By BJ Mendelson
4.4
1414 ratings
The podcast currently has 27 episodes available.
In this bonus episode, our producer B.J. Mendelson sits down with science fiction author and journalist Cory Doctorow. This is a great chat about the current state of the Internet economy, the continuing issues we face in terms of privacy and protecting ourselves from fascists and weirdos, and what actions we can take to address these challenges.
Full show notes and transcript to come.
Support The Show
*You don’t need to use these affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything extra to use. But. IF you do use these links, it’ll kick a couple of dollars our way to help support this project.
For more news and tips concerning maintaining your privacy and security, we recommend listening to our friends at Smashing Security.
Reserve Your Seat
BJ Mendelson and Amanda King are the authors of the upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos." They are designing an email-based course around the topics discussed in the book and on our show. So, if you want more information on how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos, complete with step-by-step details and tutorials, we recommend reserving a seat for the course.
All you need to do is email us at [email protected] with "Privacy Course" in the subject line.
We'll make sure to let you know when this course becomes available for purchase.
Did You Know?
In this week’s book excerpt, you can hear Roger reference the big Equifax data breach. This book was written in 2017.
On February 26th, 2023, BJ got a $5 rebate from Equifax for this data breach.
You probably did too.
That’s absolutely ridiculous. And further proof that credit reporting agencies shouldn't exist.
***
Photo for today's episode provided by Mohammad Danish
Need a Privacy Audit?
We are giving away all of our tips and strategies to help protect you from fascists and weirdos FOR FREE.
But. We've found some people prefer or need a more 1-1 setting based on their situation.
So, we offer privacy audits where BJ will walk you through each step and recommendation from this show and answer any questions you may have.
You can book a Privacy Audit by emailing BJ at [email protected]. Make sure to include Privacy Audit in your subject line.
Audits cost $200 and take place over two one-on-one secure video calls via Signal. The first call will walk you through the checklist, and the second call, scheduled for a week later, will see how you're doing with the implementation and answer any remaining questions you may have.
Dr. John Gartner sits down with our producer, B.J. Mendelson, to discuss how to combat cults. This is important to hear because fascists are just cults with guns. So let's hear from the expert on what to look out for, how to deal with the cults, and what to do if you find yourself dealing with one.
Support The Show
*You don’t need to use these affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything extra to use. But. IF you do use these links, it’ll kick a couple of dollars our way to help support this project.
For more news and tips concerning maintaining your privacy and security, we recommend listening to our friends at Smashing Security.
Reserve Your Seat
BJ Mendelson and Amanda King are the authors of the upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos." They are designing an email-based course around the topics discussed in the book and on our show. So, if you want more information on how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos, complete with step-by-step details and tutorials, we recommend reserving a seat for the course.
All you need to do is email us at [email protected] with "Privacy Course" in the subject line.
We'll make sure to let you know when this course becomes available for purchase.
Did You Know?
In this week’s book excerpt, you can hear Roger reference the big Equifax data breach. This book was written in 2017.
On February 26th, 2023, BJ got a $5 rebate from Equifax for this data breach.
You probably did too.
That’s absolutely ridiculous. And further proof that credit reporting agencies shouldn't exist.
***
Photo for today's episode provided by Mohammad Danish
Need a Privacy Audit?
We are giving away all of our tips and strategies to help protect you from fascists and weirdos FOR FREE.
But. We've found some people prefer or need a more 1-1 setting based on their situation.
So, we offer privacy audits where BJ will walk you through each step and recommendation from this show and answer any questions you may have.
You can book a Privacy Audit by emailing BJ at [email protected]. Make sure to include Privacy Audit in your subject line.
Audits cost $200 and take place over two one-on-one secure video calls via Signal. The first call will walk you through the checklist, and the second call, scheduled for a week later, will see how you're doing with the implementation and answer any remaining questions you may have.
Just joining us here at Stupid Sexy Privacy? Looking for an episode that tells you everything you need to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos? Look no further!
We'll have longer show notes here soon, but for now, enjoy this lively discussion between BJ Mendelson, Amanda King, and Rosie Tran as they look into the future of how to protect yourself and your information online.
