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

1. DEF CON bans Meta-style ‘pervert glasses’: https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/07/28/def-con-bans-meta-style-pervert-glasses/5279763
2. 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. 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
2. 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
3. Read This Before You Buy That TV Streaming Stick: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/07/read-this-before-you-buy-that-tv-streaming-stick
4. 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
5. Aftercall ads are driving Android users crazy: https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/07/aftercall-ads-are-driving-android-users-crazy
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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

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

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

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. LG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/07/lg-to-ban-residential-proxies-from-smart-tv-apps
9. 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
10. 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

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

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

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. The Intercept’s Signal tipline username was hijacked for months: https://cyberinsider.com/the-intercepts-signal-tipline-username-was-hijacked-for-months
5. Papa Johns Can Predict When Your Fridge Is Empty: https://www.adexchanger.com/?p=461783
6. 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
7. Google Disrupts NetNut Residential Proxy Network Spanning 2 Million Home Devices: https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/google-disrupts-netnut-residential.html
8. The Deere Dam Just Broke: FTC Settlement Empowers Farmers Right To Repair: https://fighttorepair.substack.com/p/the-deere-dam-just-broke-ftc-settlement
9. Justices rule that cellphone location histories are protected by the Fourth Amendment: https://therecord.media/supreme-court-geofencing-ruling-fourth-amendment
10. 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

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

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

1. Massive breach spills credentials for thousands of sensitive networks: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/massive-breach-spills-credentials-for-thousands-of-sensitive-networks
2. How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages?: https://theintercept.com/2026/06/17/signal-messages-minneapolis-ice-protests
3. 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
4. The Fable 5 Export Controls Harm US Cyber Defense: https://www.lutasecurity.com/post/the-fable-5-export-controls-harm-us-cyber-defense
5. 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
6. EPIC Endorses Federal Bills Barring Worker Surveillance, Automated Workplace Decisions: https://epic.org/epic-endorses-federal-bills-barring-worker-surveillance-automated-workplace-decisions
7. 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
8. Nearly Half of LG Smart TV Apps Contain Residential Proxy SDKs: https://spur.us/blog/smart-tv-apps-residential-proxy-sdks
9. Primed for Malware: Stop Selling Compromised Android Devices: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/primed-malware-stop-selling-compromised-android-devices
10. 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

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

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

1. 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
2. Teens are using $5 WeedHack malware to target Minecraft players: https://mashable.com/tech/minecraft-weedhack-malware-as-a-service-report
3. 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
4. Apple’s new parental controls are for keeping Apple out of trouble: https://www.theverge.com/policy/946331/apple-parental-controls-child-accounts-wwdc
5. Botnet of more than 17 million devices dismantled: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/botnet-of-more-than-17-million-devices-dismantled
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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

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

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