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| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Here’s to 500!! | 28 Sep 2026 | 01:32:57 | |
Today marks an incredible milestone for this podcast: 500 episodes! Not only is that a crazy long run for any podcast, but I’ve also been astonishingly consistent. I’ve managed to put out an episode of this show every single week for 500 straight weeks! Okay… I did miss one week 8 years ago… I’ll give you that story in today’s podcast. But as always for my “podcentennial” episodes, my guest is the one and only global cybersecurity guru Bruce Schneier. He’s been on the show for every 100th podcast. Today I’ll ask Bruce some deep questions about artificial intelligence and how he sees it impacting our future – not just in the technical realm, but the political and social realms, as well. We also have some special surprises and bonus content for this momentous occasion! Interview Notes
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| Solving the AI Paradox | 21 Sep 2026 | 01:03:22 | |
In the last week, many news organizations have breathlessly covered the “AI doomer” comments by a former Anthropic employee, who said that many of his colleagues were secretly worried about AI ending all of humanity – and that it could happen in just a few years. But to me, there are more pressing concerns with AI and so far we’ve not responded in useful ways. I have several thoughts. In the news: Android patches some severe bugs (update now); Google implements method to securely move passwords and passkeys; Radaris loses its domains in court fight; Boston dumps Flock cameras; Discord is going through with age verification; CISA is cutting programs that help secure critical infrastructure; hackers reveal Flock’s camera software; AI companies are reading chatbot session text; Apple debuts Apple Watch constant audio recording; and an interesting article on how to avoid the AI automation paradox. Article Links News Briefs
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| Obscuring the Exit | 14 Sep 2026 | 01:04:00 | |
While we do have some state privacy laws in the US that require companies to allow you to opt out of data collection, these companies have devised clever ways to make these options very hard to find and/or very hard to choose in a clear and consistent manner. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has done a study on several such companies and the tricky ways they have obscured the mechanisms to assert your privacy rights. We’ll get all the details from one of the co-authors of this report, Caroline Kraczon. Interview Notes
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| Use a Secure Wi-Fi Router | 07 Sep 2026 | 01:21:12 | |
Probably the single most important device on your home network in terms of security is your Wi-Fi router. In most cases, it’s the only thing between all your networked devices and the Internet’s bad guys. It’s crucial that you’re using an updated (and update-able) device from a reputable maker. I’ll explain why it’s important and how to pick a good router. In other news: Plex media server urges users to update their software immediately; Meta settles a lawsuit for $18B and promises changes for kids; 153M personal ID cards were stolen and are for sale; ChatGPT has a new plugin to read and manage your iMessages; study shows Windows apps tattling on users; researcher shows how secret ballots can be re-identified; US Senator asks NSA to publish info on how to choose and use a good VPN; Flock vigilantism and vandalism soars; researchers find blatant back doors in cheap Chinese routers. Article Links News Briefs
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| Supply Chain Attacks | 31 Aug 2026 | 01:15:04 | |
Software apps today are a hodgepodge of libraries, software development kits, and third party code, all stitched together like Frankenstein’s monster. Furthermore, software developers use common tools to create and deploy this software. The bad guys have figured out that by compromising one of these third party components or the tools used to create the products, they can instantly infect hundreds or thousands of products that all share the same underlying resources. This is a supply chain attack. Today we’ll discuss these single points of failure, how to identify them ahead of time and try to prevent these sorts of attacks with Cassie Crossley, CEO and co-founder of VulNow. Interview Notes
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| Digital Citizen: Phase 2 | 24 Aug 2026 | 01:06:30 | |
As part of my celebration of the upcoming 500th podcast, I’m launching Phase 2 of my “cyber neighbor” campaign to both help as many people be more secure and private as possible, but to also learn from this experience so I can improve these campaigns in the future. In particular, as I write the 6th edition of my book, I’m funneling this feedback into improving those Tips, as well. In the news: Flock considered utilizing ride share and delivery vehicles to expand their ALPR network; judge rules ‘tower dump’ warrants unconstitutional; BMW’s show Spider-Man ads; hackers reuse expired domains for scams and malware; US warns of more PLC attacks; US proposal would allow private companies to launch cyber attacks on foreign groups; terabytes of credentials stolen in supply chain attack; customer downloads his 515-page McDonald’s dossier; AI agent hacks gym site to book a class; town claims Flock reactivated cameras without notice; and Chrome trials new device-bound session credentials. Article Links News Briefs
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| DEF CON 34 | 17 Aug 2026 | 01:27:35 | |
It’s August, which means it’s time for Hacker Summer Camp once again! I flew out to a sweltering Las Vegas, Nevada, to attend two of the three major cybersecurity (“hacker”) conferences: BSides and DEF CON. I had an amazing week, spending time with new and old friends, meeting some of the people I’ve interviewed in person, lining up more podcast guests, and having wonderfully stimulating conversations with very smart people. While at DEF CON, I managed to record four mini interviews with Bob Lord, Naomi Brockwell, Josh Corman and the Dark Tangent himself, Jeff Moss. I will try to give you some idea what these conferences are like as we discuss several important and timely topics. Interview Notes
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| AI Tech Support: Trust, but Verify | 10 Aug 2026 | 01:13:16 | |
One of the most underrated uses for modern chatbots, in my estimation, is tech support. I don’t mean the chatbots offered by product websites, I mean using one of the “frontier” model bots to troubleshoot problems via chat conversations. They are extremely good at this – and they are infinitely patient and available 24/7. Today I’ll give you tips on how to try this for yourself. I think you’ll be amazed. In the news: DEF CON bans Meta-style glasses; US military warns of personal cell phone use; GDPR suit over 1741 “partners” in share consent; US bans future robovacs; more TV streaming stick bad behavior; FTC sues Hims & Hers over health data sharing; Android “after call” ads malware; user’s private AI chats leaked; clever, annoying Mac malware; HuggingFace breached by OpenAI agent; Iran blamed for hacking 30 Minnesota water utilities. Article Links News Briefs
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| Top Cyber Threats 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 01:11:20 | |
With so many cyber threats to report on, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. It’s good to take a step back and look at the big picture every so often. Today, I’ll review some of the top security and privacy threats with investigative cybersecurity journalist Zack Whittaker from Tech Crunch. We’ll talk about age verification, mercenary spyware, surveillance capitalism, critical infrastructure hacks, AI and the proliferation of tracking in public spaces – and more! Interview Notes
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| Update All the Things | 27 Jul 2026 | 01:14:53 | |
Over the last 2-3 months, large software makers such as Microsoft have been releasing tons of fixes for vulnerabilities in their apps and operating systems. Did their software suddenly get a lot worse? No. They’re using the latest AI tools to find these bugs that humans missed and that have been lurking in their software for months or even years – and they’re fixing them. That’s great news… but these fixes won’t do you any good unless you install them. Bad guys are using these same tools to exploit these bugs. There’s never been a better time to update all your devices’ software. In other news: a hidden car device leaves many cars vulnerable to hacking; most fitness wearables don’t encrypt users’ data end-to-end; Iran is tracking US military phones; CBP accuses citizen of wiping phone using “duress” password; US says Iran is hacking critical infrastructure; US also warns that Russia and China are hacking small office routers; US judge denies broad “stringray” warrant in Ohio; LG to ban proxy apps on their TVs; Maine librarians teach patrons how to remove AI features. Article Links
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| Digital Provenance | 20 Jul 2026 | 01:06:28 | |
With modern AI tools, how do we know which images and videos are real and which ones are generated? Wouldn't it be helpful to have some digitally verifiable way to tell where something came from and whether it has been altered? Turns out, that technology already exists. It's open and free to use, and it's supported by many technology companies. I'll be digging into all the details of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) with Jacobo Castellanos from Witness.org.
Interview Notes
Jacobo Castellanos: https://www.witness.org/portfolio_page/jacobo-castellanos/
Witness: https://witness.org
Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity: https://c2pa.org/
Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI): https://contentauthenticity.org/
Content Credentials explainer: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a6282984
The Guardian Project: https://guardianproject.info/
Creator Assertions Working Group: https://cawg.io/
ProofMode tool: https://proofmode.org/
C2PA Content Credentials and the Surveillance Risk: https://library.witness.org/product/c2pa-privacy/
How C2PA works: https://contentauthenticity.org/how-it-works
Further Info
Digital Citizen, Phase 1: https://fdsd.me/phase1
Countdown to FDSD500!! https://fdsd500.com
Get your FDSD500 merch!! https://fdsd.me/merch
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Table of Contents
0:00:13: Intro
0:01:17: Interview prep
0:02:39: Lingo
0:04:10: What is Witness.org?
0:06:22: What is the purpose of C2PA?
0:09:26: How does C2PA work?
0:17:28: Is C2PA embedded in our devices, too?
0:19:57: Are there fees or licensing required to use C2PA?
0:22:41: Does C2PA info include creator information?
0:26:41: As a user, how do I experience C2PA info?
0:30:54: Can C2PA be used to undo changes?
0:32:46: What are C2PA's limitations?
0:38:36: Does C2PA report data to third parties?
0:41:07: Could C2PA be used to limit information?
0:45:27: Can C2PA info be removed? Reattached?
0:48:35: Is here a global C2PA content registry?
0:49:53: How do certificate authorities work?
0:53:37: Are any laws requiring provenance info?
0:56:56: How can we get involved?
0:59:15: How do we re-establish trust in our news?
1:02:27: Wrap-up
1:03:39: Patron podcast preview
1:05:23: Reminder for Phase 1
1:05:47: Looking ahead | |||
| Countdown to Episode 500! | 13 Jul 2026 | 00:57:32 | |
It's time to start the official countdown to my 500th podcast episode! I've been publishing a podcast every single week for over nine years now, which is a rather amazing accomplishment (if I do say so myself). But the entire purpose of the podcast - as well as my book and my blog - has been to try to improve the security and privacy of as many people as possible. So to celebrate this momentous occasion, I'm going to be conducting an experiment to figure out the most effective way to protect our data and devices. And I'm going to need your help.
In the news: Chat Control 1.0 has been resurrected in the EU; Apple's Hide My Email is failing to do so; Meta patents a new, creepy wearable device; The Intercept's Signal account was taken over for months; Papa Johns wants to know when your fridge is empty; Opera Browser has a new feature to combat ClickFix attacks; Google disrupted a residential proxy network; John Deere has been forced to support third party repairs; and the Supreme Court further protected our device location history.
Article Links
Chat Control 1.0 sneaks through the EU Parliament: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/chat-control-1-0-sneaks-through-the-eu-parliament-letting-companies-scan-user-data-without-warrants-legal-tactic-used-to-force-a-majority-required-re-vote-on-eve-of-parliament-break
Apple Hide My Email bug allows 100% of real email addresses to be discovered: https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/01/apple-hide-my-email-bug-seemingly-allows-100-of-real-email-addresses-to-be-discovered
Meta Patents AI Device That Tracks Your Emotions, Watches You Take Your Meds: https://www.404media.co/meta-patents-ai-device-that-tracks-your-emotions-watches-you-take-your-meds
The Intercept's Signal tipline username was hijacked for months: https://cyberinsider.com/the-intercepts-signal-tipline-username-was-hijacked-for-months
Papa Johns Can Predict When Your Fridge Is Empty: https://www.adexchanger.com/?p=461783
Opera's new security feature stops copy paste attacks from malicious websites - Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2206574/opera-new-security-feature-stops-copy-paste-clickfix-attacks
Google Disrupts NetNut Residential Proxy Network Spanning 2 Million Home Devices: https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/google-disrupts-netnut-residential.html
The Deere Dam Just Broke: FTC Settlement Empowers Farmers Right To Repair: https://fighttorepair.substack.com/p/the-deere-dam-just-broke-ftc-settlement
Justices rule that cellphone location histories are protected by the Fourth Amendment: https://therecord.media/supreme-court-geofencing-ruling-fourth-amendment
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/celebrating-500-episodes/
Further Info
Countdown to FDSD500!! https://fdsd500.com
Get your FDSD500 merch!! https://fdsd.me/merch
Hacking the water supply: https://www.wired.com/story/what-happens-if-china-hacks-the-us-water-supply-war-game-volt-typhoon
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:01:07: Quick headlines
0:03:18: News rundown
0:04:40: Chat Control 1.0 is back
0:09:27: Apple Hide My Email exposes real address
0:13:15: New creepy Meta patent
0:19:16: Intercept loses Signal account
0:23:52: Papa Johns knows when your fridge is empty
0:27:54: Opera implement ClickFix protections
0:32:49: Google foils residential proxy maker
0:38:23: John Deere forced to allow user repairs
0:41:06: SCOTUS restricts location data, again
0:46:04: Tip of the Week
0:53:17: Wrap-up
0:55:01: Hacker summer camp
0:55:42: Patron podcast preview
0:56:13: Looking ahead | |||
| Defending Device Data | 06 Jul 2026 | 01:12:12 | |
Our Constitutional rights were written without any concept of modern technology such as cell phones and the internet. Much of our privacy laws are still geared towards the pre-digital age. Even though the internet is many decades old now, the era of traveling with smartphones and laptops is still relatively new and the laws around privacy have not kept up. Today I'll be speaking with Nathan Freed Wessler from the ACLU about device searches, particularly at the US border. We'll also talk about how cases relating to location tracking have evolved since the landmark Carpenter case that Nate successfully argued in front of the Supreme Court almost 10 years ago now.
