Privacy Files

The internet is a lot of things. It is informative...sometimes deceptive. It brings people together who are separated by great physical distances. It makes shopping easier than at any other time in human history. But there is also a dark side. But is it as sinister as the media makes it out to be?

The dark web conjures up images of a deep recess within the web where anything goes. A place where so-called "red rooms" live stream the torture and murdering of innocent people. A shadowy digital world where hitmen sell their services for as little as $5,000.

But is the dark web really this evil?

In this episode of Privacy Files, we kick of a multi-part series on the dark web by laying the foundation for what the dark web really is and how it came about.

We start by explaining the differences between the surface web, the deep web and the dark web. The surface web, the indexed part of the web most of us are familiar with, is less than 10% of the entire web. Considering that in April 2023 there were more than 30 billion webpages indexed on the surface web alone, the entirety of the web is mind-blowing.

Then we dive into the origins of the dark web by looking at its history and evolution.

The dark web as we know it today traces its roots back to the 1990s when researchers at the Naval Research Lab (NRL) created the first designs and prototypes for onion routing, which relies on a decentralized network.

In the mid-2000s the Tor Project launched and the Tor browser soon followed.

Today, the Tor browser is how most people access the dark web, with one study placing the number of daily Tor users at 2.6 million. While Tor and the dark web are used by criminals, they are also championed by privacy advocates around the world. These privacy patriots include whistleblowers, political dissidents, independent journalists and those fighting government censorship.

In all, we give you an objective look at the good and the bad of the dark web. Our conclusions might surprise you. They surprised us.

To wrap up the episode, we provide you with some helpful tips for navigating the dark web and leave you with a few clear words of caution.

If you don't have a good reason for navigating the dark web, it's probably best to stay away.

Links Referenced:

https://www.techspot.com/article/2660-the-dark-web/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12119027/Im-tech-correspondent-used-dark-web-day-heres-saw.html

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/dark-web-chatgpt-unleashed-meet-darkbert

https://kratikal.com/blog/surface-web-and-dark-web-exploring-layers-of-web/

https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/deep-web

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UuHn27dFpE

https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2019/09/the-truth-about-the-dark-web-kumar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luvthTjC0OI

https://www.makeuseof.com/dark-web-legitimate-uses/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgXeXmNecto

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12042561/I-bought-5-items-Dark-Web-wont-believe-sent.html

https://www.torproject.org/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

There are approximately 18 million students enrolled in degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. Globally, that number balloons to 235 million students.

And as technology evolves, it finds its way into today's college campus life one way or another. But is it always for the betterment of students? Can college students maintain their privacy during a period in their life that seems so exposed?

In this episode of Privacy Files we take a look at some of the common risk exposures college students face when it comes to protecting their personal data.

To facilitate our discussion, Connor joined us in-studio to provide his unique perspective as a senior at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

We begin the episode by examining the controversial practice of remote proctoring. Exploding during the pandemic, remote proctoring became commonplace for college students taking exams. But what has alarmed privacy advocates is the practice of requiring students to use their webcam to remotely scan their room prior to the start of testing.

In 2022, after a Cleveland State University student filed a lawsuit against the school, U.S. District Court Judge J. Philip Calabrese agreed that room scanning was unconstitutional, stating that the student's "privacy interest in his home outweighs Cleveland State’s interests in scanning his room.”

Connor then shares his experiences with remote proctoring and webcam room scanning while attending the University of Utah during the pandemic.

Sarah then talks about how the remote proctoring industry is growing. She cites a research study forecasting that the online exam proctoring market will reach nearly $4 billion by 2032, up from $742 million in 2022.

Rich addresses the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and how this federal law protects the privacy of student education records.

From group projects and communications apps to submitting schoolwork and Greek life, we give you a sense of the privacy risks today's college students face while pursuing their education.

Links Referenced:

https://twitter.com/mysudoapp/status/1554894893125980161?s=46&t=mZ7hpkIc8fcEa7z7a9HKIQ

https://mysudo.com/2021/08/college-students-top-10-reasons-to-use-mysudo-this-year/

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/2/data-privacy-in-higher-education-yes-students-care

https://studentprivacycompass.org/resource/higheredvoices2021/

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/protecting-college-student-data/

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2021/09/20/should-college-students-be-able-opt-out-data-sharing

https://blogs.blackberry.com/en/2023/04/cybersecurity-and-the-future-workforce

https://www.unco.edu/college-bound-colorado/digital-privacy-as-a-college-student.aspx

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-08-25-college-s-use-of-exam-proctoring-software-to-scan-rooms-violated-privacy-rights-judge-finds

https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat-higher-education/2023/02/remote-proctoring-california-colleges/

https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/05/22/2673436/0/en/18-5-CAGR-of-Online-Exam-Proctoring-Market-to-Gain-USD-3-881-0-Million-by-2032-Market-us.html

https://mycampusdirector2.com/assets/pdf/privacy.pdf

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

***NOTE: The audio in the first eleven minutes might be a little challenging to listen to, but after that it improves. This was our first episode recorded outside of our Privacy Files studio. Recording remotely does introduce some additional recording challenges. In this episode, we were recording inside a convention center expo hall where we had to contend with a considerable amount of ambient noise from attendees walking the floor. We hope you understand. All in all, in this episode you will hear some insightful feedback from people about their views on privacy, safety and security. Thank you for your support.

In this special episode of Privacy Files, we took the podcast on the road to the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah to talk to attendees at the 2023 Utah Bridal & Wedding Expo.

The MySudo team took over a booth space for four hours on Saturday, May 20th and helped hundreds of people download the world's only all-in-one privacy app. We handed out lots of gourmet Crumbl cookies to booth visitors and sent them on their way with big smiles.

The goal of this podcast episode was to capture the raw feedback of a few expo attendees. What does privacy mean to them? How important is privacy to them? Does "personal privacy" or "personal safety" elicit a stronger response? Do attendees use other privacy tools like a VPN, password manager or private browser? What about the timeless battle between aesthetics and functionality?

When it was all said and done, we met some amazing people. Each had a unique story to tell. There were a few surprises along the way as well.

Most importantly, we spread the word about data privacy and did our little part to help close the privacy knowledge gap.

We hope you get something valuable out of this episode.

Please help us in this mission to give people back control over their personal data by telling your friends and family about the Privacy Files podcast. Together we can win this fight.

Links Referenced:

https://www.bridalshowsut.com/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Globally, there are more than 50 million people creating original content for social media. Make no mistake about it. The influencer industry is huge. In many cases, being an influencer is like being a Hollywood celebrity. Strangers will often recognize influencers in public.

But life as a content creator is not all about money and fame. Living life in the public eye comes at the expense of personal privacy.

Over the last several years there have been many well-documented incidents of stalkers tracking down content creators, including Kim Kardashian being robbed at gunpoint inside her Paris hotel room back in 2016.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we dive into the world of content creators and the risks they face as it relates to their personal privacy.

To aid in the conversation, an influencer joins us in-studio to discuss her experiences creating content for platforms like TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram.

We kick off the episode by covering some news about the concept of "sharenting", the act of parents oversharing pictures, videos and other intimate details of their kids' lives online.

Michelle then talks about her efforts to grow as a content creator and the precautions she takes to protect her privacy while still maintaining a public presence.

We look at the differences between how Millennials and Gen Z view social media.

Then we transition into the topic of performative vulnerability and how content creators feel pressure to open up more and more of their lives to strangers to keep the likes and engagement rolling.

Michelle gives us insight into what privacy means to her as a female and how privacy and safety intersect in her world.

