This Week in Privacy

Would You Pay $1600 to DeGoogle?

Motorola has announced the pricing for their Signature 27 device which supports GrapheneOS, and it's $1600 USD. Is this overpriced or actually justified, we'll discuss all the details! Join us for This Week In Privacy #78! Episode sources: https://www.privacyguides.org/livestreams/2026/11/06/would-you-pay-1600-to-degoogle/ ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript

Google is Using Your Emails for Targeting Ads AGAIN

Google has updated it's privacy policy to allow for data from Gmail and Google Photos to be used for personalized advertising, Bitwarden has made a controversial license change to it's published applications, Proton is allegedly 're-interviewing' staff about AI, and more! Join us for This Week In Privacy #77. Episode sources: https://www.privacyguides.org/livestreams/2026/10/30/google-is-using-your-emails-for-targeting-ads-again/ (00:00) - Intro (00:41) - Start of podcast (01:15) - Updated Google privacy policy says your Gmail might be used for advertising (12:06) - Forum Discussion: Bitwarden dual license model (21:49) - French Court's Site-Blocking Orders Drive Quad9 Out of France (33:36) - Site updates (37:56) - Discord is making its public communities more searchable, and people have concerns (47:05) - Forum Discussion: Linux GUI vs CLI Updates (51:23) - Proton Expose (01:32:22) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

A Digital Apocalypse Just Happened

The internet goes on high alert as 8 TLS certificates are compromised to due weak private keys, allowing anyone to mint browser and app credentials for any site on the internet, a leaked Cellebrite document describes a breakthrough 0day vulnerability that could compromise any iOS device and more! Join us for This Week In Privacy #76 Episode sources: https://www.privacyguides.org/livestreams/ (00:00) - Intro (00:39) - Start of podcast (01:13) - PHP ships emergency patches for critical PHP2Shell flaws (20:21) - Forum Discussion: Kim Dotcom, Signal has US gov backdoor (29:43) - Someone Opened a CashApp In Her Name. She Faces Years in Prison (45:36) - Site Updates (51:10) - The Internet goes on high alert after discovery of 8 compromised TLS certs (01:02:26) - Forum Discussion: Does Google "Plan for your digital legacy" actually delete your account? (01:08:40) - Is Cellebrite sitting on an iPhone radio 0day? (01:20:50) - Q&A (01:22:49) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

The Ledger Wallet Hack is Not Just a Crypto Problem

Ledger devices distributed through a reseller, were compromised with a hardware implant that drained users' crypto wallets, Google is silently linking your phone number to all your logged in accounts, Fridges across France have been disabled in a mass hacking incident and more! Join us for This Week In Privacy #75 Episode sources will be live when the stream starts: https://www.privacyguides.org/livestreams/2026/10/16/the-ledger-wallet-hack-is-not-just-a-crypto-problem/ ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript

Muse is Collecting YOUR Data (Even if You Don't Use It)

Leaked internal documents show that Meta's Muse AI agent is building dossiers on your friends, family and you, even if you've never used it before, Kagi is ending Orion browser development on Linux and open sourcing it, and AI glasses are facing their first major government crackdown. Join us for This Week In Privacy #74. Episode sources: https://www.privacyguides.org/livestreams/2026/10/09/muse-is-collecting-your-data-even-if-you-dont-use-it/ (00:00) - Intro (00:36) - Start of podcast (01:12) - Meta's Muse Is Building Dissiers on Your Friends and Family, Even If They Never Signed Up, Internal Files Reveal (17:20) - Forum Discussion: How do I know I can trust an app? (34:38) - AI glasses face their major government crackdown (45:57) - Forum Discussion: Google randomly disabled one of my accounts (53:29) - Site updates (57:50) - Kagi End Orion Browser Development for Linux, Will Open-Source It (01:09:00) - Forum Discussion: Do I really need a VPN all the time? (01:17:27) - Hackers obtain counterfeit TLS certificates for Google and other large services (01:28:35) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

Is This The End of Anonymous Reddit?

Reddit is forcing users to login to view old.reddit.com, discontinuing it's RSS feeds and ending public API access killing privacy preserving third party clients. We'll be covering the latest in privacy & security news, so join us for This Week In Privacy #73! ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript

F-Droid 2.0 Is a Game Changer

F-Droid just released their 2.0 update, the biggest update to the app in years, Discord is rolling out age verification once again, researchers have found a way to eavesdrop on headphones from 30 meters away and much more! Join us for This Week In Privacy #72. (00:00) - Intro (00:37) - Start of podcast (01:16) - F-Droid 2.0: A New Chapter for Android Freedom (19:22) - Muse, Meta's extraordinarily privileged AI assistant has a serious 0-day (26:42) - Forum Discussion: Should Privacy Guides still have translations (32:06) - An OpenAI Agent Hacked Australia's Health Service. Their Government Found Out Month Later (42:03) - Site Updates (46:40) - DraftKings Is Using AI to Supercharge the Harms of Online Behavioural Advertising (50:48) - Forum Discussion: Proton partners with Apertus, Switzerland's sovereign AI model (58:49) - Researchers found a way to eavesdrop on headphones from 30 meters away, and encryption can't stop it (01:09:06) - Q&A (01:13:35) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

Signal Numberless Registration is Here!

