Podcast
Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
Hosted by Carey Parker · EN
A Podcast on Computer Security & Privacy for Non-Techies
34episodes
Episodes
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Private AI Chat
Jan 1201:10:33Tap to summarizeAI has many problems, but also has promise. Today I’m going to focus on one particular problem that has some viable solutions: privacy. Chat bots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude all require your queries to be processed in the cloud. All the personal questions we ask are probably being logged against our identity and could be used to train future AI models or to present us with targeted ads. But there are alternatives that protect your data – I’ll give you a handful of solid options. In other news: a Texas court has blocked the app store age verification law; Flock’s people-tracking cameras have horrible security; PornHub confirms data leak due to third party; stalkerware maker pleads guilty; Texas sues 5 TV makers over data collection; Wegman’s grocery using facial recognition in NYC; New York’s surveillance pricing transparency law goes into effect; DROP tool debuts in California for deleting broker data; two Chrome extensions caught stealing chat bot session text; ChatGPT rolls out new Health tool. Article Links Judge blocks Texas app store age verification law https://www.theverge.com/news/849752/texas-app-store-accountability-act-age-verification-injunction Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet. We Tracked Ourselves https://www.404media.co/flock-exposed-its-ai-powered-cameras-to-the-internet-we-tracked-ourselves/ PornHub Confirms Premium User Data Exposure Linked to Mixpanel Breach https://thecyberexpress.com/pornhub-data-breach-premium-users/ Founder of spyware maker pcTattletale pleads guilty to hacking and advertising surveillance software https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/06/founder-of-spyware-maker-pctattletale-pleads-guilty-to-hacking-and-advertising-surveillance-software/ Texas sues 5 smart TV manufacturers over data collection practices https://therecord.media/texas-sues-5-smart-tv-makers-over-acr-tech Popular grocery store chain uses biometric surveillance on shoppers, raising privacy concerns https://www.aol.com/articles/popular-grocery-store-chain-uses-130056099.html How New York’s Personalized Pricing Law Affects Consumers And Retailers https://www.forbes.com/sites/anishasircar/2025/12/03/new-yorks-algorithmic-pricing-law-what-it-does-and-why-it-matters/ This Tool Deletes Your Info From Data Broker Sites (If You Live in One State) https://lifehacker.com/tech/california-new-data-removal-tool Two Chrome Extensions Caught Stealing ChatGPT and DeepSeek Chats from 900,000 Users https://thehackernews.com/2026/01/two-chrome-extensions-caught-stealing.html Why I Won’t Be Giving ChatGPT Health My Medical Records https://lifehacker.com/tech/dont-give-chatgpt-health-your-medical-records Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/ai-chat-privacy/  Further Info Annual Listener Survey!!! https://fdsd.me/survey2026  New Patron Promotion!! https://fdsd.me/promo126  Flock You project: https://github.com/colonelpanichacks/flock-you  Shodan: https://www.shodan.io/dashboard  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 0:00:36: Listener survey 0:01:24: Dragon coin promo 0:02:11: News rundown 0:04:00: Court blocks Texas app store age check 0:09:52: Flock exposed its AI cameras to internet 0:21:04: Some PornHub user data leaked 0:26:22: Stalkerware maker pleads guilty 0:33:57: Texas sues 5 TV makers over data collection 0:39:39: Wegmans grocery is using facial recognition 0:44:33: NY personalized pricing law goes into effect 0:47:28: CA tool mass-deletes broker data 0:50:49: Two Chrome extensions steal AI chat records 0:54:56: ChatGPT unveils new Health feature 0:58:25: Tip of the Week 1:07:28: Wrap up 1:07:47: Patron podcast preview 1:08:23: Looking ahead
Transcribe →Decentralized Messaging
Jan 501:29:24Tap to summarizeThere are a ton of messaging apps on the market – and there are actually quite a few that are very secure and private. I would argue that there is no such thing as a “perfect” secure messaging app. There are several threat models to account for, each with different requirements. Today we’re going to talk about the pros and cons of decentralized messaging with the co-founder of Session, Kee Jeffreys. These messaging apps don’t rely on a set of servers hosted by the provider, but rather on a mesh of nodes run by hundreds or thousands of others. We’ll also discuss the importance of protecting metadata and the notion of “permissionless access”. Session just announced support for key features in the upcoming version 2 of their protocol, including Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) and post-quantum encryption. Interview Notes Get the Session app: https://getsession.org/  Session adds PFS, post-quantum crypto: https://getsession.org/blog/session-protocol-v2  xkcd $5 wrench (“Security”): https://xkcd.com/538/  Further Info Annual Listener Survey!!! https://fdsd.me/survey2026  New Patron Promotion!! https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/new-patron-promotion/ Generate passphrases using d02’s: https://d20key.com/#/  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 0:01:12: Promotion teasers 0:01:54: Interview setup 0:03:33: Lingo 0:05:07: Why did you create Session? 0:11:01: How does the location of a company’s HQ matter? 0:18:58: Why do regular people need this level of security? 0:22:01: How does Session work? 0:29:59: Why does permissional account creation matter? 0:35:55: How does Session compare to other apps? 0:45:27: Why didn’t Session have Perfect Forward Secrecy originally? 0:53:50: When will PFS roll out? 0:58:37: How does cryptocurrency factor into Session’s network? 1:03:32: What happens if $SESH price goes way up or way down? 1:07:19: How does Session sustain itself? 1:13:34: Why is private messaging so important? 1:19:49: Wrap-up 1:22:34: Patron podcast preview 1:23:44: New patron promotion 1:27:14: Annual listener survey