To close out the episode, Rich and Michelle discuss key tips for influencers to follow to minimize digital exhaust and thus stay private and safe.

Links Referenced:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/sharenting-privacy-concerns-1.6779790

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joca.12462

https://www.cnet.com/news/politics/the-us-is-finally-dealing-with-the-exploitation-of-child-influencers/

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1627&Year=2023&Initiative=false.

https://www.collegeofinfluence.com/blog/is-privacy-a-luxury-for-influencers

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a41946590/influencer-content-creation-hurting-mental-health/

https://www.incfile.com/blog/data-privacy-digital-security-for-influencers

https://www.incfile.com/blog/data-privacy-digital-security-for-influencers

https://security.googleblog.com/2017/11/new-research-understanding-root-cause.html

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Since 2000, there have been more than two million marriages every year in the United States. In fact, the average cost of a wedding in America is approximately $25,000.

But what about the privacy cost? Planning a wedding often involves communicating with ten or more vendors. From photographers and caterers to musicians and cake bakeries, wedding planning requires providing your personal contact information to total strangers. On top of this, attending bridal expos can result in sharing your personal phone number and email address with dozens of vendors as part of the selection process for each facet of your wedding.

All of this can expose you to high volumes of spam that could take months, if not years, to fully eliminate. Then there's the risk of your personal data falling into the hands of scammers. Do you really want the entire world knowing every minute detail about your big day?

In this special "MySudo Monday" episode of Privacy Files, we examine the wedding planning process and how you can use a privacy app like MySudo to limit your digital exhaust, thus reducing your exposure to spammers and scammers.

We kick off the episode by welcoming Nina to the show to discuss her recent wedding and some of the challenges she faced, and still faces to this day, as the result of using her primary email address over the course of an entire year while planning her special day.

Sarah then jumps into some fascinating wedding statistics, from the average cost per guest to the states where weddings cost the most. Did you know the average wedding cake costs just under $500?

After Rich briefly touches on the not-so-well-known subject of wedding insurance, Sarah dives into the do's and don'ts of wedding websites for ensuring you maintain control over your privacy. From creating a secure wedding website and streaming safely to asking permission before publishing guest photos and deactivating your wedding website when the event is over, there are some simple things you can do to protect yours and others' personal information.

We close out the episode by outlining a few examples where MySudo can be used to protect personal data during the wedding planning process. And beyond the privacy angle, MySudo also can be used to conveniently manage key vendors. For instance, you can create separate Sudos, or digital identities, for things like catering, floral arrangements and the wedding reception venue.

Rich also plugs MySudo's upcoming appearance at the Bridal Expo in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah on May 20, 2023.

Links Referenced:

https://www.valuepenguin.com/average-cost-of-wedding

https://lovelyweddingskc.com/2021/08/03/cyber-safe-wedding-websites/

https://staysafeonline.org/online-safety-privacy-basics/wedding-planning/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

To learn more about our guest Robert Kerbeck and to buy the book RUSE:

https://www.robertkerbeck.com/

To those in the world of corporate espionage, Robert Kerbeck is known as the best corporate spy there ever was. He perfected the art of social engineering, or "rusing" as Robert likes to call it, to gain access to sensitive internal information from some of the largest companies in the world.

Robert took "live an interesting life" to the next level. For most, making millions of dollars as a corporate spy would probably be more than enough adventure for a lifetime. But for Robert, that was just one life chapter. As an actor, Robert appeared in well-known 1990s television shows like Melrose Place, ER, Sisters, Star Trek, NYPD Blue and Chicago Hope. He interacted with several celebrities including George Clooney, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Yoko Ono, Kevin Spacey and even O.J. Simpson. Today, Robert is an accomplished author having published two award-winning books, RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street and Malibu Burning.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we talk to Robert about his journey from actor, to corporate spy, to published author. His journey is a wild one. It's not just a lesson in how to prevent social engineering attacks. It's also a lesson that it's never too late to pivot in one's career.

Whether you are in corporate security or are simply someone interested in understanding how sophisticated scams work, this episode will not disappoint.

From techniques such as "sense of urgency" to "quid pro quo" to "authority figure," Robert explains the strategies he used to employ to quickly build trust with total strangers--and ultimately acquire what he wanted: valuable corporate intelligence.

Today, Robert helps the "other side" as he shares his vast knowledge from his many years spent spying on corporations to educate security teams on what to look for.

While his corporate spying days are well in the past, Robert asserts that "rusing" is alive and well. In fact, he believes it might be as strong as ever.

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

The Virtual Private Network (VPN) business is hot. What was once the domain of the corporate world is now a ubiquitous phenomenon. Today there are 1.5 billion VPN users worldwide--making this a nearly $50 billion global market.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we take a hard look at the world of VPNs. What's driving the growth in VPN adoption? Who's using VPNs, for what and why? Are all VPNs the same? What about free VPN services? Are all VPNs truly private?

93% of organizations employ a VPN but still less than 40% of Americans say they use one.

Of all global internet users, 31% report using a VPN.

While significant VPN growth is still expected in the United States, other high-growth markets include China, Canada, Germany and Japan.

Most concerning is that 47% of personal VPN users use a free VPN service. This is problematic for a variety of reasons:

60% of free VPN users encounter problems with their connections including slow internet speed, numerous or buggy ads, and streaming issues. 86% of free iOS and Android VPN apps have unacceptable privacy policies, ranging from a simple lack of transparency to explicitly sharing user data with Chinese authorities. 64% of free VPN app offerings had no web presence outside of their app store pages, and only 17% responded to customer support emails. 38% of free Android VPNs contain malware. In a November 2021 study, just 15% of free VPN apps respected iOS users' choices when they declined voluntary ad tracking. Some free VPNs have been known to sell your bandwidth, potentially putting you on the legal hook for whatever they do with it.

Overall, the takeaway is that not all VPNs are the same. Features vary widely. It is highly recommended that you stay far away from free VPN services. Paying for a quality VPN service will give you peace of mind and help you avoid potential headaches later that could cost you many times more than the service itself.

To close out the episode we talk about Anonyome Labs' launch of its own VPN service, MySudo VPN. It's one of only two VPN services that doesn't require personally identifiable information (PII) to sign up. No email address. No phone number. No passwords. Another benefit is that MySudo VPN is compatible with MySudo, the world's only all-in-one privacy app.

The VPN space is a fascinating one and this episode is a great overview of where VPN technology is today.

Links Referenced:

https://explodingtopics.com/blog/vpn-stats

https://nordvpn.com/blog/vpn-for-china/

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-free-vpn/

https://www.top10vpn.com/research/free-vpn-investigations/ownership/

https://cdn-resprivacy.pressidium.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/paper-1.pdf

https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FTC-CDT-VPN-complaint-8-7-17.pdf

https://www.top10vpn.com/research/free-vpn-investigations/ios-request-to-track/

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/not-all-vpns-care-about-your-privacy/

https://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/its-not-that-hard-to-unmask-real-people-in-anonymous-data-researchers-warn/

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/3-companies-control-many-big-name-vpns-what-you-need-to-know/

https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/companies-secretly-own-dozens-vpns/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

World Password Day is May 4, 2023. And with 80% of hacking-related breaches being linked to passwords, this Intel-conceived annual event, is an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of strong passwords and fight back against bad actors. It's a great reminder to take inventory of your accounts and reassess all login credentials--especially financial accounts. Take an extra hard look at account passwords for checking, savings, credit cards, peer-to-peer payment apps and investments.

