Explore every episode of the podcast Stupid Sexy Privacy

This week on Privacy Tips, Ohio State University professor, Dr. Viet Trinh, joins BJ to talk about Flock Safety cameras, how everyone is basically under surveillance all the time by the police thanks to them, and what we can do about it. No book excerpt this week, we'll be back doing those next Thursday!

This week on Privacy Tips, host BJ Mendelson walks through Chapter 2's essential security checklist from How to Protect Yourself from Fascists and Weirdos— including why a simple sticky note over your laptop camera matters more than you think, yes even in 2026 ten years after we first gave that advice in our original book on privacy, and how LinkedIn is used as a resource by fascists and weirdos to get "dirt" on their enemies. All this and more, including odd duck sounds, are waiting for you to enjoy.

Your phone isn't secure by default—and neither are you. So today, BJ Mendelson walks you through 15 easy privacy moves that separate people who are actually protected from those who think they are. Come take a listen.

This week on Privacy Tips, the authors of "How to Survive Authoritarianism," Dan Storyev and Masha Kuznetsov, discuss with BJ how to recognize and resist authoritarian tactics, including troll factories, misinformation, and political repression, with insights applicable to both Russia and the United States. If you think American democracy is guaranteed to last forever, you're wrong, and this episode will help show you why.

This week on the show, host BJ Mendelson discusses how to properly secure Firefox, why you shouldn't use Google Chrome and Apple's Safari, and what to do about your Internet Service Provider creeping on you. All this and more as we get ready for the launch of our new book, How to Protect Yourself From Fascists & Weirdos next month.

This week, BJ Mendelson speaks with Ian Head from the Center for Constitutional Rights about FOIA, who broke it, and whether or not there's still value in using it (Answer: YES!) This week's book excerpt also covers how to bulletproof your voter registration, and how to protect yourself when crossing the border into, and out of, America.  And, of course, we tell you why every single American citizen should go and get themselves a passport card. Like, right now.

Your browser choice matters more than you think. So this week on Privacy Tips, BJ reveals why ditching Chrome, Edge, and Google isn't just about privacy—it's about starving the systems that enable authoritarians and corporate surveillance. 

We're back for another edition of Privacy Tips. This week, we read more from How to Protect Yourself From Fascists & Weirdos (BJ's version of the upcoming book) and explain, briefly, what you can use instead of Google's increasingly inferior search results, and why the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Privacy Badger is something to share with your friends and family. 

Nearly half of all Americans are politically unaffiliated—and vulnerable. This week, B.J. Mendelson explains why oligarchs are terrified of this silent majority, and what you need to do right now to protect yourself and organize your community. If you're one of the 154 million, this episode is required listening.

In part 2 of our interview with Stevie Glaberson, Director of Research & Advocacy for the Center on Privacy & Technology. Stevie shares with BJ what the Chattery Supreme Court decision leaves unresolved—specifically, whether warrant requirements will actually limit police power in practice. We then talk about the Flock cameras at Woodbury Common—a major tourist hub in Orange County where private security cameras feed footage to local police without clear policies on who else accesses it. Finally, we talk how meaningful change comes through community organizing and state action.

Kim Crawley joins BJ Mendelson in this bonus episode to discuss her new Kickstarter-funded book: A sharp look at what happens after the Gen AI bubble collapses. Kim explains why she believes the damage will ripple through climate systems, mental habits, and everyday life, especially for kids being pushed to rely on AI too early. Along the way, Kim shares how she researches her work, why she archives everything, and what she thinks a healthier web might look like next. You're going to want to listen to this one.

This week, BJ is joined by Stevie Gleiberson, Director of Research and Advocacy at Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology. We talk about police use geofence warrants and other location-data tools to track people, how the Supreme Court’s Carpenter and Chatrie decisions shape digital privacy, and why tech companies and data brokers have become central players in modern surveillance. We also talk about ICE’s data collection, the risks for protesters, and practical ways people can think about staying safer.

