Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

Use a Secure Wi-Fi Router

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 Plex Urges Immediate Updates After Patching Multiple Undisclosed Security Flaws: https://thehackernews.com/2026/09/plex-urges-immediate-updates-after.html Meta to pay $18 billion in teen social media addiction settlement: https://proton.me/blog/meta-teen-addiction-settlement Full Stories Identity Verification Is Broken. The 153 Million Driver’s Licenses Now for Sale Are Proof: https://gizmodo.com/identity-verification-is-broken-the-153-million-drivers-licenses-now-for-sale-are-proof-2000806437 ChatGPT’s iMessage plugin opens a backdoor in Apple Messages: https://proton.me/blog/chatgpt-apple-messages Hidden Tracking in Windows Apps: https://adguard.com/en/blog/how-desktop-apps-watch-you-research.html An Algorithmic Failure Beneath the Secret Ballot: https://blog.citp.princeton.edu/2026/08/03/an-algorithmic-failure-beneath-the-secret-ballot Confused about which VPN is right, US senator asks the NSA for guidance: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/09/us-senator-calls-on-the-nsa-to-give-guidance-for-use-of-vpns Vigilantism comes for Flock: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/vigilantism-comes-for-flock Security researchers find surveillance implants in Chinese-made routers sold worldwide — three different backdoor-like implants hidden in firmware: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/security-researchers-find-surveillance-implants-in-chinese-made-routers-sold-worldwide-three-different-backdoor-like-implants-hidden-in-firmware Further Info Phase 2 is under way! : https://fdsd.me/phase2 Countdown to FDSD500!! https://fdsd500.com Get your FDSD500 merch!! https://fdsd.me/merch Jellyfin media server: https://jellyfin.org/ Tailscale: https://tailscale.com/ Proton blog: https://proton.me/blog 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 0:02:26: 6th Edition update 0:04:15: News rundown 0:06:17: Plex media server critical fixes 0:08:47: Meta’s $18B lawsuit loss 0:10:40: 153M ID’s for sale 0:19:11: ChatGPT plugin for iMessage 0:27:28: Windows app tracking 0:38:23: Using AI to reveal your voting 0:48:42: Senator requests NSA VPN guidance 0:53:20: Rise in Flock vandalism 1:01:17: Chinese routers with built-in backdoors 1:09:48: Tip of the Week 1:19:21: Phase 2 reminder 1:20:14: Patron podcast preview 1:20:34: Looking ahead

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Supply Chain Attacks

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 Cassie Crossley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassiecrossley/ VulNow company website: https://vul.now/ VulNow’s Pre-CVE database: https://precve.vulnow.com/ CyBeats company website: https://www.cybeats.com/ Software Supply Chain Security (book): https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/software-supply-chain/9781098133696/ Proton blog on supply chain security: https://proton.me/business/blog/supply-chain-attack Malus AI re-write tool: https://www.404media.co/this-ai-tool-rips-off-open-source-software-without-violating-copyright/ xkcd on Dependency: https://xkcd.com/2347/ Updated dependency diagram: https://www.grc.com/SN/1078.jpg Further Info Phase 2 has begun!! : https://fdsd.me/phase2 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 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 0:00:35: Phase 2 reminder 0:01:52: Interview setup 0:06:05: What is VulNow? 0:08:34: What software is vulnerable to supply chain attacks? 0:13:16: Have you heard of AI clean room coding? 0:15:34: How do SW supply chain attacks work? 0:21:21: How do we identify the weak points? 0:34:24: What are SBOM’s and how do they work? 0:43:45: What is needed beyond SBOMs? 0:50:32: Can tools reveal the contents of SW? 0:56:13: How do we encourage SBOM creation? 1:01:35: As consumers, how do we know who to trust? 1:06:09: What’s next for you? 1:08:46: Wrap-up 1:13:23: Patron podcast preview 1:14:19: Looking ahead