Support The Show
*You don’t need to use these affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything extra to use. But. IF you do use these links, it’ll kick a couple of dollars our way to help support this project.
For more news and tips concerning maintaining your privacy and security, we recommend listening to our friends at Smashing Security.
Reserve Your Seat
BJ Mendelson and Amanda King are the authors of the upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos." They are designing an email-based course around the topics discussed in the book and on our show. So, if you want more information on how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos, complete with step-by-step details and tutorials, we recommend reserving a seat for the course.
All you need to do is email us at [email protected] with "Privacy Course" in the subject line.
We'll make sure to let you know when this course becomes available for purchase.
Did You Know?
In this week’s book excerpt, you can hear Roger reference the big Equifax data breach. This book was written in 2017.
On February 26th, 2023, BJ got a $5 rebate from Equifax for this data breach.
You probably did too.
That’s absolutely ridiculous. And further proof that credit reporting agencies shouldn't exist.
***
Photo for today's episode provided by Mohammad Danish
Need a Privacy Audit?
We are giving away all of our tips and strategies to help protect you from fascists and weirdos FOR FREE.
But. We've found some people prefer or need a more 1-1 setting based on their situation.
So, we offer privacy audits where BJ will walk you through each step and recommendation from this show and answer any questions you may have.
You can book a Privacy Audit by emailing BJ at [email protected]. Make sure to include Privacy Audit in your subject line.
Audits cost $200 and take place over two one-on-one secure video calls via Signal. The first call will walk you through the checklist, and the second call, scheduled for a week later, will see how you're doing with the implementation and answer any remaining questions you may have.
Show Note: We're back! Pardon our delay. BJ is dealing with a (totally minor) medical issue that required surgery. So we've been out of commission longer than planned.
In today's episode, Amanda and Rosie talk about disinformation, what it is, how to spot it, and how to navigate our new media landscape that's flooded with AI-generated falsehoods and videos.
This week's guest: Nina Jankowicz. Former Executive Director of the Disinformation Governance Board of the United States. Nina is also the author of one of our favorite books, "How to be a Woman Online."
(Note: This interview was recorded at the end of 2022, before the announcement of Nina suing Fox News.)
***
Photo by Anna Tarazevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/scam-alert-letting-text-on-black-background-5697256
We're taking a short break here at Stupid Sexy Privacy. We'll return Thursday, May 4th, with our final four episodes.
But we didn't want to leave you empty-handed.
Today, Amanda King (co-author of "How to Protect Your From Fascists & Weirdos") talks with Professor Uri Gal. Uri is a professor of Business Information Systems at The University of Sydney.
In this bonus episode, Amanda talks with Professor Gal about the real challenges and ethical issues surrounding the use of Generative AI (or as we call them, Exploitative AI) software.
It's not your job you need to worry about. Generative AI produces C-level work, at best, and almost all of that work is stolen/plagiarized from other people's work without their permission or consent. The real threat is what happens when you flood the entire Internet with BS, to the point where people can't tell up from down anymore and don't trust each other.
That's an Avengers-level problem, and one we need to solve immediately since ... You know, the Avengers aren't real. But the threat of Generative AI is.
Support Stupid Sexy Privacy:
We recommend listening to our friends at Smashing Security for more news and tips concerning how to maintain your privacy and security after this miniseries concludes.
*You don’t need to use the affiliate links above. They don’t cost you anything extra. But. If you do use these links, it’ll kick a couple of dollars our way to help support this project.
**BJ's first book on privacy, "The End of Privacy" is badly dated in a few sections; however, it's still very funny and the rest of the book is still (sadly) current. We've included most of the book, for free, in this podcast miniseries. If you'd like to buy the unabridged version, you can do so here.
Reserve Your Seat For Our Privacy Course
BJ Mendelson and Amanda King are the authors of the upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos." They are designing an online video-based course around the topics discussed in the book and on this show. So, if you want more information on how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos, complete with step-by-step details and tutorials, we recommend reserving a seat for the course.
All you need to do is email us at [email protected] with "Privacy Course" in the subject line.
We'll make sure to let you know when this on-demand course becomes available for purchase.
Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-and-blue-robot-toy-on-blue-string-lights-8566467/
It's Part 2 of our 5 Part look into how to protect yourself from Fascists and Weirdos on the Internet!
Rosie shares three critical tips we won't be able to cover in greater detail in the time we have left.
These tips include: How to set up a personal firewall for your network, Pig Butchering Scms, and Revenge Porn.
BJ then interviews Tall Poppy CEO Leigh Honeywell. Leigh was a tremendous wealth of knowledge and tips. So make sure you listen to what she has to say.
This Week's Privacy Tips
1. Get a pfSense Firewall installed. Follow these directions.
If you're just getting started with firewalls, we found this video was very good for beginners.
2. Watch out for Pig Butchering Scams.
Long story short - Strangers will find all sorts of crazy ways to strike up a conversation with you, and then ask you to invest in crypto. DON'T FALL FOR IT. Don't return unsolicited messages, and never invest in crypto ... Unless you talk to someone who is very knowledgeable in the space first. Like, a real expert. Not the pretend ones on Twitter.
3. Familiarize yourself with Revenge Porn Laws in your State.
*Note: We refer to it in this episode as "Revenge Porn", since that's how it's listed on Carrie's website. However, you should know this is better referred to as "non-consensual intimate images" as well.
These are resources we highly recommend for women and others who are being harassed on the Internet:
1. https://onlineviolenceresponsehub.org/resources
2. https://glitchcharity.co.uk/
3. http://www.crashoverridenetwork.com/
4. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/malign-creativity-how-gender-sex-and-lies-are-weaponized-against-women-online
(Source: "How to be a Woman on the Internet" written by our show's upcoming guest, Nina Jankowicz.)
Our Guest Is ...
Leigh Honeywell is the CEO of Tall Poppy and a former Tech Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union. Previously, Leigh was a Security Program Manager at Microsoft.
Support Stupid Sexy Privacy:
We recommend listening to our friends at Smashing Security for more news and tips concerning how to maintain your privacy and security after this miniseries concludes.
*You don’t need to use the affiliate links above. They don’t cost you anything extra. But. If you do use these links, it’ll kick a couple of dollars our way to help support this project.
**BJ's first book on privacy, "The End of Privacy" is badly dated in a few sections; however, it's still very funny and the rest of the book is still (sadly) current. We've included most of the book, for free, in this podcast miniseries. If you'd like to buy the unabridged version, you can do so here.
Reserve Your Seat For Our Privacy Course
BJ Mendelson and Amanda King are the authors of the upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos." They are designing an online video-based course around the topics discussed in the book and on this show. So, if you want more information on how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos, complete with step-by-step details and tutorials, we recommend reserving a seat for the course.
All you need to do is email us at [email protected] with "Privacy Course" in the subject line.
We'll make sure to let you know when this on-demand course becomes available for purchase.
We're almost at the end of this mini-series! In our final segment, BJ and Rosie explore how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos. In Part one of our five-part investigation, Rosie offers tips on how you can protect yourself from stalkers. It's a serious topic, so we're going to skip the jokes and get right to the advice:
This Week's Privacy Tip
There are A LOT of tips this week, so we're just going to go with a list if you don't mind:
1. Do not respond to stalkers. No matter how much they threaten or try to manipulate you, cut them off.
2. Page Vault is expensive; however, you can use it to create a digital log of all of your stalker's behavior that's admissible in court. So if the situation is serious and you have the funds? Give it a try.
3. Get a Do Not Contact Order. If someone is stalking you, this is one of the first legal lines of defense you can use.
4. Set up a PO BOX at least two towns over from where you actually live. Use an Amazon Locker to receive all your deliveries.
5. Get a stranger-danger phone.
6. Use the @ Duck email and these apps.
7. Make sure your friends and family block your stalker and do not tag you in their posts.
8. If you live in California, take advantage of the Safe at Home program to keep your mailing address unlisted.
9. Remove all EXIF data from your photos if you're going to upload any. (If not, set your social media accounts to private.)
10. If you own any domain names, make sure you are using Private Registry to keep your information offline.
11. Learn your IP address. Go to Google and search, "What is my ip address?". Then look at all of the places you log into and see if that's the only IP address that appears. If not, immediately change your passwords.
