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Techlore Talks

Techlore

Techlore Talks brings you in-depth conversations with the experts at the forefront of privacy, security, and digital rights. Hosted by Henry Fisher, founder of Techlore and long-time digital rights educator, each episode features meaningful discussions with the people building, researching, and advocating for digital freedom.

From cybersecurity researchers and privacy tool developers to open-source advocates and digital rights activists—if they're shaping how we protect ourselves online, they're on this show.

Topics include: privacy tools and technologies, cybersecurity threats and defenses, open-source software, surveillance and digital rights, encryption, tech policy, and digital sovereignty.

New episodes released regularly. Subscribe and join the community at techlore.tech.

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Saturday · 48 min
The Future of Linux: Age Verification, AI, Privacy, ARM Support, and More (System76 CEO Interview)
System76 creates premium Linux computers, but they also helped draft the open source exemption language for Colorado's age attestation bill. In this interview, System76 CEO Carl Richell explains how it happened, why open source is different, and what's next for Pop!_OS and COSMIC. This episode is sponsored by SLNT. Check out their faraday bags and get 15% off + free shipping on qualifying orders: SLNT.com/TECHLORE 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • System76: https://system76.com ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (03:52) - PRODUCT TIMELINE & EXPANSION (08:45) - SYSTEM76 CUSTOMERS (10:24) - SYSTEM76 PRODUCT LINEUP (12:24) - POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT (18:58) - SYSTEMD PULL REQUEST (19:52) - SPONSOR: SLNT (20:47) - HOW TO GET INVOLVED (24:44) - PROPRIETARY VS. OPEN SOURCE (27:51) - TOP TO BOTTOM INTEGRATION (30:21) - LTT LINUX CHALLENGE (33:47) - WHAT IS LINUX STILL LACKING? (35:50) - LINUX PHONES (38:41) - ARM SUPPORT (40:28) - AI (44:28) - MEMORY PRICES (45:00) - FUNDING (45:32) - WHAT'S NEXT? (47:05) - PICK A DISTRO (47:56) - HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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September 18 · 1 hr 19 min
What It Takes to Run a Free & Private DNS Service with John Todd from Quad9
DNS quietly reveals everywhere you go online - even on encrypted sites. In this interview, John Todd (CTO at Quad9) provides a DNS masterclass: how DNS works, the privacy implications, how to change your DNS, why Quad9 collects nothing on you, why they are being sued, DNS vs. VPNs, and how a nonprofit can fund itself without compromising privacy. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Quad9: https://quad9.net ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (01:00) - WHAT IS QUAD9? (01:30) - HOW IS IT FREE? (02:48) - WHAT'S RECURSIVE DNS? (04:11) - DNS PRIVACY CONCERNS (07:19) - DEFAULT DNS PROVIDER + OPTIONS (09:15) - DNS ON iOS (11:02) - WHERE TO SET YOUR DNS (13:47) - CYBERSECURITY & PRIVACY (16:16) - WHAT'S BLOCKED (18:55) - CUSTOM DNS ON A ROUTER (20:11) - COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS (21:50) - HTTPS VS. TLS VS. QUIC (25:56) - RECOMMENDATIONS (27:20) - CENSORSHIP CIRCUMVENTION (30:01) - SNI & ECH (33:49) - LAWSUITS (40:45) - THE NUANCE BEHIND BLOCKING (42:23) - FOLLOW THE FIGHT (42:52) - THE QUAD9 TEAM (43:39) - OPERATION COSTS (45:34) - MONETIZING DATA? (50:25) - OTHER REVENUE MODELS (57:53) - WHY TRUST QUAD9? (01:00:39) - SPEED DIFFERENCES (01:06:32) - QUAD9 VS. DIY FILTERING (01:08:42) - VPN VS. DNS (01:13:08) - PI-HOLE (01:15:11) - LOOKING FORWARD (01:18:10) - HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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August 29 · 1 hr 9 min
Border Crossings, Burner Phones, and Surviving Interrogation in China with Josh Summers from All Things Secured