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Digital Citizen: Phase 2

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 Flock wanted to put license plate cameras on 350,000 Uber and Lyft dashcams: https://www.techspot.com/news/113407-flock-wanted-put-license-plate-cameras-350000-uber.html ‘Tower dump’ warrants ruled unconstitutional: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6013559-mississippi-judge-declares-towers-dumps-unconstitutional BMWs are showing a commercial at startup: https://boingboing.net/2026/08/06/bmws-are-showing-a-spider-man-movie-ad-at-startup.html Hackers Spend Nearly $7 Million on Expired Domains to Redirect Traffic to Scams and Malware: https://thehackernews.com/2026/08/hackers-spend-nearly-7-million-on.html Full Stories US warns of AI-powered attacks on Siemens PLCs in critical infrastructure: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-warns-of-ai-powered-attacks-on-siemens-plcs-in-critical-infrastructure In a first, US will allow some private firms to carry out cyberattacks: https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/13/in-a-first-us-will-allow-some-private-firms-to-carry-out-cyberattacks Terabytes of credentials leaked in massive supply-chain attack: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/08/terabytes-of-credentials-leaked-in-massive-supply-chain-attack McDonald’s Built a 515-Page Dossier on Me. It Says I’ll Never Stop Eating There: https://www.wired.com/story/mcdonalds-built-a-515-page-dossier-on-me-it-says-ill-never-leave Told to book a gym class, an AI agent hacked the site instead to move its user up the waitlist: https://the-decoder.com/told-to-book-a-gym-class-an-ai-agent-hacked-the-site-instead-to-move-its-user-up-the-waitlist Littleton claims Flock reactivated its cameras without notifying the town: https://www.lowellsun.com/2026/07/31/littleton-claims-flock-reactivated-its-cameras-without-notifying-the-town Chrome adopts what may be the best protection yet against account takeovers: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/08/chrome-adopts-what-may-be-the-best-protection-yet-against-account-takeovers Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/digital-citizen-phase-2/ Further Info Phase 2: https://fdsd.me/phase2 Countdown to FDSD500!! https://fdsd500.com Get your FDSD500 merch!! https://fdsd.me/merch NoALPRs: https://noalprs.com/ FlockYou project: https://github.com/colonelpanichacks/flock-you 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 0:00:26: Public service announcements 0:03:20: News rundown 0:05:25: Flock in Uber, Lyft, delivery vehicles 0:07:13: Tower dump warrants ruled unconstitutional 0:08:33: Some BMW’s show Spider-Man ad 0:10:49: Hackers use expired domains for scams 0:13:24: US warns of AI attacked on PLCs 0:18:05: US authorizes private cyber attacks 0:24:53: Terabytes of credentials leaked in supply chain attack 0:32:13: McDonald’s customer dossier 0:39:44: AI agent hacks gym site 0:45:22: Town claims Flock reactivated its cameras 0:49:39: Google trialing device-bound session cookies 0:57:00: Tip of the Week 1:04:31: Wrap-up 1:05:22: Patron podcast preview 1:05:45: Looking ahead

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DEF CON 34

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 Hacklore: https://www.hacklore.org/ Naomi Brockwell (NBTV): https://www.nbtv.media/ Ludlow Institute: https://www.ludlowinstitute.org/ Surveillance Accountability Act: https://www.surveillanceaccountability.com/ UnDisruptable27: https://u27.org I Am the Cavalry, BSides 2026 (Monday): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4C8stKbxBM BSides IATC schedule: https://bsideslv.org/schedule#IATC Cliff Stoll talk: https://www.youtube.com/live/_uYQr8hfpbI?t=13292s DEF CON: https://defcon.org/ DEF CON 20 Documentary: https://archive.org/details/DEFCON20Documentary DEF CON 33 Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb0kJXSy64E 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 Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Table of Contents 0:00:07: Intro 0:00:50: Hacker Summer Camp 0:11:30: Interview preface 0:14:26: Bob Lord 0:21:18: Bob afterword 0:24:08: Naomi intro 0:26:09: Naomi Brockwell 0:35:51: Naomi afterword 0:40:58: Josh intro 0:42:58: Josh Corman 0:56:01: Josh afterword 1:01:08: Jeff intro 1:03:00: Jeff Moss 1:23:12: Jeff afterword 1:24:30: Wrap-up 1:26:20: Patron podcast preview 1:26:45: Phase 1 still going 1:27:13: Looking ahead