12. Experien
13. Report all instances of online stalking to the FBI. Do not take any stalking lightly. If you are worried, file a report.
14. Call Experian, Equifax, and Transunion to request a Fraud Alert on your credit Reports:
Experian (888) 397-3742
Equifax (888) 766-0008
TransUnion (877) 322-8228
15. See below!
Our Guest Is ...
Dr. Nicole Prause is a neuroscientist and statistician at UCLA. She has previously researched the myths and lies of the anti-porn movement and is the founder of Liberos, an organization that looks to identify the general health benefits of sexual stimulation.
Dr. Nicole has a terrific suggestion to share as well. If you don't know who is stalking and harassing you, you can take them to small claims court. Doing so will reveal the identity of the stalker.
Support Stupid Sexy Privacy:
We recommend listening to our friends at Smashing Security for more news and tips concerning how to maintain your privacy and security after this miniseries concludes.
*You don’t need to use the affiliate links above. They don’t cost you anything extra. But. If you do use these links, it’ll kick a couple of dollars our way to help support this project.
**BJ's first book on privacy, "The End of Privacy" is badly dated in a few sections; however, it's still very funny and the rest of the book is still (sadly) current. We've included most of the book, for free, in this podcast miniseries. If you'd like to buy the unabridged version, you can do so here.
Reserve Your Seat For Our Privacy Course
BJ Mendelson and Amanda King are the authors of the upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos." They are designing an online video-based course around the topics discussed in the book and on this show. So, if you want more information on how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos, complete with step-by-step details and tutorials, we recommend reserving a seat for the course.
All you need to do is email us at [email protected] with "Privacy Course" in the subject line.
We'll make sure to let you know when this on-demand course becomes available for purchase.
P.S. These are the kind of weirdos we're talking about.
(Photo by Antonio Florentini)
This week on Stupid Sexy Privacy: Killer Bosses. 120,000 workers die each year in the United States because of bad workplace management. With the popularity of Remote Work, "Bossware" lets your boss spy on you while you're at home and drive you crazy without you having to go to the office.
Sound crazy? Talk to the Truck Drivers. Their Hell is our Future. If you work remotely, this episode is for you.
This Week's Privacy Tip
Working from home can be a great opportunity, but you need to take steps to protect both yourself and your employer from Ransomware and other shady attacks. In addition to following the steps explained in previous episodes of the show — You've listened to the other episodes, right? — We recommend keeping your hardware for work entirely separated from your hardware for life, running a VPN, and regularly running software updates. As far as the bigger issue goes with your boss spying on you at home, the United States doesn't have clear regulations (at this time) to stop them. But. You CAN (and should) talk to your Human Resources Director about what the company policy is about Remote Work, what data they're going to see and collect, and who that data gets shared with.
Do you really trust Microsoft to be a good protector of your data? '90s Kids know better.
Our Guest Is ...
Dr. Karen Levy, associate professor in the Department of Information Science at Cornell University and author of the new book, "Data Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance."*
Support Stupid Sexy Privacy:
We recommend listening to our friends at Smashing Security for more news and tips concerning how to maintain your privacy and security after this miniseries concludes.
*You don’t need to use the affiliate links above. They don’t cost you anything extra. But. If you do use these links, it’ll kick a couple of dollars our way to help support this project.
**BJ's first book on privacy, "The End of Privacy" is badly dated in a few sections; however, it's still very funny and the rest of the book is still (sadly) current. We've included most of the book, for free, in this podcast miniseries. If you'd like to buy the unabridged version, you can do so here.
Reserve Your Seat For Our Privacy Course
BJ Mendelson and Amanda King are the authors of the upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos." They are designing an online video-based course around the topics discussed in the book and on this show. So, if you want more information on how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos, complete with step-by-step details and tutorials, we recommend reserving a seat for the course.
All you need to do is email us at [email protected] with "Privacy Course" in the subject line.
We'll make sure to let you know when this on-demand course becomes available for purchase.
P.S. '90s kids also had to call collect on a payphone in order to get picked up from school. What a scam.