This week, Dr. Taisha Caldwell Harvey joins BJ to break down the difference between gaslighting, imposter syndrome, and trauma—and why social media keeps getting them wrong. She also shares practical, evidence-based ways to protect your mental health when therapy is out of reach. We're big believers that hurt people hurt people, so listen up. We all need therapy right now.

BJ thinks Crypto is a scam. Rosie disagrees. So this week, BJ interviews Dr. Algernon Austin, a sharp voice on race, money, and the hidden machinery of power. He’s here to break down why crypto, stablecoins, and the GENIUS Act have everyone arguing — and why the real winners may be the rich, the loud, and the well-connected. Not you.

This week, Rosie and Andrew expose the unholy alliance between the wellness industry and fascist influencers, revealing how unregulated product peddlers launder money through fake engagement metrics to amplify dangerous extremists. BJ is then joined by Amy S. Greenberg, author of "A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico" to talk about a little-known moment in American history that informs a lot of today's hype and exaggeration created by fascists involving the border.

This week, Rosie reads you an excerpt from How to Protect Yourself From Fascists & Weirdos about how to become a journalist, and why you can help millions of Americans, right now, by becoming one. BJ is then joined by Dr. Daniel R. Kelly, co-author of Someone Should Do Something, about the need for all of us to step up and be the change we want to see in our world. No one else will do it for you. 

Bartz v. Anthropic is a major court case that you might not have heard of. But BJ has, because Anthropic stole his book, "Social Media Is Bullshit," along with thousands of other books from authors, in order to train their Claude model. This week, we're joined by Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger to help break down what's happening.

This week, BJ is joined by Dr. Robert Lustig. A Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at UCSF, and the author of numerous books you should read, including The Hacking of the American Mind, which is the subject of this week's interview. Dr. Lustig had a lot to say about the power corporations wield over us, Citizens United, and why you should cut as much sugar from your diet as you can. That's because, like the end result of Citizens United, sugar could kill you. Politically speaking of course.

This week on the show, BJ is wrapping up copyedits for the upcoming book, How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos, so we're going right to our interview with Amanda Litman. Amanda is the author of When We're in Charge, and the co-founder of Run for Something. Run for Something has helped elect more than 1,650 candidates since 2017, presenting people across America with candidates who aren't fascists, weirdos, or funded by the kind of people who pay the bills for fascists and weirdos. If you want to run for office, this is the interview you want to hear.

Links we mentioned in the intro:
How to Search Now That Google Search is dead: https://stopgenai.com/this-is-how-to-search-now-that-google-search-is-gone-a-guide-for-family-and-friends/

Kim Crawley's Technofascist Survival Guide: 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kimcrawley/technofascism-survival-guide/

Bella ciao. Things aren't looking good out there in America right now, are they? Well, that's why this show exists. To help protect you from fascists and weirdos. So today we're joined by Rainey Reitman, author of the book Transaction Denied and president of the board of Freedom of the Press Foundation. It's important to know all the ways the fascists can get at you, and this week's episode involves your money. So listen closely.

This week we're joined by Harvey J. Kaye, author of Thomas Paine and The Promise of America, who talks about Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's recent interest in Thomas Paine, how one pamphlet changed the reason for the American Revolution, and the importance of the Founding Father religious zealots and billionaires want you to forget about.

Part 2 of 2: A special delivery of Paine! In honor of America's 250th birthday, we are celebrating with the forgotten founding father, Thomas Paine. Common Sense is the foundational text of the American Revolution. Changing the perception of early Americans about the cause of fighting against the British Empire from a lack of representation to the cause of America as an asylum for mankind. Where all are welcome and accepted. This is the first half of Paine's "Common Sense."

Part 1 of 2: A special delivery of Paine! In honor of America's 250th birthday, we are celebrating with the forgotten founding father, Thomas Paine. Common Sense is the foundational text of the American Revolution. Changing the perception of early Americans about the cause of fighting against the British Empire from a lack of representation to the cause of America as an asylum for mankind. Where all are welcome and accepted. This is the first half of Paine's "Common Sense."

