Privacy Episodes

News about where technology and privacy meet, daily.
Feb. 16, 2022

Wed. 02/16 – Uber Pulls Back The Curtain On YOUR Ratings

Forget how’s my driving, Uber lets you know how you’re riding. Meta workers are now formally known as Metamates. Is Paramount quietly doing better in the streaming wars than we thought? So much so, as to warrant a name change too? And what happens when your bionic eye implants are no longer support…
Feb. 11, 2022

Fri. 02/11 – A New CIA Bulk Surveillance Program?

Allegations of a new, widespread bulk surveillance program being run on American citizens by the CIA. Apple is planning AirTag updates to curb their use for stalking people. The first Android 13 developer preview is out. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.
Nov. 1, 2021

Mon. 11/01 – How Much Money Is Apple’s ATT Costing Snap, Facebook, Et Al?

How Much Money Is Apple’s ATT Costing Snap, Facebook, Twitter and the like? $10B or more? The chip shortage is hitting Apple at the Worst Time. But new iOS devices might have crash detection built in. Why was Roblox down for so long? And why Hollywood thinks there’s money in their old banana stands…
Oct. 22, 2021

Fri. 10/22 – Is Apple’s ATT Bite As Bad As People Feared After All?

Snap’s earnings suggest Apple’s ATT bite is having an impact, and what might that mean for others like Facebook? Google lowers Play Store fees and piles pressure on Apple. Did law enforcement give REvil a taste of its own medicine? What the heck is Worldcoin, I still can’t figure it out. And, of co…
Oct. 4, 2021

Mon. 10/04 – Facebook Whistleblower On 60 Minutes

The Facebook whistleblower reveals her identity on 60 Minutes. You can preorder the Apple Watch Series 7 this week. New MacBook Pros could still be coming “this month.” Apple is actually the biggest force in the gaming industry, by far. And signs of a product shipping renaissance at YouTube.
Sept. 7, 2021

Tue. 09/07 – How Private IS ProtonMail?

What does it mean if ProtonMail regularly discloses user data to certain authorities? How private is WhatsApp if Facebook has more than 1,000 contractors moderating your messages? Heck, how secure is Bluetooth? There’s a new vulnerability. Would you want the authorities monitoring your poop thanks …
Aug. 6, 2021

Fri. 08/06 – The Apple Photo Scanning Controversy

I try to explain this whole controversy about Apple scanning your photos. Yelp will list business’ vaccination policies. I guess I’m bullish on autonomous tractors. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.
July 19, 2021

Mon. 07/19 – NSO Group (Allegedly) Pwning Everyone

The NSO Group is back in the headlines, and it’s maybe, the worst allegations of hacking for hire yet. The US and NATO blame China for the Exchange Server hacks. Does iOS now split the market with Android, at least in the US? And is Tesla charging customers for hardware they already paid for? Spon…
July 7, 2021

Wed. 07/07 – Pentagon, RE: The JEDI Contract: Jkjkjkjkjk

The Pentagon wants a do-over for that JEDI contract. YC wants to do Tinder but for founder matchmaking. Amazon open sources its gaming engine. How about NFT’s but for the stock market? And if you think China is cracking down on tech companies, wait till you hear how they want to regulate when and h…
April 21, 2021

Wed. 04/21 – GDPR But For AI?

The EU proposes a big new regulatory framework for AI. A ransomware gang threatens to release Apple product schematics unless they get paid off. Fallout from yesterday’s Apple event including what you can and cannot put on your AirTags. Netflix has disappointed Wall Street, and Amazon is expanding …
April 14, 2021

Wed. 04/14 – Now It’s the FBI Doing The (Legal?) Hacking

Wed. 04/14 – Now It’s the FBI Doing The (Legal?) Hacking The FBI hacked into some Exchange servers to prevent further hacking of Exchange servers. Ming-Chi Kuo thinks the iPhone mini and the notch are both going away after this year. Sony wants you to think of their phones as cameras first. Oculus…
March 3, 2021