Josh Summers spent a decade living in western China before 14 police officers showed up at his door, accused him of espionage, and confiscated every device his family owned. This Techlore Talks interview covers what 17 days of interrogation taught him about digital privacy while traveling, and the practical steps that could make the difference for you. Stop handing out your real email address. addy.io gives every site an alias that forwards to your normal inbox. Open source, self-hostable, with browser extensions and mobile apps. 🚀 Get started for free: https://addy.io/?utm_source=techlore 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • All Things Secured (website): https://www.allthingssecured.com/ • All Things Secured (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsSecured • All Things Secured (Odysee): https://odysee.com/@AllThingsSecured ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (02:03) - LIVING ABROAD (04:12) - WHY ASIA? (05:29) - GETTING KICKED OUT OF CHINA (12:16) - LIFE AFTER DEPORTATION (17:25) - PARALLELS BETWEEN THEN & NOW (20:41) - AMERICAN VS. CHINESE CITIZENS (24:07) - HOW CULTURE IMPACTS SURVEILLANCE (27:22) - SPONSOR SEGMENT (28:53) - TAKEAWAYS FROM JOSH'S EXPERIENCE (34:02) - OBSCURITY (36:21) - TRAVEL ADVICE (37:51) - SECONDARY DEVICES (38:57) - NEVER TAKE YOUR PHONE HERE (40:23) - SILENT TRAVEL RISK (44:06) - EASTERN VS. WESTERN SURVEILLANCE (46:46) - THE EFFECTS OF INVISIBILITY (51:16) - ALL THINGS SECURED ORIGINS (54:10) - WHERE TO START (56:28) - VIEWING PRIVACY DIFFERENTLY (01:02:29) - FINDING BALANCE (01:06:43) - FINAL THOUGHTS (01:07:35) - HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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August 20 · 28 min
Flock No: The Open Source Project Mapping Every Surveillance Camera in America (DeFlock Interview)
Flock Safety is one of several companies quietly building a searchable database of everyone's car — no warrant required, and no way to opt out. In this Techlore Talks interview, Bob from DeFlock breaks down how ALPR technology works, what "end-to-end encryption" really means in Flock's case, why this issue is bipartisan, and what you can do about it in your own city. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • DeFlock: https://deflock.org • No ALPRs Week of Action: https://noalprs.com ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (01:38) - WHAT IS FLOCK? (03:27) - WHY HAS FLOCK SPECIFICALLY BLOWN UP? (04:53) - THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCERNS (07:10) - WHERE ARE THESE CAMERAS? (09:20) - ALTERNATE INCENTIVES (10:58) - LIMITS ON ALPR DATA (12:53) - FLOCK'S TECH (14:49) - DEFLOCK'S WEBSITE (16:23) - THE IMPACT OF THE MAP (17:11) - THE EXPANSION OF THE MAP (18:35) - HAS FLOCK REACHED OUT? (19:23) - WHY FLOCK ISN'T RENEWED (20:27) - DE-FLOCK, OR DE-ALPR? (21:07) - GETTING STARTED (22:51) - WHY BOB GOT INVOLVED (23:53) - IS THIS BIPARTISAN? (25:21) - HOW TO FOLLOW (26:00) - THE CITY THAT'S DONE THE MOST (27:25) - OUTRO 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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August 15 · 1 hr 7 min
What It Takes to Build Privacy Infrastructure at the State Level: Tom Kemp on California's DROP System
California created a free service that deletes your personal information from over 600 registered data brokers. Tom Kemp, Executive Director of the California Privacy Protection Agency (Cal Privacy), breaks down how the DROP system actually works, why data brokers face fines of up to $40 million a day for non-compliance, what to do if you live outside California, and more. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Cal Privacy: https://cppa.ca.gov/ • DROP: https://privacy.ca.gov • California Safe at Home Program: https://www.sos.ca.gov/registries/safe-home ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (01:44) - CPPA VS. CAL PRIVACY (02:52) - TOM'S BACKGROUND (04:39) - CAL PRIVACY RELATIONSHIP WITH BIG TECH (07:38) - CAL PRIVACY INSPIRATION (12:23) - THE PRIVACY PARADOX (15:15) - CALIFORNIA'S APPROACH VS. OTHERS (18:04) - UPCOMING BROWSER REQUIREMENTS (19:15) - DELETE REQUEST AND OPT-OUT PLATFORM (DROP) (26:08) - HOW DROP WORKS (28:05) - DROP VS. DATA REMOVAL SERVICES (00:00) - 37:14 WHO RUNS THE DROP TECH? (39:43) - DATA SECURITY & INFRASTRUCTURE (46:14) - LEAVING OR CUSTOMIZING DROP (46:46) - TIMING (47:33) - DATA BROKER REGISTRY (49:41) - DATA BROKER REACTION (51:36) - WHY IS THIS RETROACTIVE? (54:45) - HOW TO ADVOCATE WHERE YOU ARE (57:50) - FEDERAL PRIVACY REGULATION (01:00:12) - HOW TO UTILIZE YOUR RIGHTS & TOOLS (01:04:14) - FINAL THOUGHTS 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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August 1 · 58 min