If there are accounts you haven't used in a while, consider whether it's worth keeping them open. The more password-protected accounts you hold, the greater your exposure is to a data breach.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we examine the topic of password security. From longer and more complex passwords, to multifactor authentication and password managers, there are many tools available for upping your password game.

Every study of a topic typically begins with the statistics. And it's no different here as we highlighted the most interesting facts about passwords.

For instance, 59% of people use their name or birth date in their password. Definitely not a good idea!

Even more fascinating--only 45% of people said they would change a password after a breach.

42% of organizations rely on sticky notes for password management. Again...not a good idea!

One of the more concerning stats is about the reuse of passwords. Almost two-thirds of people use the same password across multiple accounts.

While traditional advice typically includes resetting passwords every so often, more experts are now recommending the use of a password manager to store long and complex passwords that never need to be reset. Combine this approach with multifactor authentication and the security of your accounts should be at their maximum.

In fact, research indicates that multifactor authentication blocks 99.9% of all attacks. Those are pretty convincing results.

We also briefly touch on other secure access methods such as biometrics, passkeys, security keys and decentralized identity.

Links Referenced:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/netflix-password-crackdown-timeline-sharing-paid-earnings-q1-2023/

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/ai-tech-can-crack-common-passwords-stunning-speed-researchers-find

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/thermal-cameras-and-machine-learning-combine-to-snoop-out-passwords

https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/password-statistics/

https://www.wired.com/story/best-password-managers/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) has been receiving a lot of press lately. There is so much data freely accessible online today that many experts say spy agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) should focus their research efforts on OSINT sources first, long before employing covert techniques like wiretapping or reading an adversary's mail.

In other words, OSINT isn't just about stalkers and other bad actors using publicly-available information on you to do you harm. Today, OSINT is used by corporations and governments to track people and even predict the future.

In this episode of Privacy Files, Brian Tillman (aka Mr. Metaverse) fills in for Sarah as co-host to help Rich make sense of the rapid rise of OSINT. Given the voluminous amounts of information the public is routinely sharing, how can corporations and governments leverage that data to make critical decisions?

Rich kicks off the episode by briefly defining what OSINT really means and how your day-to-day online activities are leaving a data trail that feeds the OSINT machine.

From predicting crime in America's largest cities to analyzing consumer app data to locate secret American military bases around the world, the power that OSINT harbors for society's future is just now being discovered.

While OSINT has been around for decades, it really took off with the advent of the internet. And now with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) making giant leaps in recent years, the ability to make sense of unimaginable amounts of data in minutes instead of days, weeks or months is altering the way militaries, governments and corporations solve problems.

Just some examples of vectors where your personal data may be acquired include: facial recognition cameras, license plate readers, social media usage, cell phone location data sharing, and anytime you provide someone your email or phone number.

Links Referenced:

https://hai.stanford.edu/news/re-imagining-espionage-era-artificial-intelligence

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/industries/information-technology/grocery-chains-surveillance-tech-auror/

https://scitechdaily.com/ai-algorithm-predicts-future-crimes-one-week-in-advance-with-90-accuracy/

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3445357/what-is-osint-top-open-source-intelligence-tools.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/25/technology/china-surveillance-police.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-uses-ai-software-improve-its-surveillance-capabilities-2022-04-08/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Imagine a future where YOU own your data and not Big Tech. Imagine a future where you control what personal information you share, with whom and for how long.

Decentralized identity offers this future and the technology and standards are being developed today.

When available, decentralized identity will put an end to the practice of giant corporations storing your sensitive personal data--only for a hacker to come along and breach that database, exposing you to identity theft and financial fraud.

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah welcome Dr. Paul Ashley to the studio to break down the topic of decentralized identity--how it works, the technology underpinning it and the virtually infinite number of applications waiting to put this technology into practice.

Dr. Ashley is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Anonyome Labs and one of the key industry players on the global stage who is developing the standards for decentralized identity.

The global decentralized identity market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 90.3% from 2023 to 2030. Most experts attribute the predicted rise in decentralized identity to the explosion in identity fraud cases.

In February 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a report revealing that identity fraud incidents increased by about 45% globally in 2020.

Sarah kicks off the episode by defining decentralized identity and explaining how this approach to managing personal data is part of the larger discipline of Identity and Access Management (IAM).

Dr. Ashley provides a history lesson on the evolution of IAM and the path that led us to decentralized identity today. He explains how data was first managed via a centralized approach. Then federated systems began to materialize. One common example of a federated approach to data management is Facebook. Facebook often asks users of the platform if they want to use their existing login credentials to access other platforms in order to collect that rich behavioral data. While convenient, the federate approach is a privacy nightmare.

Sarah and Dr. Ashley then look at the anatomy of the decentralized identity process. From digital wallets and verifiable credentials to issuers and verifiers, it's a highly secure approach to giving the individual back control of their data--all based on blockchain technology.

Rich and Dr. Ashley follow with a discussion on potential use cases and detailed examples of how the process actually works.

Dr. Ashley closes out the episode by addressing some concerns about who controls decentralized identity and how the overall ecosystem should be structured to maximize privacy and security for digital wallet holders.

Links Referenced:

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/decentralized-identity-market-report

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Identity theft is big business for bad actors. In 2021, there were nearly 1.7 million reports of identity theft in the United States, translating into $56 billion in losses.

Credit card fraud is the second leading form of identity theft with nearly 400,000 cases being reported in the United States in 2021.

In 2023, worldwide payment card fraud losses are expected to exceed $35 billion.

In fact, global payment card losses from fraud are expected to total nearly $400 billion over the next ten years, with almost half of that amount occurring in the United States.

With 65% (approximately 151 Americans) of credit and debit card holders in the United States having been a victim of fraud at some point in their lives, it's important to take extra precautions to protect your sensitive financial data.

In this special "MySudo Monday" episode of Privacy Files, we look at virtual cards and how they can be used to better protect you against bad actors and financial institutions that want to sell your transactional data. We welcomed Dave Glass to the studio to lean on his expertise in the payment card industry. David is the Fintech Operations Manager at Anonyome Labs.

We start with Sarah covering the eight most common forms of credit card fraud.

Then Rich revisits a monumental hacking story from 2021 where hackers published a million stolen credit cards on the dark web.

Sarah follows up by taking a hard look at MySudo virtual cards, explaining how they work and what the key benefits are.

Rich and Dave then talk about the differences between a MySudo virtual card and a standard virtual card offered by a bank.

Sarah takes it up a notch by discussing how to leverage MySudo's digital identity concept to compartmentalize different virtual cards, thus further limiting digital exhaust.

The episode wraps up with Dave and Sarah talking about when ACH funding is launching for MySudo virtual cards. Then Rich provides a few tips for preventing credit card for those who choose not to use virtual cards.

Links Referenced:

https://www.disneydining.com/disney-guests-beware-of-credit-card-fraud-bwb1/

https://www.reddit.com/r/DisneyWorld/comments/12hsbja/credit_card_fraud_warning_4647/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

https://www.disneydining.com/guest-loses-apple-watch-on-ride-at-epcot-costing-her-more-than-40000-bb1/

https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/research/identity-theft-credit-card-fraud-statistics/

https://www.security.org/digital-safety/credit-card-fraud-report/

https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/hackers-published-one-million-stolen-credit-cards-on-the-dark-web-to-attract-cybercriminals-to-their-carding-site/

https://mysudo.com/2020/07/the-rise-of-surveillance-capitalism-or-whatever-happened-to-my-internet-free-will/

https://www.webfx.com/blog/internet/what-are-data-brokers-and-what-is-your-data-worth-infographic/

https://anonyome.com/2020/05/fight-the-fatigue-data-privacy-really-does-matter/

https://mysudo.com/2020/07/why-your-mysudo-virtual-card-is-more-private-than-a-banks-virtual-card/

https://mysudo.com/2020/08/the-most-private-way-to-use-mysudo-virtual-cards/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Each year in the United States, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) processes approximately 160 million individual tax returns. Personal income taxes in America is anything but a simple process. In fact, there are literally more than 800 forms and schedules available to accommodate a wide variety of income reporting scenarios.