Interview Notes
ACLU: https://aclu.org/
Nate Wessler: https://www.aclu.org/bios/nathan-freed-wessler
My first interview with Nate: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2022/08/01/now-place-left-to-hide/
ACLU facial recognition suit: https://reason.com/2026/06/11/aclu-sues-after-facial-recognition-falsely-identifies-florida-man-as-a-child-abductor/
Travel Insecurity: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/border-insecurity/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:12: Intro
0:02:37: What makes border searches different, legally?
0:08:15: What is the 100 mile rule?
0:12:42: How do digital searches differ from physical?
0:19:26: What is digital contraband?
0:23:33: How does 'in plain site' work on a phone?
0:26:29: How has the Carpenter decision held up?
0:32:59: Should Carpenter apply to ALPRs?
0:41:29: How does AI complicate matters?
0:47:11: How should we prepare for border searches?
0:59:49: What about privileged or corporate data?
1:03:33: Can I lock my device before I hand it over?
1:05:30: What's next for you and the ACLU?
1:08:36: Wrap up
1:11:01: Patron podcast preview
1:11:27: Looking ahead | |||
| We Can Do This | 29 Jun 2026 | 01:04:23 | |
With the 500th podcast and America's 250th anniversary approaching, I've been doing a lot of thinking about how we can be better digital neighbors and digital citizens. We're all in this together. Your security and privacy overlaps the security and privacy of many others. It's important to improve our own situation, but we need to also realize that failing to do so can put others at risk who may be more vulnerable and have more to lose that we do.
In the news: massive Fortinet breach; feds recover activists' Signal messages; Visa partners with ChatGPT for agentic purchases; Anthropic models banned for export; US shortens cyber fix window to 3 days; EPIC endorses two new privacy bills; Canada's spy agency hacks devices to clean out botnet; nearly half of LG smart TVs apps contain proxy SDKs; EFF calls out Amazon for shady Android devices containing proxies.
Article Links
Massive breach spills credentials for thousands of sensitive networks: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/massive-breach-spills-credentials-for-thousands-of-sensitive-networks
How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages?: https://theintercept.com/2026/06/17/signal-messages-minneapolis-ice-protests
Visa plugs its payment network into ChatGPT, letting AI agents shop and pay for users: https://apnews.com/article/visa-chatgpt-openai-shopping-mastercard-d769dec86344cb4977c98789e8ec492f
The Fable 5 Export Controls Harm US Cyber Defense: https://www.lutasecurity.com/post/the-fable-5-export-controls-harm-us-cyber-defense
US shortens cyber fix window to three days as AI threats rise: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-shortens-cyber-fix-window-three-days-ai-threats-rise-2026-06-10
EPIC Endorses Federal Bills Barring Worker Surveillance, Automated Workplace Decisions: https://epic.org/epic-endorses-federal-bills-barring-worker-surveillance-automated-workplace-decisions
Canada’s Spy Agency Used First-of-Its-Kind Warrant to Clean Botnet-Infected Devices: https://thehackernews.com/2026/06/canadas-spy-agency-used-first-of-its.html
Nearly Half of LG Smart TV Apps Contain Residential Proxy SDKs: https://spur.us/blog/smart-tv-apps-residential-proxy-sdks
Primed for Malware: Stop Selling Compromised Android Devices: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/primed-malware-stop-selling-compromised-android-devices
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/we-can-do-this/
Further Info
Loupe app (Mysk): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/loupe-what-apps-can-see/id6766152470
Loupe app overview (Techlore): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n_SpEWtqog
Free Fable petition: https://freefable.org/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:23: Quick news bits
0:02:46: News rundown
0:05:01: Massive Fortinet breach
0:12:27: Signal data security limits
0:17:58: Visa integrates with ChatGPT
0:23:01: Free Fable
0:30:35: US shortens cyber fix window
0:32:25: New federal privacy bills
0:35:18: Canada spy agency cleans up botnet
0:40:34: Shady Samsung TV apps
0:50:10: EFF on Android proxy devices
0:55:57: Tip of the Week
1:03:02: Patron podcast preview
1:03:27: Looking ahead | |||
| A More Personal AI | 22 Jun 2026 | 01:06:54 | |
Most of the chatbots in the news today are trained on public data (often including copyrighted data). But it doesn't have to be that way. What if you had a chatbot that could access all of your personal or company data, but hosted locally so that all the data was secure and private? You could ask it all sorts of interesting questions about that data, run helpful reports, and tease out important trends or do in-depth analysis that would be very difficult for a human to do. Basically, there are lots of uses for AI beyond ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude - and done in ways that preserve the privacy of your data and queries. Today we'll discuss how we can do AI better with the CEO and Founder of Empathy AI, Angel Maldonado.
Interview Notes
Empathy AI home page: Empathy.ai
Manifesto: https://empathy.ai/manifesto/
Molly vs the Machines: MollyVsTheMachines.com
The New Age of Ethical Commerce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_4d4outlFQ
Reddit LocaLLM: https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLM/
Also: https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/
Charlie Bridge: https://charliebridge.com/
Proton’s Lumo: https://lumo.proton.me
Project Gutenberg w/ Empathy.ai: https://projectgutenberg.empathy.ai/library/discover
Standard eBooks: https://standardebooks.org/
Calibre (free ebook manager): https://calibre-ebook.com/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:18: Intro
0:03:17: Lingo
0:04:12: Why did you start Empathy.ai?
0:08:10: How should we interact with LLMs?
0:13:53: How will AI change the future of work?
0:20:49: Can we limit AI resource usage?
0:30:30: How can we make agentic AI safer?
0:39:19: How do we keep LLM sessions private?
0:47:55: What are the benefits & risks of AI?
0:50:01: What will the world be like for kids today?
0:56:29: How should a layman learn about AI?
1:00:12: What's next for you and Empathy?
1:01:32: Wrap-up
1:05:34: Patron podcast preview
1:06:29: Looking ahead | |||
| Backup Your Email Archive | 15 Jun 2026 | 01:09:41 | |
In the final part of my series on downloading all of your historical emails from the cloud, we’ll make backups of your archive and make sure we store them in multiple places, following the 3-2-1 backup rule. I’ll also tell you about an interesting open source email archive project that you might find interesting.
In the news: the FCC wants to kill burner phones; the WeedHack malware targets Minecraft players; a new surveillance company wants to add personal radio IDs to our license plate reader data; Apple debuts new parental controls; a 17-million-device botnet has been dismantled; Slate Auto has a cheap new EV that’s got some great privacy features; Meta quickly deletes facial recognition features from smart glasses; FISA Section 702 is allowed to lapse; Signal alums reveal “Encrypted Spaces” tech for encrypted group collaboration.
Article Links
FCC Wants to Kill Burner Phones By Forcing Telecoms to Get All Customers’ IDs: https://www.404media.co/fcc-wants-to-kill-burner-phones-by-forcing-telecoms-to-get-all-customers-ids
Teens are using $5 WeedHack malware to target Minecraft players: https://mashable.com/tech/minecraft-weedhack-malware-as-a-service-report
This Company Will Add Phone, AirPod, and Smartwatch Trackers to License Plate Readers: https://www.404media.co/this-company-will-add-phone-airpod-and-smartwatch-trackers-to-license-plate-readers
Apple’s new parental controls are for keeping Apple out of trouble: https://www.theverge.com/policy/946331/apple-parental-controls-child-accounts-wwdc
Botnet of more than 17 million devices dismantled: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/botnet-of-more-than-17-million-devices-dismantled
Slate Auto gets serious about privacy for its bare-bones EV pickup: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/slate-says-its-electric-pickup-will-never-track-you
Meta Deletes Face-Recognition System From Its Smart Glasses App After WIRED Report: https://www.wired.com/story/meta-removes-face-recognition-code-meta-ai-app-smart-glasses
US surveillance law to expire for first time after lawmakers reject Trump's controversial pick to lead spy agencies: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/12/us-spy-law-to-expire-for-first-time-after-lawmakers-reject-trumps-controversial-pick-to-lead-spy-agencies
Signal Alums Reveal ‘Encrypted Spaces,’ a System for Making Private Collaboration Apps: https://www.wired.com/story/signal-alums-release-encrypted-spaces-a-new-system-for-building-private-collaboration-apps
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/backup-your-email-archive/
Further Info
FCC, submit comment (docket # 17-59 and 02-278): https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/express
Slate Truck: https://www.slate.auto/en
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:08: Intro
0:01:32: News preview
0:03:36: FCC wants to ban burner phones
0:11:20: Teens using $5 WeedHack malware
0:17:23: ALPRs gain device tracking
0:22:39: Apple's new child safety features
0:30:47: Botnet with 17M bots disabled
0:36:30: New Slate EV has no tracking
0:47:01: FISA Section 702 lapses
0:55:47: Secure Spaces for secure collaboration
1:02:12: Tip of the Week
1:07:51: Patron podcast preview
1:08:22: Looking ahead | |||
| Transaction Denied | 08 Jun 2026 | 01:05:09 | |
What would you do if you suddenly lost your bank account - and potentially access to all your funds? What about your credit cards? How long could your business stay afloat if you could no longer receive payments? Most of us take financial services for granted, but they can be taken away at any time - for almost any reason. And sometimes the reason is just that they don't like you - or someone in power doesn't like you, who can put pressure on the financial company. In many cases, this amounts to financial censorship. My guest today, Rainey Reitman, is the head of the Freedom of the Press Foundation and author of a book on this very subject called Transaction Denied. We'll learn about how this happens, what the impacts are, and what we can do about it.
Interview Notes
Freedom of the Press Foundation: https://freedom.press/
EFF: https://www.eff.org/
Protect the Stack: https://protectthestack.org/
Pretty much infra: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/we-need-talk-about-infrastructure
Santa Clara Principles: https://santaclaraprinciples.org/
Cryptocurrency 101: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2022/06/06/cryptocurrency-101/
The Curse of Cash (book): https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Cash-Large-Denomination-Constrain-Monetary/dp/0691178364
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:13: Intro
0:02:45: Why did you start FPF?
0:08:25: What are some examples of financial censorship?
0:14:44: What are the impacts of this?
0:20:35: What can you do when this happens?
0:23:45: Are you entitled to know why you were cut off?
0:26:10: How do KYC laws impact your rights?
0:31:14: How might regulators infringe free speech?
0:35:56: How might my reputation after me here?
0:41:40: Should we codify banking rights?
0:46:21: What about using cash or cryptocurrency?
0:50:18: What bank practices should we change?
0:54:32: What should the government be doing here?
0:58:36: What's next for you and FPF?
0:59:47: Wrap-up
1:02:40: Patron podcast preview
1:04:08: Looking ahead | |||
| Verify Your Email Archive | 01 Jun 2026 | 01:02:02 | |
As part of my ongoing series on creating a full backup of all your old emails, we want to take some time to verify that we got everything okay. In today's Tip of the Week, I'll give you several pointers on how to go about doing this. In the last installment, we'll make a couple backups and (optionally) delete everything from your email provider.
In the news: AI firms want your financial data; Google Search moves to AI chat format; AI bots transcribing all your meetings; Mayo Clinic using AI to transcribe ER visits; CISA exposes credentials in massive screw up; school buses are being turned into mass surveillance machines; FBI wants access to all the license plate readers; some in Congress are trying to kill license plate readers.
Article Links
Experts warn of privacy risks as AI firms looks to connect to financial accounts: https://therecord.media/experts-warn-of-privacy-cyer-risks-ai-finance
Google Search as you know it is over: https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/google-search-as-you-know-it-is-over
You Are Being Recorded: https://blog.yaelwrites.com/you-are-being-recorded
Mayo Clinic is Using AI to Listen to Emergency Room Visits: https://www.404media.co/mayo-clinic-is-using-ai-to-listen-to-emergency-room-visits
US cyber agency CISA exposed reams of passwords and cloud keys to the open web: https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/us-cyber-agency-cisa-exposed-reams-of-passwords-and-cloud-keys-to-the-open-web
‘BusPatrol’ Put AI Cameras in Tens of Thousands of School Buses. Now They Want to Give Cops Access: https://www.404media.co/buspatrol-put-ai-cameras-in-tens-of-thousands-of-school-buses-now-they-want-to-give-cops-access
The FBI Wants to Buy Nationwide Access to License Plate Readers: https://www.404media.co/the-fbi-wants-to-buy-nationwide-access-to-license-plate-readers
A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide: https://www.wired.com/story/a-bipartisan-amendment-would-end-police-license-plate-tracking-nationwide
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/verify-your-email-archive/
Further Info
Privacy Guides (search engines): https://www.privacyguides.org/en/search-engines/
My Proton referral link: https://pr.tn/ref/ZMNG3DNK
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show.
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:47: News preview
0:02:13: AI financial advisors
0:08:42: Google Search making big changes
0:17:30: You are being recorded
0:25:07: Mayo Clinic ER AI transcripts
0:31:37: Major CISA credentials screwup
0:35:54: School bus surveillance
0:43:37: FBI wants nationwide ALPR access
0:49:04: Congress looks to ban ALPRs
0:53:19: Tip of the Week
1:00:32: Patron podcast preview
1:01:05: Looking ahead | |||
| Bossware & Boundaries | 25 May 2026 | 01:12:22 | |
When you're working for your employer, no matter where you are, you're on company time, using company equipment. Your employer has a responsibility to protect their assets - not just their equipment and facilities, but their data, as well. That gives employers several reasons to monitor you and any devices you might be using for work - including your mobile phone, potentially. While your rights to privacy are limited, they're not eliminated. Today I'll ask Jodi Daniels (Red Clover Advisors) and Jan Rosenfeld (iVerify) to help us understand what personal information might be gathered, how it might be used, and what we should do to protect ourselves.