Photo Courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio
This week, BJ's co-author, Amanda King, speaks with Jen Caltrider, the Mozilla Foundation's "Privacy Not Included" project lead. Amanda and Jen discuss which pregnancy tracker is best for women to use right now when it comes to preserving and protecting their data. They also talk about other issues facing women as it relates to online data collection in our new, creepy, post-Roe world.
This Week's Privacy Tip
It's a short one this week, but an important one. Ensure you've deactivated biometric and facial recognition methods for unlocking your phone. We've covered that one already. But now, there's a trend where thieves are using a variety of ways to spy on their victims in an effort to observe their passcode. So, make sure you're using a long, alphanumeric passcode — write it down in your Privacy Notebook! — And make sure to obscure your screen whenever you need to unlock your phone. Only you should be able to see what you're doing.
Also: We know most of you are not storing your photos in the cloud if you're listening to this show, but if you still have backups of your photos going to the cloud, make sure to delete any photos containing financial information. And if you're going to go out for a while, it doesn't hurt to remove any apps that provide access to that information in the event your phone is stolen. You can always re-download those apps when you get home.
Support Stupid Sexy Privacy:
We recommend listening to our friends at Smashing Security for more news and tips concerning how to maintain your privacy and security after this miniseries concludes.
*You don’t need to use the affiliate links above. They don’t cost you anything extra. But. If you do use these links, it’ll kick a couple of dollars our way to help support this project.
**BJ's first book on privacy, "The End of Privacy" is badly dated in a few sections; however, it's still very funny and the rest of the book is still (sadly) current. We've included most of the book, for free, in this podcast miniseries. If you'd like to buy the unabridged version, you can do so here.
Reserve Your Seat For Our Privacy Course
BJ Mendelson and Amanda King are the authors of the upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos." They are designing an online video-based course around the topics discussed in the book and on this show. So, if you want more information on how to protect yourself from fascists and weirdos, complete with step-by-step details and tutorials, we recommend reserving a seat for the course.
All you need to do is email us at [email protected] with "Privacy Course" in the subject line.
We'll make sure to let you know when this on-demand course becomes available for purchase.
P.S. When we were coming up with titles for this episode, we were going to go with a Jimmy Cagney impression. But then we realized everyone who would get that reference is probably dead. :-(
Photo Credit: Shvartsman Dmitry
This week, we're entering the metaverse. A place where few have legs and fewer still have functional head-mounted displays.
Joining BJ on the show today is Brittan Heller. Brittan is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and Affiliate at Stanford Cyber Policy Center.
Following-up on last week's discussion with Dr. Arthur Caplan, BJ and Brittan discuss how easy it is to identify someone just from their head movements, why that information isn't currently protected, and how to design a metaverse that's accessible and equitable to all.
Rosie will also share with you this week's privacy tip, which this week is less of a tip and more of a book recommendation. As it turns out, with the coming explosion of Augmented Reality Glasses thanks to Apple later this year, we all need to take some time and learn non-violent communication. Rosie will explain why!
This episode may seem future-facing, but the truth is, this is a privacy and security challenge we all face today. If data collected from a head-mounted display like the Meta Quest 2 can diagnose you with ADHD, you probably want to have that kind of information private.
And if it's true your head movements are specific and unique to you, that kind of information is the stuff marketers and advertisers would kill to collect.
Which ... is why we did this episode. These are conversations we need to have now, and as Brittan points out, our government is woefully unprepared to do so.
Resources Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Support your local bookstore and purchase a copy of Marshall Rosenberg's "Non-Violent Communication."*
Our Sponsor: DuckDuckGo
*Affiliate Link: 1Password.com
*Affiliate Link: Delete Me
Get Your Privacy Notebook: Get your Leuchtturm1917 Official Bullet Journal here.
*Using the affiliate links, like the one for Bookshop.org above, supports the show and does not cost you anything extra. If you enjoy the show, we encourage you to use these links.
And before we go ...
BJ and Amanda are recording a two-hour video course that you can purchase based on this podcast and their upcoming book, "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos."
The course will include every step from our privacy audits and examples of how to put those steps into practice.
If you'd like to know when the course is available, email BJ at [email protected] with Privacy Course in the subject line.
The podcast currently has 27 episodes available.