But with approximately 92% of all tax returns in the United States being filed electronically, just how safe is your personal data?

To kick off the episode, we cover a little news, looking at how one Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Secretary proposed mandating a GPS tracking device in all electric vehicles. The reason? He doesn't just want to tax you per mile driven, but he also wants to adjust your taxes based on where, when and why you're driving.

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah take a hard look at some of the problems with electronic filing and what you should be on the watch for.

Sarah begins by introducing the Internal Revenue Code called Tax Information Privacy. It prohibits the IRS, your tax professional and any other tax prep company from disclosing your tax information without your written consent.

Rich then dives into last year's bombshell story by The Markup about the Meta Pixel tracking code being used to collect sensitive financial information via some of the largest online tax-filing services. These services include H&R Block and TurboTax.

In general, data being shared with Facebook included users' income, filing status, refund amounts and dependents' college scholarship amounts.

The tax services involved in this investigation have since claimed they have either wholly removed or changed the settings of their tracking pixels to stop gathering financial information.

But data sharing is just one vulnerability. According to Accounting Today, there has been a 300% increase in cyberattacks on accounting firms since the major rise in working from home started back in 2020.

Keeping in mind that in 2022, there were nearly eight million reports of suspicious activity related to income tax filing and identity theft, Sarah closes out the episode by offering ten helpful tips for protecting your privacy when filing your taxes.

Links Referenced:

https://taxfoundation.org/publications/latest-federal-income-tax-data/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/how-to-navigate-an-unusually-complicated-tax-year-according-to-experts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_tax_forms

https://themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2022/12/02/meta-sued-for-collecting-financial-information-through-tax-filing-websites

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23326894-322-cv-07557-si

https://www.taxslayer.com/media-room/prdetails?articleID=122509

https://themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2022/10/20/senator-questions-zuckerberg-about-facebooks-collection-of-sensitive-health-information

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/05/20/americans-attitudes-about-privacy-security-and-surveillance/

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/wsdot-secretary-wants-mandated-gps-tracking-for-a-road-usage-charge

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/03/15/how-improved-data-privacy-can-impact-the-future-of-the-gas-tax/?sh=56974e6b15ea

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In the United States, there are nearly 40,000 private detectives and investigators. Jobs for private detectives and investigators are expected to grow 13% through 2030.

Globally, the private investigation services market stands at $18.2 billion USD in 2022. In fact, private investigation services account for 20% of the entire global security services market.

So what's responsible for the growing demand for private detectives and investigators? One word: Fraud.

A rapid explosion in fraud across industry verticals, from data theft to financial fraud, is keeping private detectives and investigators very busy.

But why is fraudulent activity rising so rapidly? The digitalization of businesses means that today, virtually any type of fraudulent activity can be carried out from the comfort of home, sitting in front of a laptop computer.

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah welcome Tom Chavez to the show to hear firsthand the challenges facing today's private investigator.

Tom is the Co-Founder of Dark Horse Intelligence (https://darkhorseintel.com), a global intelligence company that handles a wide variety of services including fraud investigations, security audits and vulnerability assessments. He is also the Founder of Recover My Crytpo (https://recovermycrypto.com), a company that assists in solving cryptocurrency fraud, from stolen cryptocurrency and Ponzi schemes, to ransomware and sim swap attacks. Tom is a licensed private investigator at Gaslamp Quarter Investigations who also handles, when time permits, a broad cross section of cases involving the general public.

From online research and security audits to stakeouts and disguises, Tom goes to great lengths to find the truth.

With more than 25 years in investigations, hacking and social engineering, Tom understands the challenges in truly remaining private. He covers some of the main concerns people have with respect to privacy and then highlights ways you can better protect your personal data.

Tom understands all the tricks of the digital world and as a privacy advocate, he will give you the knowledge necessary to limit your exposure to bad actors.

Links Referenced:

https://darkhorseintel.com/

https://recovermycrypto.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-chavez-dark-horse-intelligence/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this episode of Privacy Files, we wrap up our two-part series on Smart Devices and Privacy.

We highlight another handful of popular smart devices and discuss the privacy and security implications of employing them in your home. From baby monitors and security systems (including Ring doorbell cameras) to smart cars and digital assistants, we give you the pros and cons and how to better protect yourself.

Then we step back a bit to look at the smart home as a whole. What's the common theme? If a device is connected to the internet, your privacy is at risk. At a minimum, make sure you research the privacy policy of any smart device you buy as well as the track record of the company who makes it.

In the last half of the episode, we dive into smart cities and entertain some of the possible objectives driving their adoption. Organizations such as the World Economic Form (WEF), the United Nations (UN) and the G20 all have discussed plans to push for cities that incorporate more Internet of Things (IoT) technology into urban planning.

We close out the episode by looking at smart meters. What kind of data do they share with utility companies and who can access this information? Also, how easily is the information hackable and what can hackers do with the data? You might find it surprising just how much can be learned about your day-to-day habits simply by analyzing smart meter data.

Links Referenced:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/05/05/privacy-intelligence-agency-security-in-the-smart-home/?sh=6457a7c44aac

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/keeping-your-smart-home-secure-private

https://www.vogelme.com/post/smart-home-privacy-what-data-gets-collected

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/collection-voice-data-profit-raises-privacy-fears/story?id=96363792

https://staceyoniot.com/podcast-chatgpt-takes-on-the-smart-home/

https://www.metrikus.io/blog/the-proptech-guide-to-iot

https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/21/23649806/chatgpt-chat-histories-bug-exposed-disabled-outage

https://www.cnet.com/home/security/can-your-home-security-cameras-be-hacked-heres-how-to-protect-yourself/

https://reason.com/2022/09/26/san-francisco-police-can-now-have-live-access-to-nearly-any-camera-in-the-city/

https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/smart+car

https://fortune.com/2023/03/02/ford-patent-late-payments-shut-off-air-conditioning-radio/

https://www.rd.com/list/ways-hackers-can-take-control-of-your-car/

https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/

https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/smart-speaker-privacy/

https://earth.org/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Today, smart devices are practically everywhere. In fact, there are now 15.14 billion internet-connected devices worldwide. That number is expected to double by 2030.

In 2020, the number of Inernet-of-Things (IoT) devices surpassed the number of non-IoT devices. And there's no looking back. Worldwide, 127 devices are connected to the internet every second of the day. And by 2025, it is estimated that 152,200 devices will be connecting to the internet every minute.

Smart devices bring lots of convenience to our hectic and complicated lives. But is that convenience worth the increased risk to your privacy?

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah kick of the show by celebrating the podcast's 21st episode--placing it in the top 1% of all podcasts globally. According to Jack Butcher, Head of the creative agency Visualize Value, 99% of all podcasts never make it past the 20th episode. Definitely worth a little celebration. And thank you to our listeners for supporting the privacy mission. You are the reason we created this endeavor.

Sarah and Rich start off the episode with a little history about smart devices. Spoiler Alert: The first IoT device was actually a vending machine!

The conversation shifts to the pros and cons of wireless and hardwired smart devices as well as smart devices in general.

Sarah then dives into some specific types of smart devices and the nuances of each. She also touches on a few strange smart devices that sound a bit too much even for the most modern of societies.