Interview Notes
iVerify (Jan Rosenfeld): https://iverify.io/
Red Clover Advisors (Jodi Daniels): https://redcloveradvisors.com/our-team/jodi-daniels/
Microsoft Recall: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/retrace-your-steps-with-recall-aa03f8a0-a78b-4b3e-b0a1-2eb8ac48701c
WiFi Pineapple: https://shop.hak5.org/products/wifi-pineapple
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:20: Intro
0:01:54: Lingo
0:03:45: Why do employers monitor employees?
0:10:23: What privacy rights do employees have?
0:17:27: How do employers monitor mobile phones?
0:24:07: What can be learned using mobile profiles?
0:30:27: How are laptops monitored?
0:34:31: Can employers monitor encrypted traffic?
0:36:17: What are the privacy risks for computor monitoring?
0:41:41: How else might I be tracked at work?
0:48:05: How might my data be correlated with my colleagues?
0:52:38: What about job applicant privacy?
0:55:59: What happens when I leave a company?
1:02:15: How can we best protect employment data?
1:05:22: How do I handle privacy violations?
1:06:55: Wrap-up
1:10:49: Patron podcast preview
1:11:25: Looking ahead | |||
| Download All Your Emails | 18 May 2026 | 01:11:26 | |
In the next phase of withdrawing our email data from the cloud, we're going to download a complete archive of every email we've ever sent. It's not as easy as it should be, but it's also not that difficult. I'll give you an overview in today's Tip of the Week, but you should read the full blog for detailed steps.
In the news: Venmo finally makes transactions private by default; FCC extends software update window for banned routers; Meta employees push back on surveillance; Proton Mail adds post-quantum crypto; turn off ChatGPT ad tracking; AI chatbots giving out people's real phone numbers; Canada's updated surveillance bill is still bad; Utah wants to effectively ban anonymous VPN use; LLMs want access to your health records; Microsoft Edge is a poor password manager; Canvas hacked during finals; Chrome installing a 4GB AI model on everyone's computers.
Article Links
Venmo privacy finally being fixed eight years after 'alarming' fails: https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/11/venmo-privacy-finally-being-fixed-eight-years-after-alarming-fails
US: FCC Relaxes Foreign-Made Router Ban to Allow for Security Updates: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/us-fcc-relaxes-foreign-router-ban
Meta employees launch protest against mouse-tracking tech at US offices: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/meta-us-employees-organize-protest-against-mouse-tracking-tech-2026-05-12
Proton Mail introduces post-quantum encryption: https://proton.me/blog/introducing-post-quantum-encryption
Turn Off ChatGPT’s New Ad Tracking: https://onlinesafety.substack.com/p/turn-off-chatgpts-new-ad-tracking
AI chatbots are giving out people’s real phone numbers: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/13/1137203/ai-chatbots-are-giving-out-peoples-real-phone-numbers
Canada’s Bill C-22 Is a Repackaged Version of Last Year’s Surveillance Nightmare: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/05/canadas-bill-c-22-repackaged-version-last-years-surveillance-nightmare
Utah’s New Law Targeting VPNs Goes Into Effect May 6th: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/utahs-new-law-regulating-vpns-goes-effect-next-week
A.I. Chatbots Want Your Health Records. Tread Carefully.: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/technology/personaltech/microsoft-copilot-health-ai-chatbots.html
Microsoft Edge security alert: All saved passwords unencrypted: https://proton.me/business/blog/microsoft-edge-passwords-exposed
'The Biggest Student Data Privacy Disaster in History': Canvas Hack Shows the Danger of Centralized EdTech: https://www.404media.co/the-biggest-student-data-privacy-disaster-in-history-canvas-hack-shows-the-danger-of-centralized-edtech
Chrome silently installs a 4 GB local LLM on your computer: https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/05/07/chrome-silently-installs-a-4-gb-local-llm-on-your-computer/5230893
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/download-all-emails/
Further Info
PG’s Data Protection Authority: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/activism/legal/dpa-directory/
Donate to Session: https://getsession.org/donate
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:19: News tidbits
0:02:53: News rundown
0:05:21: Venmo finally private by default
0:08:57: Banned router updates extended
0:11:28: Meta employees protest surveillance
0:15:47: Proton Mail gets post-quantum crypto
0:19:44: ChatGPT's new ad tracking
0:24:37: Chatbots giving our people's phone numbers
0:28:57: Canada C-22 bill still a privacy nightmare
0:32:49: Utah VPN law delayed
0:40:47: AI wants your health info
0:48:14: Edge decrypts all saved passwords
0:53:40: Canvas hit with ransomware
0:56:08: Chrome silently installs 4GB LLM
1:01:06: Tip of the Week
1:09:28: Patron podcast preview
1:09:55: Looking ahead | |||
| Cindy Cohn: Privacy’s Defender | 11 May 2026 | 01:11:54 | |
Cindy Cohn has been on the front lines, defending your digital rights, for three decades. With the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), she has litigated several seminal legal cases that have directly impacted the lives of all Americans. As she retires from her role as Director of the EFF, she's written a memoir about her time there and documents several of these legal fights called Privacy's Defender. Today I'll ask Cindy about the key parts of these cases, how we interpret our rights in the digital realm, and what we can do to ensure a free and open internet.
Interview Notes
Cindy Cohn: https://www.eff.org/about/staff/cindy-cohn
Privacy’s Defender: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262051248/privacys-defender/
Give thanks (donate): https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/give-thanks-donate/
Clipper Chip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip
Secure Drop: https://securedrop.org/
Geofence warrants case: https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-supreme-court-shut-down-unconstitutional-geofence-searches
404 Media’s FOIA Forum: https://www.404media.co/foia-forum-archive/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:15: Intro
0:01:13: Lingo
0:03:52: What if you had lost the Bernstein case?
0:09:18: What re-ignited the Crypto Wars?
0:13:54: Can we prevent all crime with surveillance?
0:16:37: How do our rights apply in the digital world?
0:21:29: Should national security trump our rights?
0:26:58: Can't courts handle secret evidence?
0:29:20: How does loss of privacy create a power imbalance?
0:35:02: How does privacy improve democracy?
0:36:54: How to you translate technogy to law?
0:40:49: Are we losing online anonymity?
0:44:13: How important are whistleblowers?
0:47:08: How can we protect privacy from the next crisis?
0:54:24: How do we avoid burnout and keep fighting?
0:57:47: How do we get a federal privacy law?
1:02:37: What's next for you and the EFF?
1:06:48: Wrap-up
1:08:37: Donate to rights organizations
1:10:27: Patron podcast preview
1:11:05: Looking ahead | |||
| Withdraw Your Email Data | 04 May 2026 | 01:13:03 | |
Probably the oldest online data you have - like, still have out there right now - is your emails. Did you have an AOL account? Or email through your internet service provider (ISP)? Statistically speaking, you probably have a Gmail, Yahoo Mail or Outlook (previously HotMail) account. Unless you explicitly closed those accounts or deleted those emails, they're still there. Emails are less like letters in an envelope and much more like postcards, unless you made a point of encrypting them. So today we'll start a multi-step process to download that email history so that we can delete the online data before it's slurped into some AI model training or leaked in a data breach.
In other news: Met Police win suit to use live facial recognition; Australian teens work around social media ban; big tech is ignoring your do-not-track signals; Meta threatens to leave New Mexico over AG demands; Meta is training AI on their employees; doctors are using AI to take session notes; Mythos suffers 'unauthorized access'; AI agent deletes companies databases; and AI is empowering script kiddies.
Article Links
Challenge over Met Police's use of live facial recognition lost: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq59x4vv954o
Most Australian teens admit the social media ban isn’t working as they try to sidestep age verification blocks with face masks and their parents’ IDs: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/most-australian-teens-admit-social-111400429.html
Google, Microsoft, Meta All Tracking You Even When You Opt Out, According to an Independent Audit: https://www.404media.co/google-microsoft-meta-all-tracking-you-even-when-you-opt-out-according-to-an-independent-audit
Meta threatens to pull its apps from New Mexico if forced to make ‘technologically impractical’ changes: https://www.theverge.com/policy/921557/meta-threatens-leaving-new-mexico
Meta is tracking employees for AI training data: https://proton.me/business/blog/meta-ai-training-employee-data
Why your doctor's AI recorder can be bad for your health (and privacy): https://this.weekinsecurity.com/why-your-doctors-ai-recorder-can-be-bad-for-your-health-and-privacy
Anthropic’s most dangerous AI model just fell into the wrong hands: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/916501/anthropic-mythos-unauthorized-users-access-security
An AI agent allegedly deleted a startup's production database: https://mashable.com/article/ai-agent-deletes-data-30-hour-service-outage-pocketos
Attack of the killer script kiddies: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/915660/mythos-script-kiddies-hackers-attack-cybersecurity-ai
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/withdraw-your-data-email/
Further Info
Enable and verify GPC flag: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-enable-global-privacy-control/
Contact your representatives on Section 702 reforms: https://act.eff.org/action/congress-has-until-april-20-to-take-action-on-702-tell-them-not-to-drop-the-ball
AI doctor privacy newsletter: https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/why-you-should-refuse-to-let-your-doctor-record/
Attack of the Script Kiddies: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/915660/mythos-script-kiddies-hackers-attack-cybersecurity-ai
Zero Day Clock: https://zerodayclock.com/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:01:07: News bites
0:01:59: News rundown
0:04:17: Met Police win face recognition suit
0:09:10: Australia social media ban update
0:13:16: Google, Meta, Microsoft ignoring GPC
0:20:40: New Mexico AG has demands for Meta
0:26:28: Meta tracking employees to train AI
0:32:36: Doctors using AI to take notes
0:39:45: Mythos unauthorized access
0:43:39: AI agent deletes company databases
0:49:25: Attack of the killer script kiddies
1:02:29: Tip of the Week
1:11:45: Patron podcast preview
1:11:54: Looking ahead | |||
| The Power of Prophecy | 27 Apr 2026 | 00:51:25 | |
We have relied on prophets and seers for most of human history, largely because humans are obsessed with the future - specifically their own. But prophecy has often been used to determine or at least influence the future, not just predict it. In her new book, Prophecy, Carissa Véliz explains the power and perils of prediction, from the Oracle of Delphi to modern AI, giving us some much-needed perspective on the dangers of chatbots and the people who are selling them to us as powerful tools that will either save or doom all of humanity.
Interview Notes
Prophecy: https://www.carissaveliz.com/prophecy
Privacy is Power: https://www.carissaveliz.com/books
The Power of Analogue (TEDx): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvJeUQ9Egnk
How Privacy Can Save Your Life (TEDx): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSPRouBvgFE
Here’s to the Crazy Ones (Steve Jobs): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtftHaK9tYY
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:18: Intro
0:03:07: How is prediction used to determine the future?
0:08:09: Why are humans hard to predict?
0:12:34: What does AI predict about itself?
0:19:24: What are longtermism and effective altruism?
0:25:45: How does rationalism compare to empiricism with AI?
0:30:41: Why do humans believe numbers?
0:34:57: Are prediction markets ethical?
0:38:53: What do you tell policymakers?
0:41:51: How do we resist fear of the future?
0:47:11: Wrap up
0:49:45: Patron podcast preview
0:50:23: Looking ahead | |||
| AI’s Promise and Peril | 20 Apr 2026 | 01:23:46 | |
Artificial Intelligence - in particular, Large Language Models (LLMs) or "chatbots" - are increasing in power at an astonishing pace. In fact, the latest models from Anthropic (Claude Mythos) and OpenAI (ChatGPT 5.4 Cyber) are so good at reading software code and finding vulnerabilities, that their makers have strictly limited initial access to manufacturers of the most popular software so that they have a head start in finding exploitable bugs. But it's not all doom and gloom. I'll highlight the promise of this powerful new technology, as well.
Article Links
Brussels launched an age checking app. Hackers say it takes 2 minutes to break it.: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-brussels-launched-age-checking-app-hackers-say-took-them-2-minutes-break-it
FBI Extracts Suspect’s Deleted Signal Messages Saved in iPhone Notification Database: https://www.404media.co/fbi-extracts-suspects-deleted-signal-messages-saved-in-iphone-notification-database-2
Iran built a vast camera network to control dissent. Israel turned it into a targeting tool: https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-security-cameras-surveillance-5f9a1fe5845d94894f3edd50af560d3a
Iranian hackers are targeting American critical infrastructure, US agencies warn: https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/07/iranian-hackers-are-targeting-american-critical-infrastructure-u-s-agencies-warn
LinkedIn secretly scans 6,000+ browser extensions and fingerprints your device: https://thenextweb.com/news/linkedin-browsergate-extension-scanning-privacy-fingerprint
The Pixel Trap: Online Marketing Is a Silent PII Harvesting Machine: https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/pixel-marketing-pii-harvesting
Republican Mutiny Sinks Trump's Push to Extend Warrantless Surveillance: https://www.wired.com/story/republican-mutiny-sinks-trumps-push-to-extend-warrantless-surveillance
India drops proposal to mandate national ID app Aadhaar on smartphones after pushback: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/india-drops-proposal-mandate-national-id-app-aadhaar-smartphones-after-pushback-2026-04-17
What I learned by vibe-coding my own word processor: https://www.fastcompany.com/91528164/claude-code-vibe-code-word-processor
On Anthropic's Mythos Preview and Project Glasswing: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/04/on-anthropics-mythos-preview-and-project-glasswing.html
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/ai-promise-peril/
Further Info
Support the Internet Archive: https://www.savethearchive.com/authors/ or https://www.savethearchive.com/journalists/
Contact your representatives on Section 702 reforms: https://act.eff.org/action/congress-has-until-april-20-to-take-action-on-702-tell-them-not-to-drop-the-ball
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:08: Intro
0:00:37: Internet Archive needs your help
0:02:00: Router ban update
0:02:33: News rundown
0:05:46: New EU age app has bugs
0:10:46: FBI extracts Signal messages
0:16:33: Iran public cameras hacked by Israel
0:22:46: Iran hackers target US, Israel
0:26:11: LinkedIn scans your devices
0:37:06: TikTok Meta pixel madness
0:43:25: Section 702 on the ropes
0:50:56: India drops ID app mandate
0:53:42: Vibe-coding my own word processor
1:04:07: Schneier on Mythos, Glasswing
1:07:37: Tip of the Week
1:21:59: Patron podcast preview
1:22:24: Looking ahead | |||
| Identity Resolution | 13 Apr 2026 | 01:24:03 | |
There are all sorts of things that can be used to identify us online and in the real world, beyond our names, addresses, and phone numbers. But data brokers are desperate to tie all of these unique pieces of information together, building a valuable marketing dossier. It's become a massive industry - being able to map one supposedly anonymous or pseudonymous piece of data to the a person's full identity. Today we'll delve deeply into this shady business with Iesha White and Zach Edwards.