What do we do at Stupid Sexy Privacy once the book and podcast miniseries are over? We put on our investigative journalist hats. Listen to this bonus episode of Stupid Sexy Privacy to learn more about the Guard Act, how it would basically require everyone in the US to show their ID to use the Internet, and how we can stop this bill in its tracks. Co-Producer BJ Mendelson is joined in this episode by Jibran Ludwig, Policy Strategist at Fight For The Future

This week on the show, BJ is joined by David Gerard of Pivot to AI. Come listen about how the AI bubble, like crypto, is a scam funded by the venture capital bros, and how that scam works. If we're all eating out of soup cans this time next year, you may hear in this episode why. Learn more about our show at Stupid Sexy Privacy.com.

This week, we talk about time being a privilege, why you can't go wrong when you do the next right thing, and Heidi Boghosian. Heidi joins BJ to talk about her new book, Cyber Citizens: Saving Democracy with Digital Literacy. There's a lot going on in this episode, and our host Rosie is here to bring you all the details. You can learn more at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

This week, legendary executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Cindy Cohn, joins the show to talk about her new book, "Privacy's Defender." 

This week on the show, BJ is joined by Nina Jancowitz, the former executive director of the Disinformation Governance Board of the United States. Meanwhile, Rosie and Amanda talk about disinformation and all the different ways there are to spot it in the wild. This is going to be a must listen. Learn more by visiting us at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

Biometrics is one of those topics that people should pay attention too, but often don't. So given that Facebook just released their Pervert Glasses, we wanted to take a trip back to 2023 and our interview with Brittan Heller from the Stanford Cyber Policy Center. And our host Rosie Tran has an amazing book recommendation for you. That's right. A BOOK. All this and more this week on the show. 

Who knew researching the neuroscience of pornography would be dangerous? Dr. Nicole Prause did. BJ Mendelson speaks with Dr. Prause about the Wellness Industry funding dangerous fascists and weirdos, and how you can protect yourself from them. BJ also runs down steps you can take to log harassing behavior when you're on the receiving end of it.

Bioethicist and NYU professor, Dr. Arthur Caplan, joins BJ to talk about the disinformation and misinformation spread by wellness influencers, as well as how HIPAA completely fails to protect us from tech companies. Meanwhile, our host Rosie gives you a new privacy tip on how to better protect your most sensitive medical information.

This week on the show, BJ interviews Cornell University professor Karen Levy about her book, "Data Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance," and our host Rosie Tran covers tips you can use to limit your employer's ability to spy on you when you work from home. All this and more on this week's episode of Stupid Sexy Privacy.

Hagen Blix, co-author of "Why We Fear AI" joins BJ Mendelson to talk about how it's not artificial intelligence you need to be afraid of, it's the billionaires using AI to push their vision of the world on you. And our host, Rosie Tran, provides a season two preview, while covering how to protect yourself from Bluetooth Trackers like Apple Airtags. She also explains why tariffs, like body cameras, don't work anywhere near as well as politicians want us to think.

Every time you use a Large Language Model (or Chat Model), you're wasting water, fueling fascism, and shrinking your imagination. So what can you do about it? Our hosts Rosie Tran and Amanda King explain. Also in this episode: A deep dive into the privacy concerns created by Large Language models. They know WAY more about you than you think. All this and more in this week's episode of Stupid Sexy Privacy. 

This week, Rosie tells you something super basic that you're definitely not doing. So you're going to be glad to hear it. And then BJ interviews Caitlin Dow, PhD from the Center for Science In the Public Interest. They cover the unregulated wellness industry, how everyone trying to sell you anti-vax BS has something to sell you, and how else you can protect yourself from disinformation from wellness influencers. All this and more at Stupid Sexy Privacy.com.

