Stupid Sexy Privacy

This week on Privacy Tips, Co-author of How to Protect Yourself From Fascists & Weirdos, B.J. Mendelson, finishes up his reading of chapter two, which covers why you should freeze your credit asap, how to spot phishing emails, and a future world where people can use AI to video chat with you and pretend they're a celebrity. We wish we were kidding. All this and more ...

This week on Privacy Tips, Ohio State University professor, Dr. Viet Trinh, joins BJ to talk about Flock Safety cameras, how everyone is basically under surveillance all the time by the police thanks to them, and what we can do about it. No book excerpt this week, we'll be back doing those next Thursday!

This week on Privacy Tips, host BJ Mendelson walks through Chapter 2's essential security checklist from How to Protect Yourself from Fascists and Weirdos— including why a simple sticky note over your laptop camera matters more than you think, yes even in 2026 ten years after we first gave that advice in our original book on privacy, and how LinkedIn is used as a resource by fascists and weirdos to get "dirt" on their enemies. All this and more, including odd duck sounds, are waiting for you to enjoy.

Your phone isn't secure by default—and neither are you. So today, BJ Mendelson walks you through 15 easy privacy moves that separate people who are actually protected from those who think they are. Come take a listen.

This week on Privacy Tips, the authors of "How to Survive Authoritarianism," Dan Storyev and Masha Kuznetsov, discuss with BJ how to recognize and resist authoritarian tactics, including troll factories, misinformation, and political repression, with insights applicable to both Russia and the United States. If you think American democracy is guaranteed to last forever, you're wrong, and this episode will help show you why.

This week on the show, host BJ Mendelson discusses how to properly secure Firefox, why you shouldn't use Google Chrome and Apple's Safari, and what to do about your Internet Service Provider creeping on you. All this and more as we get ready for the launch of our new book, How to Protect Yourself From Fascists & Weirdos next month.

This week, BJ Mendelson speaks with Ian Head from the Center for Constitutional Rights about FOIA, who broke it, and whether or not there's still value in using it (Answer: YES!) This week's book excerpt also covers how to bulletproof your voter registration, and how to protect yourself when crossing the border into, and out of, America.  And, of course, we tell you why every single American citizen should go and get themselves a passport card. Like, right now.

Your browser choice matters more than you think. So this week on Privacy Tips, BJ reveals why ditching Chrome, Edge, and Google isn't just about privacy—it's about starving the systems that enable authoritarians and corporate surveillance. 

We're back for another edition of Privacy Tips. This week, we read more from How to Protect Yourself From Fascists & Weirdos (BJ's version of the upcoming book) and explain, briefly, what you can use instead of Google's increasingly inferior search results, and why the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Privacy Badger is something to share with your friends and family. 

Nearly half of all Americans are politically unaffiliated—and vulnerable. This week, B.J. Mendelson explains why oligarchs are terrified of this silent majority, and what you need to do right now to protect yourself and organize your community. If you're one of the 154 million, this episode is required listening.