Signal has rolled out registration without a phone number on Android in beta, Revolut breached customer data through fake law enforcement requests, X Chat has mysteriously disappeared from the App Store and more. Join us for This Week In Privacy #71! Signal image in cover taken by About Signal: https://aboutsignal.com/news/signal-registration-without-a-phone-number-now-available/ ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript

The New Apple Watch is Always Listening?!

Apple's new watches are always listening with their new Live Rewind feature, GrapheneOS plans to overhaul all it's default apps, LG's TVs have been caught listening even when they're offline or on standby, and more! Join us for This Week In Privacy #70. ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript

Why Did Google Disable this Security Feature?

The GrapheneOS team has discovered that the Pixel 11 devices appear to have a key security feature disabled, the feature then re-appeared in a later beta update but was still disabled. We'll explain everything you need to know, and cover the latest privacy & security news on This Week In Privacy #69! (00:00) - Intro (00:45) - Start of podcast (01:20) - GrapheneOS Unable to Complete Pixel 11 Port Due to Cut Security Feature (04:29) - Pixel 11 Has Hardware MTE Support, "May Still Be Usable" for GrapheneOS (17:07) - Forum Updates: 1Password wades into a right wing mess after funding a Linux project (37:16) - SIte updates (45:15) - Trump Goes After Anonymous Email Provider in Italy. The Real Target Is Free Speech in the US (01:00:54) - California's Age Verification Bill Passes with Linux Exemption Intact (01:06:44) - Brave launches Email Aliases to keep your personal email address private from websites (01:14:41) - Introducing Ad Blocker for Firefox on iOS: More Control, Fewer Distractions (01:21:09) - Q&A (01:23:13) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

Could This Be The End of Privacy Frontends?

X.com has sent a cease and desist letter to Nitter, the privacy focused frontend for Twitter, demanding immediate takedown of the service and its repositories. This move brings into question whether other privacy frontends could also suffer the same fate, we'll discuss this and more on This Week In Privacy #68! ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript

Microsoft Copilot Continues To Be A Nightmare.

Microsoft’s Copilot had a one-click vulnerability that let attackers quietly exfiltrate data, no user interaction required beyond a single click. Microsoft's AI push seems to be backfiring as security incidents continue to increase. Join us for This Week In Privacy #67! ★ Support this podcast ★

The Pixel 11 is Here, Will it Support GrapheneOS?

Google has announced it's new chip the Tensor G6 which brings serious security upgrades to the new Pixel 11 devices, is it a good idea to pre-order or should you hold off? Join us for This Week In Privacy #66 ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript

Apple's "Private" Relay Exposed Your IP Address?!

Researchers have discovered a host of issue's with Apple's iCloud Private Relay, namely one that allowed websites to see a user's hidden IP address, Linux market-share has just surpassed 10% in North America and more! Join us for This Week In Privacy #65 ★ Support this podcast ★

This GrapheneOS Feature Can Get You Arrested

An activist has been charged with a felony for providing a "duress code" which wiped his GrapheneOS device, we'll be discussing the legal implications and the latest privacy & security news on This Week In Privacy #64! (00:00) - Intro (00:44) - Start of podcast (02:15) - Activist charged with felony after giving borer agent "duress code" that wiped his phone (43:32) - The Pokémon Company is turning to facial recognition scans to help combat scalpers (46:56) - Facial Recognition at Madison Square Garden (56:01) - Forum updates: Surveillance Cameras Can Now Be Retrofitted to Track Your Wireless Device Fingerprint (01:05:58) - Site updates (01:10:55) - Trump admin exempts SpaceX's Starlink from FCC ban on foreign-made routers (01:21:38) - Inside the dystopian world of Germany's free speech crackdown (01:27:38) - eBay reaches $56M settlement with e-commerce newsletter writers it terrorized in 2019 (01:35:07) - Q&A Time: Ask us anything in the livestream chat and we'll do our best to answer! (01:47:28) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

