Claude and found that they are better at behavioral responses than humans. AI chatbots are designed to understand context, process language and provide solutions to humans. They also provide mental health support and can perform verbal reasoning too. But no one could think that AI chatbots would be that good at understanding complex social situations and providing solutions for it.

The research was done by the Institute of Aerospace Machine and the author of the study, Justin M. Mittlelstädt, said that they apply different methods to diagnose different skills in LLMs to see which one can be suitable for astronauts and pilots. For the study, the Situational Judgement Test which is used to measure social competence of humans. Five AI chatbots Google Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, you.com and CoPilot, and 276 humans were given some social scenarios for the research. The human participants were applicants for pilot positions and had high qualification and social skills.

109 human experts rated the responses by both humans and AI chatbots. The Situational Judgement Test was completed by AI ten times, and they were also asked to rate the effectiveness of each action they suggested in different scenarios. The results found that most AI chatbots performed as well as humans, with some AI chatbots performing better than human participants. Claude got the highest score in evaluating social situations, followed by CoPilot and then you.com. The results also found that when AI chatbots couldn't find the best solution or response, they often opted for the second most effective response, just like humans do. This shows that AI chatbots have some sense of reasoning and judgement too.

The study also showed how different AI chatbots have different reliability, with Claude being the most reliable and consistent. Gemini was also good but it showed some inconsistencies in its responses. The study was more about simulated scenarios than real world scenarios so a quantifiable comparison can be made.

Overall, this doesn't mean that AI chatbots are becoming better than humans. Human responses also vary culture to culture, and AI chatbots cannot understand it if they aren't specifically told to navigate a situation according to a cultural context. LLMs can help individuals with social skills development as they are good at imitating human responses in different scenarios and situations.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: AI Chatbots Are Replacing Friends for Teens—Here’s Why Experts Are Worried
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Cheap Domains Driving Phishing Attacks: A Growing Threat to Online Security

Phishing attacks soared nearly 40% by August 2024, and the culprit is no secret: Cheap domains.

New domains like .shop, .top, and .xyz are attracting scammers because they’re easy to get and don’t cost much. These so-called "new" gTLDs are drawing increasing attention, not because they’re useful, but because they offer rock-bottom prices with minimal registration requirements.

Interisle Consulting’s latest findings show that while these new gTLDs represent only 11% of new domains, they account for a shocking 37% of the cybercrime domains reported in the past year. That’s a huge leap, especially when compared to the older, more established .com and .net, which, despite their dominance in the market, only contributed to about 40% of phishing domains.

For starters many of these gTLDs are available for under $2, with hardly any identity checks. In comparison, .com domains usually start at $5.91. For cybercriminals working in bulk, it's a no-brainer. But the domain sellers often face losses. Criminals don’t renew their domains, leaving registrars with unpaid bills.

Despite the clear pattern, ICANN, the nonprofit that oversees domains, is pushing ahead with plans to introduce even more gTLDs in 2026. Web hosting experts worry this will just create more space for cybercrime to grow.

• Also read: Analysis Shows Yoast and Redirection Top Rankings for Most Popular WordPress Plugins

While phishing attacks have historically targeted big tech companies, the U.S. Postal Service now tops the list as the most-phished entity. This shift has a lot to do with one notorious cybercriminal—Chenlun—who’s been selling kits that target postal services around the globe.

Then there’s the growing threat of subdomains. Platforms like blogspot.com (AKA Blogger.com/Google), pages.dev, and Weebly have become hotspots for scammers. In the last year alone, phishing incidents involving subdomains rose by 114%.

What’s tricky about subdomains is that it’s up to the platform provider to take down malicious accounts, but there’s a catch. If the provider blocks a domain, it affects all their users. That’s a delicate balance to strike. Still, there’s a clear path forward. Tighten the rules around creating accounts, especially on free services.

As more cheap domains and subdomains flood the internet, the need for stricter registration policies has never been clearer. Scammers will always find ways around the rules, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't raise the bar. The solution isn't just about limiting domain sales; it’s about taking accountability seriously.

Read next: 

• Phishing Attacks Are Evolving – Is Your Mobile Safe from This Sneaky Cyber Security Threat?