KeePass for Apple Devices: Syncing, Security, and Cross-Platform Gaps (Strongbox Interview)
Once you use Strongbox, a community favorite KeePass client, it's hard to use anything else. Alex Logan is the VP of Engineering at Applause, the company behind Strongbox. He dives into why KeePass syncing works differently than cloud-based password managers, how Strongbox's sync tries to close that gap, what the Applause acquisition actually changed, the open source nuance that trips people up, and whether a Windows or Android client is ever coming. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Strongbox: https://strongboxsafe.com/ • Strongbox Subreddit: https://reddit.com/r/strongbox • KeePass: https://keepass.info/ • Have I Been Pwned: https://haveibeenpwned.com/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (02:47) - OVERVIEW OF PASSWORD MANAGERS (04:50) - 3 TYPES OF PASSWORD MANAGERS (08:50) - PASSWORD SYNCING (11:23) - SERVERS + APPLE iCLOUD (13:13) - KEEPASS CLIENT INCONSISTENCY + GAPS (19:12) - NEXTCLOUD SYNC (19:59) - WIFI SYNC (21:17) - iCLOUD ADVANCED DATA PROTECTION (ADP) (23:01) - STRONGBOX TARGET USER (25:11) - AUTOFILL (29:34) - BROWSER SUPPORT (30:34) - BROWSER EXTENSION SECURITY (32:57) - APP CONNECTIONS (35:10) - SAFETY & ANALYTICS CONCERNS (40:57) - OPEN SOURCE (43:19) - BROADENING STRONGBOX'S HORIZONS (46:06) - THE STRONGBOX TEAM (47:54) - STRONGBOX ACQUISITION (51:34) - PAYING FOR OPEN SOURCE + PRICING (56:24) - WHAT'S NEXT? + HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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July 16 · 53 min
Scam Tactics, Stalkerware, Pegasus, and Surveillance Reform, with David Ruiz from Malwarebytes
Every major global event brings the same scam tactics wearing a new mask. In this interview, David Ruiz, journalist and privacy advocate at Malwarebytes, breaks down how to identify (and avoid) scams, stalkerware vs. nation-state spyware, and what privacy is actually about. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Malwarebytes: https://malwarebytes.com/ • Coalition Against Stalkerware: https://stopstalkerware.org/ • Citizen Lab: https://citizenlab.ca/ • Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://eff.org/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (01:31) - DAVID'S BACKGROUND (06:38) - POLICY BEHIND-THE-SCENES (09:18) - WORLD CUP SCAMS (16:58) - BEHAVIORAL VS. TECHNOLOGICAL DEFENSES (18:53) - SCAMS VS. MARKETING (21:49) - RESPONSIBILITY (24:35) - WHERE TOOLS FIT + MALWAREBYTES TOOLS (28:42) - MALWAREBYTES RELATIONSHIP TO BIG TECH (31:30) - ANALYTICS (33:56) - COALITION AGAINST STALKERWARE (41:46) - STALKERWARE VS. GOVERNMENT SPYWARE (44:32) - STALKERWARE IS MOSTLY ANDROID? (47:44) - DAVID'S TECH STACK (50:29) - FINAL THOUGHTS 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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July 14 · 45 min
From Darknet Pharmacy Order to 1+ Million Users: Building Cake Wallet (Vik Sharma Interview)
Your bank can freeze your account, block your transfers, and demand explanations for how you spend your own money. Cake Wallet founder & CEO Vik Sharma learned this firsthand when trying to transfer $90 between his accounts. In this interview, he shares this story, along with the history of Cake Wallet, why financial privacy matters, the importance of decentralization, Bitcoin vs. Monero, silent payments, and more. Thank you to PikaSim for sponsoring this episode! Visit https://pikasim.com/techlore and use code "TECHLORE" for 10% off your anonymous eSIM. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Cake Wallet: https://cakewallet.com/ • Monero by Cake Wallet: https://monero.com/ • Cupcake: https://cupcakewallet.com/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (01:47) - HOW VIK GOT INTO CRYPTO (03:32) - THE VALUE OF DECENTRALIZATION (06:15) - THE VALUE OF CRYPTO FOR SKEPTICS (08:54) - CAKE WALLET PHILOSOPHY + VISION (12:48) - TECHNICAL VS. PHILOSOPHICAL CRITICISM (15:30) - "WE CAN'T SEE THAT" (18:39) - SPONSOR (20:30) - BLOCKCHAIN PRIVACY CONCERNS (27:29) - ZCASH RECEPTION (29:25) - SILENT PAYMENTS (31:10) - CUPCAKE (34:03) - PRIVACY & SECURITY VS. MARKETING (38:39) - CENSORSHIP RESISTANCE (40:02) - CURRENT CONCERNS (42:28) - HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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June 20 · 1 hr 45 min
End-to-End Encrypted Photo Sharing: How Cryptee Balances Privacy, Abuse Prevention, and Legal Risk
End-to-end encrypted file sharing may sound simple, but for Cryptee, it took five years to ship. In this interview, Henry sits down with John Ozbay, founder and CEO of Cryptee, to talk through why: preventing CSAM, why client-side scanning doesn't work, how Cryptee's solution was designed to raise the barrier to mass spread without compromising encryption, and the broader philosophical question of where developer liability ends and moral responsibility begins. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Cryptee: https://crypt.ee • Stop Chat Control: https://stopchatcontrol.eu • Open Web Advocacy: https://open-web-advocacy.org • EDRI: https://edri.org ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (04:08) - E2EE SHARING HESITATIONS (14:09) - HOW IS BIG TECH HANDLING THIS? (16:24) - LOCAL SCANNING (19:27) - HOW ARE CHAT APPS HANDLING THIS? (21:24) - E2EE BACKUPS (22:40) - HOW MUCH IS THIS CONSIDERED? (25:38) - CRYPTEE'S SOLUTION (42:09) - THREAT MODELING (48:18) - MEGA'S APPROACH (53:16) - LIABILITY VS. RESPONSIBILITY (01:01:40) - HOW TO ENGAGE PRODUCTIVELY (01:09:48) - CHAT CONTROL & ULTERIOR MOTIVES (01:21:34) - IS CHAT CONTROL DEAD? (01:25:33) - HOW JOHN GOT INVOLVED (01:34:44) - CHANGING OVER TIME + RIGHT TO REPAIR + LINUX (01:41:32) - CLOSING THOUGHTS 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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June 6 · 51 min
Firefox VPN Explained: 50GB Free, No Logging, and How it Compares to Mozilla VPN
Firefox now has a free built-in VPN with 50GB of bandwidth per month. In this interview, Henry sits down with Ajit Varma, Head of Firefox at Mozilla, to break down exactly how it works, what Mozilla can and can't see, the difference between Firefox VPN and Mozilla VPN, and why no other major browser is likely to follow Mozilla's lead on this. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Firefox VPN: https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/features/vpn/ • Mozilla VPN: https://www.mozilla.org/products/vpn/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (01:23) - THE FIREFOX PHILOSOPHY (05:14) - TARGET USER (06:47) - TECHNICAL FEATURES (08:48) - FIREFOX VPN VS. MOZILLA VPN (14:57) - PROXY EXTENSION DEMAND (16:21) - MULTI-HOP (18:14) - TRUST (20:21) - VPN VS. PROXY PROTECTION (24:09) - LOGGING (25:04) - LOCATION (28:09) - RECEPTION & POPULARITY (29:28) - MOBILE (31:10) - SAFETY VS. PRIVACY (33:14) - TOR (34:35) - STREAMING (35:10) - ORIGIN OF FIREFOX VPN (37:31) - FREE VPN POSITIONING (40:22) - 50GB FREE & UPGRADE PATHS (42:38) - COSTS TO RUN (43:23) - USING MOZILLA VPN & FIREFOX VPN? (44:37) - USING CUSTOM DNS (47:23) - AD BLOCKING (49:10) - WHAT'S NEXT? (50:36) - HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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May 30 · 1 hr 24 min
App Tracking, Duck AI, the Microsoft Controversy, and the Future of Private Browsing (DuckDuckGo Interview)