Transcribe →Best of 2025 Bonus Content
Dec 2900:58:58Tap to summarizeEvery week, I record a special, private bonus podcast for my patrons. Normally all of that content is restricted to my supporters. But today I’ve got a sampler platter of some of the best snippets from my bonus Q&A with my interview guests. You’ll hear from Yael Grauer (Consumer Reports), Josh Summers (All Things Secured), Lisa LeVasseur (Internet Safety Labs), Josh Corman (UnDisruptable27), Andy Liddell (EdTech Law Center), Carissa Véliz (author, professor), Eamonn Maguire (Proton), Grace Menna & Adrien Ogee (Cyber Resilience Corps). Enjoy! Original Interview Links Ep416: Yael Grauer: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/02/17/security-planner/  Ep420: Josh Summers: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/03/17/all-things-secured/  Ep422: Lisa LeVasseur: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/03/31/microscoping-our-apps/  Ep428: Josh Corman: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/05/12/shelter-from-the-storm/  Ep426: Andy Liddell: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/07/07/defending-student-privacy/  Ep438: Deviant Ollaf: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/07/21/passport-lawyer-locksmith/  Ep446: Carissa Véliz: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/09/15/on-the-ethics-of-ai/ Ep453: Eamonn Maguire: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/10/27/privacy-focused-ai/  Ep454: Grace Menna & Adrien Ogee: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/11/10/becoming-cyber-resilient/  Security Planner: https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/  App Microscope: https://appmicroscope.org/  Take 9: https://pausetake9.org/  Meshtastic: https://meshtastic.org/  Previous dragon coin promo: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/dragon-coin-promo/  CISA Bad Practices: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/bad-practices-0 Further Info 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 0:03:55: Ep416: Yael Grauer 0:10:51: Ep420: Josh Summers 0:16:36: Ep422: Lisa LaVasseur 0:22:21: Ep428: Josh Corman 0:30:03: Ep426: Andy Liddell 0:35:49: Ep438: Deviant 0:41:55: Ep446: Carissa Veliz 0:47:12: Ep450: Jake Braun 0:52:55: Ep454: Grace Menna & Adrien Ogee 0:55:44: Wrap-up
Transcribe →How Our Data is Abused
Mar 4, 2024Tap to summarizeWith the rise of IoT and tracking technologies (both online and in the real word), we are generating staggering amounts of highly personal information. This massive trove of juicy data has drawn the attention of several interested parties outside the realm of consumer marketing. Like chum in the water, it’s created a feeding frenzy from data aggregators as well as from law enforcement and intelligence agencies, both foreign and domestic. The journalists at 404 Media have published several blockbuster articles on this data ecosystem which have triggered backlashes from lawmakers and consumers alike. Today I’ll speak with two of the founders: Joseph Cox and Jason Koebler. Interview Notes 404 Media: https://www.404media.co/  404 Media podcast: https://www.404media.co/the-404-media-podcast/ 404 Media support: https://www.404media.co/faq/  Formation of 404 Media: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/22/business/media/404-media-vice-motherboard.html  Further Info Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna  Check out my book, Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons: https://fdsd.me/book  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter  Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch  Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons  Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support  Table of Contents Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show. 0:01:03: Interview setup 0:02:45: How did 404 Media come to be? 0:12:00: When do we think law enforcement started buying our data? 0:15:39: What’s up with companies listening to our conversations? 0:23:01: Where does law enforcement go to get our data? 0:27:46: How are video feeds being gathered and sold? 0:34:23: Can’t all this data also be used by “bad guys”? 0:39:13: Is it legal for law enforcement to buy data from foreign sources? 0:44:28: Have your stories triggered responses from the US government? 0:50:01: Trust in media is low these days – how can we fix that? 0:59:37: How can we support good work like yours? 1:03:22: Wrap-up
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