• AI Chatbots Are Replacing Friends for Teens—Here’s Why Experts Are Worried
by Asim BN via Digital Information World

Analysis Shows Yoast and Redirection Top Rankings for Most Popular WordPress Plugins

Kinsta analyzed 140,000 websites to identify the plugins most favored for performance and reliability. The findings revealed that publishers prioritize good performance, seamless user experience, and effective SEO.

Schema.org is the tenth most used plugin among users (1.75%) and it can be because it provides structured data types than most plugins and also has capability to add custom structured data automatically.

XML Sitemap Generator for Google Plugin is used by 2.17% of websites analyzed because its basic version has a similar functionality as WordPress. With 3.27% websites using it, Broken Line Checker plugin is used to check broken links and 404 errors with its cloud based scanner. 4.81% of websites hosted by Kinsta also use SEOPress, making it the seventh most used plugin by more than 300k installations. It boasts search engine optimization plugin which can be helpful in schema implementation, content optimization and redirection management.

All in one SEO is the sixth most popular plugin with 5.11% websites using it with more than 3 million installations. With 11.62% websites using it, Imagify is the fifth most used image optimizer plugin which is used to minimize file size so the website doesn't take too much time to load. As there are not many image optimizer plugins, most of the websites use Imagify on WordPress.

• Want Cleaner Text For Blogger Blog Posts?: Discover how to remove clutter from your Google Docs with just a few clicks—try it now!

Rank Math is the fourth most used plugin on WordPress websites hosted by Kinsta. It has more than 3 million installations all over the world with 18.32% websites using it. WP Rocket comes at third with 19.10% sites using it for performance optimization. Website optimization is very important for publishers so the popularity of WP Rocket isn't surprising. It can minimize the file, optimize the database and improve loading time. 

The second most used plugin is Redirection with 26.85% of sites and blogs using it. It does a lot more than link redirecting, and has 404 error reporting as well as setting security headers.

Coming at number one spot with most users is Yoast (57.95%) installed in more than 10 million websites. It seems like Yoast is the most popular and trusted plugin according to 140,000 websites that were studied.

Read next: Here’s How Branded Searches Are Dominating Google and Why You Need to Adapt Your Approach
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

AI Chatbots Are Replacing Friends for Teens—Here’s Why Experts Are Worried

From social media to other digital services, teens are always seeking validation and looking for life advice on these platforms. Now Artificial Intelligence has also entered the group and children may be using it for purposes other than what parents seem to know. According to the researchers from University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, many children are forming emotional digital relations with AI and seem to disconnect from reality. The lead researcher of the study said that they wanted to know about how teenagers interact with generative AI and what effects it causes them. He added that even though AI and other technologies are evolving quickly, people are also quick to evolve with how to use those technologies.

Many parents assume that their children are using AI to take help for homework or asking it some general questions. While some children may be using AI solely for that purpose, a lot of teens are being emotionally dependent on it and are using it as their social interaction. Now AI technologies are present in many social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat and teens use them to pretend they are talking with humans and sometimes can have romantic attachment to them.

The researchers gave the example of Character AI and how many teens are using it to fantasize about different real life scenarios with made up characters. For the study, the researchers conducted interviews with 20 participants (13 parents and 7 teens) and analyzed different social media posts that were relevant to teens discussing the use of AI. There was a huge difference between how parents thought their child was using AI and how their child was actually using it. Parents didn't know about CharacterAI or image generation tools like DALL-E and Midjourney.

A lot of parents also didn't understand how much sensitive data and information their children are giving away to AI like their private information, personal traumas and medical records. Teens were also concerned about some things related to AI use, like addiction to using AI chatbots and use of their personal information for harmful purposes. Some teens were also worried about societal concerns and AI replacing humans.

The most concerning thing is that there is no awareness about how to use AI chatbots and related technologies safely. Many GAI models can mimic human emotions and behaviors easily, making it hard to differentiate between humans and AI. Research teams are developing some solutions to combat this problem and many psychologists are taking a look at it too.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next:

• OpenAI CEO Says We’re Getting Closer To The Launch of AGI Superintelligence But Don’t Expect Too Much Brilliance

• Phishing Attacks Are Evolving – Is Your Mobile Safe from This Sneaky Cyber Security Threat?

• Here’s How Branded Searches Are Dominating Google and Why You Need to Adapt Your Approach

by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World