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AI Tech Support: Trust, but Verify

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 DEF CON bans Meta-style ‘pervert glasses’: https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/07/28/def-con-bans-meta-style-pervert-glasses/5279763 US military may require some troops in Mideast to surrender cell phones: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-commander-warns-troops-their-videos-help-iran-sources-say-2026-07-29 Full Stories 1,741 “informed” consents with one click?! GDPR complaint against dict.cc filed: https://noyb.eu/en/1741-informed-consents-one-click-gdpr-complaint-against-dictcc-filed Almost all future robot vacuums were just banned by the US government: https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/29/almost-all-future-robot-vacuums-were-just-banned-by-the-us-government Read This Before You Buy That TV Streaming Stick: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/07/read-this-before-you-buy-that-tv-streaming-stick FTC sues Hims & Hers for allegedly sharing patients’ medical data with advertisers Meta and Snap: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/ftc-sues-hims-hers-for-allegedly-sharing-patients-medical-data-with-advertisers-meta-and-snap Aftercall ads are driving Android users crazy: https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/07/aftercall-ads-are-driving-android-users-crazy Users’ private Claude chats revealed with simple Google search: https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/07/28/privacy-is-dead-personal-ai-prompts-indexed-by-google-search This new Mac malware won’t let you use your computer until you surrender your password: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/this-new-mac-malware-wont-let-you-use-your-computer-until-you-surrender-your-password OpenFace: The Hugging Face Breach and What to Do About It: https://www.lutasecurity.com/post/openface-the-hugging-face-breach-and-what-to-do-about-it Hackers disrupt over 30 Minnesota water utilities in coordinated OT attack: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-target-over-30-minnesota-water-utilities-in-coordinated-ot-attack Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/ai-tech-support-trust-but-verify/ Further Info Digital Citizen, Phase 1: https://fdsd.me/phase1 Countdown to FDSD500!! https://fdsd500.com Get your FDSD500 merch!! https://fdsd.me/merch Update All the Things! https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/update-all-the-things/ 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 0:00:40: PSA: Update!! 0:01:36: Countdown to 500 0:02:37: News Briefs 0:06:46: News rundown 0:08:50: GDPR complaint about 1741 “partners” 0:12:45: US bans foreign robots 0:16:13: Malicious, cheap streaming sticks 0:23:33: FTC sues Hims/Hers for sharing health data 0:27:34: Android “after call” ads 0:32:17: Private Claude chats in search results 0:38:18: Cleverly annoying Mac malware 0:45:31: Hugging Face breach lessons 0:54:08: Many US water utilites attacked by Iran 0:59:39: Tip of the Week 1:11:56: Wrap up

Top Cyber Threats 2026

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 This Week in Security: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/ Zack at TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/author/zack-whittaker/ Zack’s homepage: https://zackwhittaker.com/ Project Sunshine: https://projectsunshine.org/about Filtr (Wipr) ad blocker for iPhone: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/04/filtr-is-a-new-privacy-tool-that-blocks-ads-in-almost-every-iphone-and-mac-app/ Apple iPhone security: https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-get-to-know-iphone-privacy-and-security-settings Google Android security: https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-get-to-know-android-privacy-and-security-settings Zach’s list: 404media.co, metacurity.com, indicator.media, krebsonsecurity.com, techdirt.com, garbageday.email, thehandbasket.co, karlbode.com, risky.biz, lawdork.com, citationneeded.news, erininthemorning.com 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 0:00:12: Intro 0:02:08: Interview setup 0:03:03: What is age gating? 0:07:45: What are the risks of age verification? 0:15:30: How do ads get our data? 0:21:33: How can ad data be abused? 0:28:11: What is mercenary spyware? 0:34:53: How do you protect against spyware? 0:41:04: How dangerous are nation-state attacks? 0:43:54: How do we defend against foreign attacks? 0:47:43: Does AI benefit defenders or attackers more? 0:51:24: How do we mitigate public mass surveillance? 0:57:01: What else worries you? 1:00:34: What’s next for you? 1:02:30: Wrap-up 1:07:50: Patron podcast preview 1:09:02: Looking ahead