Interview Notes
Victory Medium (Zach): https://victorymedium.com/
Check My Ads (Iesha): https://checkmyads.org/
TLS fingerprinting: https://fingerprint.com/blog/what-is-tls-fingerprinting-transport-layer-security/
Disable Mobile Ad ID (MAID): https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/05/how-disable-ad-id-tracking-ios-and-android-and-why-you-should-do-it-now
US v Google: https://www.usvgoogleads.com/
IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF): https://iabeurope.eu/iab-europe-transparency-consent-framework-policies/
DROP portal: https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/
Remove online data: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/dragon-hacks-opt-out/
Apple’s Hide My Email: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105078
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com
Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:20: Intro
0:02:22: Learning the lingo
0:03:34: What identifiers are used to track us online?
0:12:00: How else are we being tracked?
0:23:20: How are we tracked in the physical world?
0:31:54: How do brick and mortar stores track us?
0:37:46: What if the data is wrong?
0:43:58: What if I'm okay with targetted ads?
0:49:14: How does my data overlap your data?
0:54:01: Can't this tracking also be used to stop fraud?
0:58:08: Why can't we just use contextual ads?
1:05:22: What can we do about this?
1:13:00: What does NOT work to stop tracking?
1:14:10: What's next for you two?
1:17:43: Wrap-up
1:21:05: Patron podcast preview
1:21:56: Looking ahead | |||
| Routers Behaving Badly | 06 Apr 2026 | 00:55:58 | |
The US is planning to ban all foreign-made or foreign-designed home WiFi routers... which is basically all routers. It's true that many consumer routers are pretty crappy when it comes to security. TP-Link just fixed some bad vulnerabilities (which you need to patch ASAP). But what does this mean for anyone wanting to upgrade to a new router? I'll try to explain.
In other news: Walmart is buying TV-maker Vizio to gain access to user data and ads; a company is turning public Zoom meetings into AI podcasts for profit (without permission); a health company suffers a data breach exposing millions of clients' information; H&R Block's latest business tax prep software commits an egregious security mistake; AI companies are rolling out dangerous automation features; macOS 26.4 appears to block ClickFix-style attacks; and Facebook and Google lose in a landmark legal case.
Article Links
Walmart buying TV-brand Vizio for its ad-fueling customer data: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/walmart-buying-tv-brand-vizio-for-its-ad-fueling-customer-data
This Company Is Secretly Turning Your Zoom Meetings into AI Podcasts: https://www.404media.co/this-company-is-secretly-turning-your-zoom-calls-into-ai-podcasts
This Massive Data Breach Leaked 2.7 Million Social Security Numbers: https://lifehacker.com/tech/navia-data-breach-social-security-numbers
These critical exploits just exposed a bigger problem with TP-Link routers: https://www.makeuseof.com/tp-link-critical-exploits-expose-bigger-security-concerns
H&R Block’s Tax Prep Blunder: What You Must Know About the 2025 Certificate Vulnerability: https://twit.tv/posts/tech/hr-blocks-tax-prep-blunder-what-you-must-know-about-2025-certificate-vulnerability
This New Claude Feature Can Automate Basically Everything on Your Mac, but It’s a Huge Security Risk: https://lifehacker.com/tech/claude-computer-use-impressions
The United States router ban, explained: https://www.theverge.com/tech/899906/fcc-router-ban-march-2026-explainer
macOS 26.4 warning about potentially malicious Terminal commands: https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/03/26/macos-264-warning-about-potentially-malicious-terminal-commands
Meta, Google lose US case over social media harm to kids: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/jury-reaches-verdict-meta-google-trial-social-media-addiction-2026-03-25
Further Info
Freeze Your Credit: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/credit-freeze-now-is-the-time/
Security Now on H&R Block fiasco: https://youtu.be/JebKuiHu5mg?si=EuXRT9PeKLl1l3oT&t=701
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:01:03: News rundown
0:03:17: Walmart buys Vizio for ads, data
0:08:57: Public Zoom calls secretly turned into podcasts
0:17:24: Navia leaks millions of SSNs
0:20:28: TP-Link router vulnerabilities
0:36:25: H&R Block's horrific tax software
0:45:41: New Claude Mac feature is too dangerous
0:48:22: macOS 24 blocks ClickFix?
0:50:44: Facebook, Google lose huge lawsuit
0:54:22: Patron podcast preview
0:54:58: Looking ahead | |||
| Privacy Guides Panel | 30 Mar 2026 | 01:11:51 | |
Nate Bartram and Jonah Aragon have been advocating for privacy for a long time. Their sites, The New Oil and Privacy Guides, have a ton of fabulous resources for anyone interested in guarding their data and defending their digital rights. Ever wonder what it's like being a privacy advocate in an increasingly privacy-hostile world? Today, I'll take you behind the scenes of these sites and into the brains of two top-notch privacy warriors.
Interview Notes
Privacy Guides: https://www.privacyguides.org/
The New Oil: https://thenewoil.org/
Critical Thinking 101: https://ghost.thenewoil.org/critical-thinking-101/
This Week in Privacy podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-privacy/id1726826455
Privacy Advocate Toolbox: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/activism/
Smartphone privacy guides: https://www.privacyguides.org/videos/2026/02/04/smartphone-security-course-lesson-1-beginners-2/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:18: Intro
0:02:11: Why did you get into privacy?
0:07:44: What's the most enduring privacy myth?
0:14:13: Do you find people dislike the answer "it depends"?
0:16:50: How would you describe your target audience?
0:22:00: How do you evaluate privacy products?
0:27:59: What products have you unrecommended and why?
0:34:27: What are major privacy red flags?
0:43:09: What product do you use that you do not recommend to others?
0:48:05: How will you handle age checks or repeal of Section 230?
0:55:09: Who do you look to for privacy advice?
1:04:22: What's next for you guys?
1:08:30: Wrap-up
1:10:46: Patron podcast preview
1:11:24: Looking ahead | |||
| Spring Cleaning | 23 Mar 2026 | 01:15:41 | |
When we think about improving security and privacy, we tend to add things: password managers, VPNs, encrypted communication apps. But one of the most effective ways to protect yourself is much simpler: remove what you don’t need. Safety through subtraction. Every app you install exposes you to more data collection and security vulnerabilities. Over time, these apps can automatically update, collecting more data and adding new exploitable features. And with the current global unrest, the risk of attacks is greater than normal. I'll give you several top tips for reducing your attack surface.
Article Links
Check Your Asus Router for Malware ASAP: https://lifehacker.com/tech/check-asus-router-for-malware
Instagram drops end-to-end encrypted chats: https://proton.me/blog/instagram-end-to-end-encryption
Viral 'Quittr' Porn Addiction App Exposed the Masturbation Habits of Hundreds of Thousands of Users: https://www.404media.co/viral-quittr-porn-addiction-app-exposed-the-masturbation-habits-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of-users/
Papers, please: Age verification laws threaten everyone's online security and privacy: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/papers-please-age-verification-laws-threaten-everyones-online-security-and-privacy/
Federal Surveillance Tech Becomes Mandatory in New Cars by 2027: https://www.gadgetreview.com/federal-surveillance-tech-becomes-mandatory-in-new-cars-by-2027
Cyberattack on vehicle breathalyzer company leaves drivers stranded across the US: https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/20/cyberattack-on-vehicle-breathalyzer-company-leaves-drivers-stranded-across-the-us/
Large-Scale Online Deanonymization with LLMs: https://simonlermen.substack.com/p/large-scale-online-deanonymization
EU votes to restrict mass scanning of people’s private messages: https://cyberinsider.com/eu-votes-to-restrict-mass-scanning-of-peoples-private-messages/
Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149: https://cyberinsider.com/mozilla-to-launch-free-built-in-vpn-in-upcoming-firefox-149/
You Should Turn On This New Security Update Feature on Your iPhone and Mac: https://lifehacker.com/tech/apples-security-update-iphone-mac-setting
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/spring-cleaning/
Further Info
Greynoise IP Check: https://check.labs.greynoise.io/
Joint statement on age verification laws: https://csa-scientist-open-letter.org/ageverif-Feb2026
CISA Cyber Hygiene Service: https://www.cisa.gov/cyber-hygiene-services
CISA Bad Practices: https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware/bad-practices
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:01:35: News rundown
0:03:41: Update your Asus routers
0:08:55: Instragram drops E2EE
0:12:57: Porn addiction app exposed user data
0:19:54: Dangers of age verification laws
0:30:45: Car surveillance mandatory in 2027
0:35:46: Cyberattack kills breathalizer-equipped cars
0:39:41: LLMs can deanonymize users
0:51:11: Chat Control defeated!
0:55:22: Firefox free VPN coming
0:59:05: New Apple security fix mechanism
1:03:14: Tip of the Week
1:09:09: More security tips
1:13:53: Patron podcast preview
1:14:17: Looking ahead | |||
| Surveillance Pricing | 16 Mar 2026 | 01:04:54 | |
When you shop online or through an app, do you ever wonder if you're being charged the same as someone else for the same thing? Even controlling for things like shipping address and local taxes, it turns out that today it's not uncommon for pricing to dynamically change based on factors that may not seem fair. This is called surveillance pricing. Justin Brookman (Consumer Reports) and Eric Gardner (More Perfect Union) recently performed a study on this practice using Instacart, and the results were eye-opening.
Interview Notes
Surveillance pricing study: https://www.consumerreports.org/money/questionable-business-practices/instacart-ai-pricing-experiment-inflating-grocery-bills-a1142182490/
Study video (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/reels/DSC1w_Hjng6/
Study video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osxr7xSxsGo
Consumer Reports: https://www.consumerreports.org/
More Perfect Union: https://perfectunion.us/
Get involved: https://action.consumerreports.org/
Instacart’s AI-Enabled Pricing Experiments May Be Inflating Your Grocery Bill: https://www.consumerreports.org/money/questionable-business-practices/instacart-ai-pricing-experiment-inflating-grocery-bills-a1142182490/
Pepsi/Walmart exposé: https://ilsr.org/article/independent-business/more-perfect-union-pepsi-walmart/
Amazon price tracker: https://camelcamelcamel.com/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:13: Intro
0:02:44: What's your background?
0:04:26: What triggered this study?
0:06:08: How did you test this theory?
0:09:25: How prevalent is this practice?
0:11:27: What is a "customer surplus"?
0:13:44: Did the pandemic exacerbate this?
0:15:08: Is this practice legal?
0:21:42: How do ESL's work?
0:25:52: Are all the add-on fees legit?
0:28:01: Are the stores participating in this, too?
0:32:01: What do they learn from loyalty programs?
0:37:38: Are digital coupons dynamic, too?
0:41:07: Does this amount to price fixing?
0:44:21: What's been the reaction to your report?
0:49:00: What will you study next?
0:53:04: What can we do about this?
0:58:39: How can we support your work?
1:00:39: Wrap-up
1:03:27: Patron podcast preview | |||
| Fixing ClickFix | 09 Mar 2026 | 01:03:25 | |
Bad guys have found a willing accomplice for installing malware: YOU. This very effective malware delivery mechanism, dubbed ClickFix, accounted for over half of all infections last year. I’ll tell you how to avoid it, but also explain why you shouldn’t have to.
In other news: Amazon's change to wishlists may expose your address; a new government-grade iOS exploit kit is spreading to criminals; Israel hacked traffic cams to kill Iran's leaders; Meta's AI glasses are a privacy nightmare; new AirSnitch WiFi exploit is clever, but not a threat for most people; Microsoft Office bug allowed AI to read confidential emails; Discord walks back it's plans for age verification; US Senators reintroduce surveillance transparency bill; CA privacy activists call for removing license plate readers; Ente releases new Locker app; Privacy Guides releases wonderful new privacy resource.