Rich and Sarah then break down the data privacy picture for devices like thermostats, smart glasses, audio/visual equipment, wearable technologies and smartphones.

Rich closes out the episode by highlighting some examples of smart device hacking, including a test conducted by YouTuber Dustin from the channel SmarterEveryDay. Dustin used a laser to hack into a variety of smart devices during the experiment.

All in all, this is an episode that may very well leave you reconsidering the adoption of smart device technology inside your home.

Links Referenced:

https://webicaster.com/en/blog/you-need-publish-21-episodes-be-top-1-worlds-podcasts

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/29/what-your-smart-tv-knows-about-you-and-how-to-stop-it-harvesting-data

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/smart-home.asp

https://www.metrikus.io/blog/the-proptech-guide-to-iot

https://techaeris.com/2019/12/26/experiment-shows-smart-home-devices-can-be-hacked-with-lasers/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/smart-home-hack-marketplace-1.4837963

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/smart-home-experiences-cyber/

https://techjury.net/blog/how-many-iot-devices-are-there/#gref

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this spellbinding episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah peel the layers off of the Chinese Spy Balloon incident that occurred over the United States from January 28 to February 4 2023. While this incident may have been an attempt by the Chinese government to gather intelligence from American military installations, there are further concerns that the technology included in the balloon's payload could have been used to surveil American citizens.

According to the U.S. State Department, the spy balloon was likely capable of listening in on Americans’ communications and pinpointing the location of those conversing on the ground.

A State Department official said, “It had multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geolocating communications. It was equipped with solar panels large enough to produce the requisite power to operate multiple active intelligence collection sensors.”

The Pentagon now believes that China sent balloons over the continental U.S. at least four times over the past six years that went undetected.

Rich and Sarah interviewed Dr. Juan Deaton about the science of radio waves and wireless communications technologies. Dr. Deaton is a research scientist and engineer who specializes in satellite communications. He has an extensive background in the areas of electrical and computer engineering, as well as wireless networking.

After Dr. Deaton explains some common off-the-shelf technologies available for surveillance, the conversation moves to hypothetical scenarios. Should individual Americans be concerned? Can this type of surveillance technology be employed to intercept mobile phone communications? And if so, what can people do to better protect themselves from this invasion of privacy?

We already know the FBI and the NSA have used cell-site simulator technology to surveil people's mobile phone conversations. "Stingrays" and "dirtboxes" are two types of surveillance devices reported to mimic a cell tower.

This episode is informative and a bit unnerving at the same time. But in the end, Dr. Deaton helps put things in perspective.

Links Referenced:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Chinese_balloon_incident

https://time.com/6253974/chinese-balloon-worldwide-spy-operation/

https://time.com/6254318/chinese-balloon-spy-equipment-antennas/

https://time.com/6256389/chinas-spy-balloons-intelligence-mission/

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Analog_vs_Digital

https://gizmodo.com/fbi-says-it-doesnt-need-a-warrant-to-listen-in-on-phone-1677609130

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/01/fbi-says-search-warrants-not-needed-to-use-stringrays-in-public-places/

https://gizmodo.com/the-stingray-is-the-virtually-unknown-device-the-govern-5843361

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

The video game industry is the largest category within the entertainment industry, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue annually. Estimates put the video game industry at five to ten times the box office revenue of the movie industry.

More than half of Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z play video games. In fact, an astonishing 81% of Gen Z plays video games.

But just exactly how private is gaming?

According to one former FBI agent, in 2019, there were approximately 1,000 swatting cases in the United States. Although swatting is a federal crime, punishable by up to life in prison, the problem continues to persist.

And even if you're not at risk for a swatting incident, there is also the threat of doxxing.

So how do you protect your privacy while participating in online gaming?

It's always a good idea to start with a VPN. A VPN, or virtual private network, allows you to access the internet through a tunnel that hides your actual IP address. Bad actors can combine your IP address with other information discoverable online to identify where you live.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we kick off our inaugural episode of "MySudo Monday" by giving you several tips for better protecting your personal data, which will ultimately keep you safe. Included in these tips is advice for leveraging the privacy app MySudo for ensuring you're breaking the link between your personal data and the outside world. "MySudo Monday" is a monthly series where we highlight a popular use case for MySudo.

Links Referenced:

https://petapixel.com/2022/12/22/hackers-used-amazon-ring-cameras-to-livestream-swatting-attacks/

https://news.abplive.com/gaming/why-data-privacy-is-top-priority-for-the-online-gaming-industry-1561524

https://protonvpn.com/blog/online-gaming-privacy/

https://news.abplive.com/gaming/why-data-privacy-is-top-priority-for-the-online-gaming-industry-1561524

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/19/business/ftc-epic-games-settlement.html

https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/security/glossary/what-is-swatting/

https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-media/video-games/worldwide

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah observe Teen Tech Week by addressing some of the safety issues teenagers encounter while navigating the online world. The discussion was enhanced by welcoming a guest, the mother of a teenage daughter, to provide insight into the growing issues teens face online.

Teens spend hours and hours on their mobile devices every single day. However, when they encounter a risky situation online, only 1 out of every 4 times do they actually inform a parent about it.

Further online stats for teens include:

9% of teens have experienced unwanted sexual solicitations 23% of teens have experienced unwanted exposure to pornography 11% of teens have experienced cyberbullying or online harassment At least 8% of teens have met a romantic partner online

Sarah covered a few apps that teens might use to conceal content on their phones.

Rich addressed the topic of mental health and how social media is contributing to an increase in teen anxiety, depression and suicide.

Sarah provided ten tips for keeping children safe online and then closed out the episode by presenting five ways parents can use MySudo, the world's only all-in-one privacy app, to protect the privacy and safety of their kids.

Links Referenced:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-iphone-security-theft-passcode-data-privacya-basic-iphone-feature-helps-criminals-steal-your-digital-life-cbf14b1a

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2017/02/28/online-risks-are-everyday-events-for-teens-but-they-rarely-tell-their-parents/?sh=410c99383861

https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/internet-safety.html

https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/entertainment-technology/cyberbullying-online-safety/internet-safety-teens

https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/top-seven-dangers-children-face-online

https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/top-10-ways-to-stop-cyberbullying

https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/twitter-tips-for-parents-of-teens

https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/snapchat-hackers-five-ways-to-protect-your-family

https://www.bark.us/blog/find-hidden-apps/

https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/2023/increased-sadness-and-violence-press-release.html

https://mysudo.com/2021/05/10-tips-for-keeping-kids-safe-online/

https://mysudo.com/2022/08/5-ways-to-use-mysudo-as-a-parent/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Nearly 1.2% of all emails sent are malicious in nature. That's approximately 3.4 billion phishing emails sent every single day.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we examine how the increase in remote work is raising the risk level for data breaches at companies around the world.

One growing threat is zero-click exploits. These are cyber attacks that don't even require the victim to click a link. This type of threat usually comes in the form of an image sent via a text.

In fact, Samsung just released a feature called Message Guard. Currently being rolled out on the Galaxy S23 Device, this tool automatically neutralizes any potential threat hiding within image files before it has the chance to inflict harm.

Overall, 47% of all US businesses have suffered some form of a cyber attack. One attack can cost a US-based business $18,000 on average.

Whenever remote work is determined to be a causal factor in a data breach, the average cost increases by more than $1 million. Further, it takes remote-based organizations 58 days longer than office-based organizations to identify and contain a breach.

From phishing and ransomware, to Denial-of-Service attacks and malware, this episode will help put in perspective the challenges facing today's businesses.