Most people know DuckDuckGo as a search engine, but they're also creating a full privacy ecosystem covering a browser, VPN, data broker removal, and app tracking protection. In this Techlore Talks interview, Henry sits down with Peter Dolanjski, Director of Product at DuckDuckGo, to cover what Google is actually collecting, why incognito mode doesn't do what most people think, how DuckDuckGo's contextual ads differ from Google's behavioral targeting, and more. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • DuckDuckGo: https://duckduckgo.com • Duck AI: https://duck.ai • No-AI DuckDuckGo: https://noai.duckduckgo.com ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (01:20) - PETER'S BACKGROUND AT MOZILLA (02:56) - EXPLAINING THE ROLE (06:05) - WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU USE GOOGLE (11:31) - ILLEGAL GOVERNMENT DATA ACQUISITION (14:32) - "DO NOT TRACK ME" & INCOGNITO MODE (16:29) - GOOGLE VS. DDG SEARCH PRIVACY (20:08) - PERSONALIZATION (23:12) - WHAT DATA DDG COLLECTS (25:00) - SEARCH ENGINE AGE VERIFICATION (26:01) - THREAT MODEL/TARGET USER (29:04) - MAXIMALIST PRIVACY VS. PRIVACY FOR ALL (32:48) - DDG SEARCH IN iOS SETTINGS (34:55) - REVENUE & ADS (38:39) - PRODUCT EXPANSION (41:33) - WHY THE DDG ECOSYSTEM? (44:06) - EPHEMERAL BROWSING (48:10) - DDG BROWSER TECHNOLOGY (50:33) - EXTENSION SUPPORT (54:29) - WHY PLATFORM-BASED? (56:55) - PASSKEYS (57:24) - PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS (58:42) - FINGERPRINTING (01:00:42) - OPEN SOURCE (01:01:58) - APP TRACKING PROTECTION (01:08:37) - MICROSOFT CONTROVERSY (01:11:06) - AI (01:15:14) - NO AI (01:16:51) - PERSISTENT ID? (01:18:29) - WHAT'S MISSING IN THE ECOSYSTEM? (01:21:09) - WHAT'S NEXT? (01:22:24) - HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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May 16 · 57 min
Naomi Brockwell on the Surveillance Accountability Act, Developer Arrests, and Why You Can't Opt Out
The federal government doesn't need a warrant to buy your location data, your financial records, or your private information from data brokers. The Surveillance Accountability Act wants to change that. In this Techlore Talks interview, Henry sits down with Naomi Brockwell, host of NBTV and president/founder of The Ludlow Institute. They discuss the bill, Naomi's three-pillar approach to fighting the surveillance state, why decentralization doesn't automatically provide privacy, and what you can actually do right now. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Surveillance Accountability Act: https://surveillanceaccountability.com • Contact your rep (script included): https://surveillanceaccountability.com/support • Naomi Brockwell TV: https://nbtv.media • Naomi's 501(c)(3): https://www.ludlowinstitute.org ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (02:02) - EVOLUTION OF PRIVACY CONTENT (03:10) - NAOMI'S BACKGROUND (06:59) - DECENTRALIZATION + PRIVACY (10:24) - AREAS OF FOCUS (11:47) - DEVELOPERS BEING ARRESTED (16:17) - STAYING OPTIMISTIC (23:12) - NAOMI'S BILL (28:38) - WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS? (34:59) - PHYSICAL VS. DIGITAL BOUNDARIES (40:34) - WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? (42:42) - RELATIONSHIP WITH POLITICS (45:53) - "CONTACT YOUR REPS" (49:40) - IS PRIVACY PARTISAN? (53:07) - HOW TO GET INVOLVED 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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April 25 · 1 hr 3 min
Firefox AI, User Choice, and Partnering with Anthropic: Mozilla VP Interview
AI is everywhere - including Firefox. But, unlike most services, Mozilla allows you to turn it off completely. In this interview, Henry sits down with Adam Fishman, Mozilla's VP of Product, to cover the philosophy behind Firefox's AI features, how Smart Window works, the controls that let you turn everything off, the importance of "having a seat at the table", and the surprising story of how Anthropic's Claude found several security vulnerabilities in Firefox. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Firefox: https://www.firefox.com • Mozilla AI: https://www.mozilla.ai • Mozilla Common Voice: https://commonvoice.mozilla.org ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (01:30) - EXPLAINING THE ROLE (04:03) - ADAM'S BACKGROUND (06:05) - SUNSETTING POCKET (10:12) - PHILOSOPHY ON AI (14:58) - AI FEATURES VS. ADVOCACY (23:59) - MOZILLA VS. BIG TECH AI (28:37) - MOZILLA + ANTHROPIC (31:52) - FIREFOX AI CONTROLS (37:18) - FIREFOX AI DESKTOP VS. MOBILE (39:22) - MOZILLA AI PRIVACY (41:36) - FIREFOX FORKS (44:23) - HONEST AI CAPABILITIES DISCUSSION (51:02) - AI ETHICS (54:11) - MOZILLA'S FUTURE PRIORITIES (57:11) - GETTING STARTED WITH AI (01:01:04) - HOW TO FOLLOW (01:02:44) - OUTRO 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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April 18 · 1 hr 1 min