Article Links
Amazon Change Means Wishlists Might Expose Your Address https://www.404media.co/amazon-wishlist-address-private-third-party/
Google and iVerify reveal government-grade iPhone exploit kit spreading to hackers https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/03/google-and-iverify-reveal-government-grade-iphone-exploit-kit-spreading-to-hackers/
Israel hacked Tehran's traffic cameras, used AI to plan Khamenei's assassination https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/israel-hacked-tehrans-traffic-cameras-063114828.html
What Privacy? As Expected Meta Ray Bans Are A Privacy Disaster https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/03/03/what-privacy-as-expected-meta-ray-bans-are-a-privacy-disaster
New AirSnitch attack bypasses Wi-Fi encryption in homes, offices, and enterprises https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/02/new-airsnitch-attack-breaks-wi-fi-encryption-in-homes-offices-and-enterprises/
Microsoft says Office bug exposed customers' confidential emails to Copilot AI https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/18/microsoft-says-office-bug-exposed-customers-confidential-emails-to-copilot-ai/
Discord just canceled its planned age verification rollout, for now https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/24/discord-just-canceled-its-planned-age-verification-rollout-for-now/
Senators Reintroduce Bill to Create Transparency for Court-Ordered Surveillance https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-daines-booker-and-lee-reintroduce-bill-to-create-transparency-for-court-ordered-surveillance
Privacy activists call on California to remove covert license plate readers https://apnews.com/article/license-plate-readers-surveillance-ice-dhs-db848b1498c55f3c1b3ee1a107dacd10
Ente Locker - Safe space for your most important documents https://ente.io/locker/
Guides and Tools for Privacy Activists https://www.privacyguides.org/en/activism/
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/fixing-clickfix/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:08: Intro
0:01:54: News rundown
0:03:36: Amazon wishlist change exposes your address
0:08:44: New iOS exploit kit leaks
0:14:21: Israel hacked traffic cams to kill Khamenei
0:17:19: Meta's AI glasses privacy nightmware
0:22:32: AirSnitch WiFi attack
0:26:31: Microsoft AI bug exposes private emails
0:29:35: Discord backtracks on age verification
0:34:38: Senators reintroduce surveillance transparency bill
0:39:15: Call to remove hidden surveillance cameras
0:44:44: Ente Locker
0:47:51: Privacy Activist Toolbox
0:51:53: Tip of the Week
1:00:36: Patron podcast preview
1:02:15: Looking ahead | |||
| Double Blind Armadillo | 02 Mar 2026 | 01:11:39 | |
Cellular providers need to know your location in order to deliver calls and text message to your phone. But it turns out that they really don't need to know who you are to give you that service. They only need to know how to bill you - and that information can be at little as knowing your ZIP+4 code. Why do we give so much personal information to our mobile service providers when we don't have to? Today, Nick Merrill, founder of Phreeli, will explain how he can give you top notch cell service and know almost nothing about you.
Interview Notes
Phreeli: https://www.phreeli.com/
Double Blind Armadillo: https://www.phreeli.com/files/PhreeliDoubleBlindArmadilloWhitePaper.pdf
Wired article: https://www.wired.com/story/new-anonymous-phone-carrier-sign-up-with-nothing-but-a-zip-code/
Call Detail Record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_detail_record
2600 Magazine: https://www.2600.com/
Zero-Knowledge Proofs: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-zero-knowledge-proofs-work/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:12: Intro
0:02:25: Zero Knowledge Proofs!
0:03:35: Lingo
0:07:29: How did you come to found Phreeli?
0:15:08: Who is your target audience?
0:19:18: How can you get by with just ZIP+4?
0:24:10: Is Phreeli more private, say, Mint?
0:28:33: How do I recover my Phreeli acccount?
0:30:22: What identifiers are tied to cell phones?
0:37:12: Can Phreeli work law requires KYC?
0:41:09: How do you separate billing from service?
0:47:23: How can a cellular provider hide a user's location?
0:51:44: Do telecom networks have inherent privacy problems?
0:55:30: How do you handle lawful intercept?
0:59:13: How do you convince the skeptics?
1:02:19: What's the current feature roadmap?
1:04:19: Wrap-up
1:08:59: Patron podcast preview
1:10:35: Looking ahead | |||
| New Google Alternatives | 23 Feb 2026 | 01:10:18 | |
In my seemingly never-ending quest to replace all things Google, I've finally found some solid, private alternatives to Google Sheets and Google Forms. And we'll also talk about how the EU is looking to create competing products to reduce their dependence on Big Tech from Silicon Valley.
In the news: Australian drivers' info exposed in breach; school admissions website leaked student data; Discord is rolling out age verification; more countries move to ban social media for kids; Big Tech companies volunteer data to DHS on anti-ICE users; Meta wanted to sneak out facial recognition; researchers find tricky bugs in password managers; DJI robovacs were wide open on the internet; Ring's mass surveillance efforts garner blow back; Russia blocks WhatsApp and Telegram.
Article Links
More than 200,000 Australian drivers exposed in massive data breach https://www.drive.com.au/news/over-200000-driver-licences-hacked-in-massive-data-breach/
Bug in student admissions website exposed children's personal information https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/19/bug-in-student-admissions-website-exposed-childrens-personal-information/
Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month https://www.theverge.com/tech/875309/discord-age-verification-global-roll-out
These are the countries moving to ban social media for children https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/17/social-media-ban-children-countries-list/
Reddit, Meta, and Google Voluntarily Gave DHS Info of Anti-ICE Users https://gizmodo.com/reddit-meta-and-google-voluntarily-gave-dhs-info-of-anti-ice-users-report-says-2000722279
Meta reportedly wants to add face recognition to smart glasses while privacy advocates are distracted https://www.theverge.com/tech/878725/meta-facial-recognition-smart-glasses-name-tag-privacy-advoates
Password managers less secure than promised https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2026/02/password-managers-less-secure-than-promised.html
The DJI Romo robovac had security so poor, this man remotely accessed thousands of them https://www.theverge.com/tech/879088/dji-romo-hack-vulnerability-remote-control-camera-access-mqtt
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet https://www.404media.co/with-ring-american-consumers-built-a-surveillance-dragnet/
WhatsApp and Telegram blocked in Russia, Meta 'extremist organization' https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/12/whatsapp-and-telegram-blocked-in-russia-as-meta-designated-an-extremist-organization/
Europe is ready to ditch US tech for private alternatives https://proton.me/blog/european-alternative-us-tech-survey
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/de-google-my-life-part-5/
Further Info
Avoid tax scams: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/its-tax-scam-time/
Try Mastodon! https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-move-to-mastodon/
Proton referral link: https://pr.tn/ref/ZMNG3DNK
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:01:54: News rundown
0:04:27: 200k+ Australian drivers' data exposed
0:08:08: Aadmissions site exposed children's info
0:12:44: Discord to implement age checks
0:23:50: Countries looking to ban social media for kids
0:29:40: Meta, Google Gave DHS Info of Anti-ICE Users
0:32:37: Meta wants to add face recognition while privacy advocates are distracted
0:37:10: Password manager bugs fixed
0:39:57: DJI robovacs security flaw fixed
0:45:43: Ring's new Search Party feature
0:56:36: Russia blocks Telegram, WhatsApp
0:59:15: Europe is ready to ditch US tech
1:04:26: Tip of the Week
1:08:07: Proton referral
1:08:50: Patron podcast preview
1:09:20: Looking ahead | |||
| Professionally Paranoid | 16 Feb 2026 | 01:07:51 | |
Today I speak with Yahoo CISO Sean Zadig - aka, the Chief Paranoid. Sean has had a long and varied career in cybersecurity, working both in law enforcement (at NASA!) and working security for Big Tech. I'll ask Sean how we can teach our kids about cybersecurity, and how to protect them from the worst of the internet without compromising anyone's privacy. I'll also get his perspective on the relationship between Big Tech, user data, law enforcement and the Fourth Amendment.
Interview Notes
The Paranoids (Yahoo): https://www.yahooinc.com/our-technology/paranoids
Suddenly a CISO: https://www.yahooinc.com/paranoids/suddenly-a-ciso-four-pieces-of-transitional-advice
Clipper Chip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:13: Intro
0:01:20: Lingo
0:02:06: How did you become CISO at Yahoo?
0:05:38: Has AI made you job harder?
0:08:54: What the Paranoid ethos?
0:11:49: What a kids taught about cybersecurity?
0:14:05: How do we interest kids in cybersecurity?
0:17:35: How do we get kids to care about privacy?
0:21:42: Can we verify age privately?
0:25:06: Should parents control content restrictions?
0:28:36: Are kids echewing tech today?
0:31:51: How do we combat CSAM?
0:40:31: What's it like working in law enforement?
0:47:14: Can we get Big Tech to collect less private data?
0:52:19: Is law enforcement skirting the 4th Amendment?
0:58:14: What's next for The Paranoids?
1:00:01: Wrap-up
1:00:12: Patron podcast preview
1:01:10: Survey highlights
1:05:40: 2026 Milestones
1:06:49: Looking ahead | |||
| Agents of Misfortune | 09 Feb 2026 | ||
The latest craze with artificial intelligence is agentic AI - exhibited most recently in the viral AI project called ClawdBot... or Moltbot... or OpenClaw. (The name has changed two times in less than a week.) You download this software, give it access to your AI chatbot accounts, and then give it full and complete access to your computer and online accounts. Why? So you can have an all-powerful assistant who can do real things in the real world as if they were you! What could go wrong?
In other news: a new lawsuit claims Meta can read all your WhatsApp messages; an AI toy exposed chat transcripts of their toddler owners; another AI app leaks millions of private conversations; TikTok's new terms of service are very scary; the US wants visitors to fork over tons of personal info; UK officials were hit by Volt Typhoon; the UK wants to increase facial recognition in public places; the FBI failed to unlock journalist's iPhone with Lockdown Mode enabled; Google adds cool anti-theft features; CA town disables Flock cameras; Google cripples home proxy network; and Firefox adds one toggle to disable AI features.
Article Links
WhatsApp Encryption, a Lawsuit, and a Lot of Noise https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2026/02/02/whatsapp-encryption-a-lawsuit-and-a-lot-of-noise/
An AI Toy Exposed 50,000 Logs of Its Chats With Kids to Anyone With a Gmail Account https://www.wired.com/story/an-ai-toy-exposed-50000-logs-of-its-chats-with-kids-to-anyone-with-a-gmail-account/
Massive AI Chat App Leaked Millions of Users Private Conversations https://www.404media.co/massive-ai-chat-app-leaked-millions-of-users-private-conversations/
TikTok's New Terms of Service Has Raised Alarm Bells https://lifehacker.com/tech/tiktoks-new-ownership-tos-concerns
The Trump Administration wants your DNA and social media https://www.privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/5713/trump-administration-wants-your-dna-and-social-media
Hackers suspected of spying on UK officials' calls for years https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/27/chinalinked_hackers_accused_of_yearslong/
Police to get 40 new live facial recognition vans and AI help in sweeping reforms https://news.sky.com/story/facial-recognition-technology-to-be-rolled-out-nationally-and-police-will-get-ai-support-13499172
FBI Couldn’t Get into WaPo Reporter’s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled https://www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-get-into-wapo-reporters-iphone-because-it-had-lockdown-mode-enabled/
Google Just Updated These Android Theft Protection Features https://lifehacker.com/tech/google-just-updated-these-android-theft-protection-features
California city turns off Flock cameras after company shared data without authorization https://therecord.media/california-city-turns-off-flock-cameras-unauthorized-sharing
Google cripples IPIDEA proxy network abused by crims https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/29/google_ipidea_crime_network/
Mozilla Adds One-Click Option to Disable Generative AI Features in Firefox https://thehackernews.com/2026/02/mozilla-adds-one-click-option-to.html
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/agents-of-misfortune/
Further Info
TikTok’s Real Privacy Risks: https://internetsafetylabs.org/blog/research/tiktoks-real-privacy-risks/
Private TikTok viewer: https://sticktock.com/
EFF’s Atlas of Surveillance: https://www.atlasofsurveillance.org/
DeFlock: https://deflock.org/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:51: News rundown
0:02:51: WhatsApp encryption questioned
0:11:34: AI toy's logs exposed
0:16:17: AI app leaks user data
0:19:27: TikTok gets worse for privacy
0:23:52: US demands more visitor data
0:30:41: UK hit by Salt Typhoon
0:33:47: UK proposes more mass surveillance
0:36:51: Lockdown Mode protects WaPo journalist iPhone
0:43:03: New Android anti-theft features
0:45:54: CA town shuts down Flock
0:49:07: Google hobbles bad proxy network
0:52:33: Firefox AI kill switch
0:55:18: Tip of the Week
1:02:08: Wrap-up
1:02:21: Patron podcast preview
1:02:30: Looking ahead | |||
| Debunking Hacklore | 02 Feb 2026 | 01:05:41 | |
We're all busy people with busy lives. We only have so much time and energy. So when security people dole out to-do lists, we really need to focus on the tips with the most bang for the buck. Conversely, we need to avoid wasting people's precious resources on advice that is no longer valid or worth the effort. Today, we'll debunk several of these "Hacklore" tips with security guru Bob Lord.
Interview Notes
Hacklore: https://www.hacklore.org/letter
Hacklore resources: https://www.hacklore.org/resources
Elevator (un)safety analogy: https://medium.com/@boblord/psa-elevator-un-safety-7ac69a9498de
DNC Security Checklist: https://democrats.org/security/
CISA Secure by Design: https://www.cisa.gov/securebydesign
MITRE’s 2007 Unforgivable Vulnerabilities (PDF): https://cwe.mitre.org/documents/unforgivable_vulns/unforgivable.pdf
Take 9: https://pausetake9.org/
Consumer Reports Security Planner tool: https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/
EFF security planning: https://ssd.eff.org/module/your-security-plan
Removing online data: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/data-diet-introduction/
Generate passphrases with d20 dice! https://d20key.com/#/
Dragon coupons: https://fdsd.me/coupons/
Rafifi (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048021/
Xkcd password strength: https://xkcd.com/936/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:14: Intro
0:00:25: Survey, promo wrap-up
0:01:30: Interview setup
0:02:22: Lingo definitions
0:02:52: What drove you to launch Hacklore?