Mullvad’s Co-owner Made A Controversial Donation

Mullvad's Co-owner Daniel Berntsson has made a large political donation from Mullvad's profits, leading people to cancel their service, Apple has fixed a vulnerability in Hide-My-Email and an explosion of surveillance towers are coming to the US border costing over $1 billion US dollars. Join us for This Week In Privacy #63 (00:00) - Intro (00:35) - Start of podcast (02:39) - Mullvad Donation Controversy (34:46) - An Explosion of Surveillance Towers is Coming to U.S. Borders, Costing Over $1 Billion (45:14) - Forum updates: Is there space for another private messaging app (54:20) - Site updates (01:02:34) - The Fourth Circuit Says Border Agents Can Search Your Phone By Hand, No Suspicion Required (01:14:03) - Forum updates: Leave FCC Comment, Deadline Tomorrow (01:23:43) - OpenAI Models Escaped Containment and Hacked Hugging Face (01:32:22) - Forum updates: Is there a point in supporting projects? (01:41:58) - Apple Fixes Hide My Email Vulnerability After 404 Media Coverage (01:56:54) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

Windows 0 Day Exploit Situation Is Wild

Microsoft just fixed a record number of vulnerabilities this patch Tuesday, but a 0 day exploit dropped right after leaving them scrambling, the Los Angeles Police Department just let it's contract expire with Flock, citing 'serious concerns' over privacy and Cloudflare is rolling out a creepy bot detection system that watches your keyboard and mouse movements. Join us for this Week In Privacy #62! (00:00) - Intro (00:40) - Start of podcast (01:04) - Windows 0-day drops the same day Microsoft releases record number of patches (17:00) - Microsoft Restores Player's 25-Year-Old Account With Son's Baby Photos After Nuking It Due to Hacker (25:49) - LAPD lets contract with surveillance giant Flock expire, citing 'serious concerns' over civil liberties and privacy (37:33) - Site updates (41:06) - Cloudflare Precursor watches your mouse and keyboard to decide if you are human (49:25) - Your Period Data Should Be Private (01:05:58) - Forum updates (01:12:26) - Q&A (01:42:16) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

Did Apple Add A Keylogger to the App Store?

A security researcher has discovered that the iOS App Store saves all keystrokes and ties it to your Apple ID - raising privacy concerns, yet another cop is using Automated License Plate Readers to stalker someone, and all cars in the EU might require a camera aimed at your face! Join us for This Week In Privacy #61. (00:00) - Intro (00:36) - Start of podcast (01:03) - Apple adds keylogger to iOS App Store for targeted advertising (10:17) - A Third Party Breached The Intercept's Signal Tip Line and Has Been Soliciting Whistleblowers (21:16) - Footage Shows Cop Stalking Woman He Met on a TV Set After Surveilling Her With a License Plate Reader (36:15) - Site updates (41:14) - ICE's Internal Watchdog Is Now Investigating Online Critics (54:01) - All Cars Sold in the EU Now Require a Camera Aimed at Your Face. It's Still Not Clear Where That Data Goes (01:04:34) - Forum updates (01:23:21) - Q&A (01:25:50) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Chapters

CalyxOS Is Officially Back!

CalyxOS is officially back with a stable release, A researcher has discovered Apple's Hide My Email feature can originating email addresses, the US Supreme Court has gutted the governments ability to use geofence warrants, and more! Join us for This Week In Privacy #60. (00:00) - Intro (00:39) - Start of podcast (01:10) - CalyxOS is back - release 7.2.2.0 with full maintenance support (18:24) - Apple 'Hide My Email' Vulnerability Reveals People's Real Email Addresses (26:55) - Supreme Court ruling guts government's use of geofence warrants (34:28) - Site updates (40:14) - WhatsApp usernames are already raising impersonation red flags (50:54) - Woman Surprised When Flock Surveillance Tower Appears in Her Yard Without Warning (56:54) - Forum updates (01:15:15) - Q&A (01:29:40) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters

No News is Good News? Q&A Episode

It's a quiet news week, so we're diving into questions from the community and discussing a few less interesting stories. Join us for This Week In Privacy #59 (00:00) - Intro (00:39) - Start of podcast (01:27) - Are there privacy advantages to desktop OS's vs GrapheneOS (06:50) - Announcing Mozilla.org (19:15) - Following user outcry, AMD reinstates memory encryption in consumer CPUs (32:07) - Site updates (38:00) - Are there any KeepAndroidOpen.org updates? (51:49) - White House app auto-downloads to government phones, can't be uninstalled (01:03:57) - 50% of LG and Samsung smart TV apps embed residential proxies (01:18:50) - Forum updates (01:28:42) - Outro ★ Support this podcast ★

• Transcript
• Chapters