We close out the episode by providing some tips on working from home safely and privately.

Links Referenced:

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/samsung-launches-message-guard/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRXhZmKQX7Y

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In Part 2 of our two-part series on TikTok and Privacy, we start off by looking at the mental health effects of being on the short-form video app. From feeding users a constant stream of harmful content to shaming people about their body image, TikTok has come under tremendous heat from critics around the world.

While TikTok's community guidelines state that bullying and other forms of harassment are violations, only content moderators in the Beijing office are allowed to ban accounts. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stating that there has been a 60% increase in high school girls seriously considering or planning suicide, social media has no doubt played an integral part in this trend.

TikTok has also made itself infamous with dangerous viral challenges. From the blackout and Benadryl challenges to the Tide Pods and burning pile challenges, the app has led to many users' physical harm--all for some fleeting attention.

Many critics have accused TikTok of restricting or shadow banning people who are less attractive, overweight, disabled or living in poor locations. The assertion is that the app wants to promote more "desirable" content. TikTok defends itself by claiming it is attempting to protect users from being the target of bullying.

Although TikTok's minimum age restriction is 13 years old, it has no verification system, meaning there are likely many children on the app who are under 13. TikTok also has experienced problems with child predators on the app and has been sued multiple times over collecting personal data on children without parental consent. 

To wrap up the episode, we talk about how ByteDance learned from the mistakes of Vine and leveraged that knowledge in building out TikTok. We address how TikTok makes money and then close with ByteDance's ambitious plans for global domination in virtually every significant online industry.

Links Referenced:

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/does-tiktok-wiretap-users-mounting-privacy-suits-press-claim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djk159kLBwA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJl975ya-U

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

More than 1.5 billion people use TikTok worldwide. Nearly one-third of the world's internet users are on the ultra popular short-form video hosting app. In 2022, TikTok was the most downloaded app on earth.

But what is TikTok doing with all of this user data? Is it really just a harmless app for watching silly dancing videos? Or is there more to the story?

In Part 1 of this 2-part Privacy Files series on TikTok and privacy, we review the origin story of TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. Did you know before there was TikTok, there was a headline news app? The real story of TikTok is its powerful algorithm--an algorithm so good it can learn what you like to watch in as little as one hour.

But is the TikTok algorithm also leading to app addiction? Users frequently confess to losing track of time as they spend hours in the app every day. And the longer a user interacts with the app, the more data that can be collected, and the more TikTok knows about you.

We also cover the brilliant marketing strategy ByteDance employed for successfully rolling out TikTok to the entire world.

To wrap up Part 1, we examine the global backlash TikTok has received from countries like India and the United States, as questions mount about data privacy, explicit content, whether or not the app is a surveillance tool for the Chinese government.

Links Referenced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djk159kLBwA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJl975ya-U

https://open.spotify.com/episode/489chEayb8doxqCYbrgjRs?si=FCPSvAl2SXOOPHiasFk8uQ

https://www.engadget.com/googles-privacy-focused-ad-tracking-solution-hits-android-in-beta-170003961.html

https://www.engadget.com/2014-07-22-canvas-fingerprint-web-tracking.html?uuid=f1w3CakTaeMkJgmO8625

https://www.demandsage.com/tiktok-user-statistics/

https://www.adweek.com/social-marketing/move-over-google-tiktok-is-the-go-to-search-engine-for-gen-z/

https://massmediandculture.com/douyin-the-new-chinese-propaganda-machine/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In 2022, social engineering was the #1 type of cyber attack, with an average cost of $4.1 million per incident. It's so common that in the last six months, even Uber and Reddit were victims.

Data breaches that occurred in 2022 where social engineering was the attack vector took on average 270 days to identity and contain--201 days to identity the breach and 69 days to contain them.

When it comes to social engineering attacks, it's all about the human element. In fact, 90% of cyber attacks against organizations target people instead of IT and cybersecurity defenses. Why? Cause the human is often the weakest part of the security chain.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we talk about some of the most common types of social engineering attacks--from phishing and baiting, to pretexting and honeytraps.

We'll explain how social engineering attacks closely leverage the "Six Principles of Influence," developed by American professor of Psychology and Marketing, Robert Cialdini.

Rich and Sarah share some personal stories, and then close out the episode with plenty of tips for avoiding becoming a victim a social engineering attack.

Links Referenced:

https://gizmodo.com/reddit-cyberattack-phishing-data-breach-cybersecurity-1850096804

https://nationaltoday.com/digital-learning-day/

https://venturebeat.com/security/what-ubers-data-breach-reveals-about-social-engineering/

https://mashable.com/article/uber-teen-hacker-slack-joke

https://venturebeat.com/datadecisionmakers/understanding-the-current-social-engineering-threat-landscape/

https://venturebeat.com/security/microsoft-dangerous-mismatch-in-security-battle-due-to-slow-mfa-adoption/

https://www.thesslstore.com/blog/social-engineering-statistics/

https://www.copado.com/devops-hub/blog/12-types-of-social-engineering-attacks-to-look-out-for

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Over 40 million Americans use dating apps. Globally, that number is more than 300 million. While many find success leveraging dating apps to find love, it's not always a positive experience. In fact, 46% of Americans say dating sites and apps are "not too safe" or "not at all safe." Of female dating app users ages 18-34, 60% said someone continue to contact them after they said they were not interested, and nearly one in five said someone had threatened to physically harm them.

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah celebrate Valentine's Day by discussing the topic of staying safe and private while navigating the world of online dating. The dating app industry is huge. Generating billions of dollars annually, apps like Tinder, Bumble, Match, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish and so many more, offer single people the convenience of sorting through hundreds, if not thousands, of dating profiles from the comfort of home. But how do you safely use dating apps? How do you protect your privacy while searching for love?

Rich and Sarah are joined by Sarah's brother, Chad, to provide his insight into how a member of Gen Z sees the dating app culture.

Rich sets the stage by covering several dating app statistics, including an eye-opening one that one in four Americans admitted to using a dating app to cheat. Even crazier, one in ten Americans said they have been active on a dating app while out on a date with another person.

The conversation then shifts to catfishing and how to spot this scam before it's too late.

From "foodie calls" and the fundamental flaws of dating apps, to plenty of anecdotal dating stories and watching for red flags, this is a great discussion for helping you avoid being scammed while using dating apps.

Links Referenced:

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-other-sara-morrisons-are-ruining-my-inbox?utm_source=pocket-newtab

https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/survey-reveals-americans-controversial-dating-app-habits

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-catfish-people-onlineit-money.html

https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/states-with-most-catfishing-scams

https://restoreprivacy.com/

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-you-need-know-about-romance-scams

https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/17012-bbb-tip-romance-scams#:~:text=How%20the%20Scam%20Works%3A,t%20meet%20you%20in%20person.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-apes/201909/the-psychology-the-foodie-call

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190621140343.htm

https://nypost.com/2017/08/30/beware-of-foodie-call-dates-who-are-just-in-it-for-a-free-meal/

https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tinder-parent-match-group-set-to-reduce-global-workforce-8418473/

https://techcrunch.com/2009/11/18/okcupid-inbox-attractive/ 

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah dive deep into the world of MySudo, the world's only all-in-one privacy app. And Bundy, Anonyome Labs' Head of User Support, joins the discussion from his office on the Gold Coast of Australia. As one of the original employees at Anonyome, Bundy brings an immense wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of MySudo.

Before breaking down how MySudo protects personal data, Rich and Sarah discuss the recent news about the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) slapping a $1.5 million fine on GoodRx, an online price comparison site for prescription medications. GoodRx is accused of sharing the health information of consumers with third parties like Facebook, Google and Criteo for advertising purposes.