0:07:12: Is this advice truly wrong?
0:11:51: 1) Avoid public WiFi
0:17:38: 2) Never scan QR codes
0:22:43: 3) Never charge devices from public USB ports
0:24:38: 4) Turn off Bluetooth and NFC
0:28:25: 5) Regularly clear cookies
0:32:47: 6) Regularly change passwords
0:38:19: Why do we not have web password standards?
0:44:24: Any bad tips that didn't make the cut?
0:45:53: WIll Hacklore be regularly updated?
0:46:32: What has been the response to Hacklore?
0:48:08: So what are the actual top security tips?
0:49:56: How do we shift the onus to software makers?
0:53:14: What other resources can you recommend?
0:55:40: What's next for you?
0:56:53: Wrap-up
1:00:40: Generating passphrases
1:02:00: Accessing show notes
1:03:08: Dragon coupons
1:03:40: Patron podcast preview
1:04:24: Looking ahead | |||
| Zero-Knowledge Proofs | 26 Jan 2026 | 01:13:54 | |
There exist many interesting technical tools which can greatly improve our privacy while still allowing us to use very personal data. In the next installment of my series on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, we'll look at zero-knowledge proofs - what they are, how they work and what types of privacy problems they can address. Specifically, we'll show how you can prove that you know a secret without actually revealing the secret.
In other news: Florida may be implementing an age-gating law; the UK government is now considering a ban on VPNs; 17 more people browser plugins that steal your data; popular apps used to harvest data using real-time bidding; police unmask millions of surveillance targets due to Flock redaction failures; AI company sued for secretly scoring job seekers; Microsoft gives BitLocker keys to FBI; and the FTC finalizes restrictions on GM car data gathering and sharing.
Article Links
Oppose Florida's AI age verification bill, protect your privacy https://www.miamitech.club/oppose-sb-482/
UK government targets VPNs in online safety consultation as Lords vote for ban https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/uk-government-targets-vpns-in-new-online-safety-consultation-as-lords-vote-for-ban
If You've Installed Any of These 17 Browser Extensions, Delete Them Now https://lifehacker.com/tech/delete-malicious-ghostposter-browser-extensions
Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Thousands of Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your Location https://www.wired.com/story/gravy-location-data-app-leak-rtb/
Police Unmask Millions of Surveillance Targets Because of Flock Redaction Error https://www.404media.co/police-unmask-millions-of-surveillance-targets-because-of-flock-redaction-error/
AI Company Eightfold Sued Helping Companies Secretly Score Job Seekers 2026 01 21 https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/ai-company-eightfold-sued-helping-companies-secretly-score-job-seekers-2026-01-21/
Microsoft Gave FBI BitLocker Encryption Keys, Exposing Privacy Flaw https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/
FTC Finalizes Order Settling Allegations that GM and OnStar Collected and Sold Geolocation Data Without Consumers’ Informed Consent https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/01/ftc-finalizes-order-settling-allegations-gm-onstar-collected-sold-geolocation-data-without-consumers
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-zero-knowledge-proofs-work/
Further Info
Annual Listener Survey!!! https://fdsd.me/survey2026
New Patron Promotion!! https://fdsd.me/promo126
Data Privacy Week: https://www.staysafeonline.org/data-privacy-week
HaveIBeenFlocked: https://haveibeenflocked.com/
404 Media FOIA Forum: https://www.404media.co/foia-forum-archive/
NextDNS: https://nextdns.io/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:51: Last call for survey, dragon coin
0:02:17: Winter storm
0:03:14: News preview
0:05:02: Proposed FL age-gating bill
0:11:33: UK government targets VPNs
0:15:42: More malicious browser extensions
0:21:22: Popular apps leaking personal info (again)
0:31:26: Have I Been Flocked?
0:41:37: AI company sued for secretly scoring job seekers
0:46:41: Microsoft give BitLocker keys to FBI
0:56:05: FTC restricts GM from selling car data
0:59:34: Tip of the Week
1:10:49: Wrap-up
1:12:16: Patron podcast preview
1:12:42: Looking ahead | |||
| Honoring Auto Privacy Rights | 19 Jan 2026 | 01:07:16 | |
Having data privacy laws are great. But if those laws can't be practically enforced or your rights easily asserted, they're not very useful. Modern cars are chock full of sensors, many of which are used to monitor the passengers and collect personal data. But cars are subject to privacy laws, too. Opting out of data collection or requesting data deletion should be straightforward. Andrea Amico and Merry Marwig from Privacy4Cars just completed a massive study on this, and the vast majority of auto brands had horrible user experiences for data management. They will share their findings with us on today's show.
Interview Notes
Privacy4Cars: https://privacy4cars.com/
California UX whitepaper: https://privacy4cars.com/ux-california/
Vehicle Privacy Report tool: https://vehicleprivacyreport.com/
Company auto info: https://Privacy4Cars.com/CISO
GDPR auto info: https://Privacy4Cars.com/GDPR
Opt Out Code: https://optoutcode.com/
IoT on Wheels talk: https://instituteofprivacydesign.org/2025/08/11/cars-iot-endpoints-on-wheels-privacy-engineering-technology-education-discussion-peted-recording/
Data Diva car data graphic (slide 16): https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2024/05/15/V3_2024_May_IoTAB%20%20-%20Monroney%20Sticker%20Presentation_Privacy_subteam_compressed%20508.pdf
IoT Advisory Board Report: https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2024/10/21/The%20IoT%20of%20Things%20Oct%202024%20508%20FINAL_1.pdf
Enable Global Privacy Control: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-enable-global-privacy-control/
Further Info
Annual Listener Survey!!! https://fdsd.me/survey2026
New Patron Promotion!! https://fdsd.me/promo126
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:14: Intro
0:01:06: Listener survey reminder
0:01:53: Patron promo reminder
0:02:30: Lingo definitions
0:03:14: What's changed since our last talk?
0:08:15: What data do cars collect?
0:12:56: How could car data affect my insurance rates?
0:15:51: What was the purpose of your recent study?
0:23:01: How do authorized agents work?
0:28:01: How does Opt Out Code work?
0:33:21: What's the response been to your report?
0:36:13: How do we make car data more obvious?
0:40:23: Does GDPR apply to cars?
0:45:17: What are some other cases to consider?
0:48:45: What's the EU Data Act?
0:54:08: How do I limit my auto data sharing?
0:56:44: How remove car data before selling?
0:59:56: What's next for you?
1:01:43: Wrap-up
1:03:25: Enable Global Privacy Control
1:05:24: Patron podcast preview
1:06:52: Looking ahead | |||
| Private AI Chat | 12 Jan 2026 | 01:10:33 | |
AI has many problems, but also has promise. Today I'm going to focus on one particular problem that has some viable solutions: privacy. Chat bots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude all require your queries to be processed in the cloud. All the personal questions we ask are probably being logged against our identity and could be used to train future AI models or to present us with targeted ads. But there are alternatives that protect your data - I'll give you a handful of solid options.
In other news: a Texas court has blocked the app store age verification law; Flock's people-tracking cameras have horrible security; PornHub confirms data leak due to third party; stalkerware maker pleads guilty; Texas sues 5 TV makers over data collection; Wegman's grocery using facial recognition in NYC; New York's surveillance pricing transparency law goes into effect; DROP tool debuts in California for deleting broker data; two Chrome extensions caught stealing chat bot session text; ChatGPT rolls out new Health tool.
Article Links
Judge blocks Texas app store age verification law https://www.theverge.com/news/849752/texas-app-store-accountability-act-age-verification-injunction
Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet. We Tracked Ourselves https://www.404media.co/flock-exposed-its-ai-powered-cameras-to-the-internet-we-tracked-ourselves/
PornHub Confirms Premium User Data Exposure Linked to Mixpanel Breach https://thecyberexpress.com/pornhub-data-breach-premium-users/
Founder of spyware maker pcTattletale pleads guilty to hacking and advertising surveillance software https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/06/founder-of-spyware-maker-pctattletale-pleads-guilty-to-hacking-and-advertising-surveillance-software/
Texas sues 5 smart TV manufacturers over data collection practices https://therecord.media/texas-sues-5-smart-tv-makers-over-acr-tech
Popular grocery store chain uses biometric surveillance on shoppers, raising privacy concerns https://www.aol.com/articles/popular-grocery-store-chain-uses-130056099.html
How New York's Personalized Pricing Law Affects Consumers And Retailers https://www.forbes.com/sites/anishasircar/2025/12/03/new-yorks-algorithmic-pricing-law-what-it-does-and-why-it-matters/
This Tool Deletes Your Info From Data Broker Sites (If You Live in One State) https://lifehacker.com/tech/california-new-data-removal-tool
Two Chrome Extensions Caught Stealing ChatGPT and DeepSeek Chats from 900,000 Users https://thehackernews.com/2026/01/two-chrome-extensions-caught-stealing.html
Why I Won't Be Giving ChatGPT Health My Medical Records https://lifehacker.com/tech/dont-give-chatgpt-health-your-medical-records
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/ai-chat-privacy/
Further Info
Annual Listener Survey!!! https://fdsd.me/survey2026
New Patron Promotion!! https://fdsd.me/promo126
Flock You project: https://github.com/colonelpanichacks/flock-you
Shodan: https://www.shodan.io/dashboard
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:36: Listener survey
0:01:24: Dragon coin promo
0:02:11: News rundown
0:04:00: Court blocks Texas app store age check
0:09:52: Flock exposed its AI cameras to internet
0:21:04: Some PornHub user data leaked
0:26:22: Stalkerware maker pleads guilty
0:33:57: Texas sues 5 TV makers over data collection
0:39:39: Wegmans grocery is using facial recognition
0:44:33: NY personalized pricing law goes into effect
0:47:28: CA tool mass-deletes broker data
0:50:49: Two Chrome extensions steal AI chat records
0:54:56: ChatGPT unveils new Health feature
0:58:25: Tip of the Week
1:07:28: Wrap up
1:07:47: Patron podcast preview
1:08:23: Looking ahead | |||
| Decentralized Messaging | 05 Jan 2026 | 01:29:24 | |
There are a ton of messaging apps on the market - and there are actually quite a few that are very secure and private. I would argue that there is no such thing as a "perfect" secure messaging app. There are several threat models to account for, each with different requirements. Today we're going to talk about the pros and cons of decentralized messaging with the co-founder of Session, Kee Jeffreys. These messaging apps don't rely on a set of servers hosted by the provider, but rather on a mesh of nodes run by hundreds or thousands of others. We'll also discuss the importance of protecting metadata and the notion of "permissionless access". Session just announced support for key features in the upcoming version 2 of their protocol, including Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) and post-quantum encryption.
Interview Notes
Get the Session app: https://getsession.org/
Session adds PFS, post-quantum crypto: https://getsession.org/blog/session-protocol-v2
xkcd $5 wrench (“Security”): https://xkcd.com/538/
Further Info
Annual Listener Survey!!! https://fdsd.me/survey2026
New Patron Promotion!! https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/new-patron-promotion/
Generate passphrases using d02’s: https://d20key.com/#/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:13: Intro
0:01:12: Promotion teasers
0:01:54: Interview setup
0:03:33: Lingo
0:05:07: Why did you create Session?
0:11:01: How does the location of a company's HQ matter?
0:18:58: Why do regular people need this level of security?
0:22:01: How does Session work?
0:29:59: Why does permissional account creation matter?
0:35:55: How does Session compare to other apps?
0:45:27: Why didn't Session have Perfect Forward Secrecy originally?
0:53:50: When will PFS roll out?
0:58:37: How does cryptocurrency factor into Session's network?
1:03:32: What happens if $SESH price goes way up or way down?
1:07:19: How does Session sustain itself?
1:13:34: Why is private messaging so important?
1:19:49: Wrap-up
1:22:34: Patron podcast preview
1:23:44: New patron promotion
1:27:14: Annual listener survey | |||
| Best of 2025 Bonus Content | 29 Dec 2025 | 00:58:58 | |
Every week, I record a special, private bonus podcast for my patrons. Normally all of that content is restricted to my supporters. But today I’ve got a sampler platter of some of the best snippets from my bonus Q&A with my interview guests. You’ll hear from Yael Grauer (Consumer Reports), Josh Summers (All Things Secured), Lisa LeVasseur (Internet Safety Labs), Josh Corman (UnDisruptable27), Andy Liddell (EdTech Law Center), Carissa Véliz (author, professor), Eamonn Maguire (Proton), Grace Menna & Adrien Ogee (Cyber Resilience Corps). Enjoy!