Bitwarden on Zero Knowledge Encryption, Open Source Trust, and the LastPass Breach
Most people think their passwords are safe. Most people are wrong. Henry sits down with Ryan Luibrand, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Bitwarden, to cover why open source changes the trust equation, the LastPass data breach, how KDF algorithms work, whether storing your TOTP codes in your password manager is a good idea, and more. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS Written breakdown: https://techlore.tech/password-manager-security-explained-with-bitwarden/ Bitwarden: https://bitwarden.com Privacy Policy: https://bitwarden.com/privacy/ Compliance & Audit Reports: https://bitwarden.com/compliance/ Security White Paper: https://bitwarden.com/help/bitwarden-security-white-paper/ Security Readiness Kit: https://bitwarden.com/resources/bitwarden-security-readiness-kit/ HackerOne Bug Bounty: https://hackerone.com/bitwarden GitHub: https://github.com/bitwarden ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (00:52) - RYAN'S BACKGROUND (02:07) - BITWARDEN ORIGINS (03:09) - BITWARDEN TEAM (03:29) - FUNDING (06:18) - OPEN SOURCE (08:18) - AUDITS (10:11) - FORKING (11:19) - INTERNAL VS. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (12:21) - SELF-HOSTING (14:13) - NEW NATIVE APPS (16:38) - ARE PASSWORD MANAGERS SECURE? (21:08) - WHY USE A DEDICATED PW MANAGER? (23:08) - CONCERNS WITH THE CLOUD (25:39) - ARGON2 (29:16) - USERNAME KEY GENERATION (31:06) - LASTPASS DATA BREACH (37:17) - WHAT CAN BITWARDEN SEE? (39:40) - WHERE IS BITWARDEN DATA HOSTED? (40:18) - GOVERNMENT REQUESTS (41:08) - "EGGS IN ONE BASKET" ARGUMENT (43:57) - 2FA & BITWARDEN AUTHENTICATOR (47:39) - PASSKEYS (49:04) - COMMUNITY VS. ENTERPRISE (50:17) - RYAN'S SETUP + ADVICE (53:45) - THIRD PARTY INTEGRATIONS (54:20) - AI (56:16) - PRICING (57:15) - F-DROID APP? (57:54) - LINUX APP? (58:12) - MORE THOUGHTS ON CLOUD SECURITY (59:10) - FINAL THOUGHTS (59:55) - WHAT'S NEXT? 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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April 14 · 57 min
Age Verification Laws and Free Software: A Legal Expert Tells Us What's Actually at Stake
Age verification laws are spreading fast, but most coverage is either panic or dismissal, with very little clarity on what these laws actually say, who they apply to, or what they mean for free software. In this episode of Techlore Talks, Henry sits down with Jithendra Palepu, who has a legal background and Free Software Foundation Europe volunteer, to actually make sense of it. Age verification, age estimation, age gating, and self-declaration—why the difference matters enormously. We examine what California's AB 1628 actually requires, we discuss why MidnightBSD's decision to ban California users may have backfired against the very principles it was trying to protect, and so much more. If you've had strong reactions to these laws but struggled to fully back them up, this one's for you. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Free Software Foundation Europe: https://fsfe.org • FSFE — Youth Hacking for Freedom: https://fsfe.org/activities/yh4f/ • Software Freedom Conservancy: https://sfconservancy.org • Keep Android Open: https://keepandroidopen.org/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (02:43) - DEFINING AGE VERIFICATION (05:15) - THE REAL CONCERN (09:59) - SELF-DECLARATION (13:14) - SERVICE VS. OS AGE VERIFICATION (19:34) - RESPONSIBILITY (23:23) - MIDNIGHTBSD & SYSTEMD (25:27) - LINUX CARVE-OUTS? (27:54) - SHARED & SECONDHAND DEVICES? (29:42) - APPLE + DMA (32:59) - WHAT'S THE OVERALL NARRATIVE? (37:57) - JITHENDRA'S & FSFE'S CONCERNS (42:21) - DO ANY LAWS GET THIS RIGHT? (44:33) - WHO IS DOING THE VERIFICATION? (45:03) - DATA LEAK RESPONSIBILITY (46:37) - OS-LEVEL AGE VERIFICATION IN EU (48:04) - YOUNG DEVELOPERS (49:14) - ENFORCEABILITY (50:54) - ACTIONABLE ADVICE (52:42) - HOW TO FACILITATE DISCUSSIONS (54:37) - HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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April 11 · 1 hr 4 min