As the episode moves into MySudo talk, Bundy explains why the app is so popular with privacy advocates. From not requiring personally identifiable information (PII) and having no capability to decrypt user data, to robust functionality and the core concept of compartmentalization of online living, MySudo is a privacy champion's dream come true.

Rich explains the concept of digital exhaust, why it's a bad thing, and how MySudo limits it to better protect your personal data. He explains why just any email address is not good enough, especially if you're using Gmail. Then Rich introduces UID 2.0, an emerging advertising framework designed to use email addresses as a primary means for tracking people online.

Sarah then explains the different MySudo plans offered and what each subscription service offers. From encrypted communications to advanced messaging features, MySudo is the most robust privacy app in the world.

As the discussion continues, Bundy and Sarah address private contact matching and porting a number into MySudo. The Rich private browsing, virtual cards and pairing MySudo with a laptop browser.

Sarah and Bundy wrap things up by going over frequently asked questions, how to deal with spam calls, and what new features are coming in 2023.

Links Referenced:

https://anonyome.com/2020/04/why-compartmentalization-is-the-most-powerful-data-privacy-strategy/

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/everyone-wants-your-email-address-think-twice-before-sharing-it/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

ChatGPT is the hottest topic in technology. It's impossible to comb through the daily news and not bump into another story about this artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Yes, we admit, it's a really cool piece of technology. But what about the privacy implications?

In this episode of Privacy Files, Brian Tillman (Mr. Metaverse) makes another special appearance on the podcast to discuss with Rich the privacy concerns surrounding ChatGPT.

We talk about ChatGPT's origins and Microsoft's investment in the parent company, OpenAI.

As the discussion shifts toward the privacy angle, Rich talks about the overwhelming amount of data needed to successfully run such a sophisticated chatbot like ChatGPT.

What data is fair game for ChatGPT to sift through? Will sensitive personal information be searched? Where are the boundaries? What are the applications?

Overall, this discussion will make you think hard about some of the emerging privacy challenges we will face in a world where AI is evolving at a breakneck pace.

Links Referenced:

https://futurism.com/how-the-cia-is-using-artificial-intelligence-to-collect-social-media-data

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/2023/01/29/some-insist-that-generative-ai-chatgpt-is-a-mirror-into-the-soul-of-humanity-vexing-ai-ethics-and-ai-law/?sh=49378cda12db

https://analyticsindiamag.com/chatgpt-privacy-threat-is-real-and-we-are-late/

https://proton.me/blog/privacy-and-chatgpt

https://qz.com/open-ai-underpaid-200-kenyans-to-perfect-chatgpt-1850005025

https://www.theverge.com/21346343/gpt-3-explainer-openai-examples-errors-agi-potential

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2022/10/26/clearview-ai-image-scraping-face-recognition-service-hit-with-e20m-fine-in-france

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news-features/chatgpts-datascraping-scrutiny/

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news-features/chatgpt-shortfalls-data-protection/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/is-chatgpt-hipaa-compliant-and-what-does-it-mean-for-the-future-of-healthcare-301733951.html

https://compliancy-group.com/hipaa-and-chatgpt/

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/microsoft-might-put-chatgpt-ai-into-outlook-word-powerpoint/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/2023/01/27/generative-ai-chatgpt-can-disturbingly-gobble-up-your-private-and-confidential-data-forewarns-ai-ethics-and-ai-law/?sh=477846167fdb

https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-microsoft-warns-employees-not-to-share-sensitive-data-openai-2023-1

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

People often say, "I have nothing to hide." Hence, they're not concerned about a government monitoring their personal communications. For those who hold this view, this episode might make you rethink your position.

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah review the new 2-part PBS documentary Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus.

This documentary is an earth-shattering story about governments using advanced technology to surveil politicians, heads of state, royal family members, journalists, activists and human rights defenders. As one person put it, “a spy service for tyrants.”

Pegasus is spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO group. It can be covertly installed on mobile phones (and other devices) running most  versions of iOS and Android. It can covertly read text messages, track calls, collect passwords, track location, access microphones and cameras, and harvest info from apps.

The spyware can be installed on a device without the victim ever needing to click a link. This technique is called a zero-click exploit.

While NSO Group claims it only provides Pegasus to authorized governments to assist in combating terrorism and crime, the evidence is overwhelming that the tool is being used to track people who are in opposition to establishment governments. In other words, people who are a threat to power.

In fact, the FBI admitted to purchasing Pegasus, but as of early 2022, claimed they never activated the spyware.

All in all, this documentary is about multiple news agencies joining together on a yearlong investigation of one of the greatest invasion-of-privacy scandals in human history.

Links Referenced:

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/10/1066500/roomba-irobot-robot-vacuum-beta-product-testers-consent-agreement-misled/

https://smartrobotreviews.com/s/robot-vacuums/roomba-comparison/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZVj1_SE4Mo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYMWTXIkANM

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/09/us-supreme-court-lets-whatsapp-pursue-pegasus-spyware-lawsuit

https://patch.com/us/across-america/pegasus-spyware-maker-campaigning-get-u-s-blacklist

https://mysudo.com/2019/10/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-tell-if-you-have-a-compromised-account-and-what-to-do-about-it/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this latest episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah take on their most ambitious investigation thus far.

From wearable technology and DNA analysis for ancestry research, to at-home blood tests and scheduling doctors' visits online, people now freely share more of their medical information than at any other time in human history. And along with the rise in the use of technology to analyze the details of our intimate medical history comes the increase in opportunities for abuse of that sensitive data.

While the topic of healthcare privacy is impossible to fully unpack in only one episode, Rich and Sarah provide a thorough introduction to the topic. And there's little doubt, there will likely be many more episodes in the future addressing various aspects of this highly involved subject.

To kick off the show, Rich talks about the recent news of Amazon launching a new prescription drug service called RxPass, giving subscribers access to more than 50 commonly prescribed medications for a flat monthly fee of $5. It's just one more example of Amazon's strategic goal of dominating the entire healthcare supply chain--and acquiring the rich personal data that accompanies that powerful position.

Rich then digs into the groundbreaking investigation by The Markup discovering that 33 of Newsweek's "Top 100 Hospitals in America" were using Meta's Pixel Tracker, which was sending private medical information back to Facebook without patient consent.

Sarah then dives into wearable technology, talking about the Apple Watch and how it can track detailed information on sleep, ovulation cycles, heart health, and general fitness levels, and the implications if that data falls into the wrong hands.

Sarah also addresses how blood samples are taken for newborn screening. Why is it mandatory? Where does this blood go? How long is it stored? What is it used for beyond the primary reason given?

To close out the episode, Rich talks about DNA used for ancestry research and at-home blood tests that are used to screen for genetic predispositions to disease, metabolic sensitivities and food allergies. Sarah takes us home by looking at the types of information we share with insurance companies.

Links Referenced:

https://themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2022/06/16/facebook-is-receiving-sensitive-medical-information-from-hospital-websites

https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/health-wellness-and-safety-resources/helping-hands/newborn-screen-blood-test

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/newborn-baby-blood-tests-privacy-concerns/

https://transmitter.ieee.org/wearables-and-privacy-what-you-need-to-know/

https://wjlta.com/2020/11/07/is-your-personal-health-still-personal-privacy-issues-with-wearable-tech/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah celebrate Data Privacy Week. Running January 22-28, 2023, this annual event, sponsored by the National Cybersecurity Alliance, is designed to raise awareness about online privacy. The mission is two-fold: help individuals understand that they have the power to manage their data and educate organizations on why it's important to respect their users' data.