Original Interview Links
Ep416: Yael Grauer: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/02/17/security-planner/
Ep420: Josh Summers: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/03/17/all-things-secured/
Ep422: Lisa LeVasseur: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/03/31/microscoping-our-apps/
Ep428: Josh Corman: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/05/12/shelter-from-the-storm/
Ep426: Andy Liddell: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/07/07/defending-student-privacy/
Ep438: Deviant Ollaf: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/07/21/passport-lawyer-locksmith/
Ep446: Carissa Véliz: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/09/15/on-the-ethics-of-ai/
Ep453: Eamonn Maguire: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/10/27/privacy-focused-ai/
Ep454: Grace Menna & Adrien Ogee: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/11/10/becoming-cyber-resilient/
Security Planner: https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/
App Microscope: https://appmicroscope.org/
Take 9: https://pausetake9.org/
Meshtastic: https://meshtastic.org/
Previous dragon coin promo: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/dragon-coin-promo/
CISA Bad Practices: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/bad-practices-0
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:03:55: Ep416: Yael Grauer
0:10:51: Ep420: Josh Summers
0:16:36: Ep422: Lisa LaVasseur
0:22:21: Ep428: Josh Corman
0:30:03: Ep426: Andy Liddell
0:35:49: Ep438: Deviant
0:41:55: Ep446: Carissa Veliz
0:47:12: Ep450: Jake Braun
0:52:55: Ep454: Grace Menna & Adrien Ogee
0:55:44: Wrap-up | |||
| Replay: Stop Reusing Passwords | 22 Dec 2025 | 01:02:59 | |
I’m digging into the vault for a classic interview - a blast from the past! I've done 460 episodes over the last nearly 9 years, and some of the best old episodes still hold up well today. I first interviewed Troy Hunt, creator of Have I Been Pwned, in February of 2019. It was Episode 102 and it was entitled “You Must Stop Reusing Passwords”. In this episode we talk a little about the origins of HIBP, password security, data breaches and brokers, and how to keep our accounts secure. I’ve added some new commentary, but the original episode is preserved in all of its glory!
Interview Notes
Have I Been Pwned? https://haveibeenpwned.com/
NIST updated password guidelines: https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-4/sp800-63c.html
Proton summary of NIST changes: https://proton.me/blog/nist-password-guidelines
Password haystacks: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/need-a-bigger-password-haystack/
Choosing a strong PIN: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-choose-a-pin/
Using passphrases: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2021/05/24/how-when-to-use-a-passphrase/
On passkeys: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2023/05/22/problems-with-passkeys/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:32: Interview setup
0:02:52: What is Have I Been Pwned?
0:05:37: What is a data breach?
0:06:42: Where do you get data breach records?
0:08:18: What is the "dark web"?
0:10:35: How do YOU get breach data?
0:11:43: What were some of the worst data breaches?
0:15:09: Who is behind these breaches?
0:17:03: How often are data brokers hacked?
0:19:47: Is it that hard to protect our data?
0:21:22: Is there no liability for not protecting data?
0:24:16: What about breach disclosure laws?
0:26:00: Do class action lawsuits provide accountability?
0:29:00: How can consumers evaluate a company's data security?
0:32:35: Is data collection inherently bad?
0:34:43: How can we best use HIBP?
0:36:59: Should sites be rejecting known-bad passwords?
0:39:37: Why do some sites limit the use of special characters?
0:41:50: How up-to-date is HIBP data?
0:44:25: What does registering for notifications do?
0:45:39: What is your "opt out" feature?
0:46:25: Can hackers use HIBP for nefarious purposes?
0:48:16: Any other password advice?
0:50:27: Which services integrate with HIBP?
0:52:19: Wrap-up
0:54:52: New password guidelines
1:01:45: Patron podcast preview
1:02:12: Looking ahead | |||
| Best of 2025! | 15 Dec 2025 | 01:17:47 | |
I’ve had some truly amazing interviews this past year. For your listening enjoyment, I’ve curated a set of clips from some of the best shows, creating a sampler platter of stellar audio content from some amazing guests! If you’ve never listened to my podcast, this will give you a taste of what you’re missing! If you’re a regular listener, this will be a fun trip down memory lane, complete with new commentary. You’ll hear from Dr Paul Ashley (CEO/Founder of MySudo), Yael Grauer (Consumer Reports), Weld Pond (L0pht), Lisa LaVasseur (Internet Safety Labs), Zach Edwards (Silent Push), Bruce & Heidi Potter (Shmoocon), Deviant (physical security expert), Cory Doctorow (author, activist, EFF), Monique Priestley (VT State Rep), Carissa Véliz (author, professor), Adrian Ogee (CyberPeace Builders).Enjoy!
Original Interview Links
Ep414, Dr Paul Ashley: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/02/03/controlling-your-digital-id/
Ep416: Yael Grauer: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/02/17/security-planner/
Ep418: Chris Wysopal (Weld Pond): https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/03/03/back-to-the-l0pht/
Ep422: Lisa LeVasseur: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/03/31/microscoping-our-apps/
Ep426: Zach Edwards: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/04/28/riding-the-data-gravy-train/
Ep434: Bruce & Heidi Potter: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/06/23/shmoocon-moose-you-already/
Ep438: Deviant Ollaf: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/07/21/passport-lawyer-locksmith/
Ep440: Cory Doctorow: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/08/04/tariffs-vs-ip-law/
Ep442: Monique Priestley: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/08/18/im-just-a-privacy-bill/
Ep446: Carissa Véliz: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/09/15/on-the-ethics-of-ai/
Ep454: Adrien Ogee: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/11/10/becoming-cyber-resilient/
Best of 2025 blog/podcast: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/best-of-2025/
Previous dragon coin promo: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/dragon-coin-promo/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:04:42: Ep414: Dr Paul Ashley
0:09:44: Ep416: Yael Grauer
0:14:27: Ep418: Weld Pond
0:20:58: Ep422: Lisa LeVasseur
0:28:27: Ep426: Zach Edwards
0:34:38: Ep434: Bruce & Heidi Potter
0:38:36: Ep438: Deviant
0:42:51: Ep440: Cory Doctorow
0:51:10: Ep442: Monique Priestley
0:58:28: Ep446: Carissa Veliz
1:05:38: Ep454: Adrien Ogee
1:14:59: Wrap-up
1:15:40: Looking ahead | |||
| 40 Years of Phrack | 08 Dec 2025 | 00:59:42 | |
Way before the world wide web, computer enthusiasts were sharing information via digital bulletin board systems (BBS). This amounted to attaching a modem to your home computer and allowing other people to dial in from their computers (one at a time) to download "textfiles" and share "warez" - or cracked software applications, often games. This scene gave rise to several electronic "zines" that published articles on hacking and phone phreaking techniques. One of the most popular zines, Phrack, was started in 1985 and is still going strong forty years later. Today we'll discuss the colorful and storied history of this pioneering zine with two Phrack editors, skyper and TMZ.
Interview Notes
Phrack magazine: https://phrack.org
Phrack Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrack
Hacker Manifesto: https://phrack.org/issues/7/3
Smashing the Stack for Fun and Profit (Aleph One): https://phrack.org/issues/49/14
E911 Document Leak: https://phrack.org/issues/24/5
Texfiles archive: http://www.textfiles.com/
DEF CON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW-D1I27E08
HOPE: https://www.youtube.com/live/7ZeN53mKhbE?t=26726s
WHY 2025 talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtyzTsOtx4A
WHYcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwY1q3aEFS0
Cap’N Crunch whistle: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3193749
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:13: Intro
0:01:31: Interview setup
0:03:13: Lingo definitions
0:05:32: How did Phrack Magazine start?
0:09:14: How did BBS systems give rise to phone phreaking?
0:15:59: How did Phrack compare to other zines?
0:19:35: How do you define "hacker"?
0:25:10: What goes into making an issue of Phrack?
0:30:00: What's the story behind Phrack's famous "hacker manifesto"?
0:33:32: Why was your E911 article so controversial?
0:36:27: What does it mean to "smash the stack"?
0:41:41: What are there ethical issues around releasing hacking tools?
0:45:46: Is the original hacker ethos still alive today?
0:50:18: How has hacking evolved in the last 40 years?
0:52:51: How will AI impact hacking?
0:54:24: Wrap-up
0:56:55: Patron podcast preview
0:57:39: Looking ahead | |||
| Be Wary of Holiday Scams | 01 Dec 2025 | 01:08:31 | |
With the holiday season come holiday scams - and honestly, just more scammer activity across the board, in general. People are busy and buying lots of stuff, and it's a time when we're more vulnerable to schemes to take our money and infect our devices. Today we'll talk about a few current scams going around and give some solid advice to avoid becoming a victim.
In the news: FCC scraps cybersecurity rules for telcos; WhatsApp flaw exposed 3.5B phone numbers; ClickFix scam update; Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers for 'suspicious' travel patterns; a tricky Apple Support scam; USPS and EZ-Pass scams; a cool new tool for monitoring your home network for rogue devices; state and local cyber grant program to be renewed; airlines shut down program that sold your flight records; CA court ends electricity surveillance program; also, a few more holiday gift ideas!
Article Links
Despite Chinese hacks, Trump's FCC votes to scrap cybersecurity rules for phone and internet companies https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/21/despite-chinese-hacks-trumps-fcc-votes-to-scrap-cybersecurity-rules-for-phone-and-internet-companies/
A Simple WhatsApp Security Flaw Exposed 3.5 Billion Phone Numbers https://www.wired.com/story/a-simple-whatsapp-security-flaw-exposed-billions-phone-numbers/
ClickFix may be the biggest security threat your family has never heard of https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/11/clickfix-may-be-the-biggest-security-threat-your-family-has-never-heard-of/
Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-patrol-surveillance-drivers-ice-trump-9f5d05469ce8c629d6fecf32d32098cd
'It made my blood run cold': scammers are targeting Apple users with this devilishly clever trick – here’s how to stay safe https://www.techradar.com/computing/cyber-security/watch-out-apple-fans-this-scary-scam-is-stealing-personal-accounts-with-real-apple-support-tickets
Scam USPS and E-Z Pass Texts and Websites - Schneier on Security https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/11/scam-usps-and-e-z-pass-texts-and-websites.html
Your IP Address Might Be Someone Else's Problem (And Here's How to Find Out) https://www.greynoise.io/blog/your-ip-address-might-be-someone-elses-problem
Full renewal of state and local cyber grants program passes in House https://therecord.media/state-local-cyber-grants-program-house-passage
Airlines Will Shut Down Program That Sold Your Flights Records to Government https://www.404media.co/airlines-will-shut-down-program-that-sold-your-flights-records-to-government/
Victory! Court Ends Dragnet Electricity Surveillance Program in Sacramento https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/victory-court-end-dragnet-electricity-surveillance-program-sacramento
Best & Worst Gift Guide: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/best-worst-gifts-2025/
All my gift guides: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/category/best-worst-gifts/
Further Info
EasyOptOuts 25% discount: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/dragon-hacks-opt-out/
Consumer Reports $10 off: https://www.consumerreports.org/fdsd/
eBay AI settings: https://accountsettings.ebay.com/ai-preferences
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:08: Intro
0:01:34: Quick tidbits
0:05:10: News preview
0:07:02: FCC scraps cybersecurity rules for telcos
0:11:02: WhatsApp Flaw Exposed 3.5B Phone Numbers
0:17:47: ClickFix scam
0:24:53: CBP is monitoring US drivers for 'suspicious' travel patterns
0:32:12: Clever Apple Support scam
0:38:05: More scams to watch for
0:40:19: Your IP Address Might Be Someone Else's Problem
0:47:15: State and local cyber grant program to be renewed
0:49:13: Airlines Shut Down Program That Sold Your Flights Records
0:51:40: CA Court Ends Electricity Surveillance Program
0:55:27: Tip of the Week
1:03:53: Looking ahead
1:06:22: Patron podcast previews
1:07:42: Looking more ahead | |||
| Best & Worst Gifts for 2025! | 24 Nov 2025 | 01:29:05 | |
Holiday shopping season is here! And that must mean that it's time again for my annual Best & Worst Gift Guide! But this time I've recruited some top minds from Consumer Reports to lend their expertise and enlighten us with their tech gift-giving strategies! Yael Grauer, Stacey Higginbotham and Jeff Landale join me for a round table discussion of how to give tech gifts that won't ruin the security and privacy of your recipients!
Interview Notes
$10 off Consumer Reports!! https://www.consumerreports.org/fdsd/
Consumer Reports: https://www.consumerreports.org/
Cyber Readiness Report: https://innovation.consumerreports.org/new-report-2025-consumer-cyber-readiness/
Security Planner: https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/
Vulnerability Disclosure Programs: https://innovation.consumerreports.org/who-ya-gonna-call/
Give Dragon Coupons! https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/give-the-gift-of-security-and-privacy/
Library Freedom Project: https://libraryfreedom.org/
Yael on spyware and iPhone 17: https://innovation.consumerreports.org/apples-new-iphone-memory-protections-safeguards-devices-against-sophisticated-attacks/
Yael interview (Security Planner): https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/02/17/security-planner/
Stacey interview (software tethering): https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2024/11/11/cutting-the-software-tether/
iVerify interview: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2023/11/13/securing-your-smartphone/
Further Info
All my Best & Worst guides: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/category/best-worst-gifts/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:15: Intro
0:02:18: What is your tech gift giving philosophy?
0:08:37: What are some worrying tech trends?
0:17:41: What are your tech gift horror stories?
0:22:09: What are your thoughts on giving tech gifts to kids?
0:29:52: What gifts are on your naughty list?
0:42:31: What's on your nice tech gift list?
0:54:51: How should you handle receiving a bad gift?
1:07:06: Any other hot tips or advice?
1:11:08: What are some great non-tech gifts?
1:17:40: How can Consumer Reports help here?
1:20:39: Wrap-up
1:22:35: Dealing with phone spyware
1:24:35: Newsletter info
1:24:51: IoT vulnerability programs
1:25:04: Give Thanks
1:25:37: Patron podcast preview
1:26:28: Other gift ideas
1:27:27: EasyOptOuts and PayPal
1:28:12: Looking ahead | |||
| Erasing Your Online Data | 17 Nov 2025 | 01:18:16 | |
Data brokers are amassing tons of our personal information, often from public sources. You can try to find all of these brokers and request your data be deleted, but it's a lot easier to deputize a trustworthy and affordable service to do all that work for you - and to do so on a regular basis. I'll give you my easy button solution for this.