Organic Maps Co-Founder on Building a Privacy-First Google Maps Alternative | Alexander Borsuk
Every time you open Google Maps, it knows where you are, what you searched, how long you stayed, and where you went next. Organic Maps collects none of that. In this interview, Henry sits down with Alexander Borsuk, co-founder of Organic Maps, to talk about what mainstream maps apps are collecting, how an entirely offline-first approach changes the privacy picture, and where Organic Maps is headed next, including live public transit and opt-in traffic data. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Organic Maps: https://organicmaps.app • Organic Maps GitHub: https://github.com/organicmaps • OpenStreetMap: https://openstreetmap.org • OsmAnd: https://osmand.net ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - INTRO (02:26) - ORGANIC MAPS TEAM & STRUCTURE (05:53) - MAP PRIVACY IMPLICATIONS (12:19) - BUSINESS SEARCHING (14:42) - CLOUD-FIRST VS. OFFLINE-FIRST (17:05) - ORGANIC MAPS VS. APPLE MAPS W/ ADP (24:20) - OPENSTREETMAP (27:51) - GETTING INVOLVED & CONTRIBUTING (34:20) - USABILITY & TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC (41:02) - PUBLIC TRANSIT (45:24) - RESTRICTION OF NO REAL-TIME DATA (48:11) - LONGEVITY & BEHIND-THE-SCENES (51:56) - THE NEXT 5 YEARS (54:05) - TRAFFIC DATA (57:13) - POKÉMON GO DATA HARVESTING (59:48) - FINAL THOUGHTS (01:01:45) - HOW TO CONNECT & FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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March 29 · 1 hr 31 min
Telecom Insider Explains What Your Carrier Actually Sees (Cape Interview)
Most people think turning off location services protects them from being tracked. It doesn't. In this interview, David Dunn from privacy-focused cellular provider Cape breaks down what carriers actually collect, how threats like IMSI catchers and SIM swaps work, and how Cape is building a mobile network specifically designed to minimize that exposure. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Cape: https://www.cape.co • Cape + Proton collab: https://www.cape.co/cape-and-proton ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 INTRO 00:01:01 WHAT CELLULAR CARRIERS SEE 00:02:50 THE CONCERNS 00:04:08 ABUSE OF DATA 00:05:28 LTT SIM SWAP ATTACK 00:06:33 PHONE CALL BEHIND-THE-SCENES 00:12:24 CELL TOWER TRIANGULATION & GEOFENCING 00:15:32 LOCATION SERVICES 00:16:25 CALL DATA & SMS RECORDS 00:19:24 SMS VS. EMAIL SECURITY 00:20:23 SIM SWAPPING + IMSI CATCHERS 00:24:09 CELL TOWER TRIANGULATION + GEOFENCING SOLUTIONS 00:26:38 CALL DATA RECORD + SMS SOLUTIONS 00:28:48 WI-FI CALLING 00:30:54 SS7 SIGNALING ATTACK PROTECTION 00:32:25 4G VS. 5G PRIVACY 00:36:34 USER AGENTS + CUSTOM ROMS 00:42:15 DEVICE PROTECTION 00:46:06 CAPE'S APPROACH 00:55:01 MOBILE CORE 00:59:18 CDR DELETION 01:00:06 IMSI ROTATION 01:00:52 OTHER USER CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS 01:04:05 PHONE NUMBER REPUTATION 01:05:29 ISSUES WITH PRIVACY TOOLS 01:08:22 OBSCURA 01:10:48 REGISTRATION 01:13:04 TRUST & VERIFICATION 01:15:37 COMPATIBILITY 01:17:33 AVAILABILITY 01:17:54 ROAMING 01:18:36 LAW ENFORCEMENT REQUESTS 01:21:15 PALANTIR 01:23:25 PROTON PARTNERSHIP 01:25:05 WHO IS CAPE FOR? 01:26:43 TELL US SOMETHING SHOCKING 01:29:28 OUTRO 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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March 21 · 1 hr 12 min
Why This Linux Distro Is Growing Faster Than Ever (Zorin OS Interview)
