You’ve heard the warnings: Companies are stealing your data. And yet, if you’re anything like most people, you keep using your smartphone, sharing your location with apps, and typing your details into websites without so much as blinking an eye. Short of returning to a medieval way of life, it feels like we have no other option but to leave a trail of data for processors to gobble up or sell to other data-hungry organizations. US businesses have for the most part been spared from privacy regulations like those in Europe, but the cookies are finally showing signs of crumbling. Lawmakers are taking action with a host of confusing and controversial laws. Here’s what you need to know.