Also in the news: Meta will use your AI sessions to target ads; Google is rolling out agentic AI shopping tools; OpenTable is gathering and sharing your dining habits; Amazon sues Perplexity over their agentic shopping tool; first ever reported AI-orchestrated hacking campaign; EU Commission looks to gut privacy laws; lawmakers want to ban all VPN use; US Senator uses opponents' can VIN info against them; and new health privacy bill seeks to protect data in apps, smart watches.
Article Links
Meta won’t allow users to opt out of targeted ads based on AI chats https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/10/meta-wont-allow-users-to-opt-out-of-targeted-ads-based-on-ai-chats/
Google Is Rolling Out ‘Agentic Checkout’ to Make Your Purchases for You https://lifehacker.com/tech/google-is-rolling-out-agentic-checkout
Texas Server Says Your Waitstaff Can Now See What Type Of Customer You Are If You Use OpenTable https://brobible.com/culture/article/opentable-ai-customer-profiling/
Amazon sues Perplexity over 'agentic' shopping tool https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/perplexity-receives-legal-threat-amazon-over-agentic-ai-shopping-tool-2025-11-04/
Disrupting the first reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign https://www.anthropic.com/news/disrupting-AI-espionage
Civil society decries digital rights ‘rollback' as European Commission pushes data protection changes https://therecord.media/civil-society-privacy-rollback
Lawmakers Want to Ban VPNs https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/lawmakers-want-ban-vpns-and-they-have-no-idea-what-theyre-doing
Senate Democrats seek to ‘get to bottom’ of Moreno’s car-data collection https://rollcall.com/2025/11/06/senate-democrats-seek-to-get-to-bottom-of-morenos-car-data-collection/
Health privacy bill seeks protections for data collected by apps, smartwatches https://therecord.media/health-privacy-bill-seeks-protections-apps-smartwatches
Tip of the Week: Erasing Your Data: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/dragon-hacks-opt-out/
Further Info
Ask ARC to delete data and stop sharing: https://www.404media.co/how-to-opt-out-of-airlines-selling-your-travel-data-to-the-government/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:45: News briefs
0:02:57: News preview
0:05:38: Meta won't let you opt out of AI data gathering
0:15:05: Google Is Rolling Out ‘Agentic Checkout’
0:20:13: OpenTable gathering and sharing your dining info
0:31:22: Amazon sues Perplexity over 'agentic' shopping tool
0:38:57: First reported AI-orchestrated cyber attack
0:51:33: European Commission pushes data protection changes
0:55:15: Lawmakers Want to Ban VPNs
1:04:03: Senator uses VIN info against opponents
1:10:38: Health privacy bill seeks protections for data collected by apps, smartwatches
1:12:43: Tip of the Week
1:16:26: Looking ahead | |||
| Becoming Cyber Resilient | 10 Nov 2025 | 01:49:58 | |
In the US alone, there are tens of thousands of small organizations that are responsible for critical infrastructure and vital community services. Most of them don't have an IT department let alone a cyber security expert on staff. And yet these organizations are being attacked by cyber criminal gangs with ransomware and are also being targeted by foreign adversaries who would like the ability to disrupt our very civilization. While the US federal cyber agencies have not properly responded to these threats, a handful of volunteer organizations have emerged, organized under the Cyber Resilience Corps, to address these needs. Today I'll speak with Michael Razeeq, Grace Menna, Adrien Ogee and Eric Franco about their much-needed efforts.
Interview Notes
Cyber Resilience Corps: https://cltc.berkeley.edu/program/cyber-resilience-corps/
Volunteer! https://cybervolunteers.us
Cyber Security Clinics: https://cybersecurityclinics.org/
The Ransomware Hunting Team: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ransomware_Hunting_Team
Roadmap to Cyber Defense: https://cltc.berkeley.edu/publication/roadmap-to-community-cybersecurity/
Path to Long-Term Cyber Resilience report: https://cltc.berkeley.edu/publication/a-path-to-long-term-cyber-resilience-for-under-resourced-organizations/
Grace Menna’s BSides LV talk: https://www.youtube.com/live/v20rxx_afw0?&t=1410
CISA Cybersecurity Resources for High-Risk Communities: https://www.cisa.gov/audiences/high-risk-communities/cybersecurity-resources-high-risk-communities
FBI InfraGuard: https://www.infragardnational.org/
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:13: Intro
0:00:26: Couple announcements
0:01:09: Interview setup
0:03:38: Defining some terms
0:06:40: Introductions
0:07:51: What is the Cyber Resilience Corps?
0:13:59: What are some of the other affiliated cyber groups?
0:19:24: How do you reach organizations in need?
0:26:43: Do orgs ever resist or eschew your help?
0:34:22: How are these efforts funded?
0:42:14: is there agreement on where to focus efforts?
0:44:02: Which sectors are most important to secure?
0:51:11: Are there accepted standards for infrastructure security?
0:53:38: What are the requirements for volunteers?
1:04:19: How do match volunteers with needs?
1:08:28: How long do the support relationships last?
1:16:31: What key things have you learned from your initial work?
1:22:58: How do you scale this effort to address the massive need?
1:25:18: Shouldn't Big Tech be doing more here?
1:33:49: How can we help?
1:37:28: If I'm an organization, how do I get help?
1:38:38: What's next?
1:44:28: Wrap-up
1:47:59: Patron podcast preview
1:48:59: Looking ahead | |||
| Removing Old Accounts | 03 Nov 2025 | 01:02:14 | |
Today we'll wrap up my series of tips for enumerating all your old online accounts and deciding whether to delete them or just dumb down the personal data they have on you. There are several things to consider - we'll go through them all!
In other news: a study ranks the most private AI chatbots; LinkedIn is set to use your personal data to train their AI; ChatGPT has released an AI browser; new phishing scam for password manager creds; Gmail did not leak 183M passwords; man discovers his robot vacuum sharing lots of personal data; more info on Cellebrite's mobile hacking abilities; Flock expanded its surveillance with Ring and drones; and group finds that half of our satellite communications are not encrypted.
Article Links
Which Generative AI Is Most Privacy-Respecting? https://www.obscureiq.com/which-generative-ai-is-most-privacy-respecting/
LinkedIn will use your data to train AI – how to opt out https://proton.me/blog/linkedin-ai-training
Chatgpt Atlas Browser https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/10/22/chatgpt-atlas-browser/
Phishing scam uses fake death notices to trick LastPass users https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/10/phishing-scam-uses-fake-death-notices-to-trick-lastpass-users
No, Gmail has not suffered a massive 183 million passwords breach https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/no-gmail-has-not-suffered-a-massive-183-million-passwords-breach-but-you-should-still-look-after-your-data
Man Alarmed to Discover His Smart Vacuum Was Broadcasting a Secret Map of His House https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/robot-vacuum-broadcasting
Someone Snuck Into a Cellebrite Microsoft Teams Call and Leaked Phone Unlocking Details https://www.404media.co/someone-snuck-into-a-cellebrite-microsoft-teams-call-and-leaked-phone-unlocking-details/
Ring cameras are about to get increasingly chummy with law enforcement https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/ring-cameras-are-about-to-get-increasingly-chummy-with-law-enforcement/
Exclusive: Flock Safety paid over $300 million for 17-month-old drone startup Aerodome https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/23/flock-safety-paid-over-300-million-for-17-month-old-drone-startup-aerodome/
Leak From the Sky: It Turns Out a Lot of Satellite Data Is Unencrypted” https://www.pcmag.com/news/leak-from-the-sky-it-turns-out-a-lot-of-satellite-data-is-unencrypted
Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/removing-old-accounts/
Further Info
Data Diet series: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/data-diet-introduction/
Backing up 2FA seed codes: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-backup-2fa-seed-codes/
Using email aliases: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-use-email-aliases-part-1/
Claudito: https://github.com/micahflee/claudito
LM Studio: https://lmstudio.ai/
Dark Wire book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/joseph-cox/dark-wire/9781541702691/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:07: Intro
0:00:27: News briefs
0:01:49: News preview
0:03:53: Which AI Is Most Privacy-Respecting?
0:09:21: LinkedIn will use your data to train AI
0:14:23: ChatGPT's new Altas browser
0:21:46: Phishing scam uses fake death notices
0:25:32: Gmail has NOT suffered a massive password breach
0:27:57: Man finds smart vacuum sending maps of home
0:33:41: More Cellebrite capability details leak
0:38:28: Flock inks deal with Ring cameras
0:42:57: Flock Safety buys drone company
0:46:52: Half of satellite comms are unencrypted
0:51:26: Tip of the Week
1:00:01: Patron podcast preview
1:00:18: Looking ahead
1:01:39: New patron promotion coming? | |||
| Privacy-Focused AI | 27 Oct 2025 | 01:36:32 | |
AI chatbots like ChatGPT have made quiet a splash. Companies are tripping all over themselves in a rush to add "AI" to everything, heedless of the security risks. But perhaps more insidious are the privacy risks. Most AI processing is done in the cloud, meaning that your queries and chats are subject to inspection, sharing, storing and monetizing. These AI systems are incredibly expensive to train and operate. And AI companies are desperate to feed them every scrap of data they can find. It's a recipe for privacy disaster. But there are ways to make it more private and today we'll discuss these approaches with Proton's head of AI, Eamonn Maguire.
Interview Notes
Lumo privacy and security model: https://proton.me/blog/lumo-security-model
AI privacy concerns: https://proton.me/blog/ai-privacy-concerns
How to build a private AI: https://proton.me/blog/how-to-build-privacy-first-ai
LaTeX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX
Further Info
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:12:22: Defining some terms
0:15:29: What are the main privacy issues with modern AI?
0:22:53: What are the dangers of training AI models on personal data?
0:27:57: How do we make AI chatbots safer to use?
0:35:31: What are Proton's goals with Lumo?
0:42:41: How can Lumo protect a user's privacy?
0:52:19: Can we do more to anoymize cloud LLM queries?
0:56:50: What can we do to increase trust and transparency with AI?
1:02:55: Where does Proton store and process AI data?
1:10:35: Which LLM models does Lumo use?
1:15:38: Will Proton offer a local-only version of Lumo?
1:20:36: What's next for Lumo and AI at Proton?
1:27:59: Will Lumo ever be part of Proton pricing bundles?
1:31:24: Wrap-up
1:35:14: Patron podcast preview
1:36:04: Looking ahead | |||
| Securing Old Accounts | 20 Oct 2025 | 01:04:22 | |
Now that we've tracked down all our old online accounts, it's time to make them more secure and review the data they contain. We should download a copy of that data for safe keeping before we ultimately delete or suspend the accounts. We'll discuss this next step in our journey of reducing our online data footprint - our Data Diet.
In the news: Windows 10 support has officially ended; seniors targeted with malware from Facebook groups; Tile trackers can also track you; massive Salesforce data leaked after refusing to pay ransom; dangerous Discord breach; Apple, Google to reluctantly comply with new Texas age law; California enacts age-verification law; EU Chat Control defeated; California makes GPC universally available; largest CCPA fine to date levied against TSC.
Article Links
Windows 10 support “ends” today, but it’s just the first of many deaths https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/windows-10-support-ends-today-but-its-just-the-first-of-many-deaths/
Seniors targeted in global Facebook scam spreading new Android malware https://therecord.media/seniors-targeted-facebook-android-malware-scam
Tile Tracking Tags Can Be Exploited by Tech-Savvy Stalkers, Researchers Say https://www.wired.com/story/tile-tracking-tags-can-be-exploited-by-tech-savvy-stalkers-researchers-say/
ShinyHunters Leak Data from Qantas, Vietnam Airlines and Others https://hackread.com/shinyhunters-leak-data-qantas-vietnam-airlines-others/
The Discord Hack is Every Users’ Worst Nightmare https://www.404media.co/the-discord-hack-is-every-users-worst-nightmare/
Apple and Google reluctantly comply with Texas age verification law https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/10/apple-and-google-reluctantly-comply-with-texas-age-verification-law/
California enacts its own internet age-gating law https://www.theverge.com/news/798871/california-governor-newsom-age-gating-ab-1043
Citizen Protest Halts Chat Control https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/citizen-protest-halts-chat-control-breyer-celebrates-major-victory-for-digital-privacy/
California Governor signs first-in-the-nation privacy bill into law https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/california-governor-signs-first-in-the-nation-privacy-bill-into-law
CPPA fines Tractor Supply Company $1.4 million for privacy violations https://therecord.media/ccpa-tractor-supply-privacy-fine
Tip of the week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/secure-old-accounts/
Further Info
How to freeze your credit: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/credit-freeze-now-is-the-time/
Setting up Global Privacy Control: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-enable-global-privacy-control/
My book: https://fdsd.me/book
My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
Table of Contents
0:00:00: Intro
0:00:28: News preview
0:02:31: Win10 support ended
0:08:19: Seniors targeted with malware from Facebook groups
0:12:00: Tile trackers can also track you
0:19:51: Massive Salesforce data leak
0:26:50: Dangerous Discord breach
0:32:35: Apple, Google to comply with new Texas age law
0:39:47: CA enacts age-verification law
0:44:56: EU Chat Control defeated!
0:49:33: CA makes GPC universally available
0:55:02: Largest CCPA fine to date
0:57:02: Tip of the Week
1:01:41: Wrapping up
1:02:29: Looking ahead | |||
© My Podcast Data · Projet indépendant · Données issues d'Apple & Spotify