Artyom Zorin, co-founder and lead developer of Zorin OS, explains why this Linux distribution is seeing explosive growth, its user-friendly approach, business models & incentives, privacy, open source, and more. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Zorin OS: https://zorin.com • Zorin OS Pro: https://zorin.com/os/pro/ • Zorin OS Education: https://zorin.com/os/education/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 INTRO 00:02:55 ZORIN OS VS. UBUNTU 00:04:14 PACKAGE COMPATIBILITY 00:07:01 OPEN SOURCE? FREE? 00:11:46 BUSINESS MODELS + INCENTIVES 00:14:48 TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC 00:16:00 PRIVACY BY DEFAULT 00:17:51 SECURITY MODEL 00:19:48 WHY UBUNTU? 00:21:16 DESKTOP ENVIRONMENTS 00:25:03 RELEASE SCHEDULE 00:26:26 COMPATABILITY LAYERS 00:28:52 ARM SUPPORT 00:32:32 PROFESSIONAL +CREATIVE SOFTWARE 00:36:43 DEFAULT APP CHOICES 00:39:19 ZORIN GRID 00:42:22 ZORIN EDUCATION 00:43:35 DEVICES + INSTALLATION 00:47:50 ZORIN OS LIMITATIONS 00:50:26 DUAL BOOT 00:51:30 THE ZORIN TEAM 00:52:58 LOCATION 00:53:12 OPEN SOURCE + GIVING BACK 00:56:24 DOWNLOADS 00:59:17 WINDOWS 10 01:01:09 AI 01:07:23 THE FUTURE OF ZORIN OS 01:09:49 MOBILE DEVICES? 01:10:35 HOW TO FOLLOW 01:11:18 OUTRO 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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February 28 · 1 hr 27 min
How Ad Blockers Work, Why They Break, and the Future of Private Search (JP Schmetz Interview)
Most ad blockers start by blocking everything—then you become tech support for friends & family when pages break. Henry interviewed JP Schmetz, founder of Brave Search and CEO of Ghostery, about making trackers visible, why there are only 3 search indexes in the world, reinventing the open web with AI, and how to avoid becoming "the family CTO." 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Ghostery: https://www.ghostery.com/ • Who Tracks Me Database: https://whotracks.me/ • Ghostery Private Search: https://www.ghostery.com/private-search • Brave Search: https://search.brave.com/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 INTRO 00:01:32 ORIGINS WITH GHOSTERY 00:03:15 SEARCH ENGINES + BROWSERS 00:06:32 GHOSTERY'S BROWSER EXTENSION 00:09:09 THE PRIVACY DISCONNECT 00:13:02 REAL WORLD IMPACTS 00:16:03 PRIVACY VARIES BY LOCATION 00:16:47 PAGE BLOCKING + BREAKING 00:24:06 ADAPTATION + TRUST 00:28:48 ROLES AT GHOSTERY + BRAVE 00:29:22 OPEN SOURCE 00:30:38 BRAVE SHIELDS OR GHOSTERY? 00:32:36 SUGGESTED CONFIGURATIONS 00:40:13 WHOTRACKS.ME 00:44:30 WHAT IS A TRACKER? 00:47:39 WHAT ARE THE INCENTIVES? 00:50:31 DOES BLOCKING = NO DATA SHARING? 00:53:50 THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS 00:57:27 PRIVATE SEARCH 01:00:11 META SEARCH VS. INDEPENDENT INDEX 01:02:30 CONTEXTUAL VS. TARGETED ADVERTISING 01:06:28 BRAVE SEARCH ADS 01:08:16 INDEXES 01:10:53 AI + SEARCH 01:19:43 WHAT'S NEXT? 01:22:22 PUBLISHING + INCENTIVES + THE FUTURE 01:25:30 HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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February 14 · 48 min
Why This Password Manager Requires a Private Key (Passbolt Interview)
Most password managers use your master password as the encryption key—which means it can be phished and brute-forced. Passbolt uses a random private key instead. Henry interviewed co-founder Remy about why they optimized Passbolt for teams, how granular permissions prevent credential leaks, and why self-hosting matters for businesses. 🔗 SOURCES & LINKS • Passbolt: https://www.passbolt.com ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 INTRO 01:20 PASSBOLT TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC 05:52 PASSWORD MANAGER BASICS 06:51 PASSBOLT TYPICAL CUSTOMER 07:41 PASSWORD MANAGER OPTIONS 10:33 ATTACKS ON BUSINESSES 13:17 PASSBOLT BUSINESS MODEL 16:24 SELF-HOSTING 19:22 PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY 22:09 SUITE VS. FOCUSED PRODUCT 24:12 FEATURE REQUESTS 25:49 EMAIL ALIASING 27:04 PASSKEYS 28:54 MANIFEST V3 + BROWSERS 30:26 PASSKEYS (CONT'D) 33:30 TOTP 36:49 INTEGRATIONS 37:59 TWO PASSWORDS? 42:09 REMY'S FAVORITE PW MANAGER 43:39 COMMON MISTAKES? 44:38 HIDING TOTP SEEDS 46:49 FINAL THOUGHTS 47:30 HOW TO FOLLOW 47:51 OUTRO 🎥 VIDEO Watch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLORE Keep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★
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