Wed. 03/03 – Google (Sorta) Pivots To Privacy

Google says it’s getting out of the ad tracking game. Kinda. I’ll explain what’s really going on here. Headline wrapup from Microsoft’s Ignite conference includes AR excitement. Brave is launching a privacy search engine. And why Amazon’s app icon redesign reminded people of Hitler’s mustache. Spo…
June 10, 2020

Wed. 06/10 – Robocallers Face The Music

Another day, another flaw in Intel chips discovered. More analysis of Apple’s presumed move away from Intel chips for Macs. Is Just Eat Takeaway about to swallow up Grubhub? What happened to Zynn on the Play Store? And an int...
June 4, 2020

Thu. 06/04 – A Class-Action Lawsuit Around Incognito Mode

The whole land-grab in the Indian telecom market continues to blow my hair back. A class-action lawsuit around Incognito Mode. More hints at an Apple Prime subscription. CES refuses to give up the ghost, while Kitty Hawk seem...
April 23, 2020

Thu. 04/23 – Privacy Hypocrisy From France?

Custom Mac chips by 2021? Robot nurses already in hospitals? Bill Gurley into the sunset? Why some people are accusing France of digital privacy hypocrisy, and an interesting raise in the remote work space. Specifically: remo...
April 1, 2020

Wed. 04/01 - The Zoom Privacy Storm

We’ve reached the end of the John Legere era. Samsung thinks we’ve reached the end of the LCD era. Comcast is inadvertently proving ISP datacaps are BS. Is Zoom a victim of its own success? And it’s maybe not overstating thin...
March 23, 2020

Mon. 03/23 - The Pros And Cons Of Surveilling Against Covid19

The pros and cons of using big data, cellphones and the surveillance economy to combat the coronavirus. More iPhone rumors from Ming-Chi Kuo. Is the Oculus Quest bringing VR into the mainstream? And how to block your messy ba...
Jan. 21, 2020

Tue. 01/21 - Why Didn't Apple Encrypt iCloud Backups?

Apple could have encrypted iCloud backups… but didn’t… ostensibly to play nice with the government? Getting an Uber from the airport is about to get more expensive. Digital media is actually making money??!! Is IGTV on the wa...
Aug. 2, 2019

Fri. 08/02 - Stop Listening To Me, Siri!

Google and Apple suspend their programs where humans listen in on what you say to your voice assistant, Google will let Android users in Europe pick a search engine, Verizon tortures the very definition of words, Amazon dash ...
July 13, 2019

(Bonus) The Superhuman Brouhaha With Mike Davidson

Remember the whole Superhuman kerfuffle of the last week or so? Mike Davidson wrote a blog post calling out some shady stuff in the Superhuman email product, all of silicon valley debated it, Superhuman walked things back a b...
Guest: Mike Davidson
July 3, 2019

Wed. 07/03 - Why Is Everyone Arguing Over Superhuman?

Telsa sold a lot more Model 3’s than anyone expected, more signs of tech manufacturing fleeing China, Uber’s new Dine-In service is kinda brilliant, and have you seen the whole tech world arguing over Superhuman? Sponsors: Ti...
April 11, 2019

Thu. 04/11 - Alexa Snags Its Own "Scandal"

Yes, there are people listening in on your Alexa recordings, but it’s complicated; Jeff Bezos challenges competitors to pay their workers more, the third big unicorn IPO of the year happened today, and a rundown of noteworthy...
March 16, 2019

The State of Consumer Data and Privacy With Consumer Reports' Justin Brookman

When issues of consumer data, and consumer privacy come up on the show, I think I've asked a couple of times before, what are the laws here? In the United States. Who owns my data? What are the rules? What mechanisms are in p...
March 7, 2019

Thu. 03/07 - Facebook Pivots To Privacy

Facebook pivots to privacy, Huawei follows through on suing the US government, Duplex rolls out wide, and Bird’s white label scooter scheme. Sponsors: Lightstream.com/ride Metalab.co Links: A Privacy-Focused Vision for Soc...