If you want to make yourself safe from fascists and weirdos, you have to shrink your online footprint. This week, Rosie tells you how, while BJ interviews Patrick McGee, author of the fantastic new book, "Apple In China." Patrick discusses the astronomical amount of money Apple poured into China, helping turn the country into the 21st Century's new superpower, and whether or not you should feel bad buying a Mac. All of this and more at StupidSexyPrivacy.com

It's part 2 of our discussion with Dr. Treena Orchard about the challenges of using dating apps and the toxic culture surrounding them. Rosie and Amanda are also back to share best practices on how to stay safe on a date. All this and so much more from your friends at Stupid Sexy Privacy can be found at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

This week, sexual wellness expert and Associate Professor at Western University’s School of Health Studies, Dr. Treena Orchard, joins BJ Mendelson to talk about the toxicity emanating from dating apps and the culture around the use of them. We also have for you an older conversation, still highly relevant, between co-hosts Amanda King and Rosie Tran about how to protect yourself while using these apps. Part 1 of 2! More at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

This week, BJ is joined by members of the Stop Gen AI collaborative to talk about how the algorithms are controlling our language, why capitalism only works when you have the guardrails installed, and the launch of HavenSocial.org. As always, you can learn more by visiting us at Https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

This week, investigative journalist and co-producer of Stupid Sexy Privacy, interviews Samuel Levine. Mr. Levine served as Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, and was just appointed to run New York City's Consumer Protection Agency. BJ asks Mr. Levine what a functional Federal Trade Commission is supposed to do, compared to what we have right now. You're not going to want to miss this. Learn more at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

Author Victoria Hetherington returns for part two of our conversation about artificial intelligence and the illusion of relationships with it. Meanwhile, our host Rosie Tran shares nine news podcasts that provide the best noncorporate news to help keep you informed about what's happening in our world. More details, as always, can be found at stupidsexyprivacy.com.

It's our (a day late) Christmas episode! In this episode, BJ speaks with author Victoria Hetherington about the bonds between humans and artificial intelligence. Our host, Rosie, explains what the Second Bill of Rights is and why it could mean a universal basic income for you. Visit https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com for more.

This week, Kelly Carlin joins the show to talk about how smartphones hijack attention, cause "digital brain fog," and displace real human connection. Kelly, and our host Rosie Tran, share some recommendations on what to do about it. Nobody should control how your mind functions. Not even that weird caterpillar from the Shazam movie. Learn more at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

"How to Disappear" author, and Black Mail Expert, Frank M. Ahearn returns to the show this week. Frank explains to BJ how one could use extreme privacy mentions to evade the fascists and weirdos looking for you with AI. Not the smart kind of AI, that doesn't exist and probably won't in our lifetime. But the dumb currently available kind that can sift through mountains of data. Rosie also shares tips on what a Stranger Danger Phone is and why you should get one of your own. Learn more at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

Ho Ho Holiday Scams. This week on the show, Rosie tells you how to keep scammers and thieves from ripping you off this holiday season. Meanwhile, Broadway Actor Roger Wayne returns to read excerpts from BJ's first book on Privacy, called "Privacy: And How We Get It Back."

In this special Thanksgiving episode of Stupid Sexy Privacy, BJ Mendelson speaks with members of Clemson University's Human and Technology Lab about baby boomers spreading disinformation, how children interact with artificial intelligence, and what the right level of privacy is for all of us. Learn more at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com

This week, the ACLU's Rebecca Williams joins BJ Mendelson to talk about the do's and don'ts of filming ICE, using cash whenever possible, and why crypto currency is a scam. You're not going to want to miss it. Show notes and more can be found at StupidSexyPrivacy.com

This week: Henry David Thoreau joins us from beyond the grave, and Rosie has advice for those traveling internationally this month and next. Plus: why every American should carry their passport at all times — this week on "Stupid Sexy Privacy."

Lauren Hendry Parsons, from the Mozilla Foundation, explains how cars have become data‑hungry surveillance devices that undermine user control. Our host, Rosie Tran offers some solutions to this problem, but you gotta remember, your car is a computer. And it's a computer that's less secure than a Waffle House. Learn more at https://www.stupidsexyprivacy.com