We kicked off the episode by covering the recent T-Mobile data breach where a hacker compromised the data of 37 million customers. This is the eighth time T-Mobile has been hacked since 2018.

Data Privacy Week commemorates the January 28, 1981 signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Last year, the National Cybersecurity Alliance extended Data Privacy Day into Data Privacy Week.

We cover how every online activity leaves a data trail linking back to you and your personally identifiable information. Then we give you a series of simple solutions to better protect your data.

Both Rich and Sarah tell some personal stories that underscore the prevalence of data collection in our everyday lives. Then we wrap up the episode by talking about how MySudo, the world's only all-in-one privacy app, can help individuals live more privately, and how organizations can leverage privacy to acquire more customers and make them loyal.

Links Referenced:

https://staysafeonline.org/programs/data-privacy-week/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this episode, Rich and Sarah tackle Part 2 of their deep dive into the mysterious and manipulative world of surveillance capitalism by reviewing perhaps the most well-known documentary on the subject: The Social Dilemma. It's a shocking look into how Big Tech attempts to manipulate and influence us--all told through the words of Silicon Valley tech experts.

To enhance the discussion, Maddie and Chrysoula join Rich and Sarah in studio to provide a Gen Z perspective on the documentary and topic. And it's truly an amazingly unique perspective considering both have never known a world without the internet.

You will learn how the "attention economy" works and the methods tech giants like Google and Facebook employ to keep users engaged and collect voluminous amounts of data. All of this data is used to build sophisticated behavioral models that predict future behavior. These predictions are sold to advertisers who are practically guaranteed success. You will quickly see why these platforms are "free." If the product is free, you are the product.

One of the creepiest techniques underlying surveillance capitalism is the psychological technique called positive intermittent reinforcement.

In a nutshell, Big Tech builds addictive platforms that repeatedly reward users with positive reinforcement to trigger the production of dopamine, a chemical released within the brain that makes people feel good.

By engaging on these platforms, users are sharing mountains of behavioral data that paint a clear picture of their lives, from political beliefs to deep-seated thoughts.

This is an episode that will leave you ruminating for days, if not weeks.

Documentary Link:

https://vimeo.com/462049229

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this episode, Sarah returns to the podcast to help Rich dive deep into a review of VPRO's landmark documentary: Shoshana Zuboff on surveillance capitalism.

Surveillance capitalism is the core of the business model for today's Big Tech companies like Google and Facebook. It's not about your email address, phone number or social security. Surveillance capitalism is all about collecting voluminous amounts of rich, behavioral data on platform users to develop models that predict future behavior. These predictions can in turn be sold to advertisers that are looking to reach niche markets. Predictive models developed by Google and Facebook are so sophisticated that they can practically guarantee advertiser success.

The key here is that Big Tech is selling predictions, not data. In fact, the models are so advanced that they can even be used to manipulate users' behavior.

Shoshana Zuboff is a Harvard Professor and author of the groundbreaking book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. She has been researching the area of surveillance capitalism for years and asserts that in order for surveillance capitalism to work, it must happen through stealth and obfuscation. In other words, users of platforms like Google Search and Facebook must be so hooked on using these products that they don't see how the monetization model works. The more engaged users are, the more behavioral data that can be collected, and the more precise those predictive models can be.

We hope this episode will spur some thinking about what type of personal data is truly valuable to Big Tech and get you to reevaluate your own use of various web-based products.

And don't forget, as it has been said many times, "If the product is free, you are the product!"

Link to watch documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIXhnWUmMvw

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

We're hearing a lot about the metaverse these days. So far, the technology seems more hype than anything. Even though market adoption is low, it's evident privacy will be an even larger concern in this emerging world than today's "flat" internet.

In this episode of Privacy Files, Brian Tillman (Mr. Metaverse) fills in for Sarah to provide his perspective on the overarching privacy concerns in this immersive virtual world.

With Mark Zuckerberg and Meta leading the industry in developing metaverse technology with Horizon Worlds, and given Zuckerberg's poor track record on data privacy, it's only natural to be concerned about users' personal data.

Perhaps the most significant privacy concern in the metaverse is the collection of biometric data. This includes voice and facial recognition, iris scanning, eye tracking, and the analysis of unique body movement patterns that are unique to an individual.

Rich and Brian also discuss the scope of the metaverse and cover some interesting applications of the technology.

Articles Referenced:

https://www.makeuseof.com/reasons-why-no-one-cares-about-metaverse/

https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/15/23405811/meta-horizon-worlds-losing-users-report

https://nypost.com/2022/10/25/mark-zuckerbergs-terrible-metaverse-shredded-by-oculus-founder-its-not-fun/

https://cybernews.com/editorial/metaverse-is-causing-meta-to-lose-billions/

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Special guest appearance by Anonyome Labs' UX designer Brian Tillman.

80% of people surveyed value their data privacy more than keeping social media platforms free to use. Yet, 72% aren’t willing to pay to protect their privacy.

To know where you're going, you must know where you've been.

In this episode of Privacy Files, Sarah and Rich examine how variables such as generational cohort membership and individual life experiences shape how people view privacy and their approach to protecting personal information.

Are people altering their personal behaviors to achieve greater privacy? Or is society increasingly becoming more comfortable living life like an open book?

We also welcome a special in-studio guest to provide a unique prospective from a younger Millennial.

Articles Referenced:

https://www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/security/how-much-is-my-data-worth/

https://bigthink.com/the-present/data-privacy-statistics/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilsahota/2020/10/14/privacy-is-dead-and-most-people-really-dont-care/?sh=4905552b7b73

https://hbr.org/2020/02/the-era-of-antisocial-social-media

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies  turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

75% of Americans want to live more privately, but just don't know where to begin.

In our third episode of Privacy Files, Sarah and Rich present some simple ways to live your digital life a little more privately without being extreme. In other words, there are some easy changes you can make today to protect your personal information without turning the effort into a full-time job.

Did you know a SIM-based cell phone number can reveal almost as much about you (if not more) as a social security number? By sharing your personal cell number with only your close friends and family, you can start breaking the link to your personal data. When transacting with merchants, try using a VoIP number instead.

Do you shop online? Banks can legally sell your transaction information to advertisers and data brokers. Instead of using a personal credit card, use a payment service like PayPal or a MySudo virtual card.

Other low-effort tips include using a password manager (use a different password for every account login), disabling location tagging on social media posts, activating two-factor authentication (2FA), employing a virtual private network (VPN) and turning off data sharing for apps.

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this episode, Sarah and Rich address the reality for those living their lives online: The definition of privacy depends on who you talk to.

We tackle the often nebulous term of "privacy" from the perspective of what we like to call a "normie." Touching on many hot-button issues in the privacy space, we cover the big issues like smart devices, smartphone tracking, social media usage and online advertising. By explaining the risk exposures, we make it easy for you to decide what's important to you.

This is another primer episode to get you warmed up as the newest podcast in privacy prepares to start opening up "case files" and examine in more detail the most pressing privacy dilemmas plaguing digital life.

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

In this first episode of Privacy Files, co-hosts Sarah and Rich lay the foundation for what this podcast is about. We provide you with an overview of the most common data privacy issues affecting society today and give you a sneak peek into upcoming episodes.

Our podcast is about making privacy approachable for everyone. It's not about extreme privacy. You won't hear any talk about "how to disappear online." The topics we discuss on Privacy Files are intended for a wide audience of people who are just like us. We like living our lives online but we don't want to leave our lives online.

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com