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Update All the Things

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 A Device Hidden in Cars Across the US Leaves Them Vulnerable to Hacking and Paralysis. Patch It Now: https://www.wired.com/story/a-device-hidden-in-cars-across-the-us-leaves-them-vulnerable-to-hacking-and-paralysis-patch-it-now Most fitness wearables lack end-to-end encryption and don’t disclose government data demands, says EFF: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/most-fitness-wearables-lack-end-to-end-encryption-and-lack-transparency-reports Financial Times: US military smartphones targeted through roaming and ad tech: https://harrigan.house.gov/media/in-the-news/financial-times-us-military-smartphones-targeted-through-roaming-and-ad-tech US accuses American of allegedly wiping his phone using a ‘duress’ password during border search: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/us-accuses-american-of-allegedly-wiping-his-phone-using-a-duress-password-during-border-search US government says Iran-linked hackers are disrupting American water and energy providers: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/23/us-government-says-iran-linked-hackers-are-disrupting-american-water-and-energy-providers The US government warns that Russia state hackers are coming after your router: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/07/the-us-government-warns-that-russia-state-hackers-are-coming-after-your-router U.S. judge denied feds a month-long warrant to snoop on the phones of thousands of Ohio residents: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/us-judge-denied-feds-month-long-warrant-to-snoop-on-the-phones-of-thousands-of-ohio-residents LG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/07/lg-to-ban-residential-proxies-from-smart-tv-apps These Maine librarians are helping patrons resist AI and Big Tech: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/02/midcoast/midcoast-culture/maine-librarians-are-helping-patrons-resist-ai-joam40zk0w Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/update-all-the-things/ Further Info Digital Citizen, Phase 1: https://fdsd.me/phase1 Countdown to FDSD500!! https://fdsd500.com Get your FDSD500 merch!! https://fdsd.me/merch Zero-Day documentary: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5446858/ EFF’s Rayhunter: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/meet-rayhunter-new-open-source-tool-eff-detect-cellular-spying This Week in Security: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/ My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Table of Contents 0:00:07: Intro 0:00:25: Phase 1 reminder 0:04:09: Quick news bites 0:05:54: News rundown 0:07:35: Hidden card device vulnerable to hacks 0:15:00: Most fitness wearables lack E2EE 0:19:19: Iran tracking military smartphones 0:26:58: US accuses citizen of wiping phone with “duress” password 0:33:15: US Gov’t claims Iran attaching infrastructure 0:38:03: Russia attacking US routers 0:42:37: Judge denies “Stingray” warrant 0:49:09: LG TV to ban proxy network apps 0:53:57: Maine librarians help patrons remove AI 1:00:54: Tip of the Week 1:10:18: Reminders 1:11:17: Patron podcast preview 1:11:49: Looking ahead

Digital Provenance

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

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Countdown to Episode 500!

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

• Chapters

Defending Device Data

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

• Chapters

We Can Do This

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

• Chapters

A More Personal AI

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

• Chapters

Backup Your Email Archive

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

• Chapters

Transaction Denied

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

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Verify Your Email Archive

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

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Bossware & Boundaries

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

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Download All Your Emails

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

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Cindy Cohn: Privacy’s Defender

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

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Withdraw Your Email Data

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

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The Power of Prophecy

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

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