This week on The Lockdown, The Practical Privacy & Security Podcast, we’re kicking off the new year with reflections, updates, and a deep dive into key privacy issues that are shaping 2025. From privacy settings on iOS and GrapheneOS, to AI assistants and their potential privacy pitfalls, this episode covers practical advice, insights, and solutions for everyday users. Additionally, I explore new state-level privacy laws across the U.S. and what they mean for both businesses and individuals.

In this week’s episode:

1. Reflecting on personal privacy practices and professional projects.
2. A look at U.S. state privacy regulations taking effect in 2025.
3. Privacy and security implications of voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
4. Detailed privacy settings for iOS and why GrapheneOS is the better alternative.
5. AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude, and their risks.
6. Privacy concerns with vehicles, focusing on data leaks and constant surveillance.
7. The intersection of cybersecurity and OSINT in modern attacks.

Show Links:

• Apple offers $95 million in Siri privacy violation settlement
• Amazon to pay $31 million in privacy violation penalties for Alexa voice assistant and Ring camera
• Nulide / FindMyDevice · GitLab
• British journalist could face years in prison for refusing to hand over his passwords to the police - Il Fatto Quotidiano
• Volkswagen EV data leak exposes personal information of 3.3 million people
• Tesla data helped police after Las Vegas truck explosion, but experts have wider privacy concerns

Support this show: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheLockdown
Official website: https://psysecure.com/podcast/

"If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself."
-George Orwell

Podcast music: The R3cluse 

In this episode I speak with Luke Mulks, who is the VP of Business Operations at Brave Software. We discuss the privacy concerns over traditional web-based ads, and why Brave is offering a privacy-first alternative.

Show Links:

• Brave Software:  https://brave.com/podcast/ 
• The Brave Technologist Podcast: https://brave.com/podcast/

"Well who's gonna monitor the monitors of the monitors?" - Carla Dean (Enemy of the State)

Podcast music: Recluse by Ray Heffer  

In this episode, we go back to the basics as I discuss what I would do today if I were starting from scratch. It begins with deleting social media accounts, especially Facebook. Additionally, we have an update from Optery in response to listener feedback.

We discuss tools like LibreWolf, Brave, and GrapheneOS, and compare privacy approaches for mobile devices, including Pixel and iPhone. A segment is dedicated to starting a privacy-first journey, from deleting social media accounts to adopting secure communication and password management practices. The episode also touches on how AI, including large language models (LLMs), is reshaping privacy concerns by building highly accurate profiles of users.

In this week’s episode:

• Don't overthink privacy, especially web browsers with Brave, Firefox, and LibreWolf
• Back to the basics starting with deleting social media
• Pixel vs iPhone (GrapheneOS)

Show Links:

• Self-hosting Nextcloud: https://psysecure.com/self-hosting-nextlcoud
• LibreWolf: https://librewolf.net/
• GrapheneOS: https://grapheneos.org/
• Meta fined $1.3b: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/22/business/meta-facebook-eu-privacy-fine.html
• Surveillance Watch: https://www.surveillancewatch.io/

"The world outside, the world that you know, it’s gone. It doesn’t exist."
– Christof

Podcast music: Recluse by Ray Heffer  

In this episode, recorded on October 10, 2024, I dive into privacy and security during natural disasters, highlighting essential tools like iOS 18’s satellite messaging and Starlink for maintaining communication when traditional systems fail. Next I dive into self-hosting in depth, particularly focusing on Nextcloud for privacy-conscious file sync. The episode concludes with a detailed analysis of a critical vulnerability in Firefox and the merits of switching to LibreWolf for enhanced privacy and security.

In this week’s episode:

1. Privacy During Natural Disasters. Using of iOS 18’s satellite communication features for emergency contact, Starlink for off-grid internet access, and the importance of internet and Sudo phone numbers for safety without compromising privacy.
2. Bug out bags for emergency preparedness, the utility of Starlink and satellite phones for privacy in disaster zones.
3. Overview of the blog post on hosting Nextcloud, importance of cloud backups using Backblaze B2 and Restic, encrypting backups and maintaining data privacy within home networks.
4. Other Privacy Tools and Practices, including Blue Iris for managing surveillance cameras without internet access, use of Proxmox for virtual machines and running DNS servers with PiHole.
5. Analysis of the Firefox vulnerability (CVE 2024-9680), discussion on the benefits of LibreWolf as a more private alternative to Firefox.

Show Links:

• Self-hosting Nextcloud - https://www.psysecure.com/self-hosting-nextlcoud
• Starlink - https://www.starlink.com/
• Backblaze B2 - https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-storage
• Restic FAQ - https://restic.readthedocs.io/en/latest/faq.html
• Nextcloud End-to-End Encryption - https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/latest/admin_manual/configuration_files/encryption_configuration.html
• Firefox Users Fingerprinted via Cached Intermediate HTTPS Certificates - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/firefox-users-fingerprinted-via-cached-intermediate-https-certificates/
• Certificate issue causing add-ons to be disabled or fail to install - https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/fixed-certificate-issue-causing-add-ons-to-be-disabled-or-fail-to-install/39047
• Firefox CVE 2024-9680 - https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2024-51/
• LibreWolf - https://librewolf.net/

- Sun Tzu

Podcast music: Recluse by Ray Heffer 

In this episode, we have a special guest, Tyler Murphy, co-founder of EasyOptOuts, a data removal service focused on helping people remove their personal information from publicly accessible people search sites. Tyler discusses the inspiration behind EasyOptOuts, the challenges of maintaining privacy in a world of constant data breaches, and offers insights into data removal from various brokers. This conversation is packed with advice for anyone looking to regain control over their online privacy.

In this week’s episode:

1. Tyler shares how EasyOptOuts was founded, the challenges faced, and their mission to make data removal accessible.
2. Discussion on the widespread availability of personal data on people search sites and the complexities of removing it.
3. Insights into how EasyOptOuts automates data removal, and comparisons with manual removal processes.
4. The challenges posed by bot detection, CAPTCHAs, and deceptive removal processes that often require membership or payment.
5. The potential implications of data breaches, evolving bot detection, and the future of digital identity verification.
6. Tyler shares his own privacy techniques, including the use of VPNs, alias names, and minimizing data exposure online.
7. EasyOptOuts approach to scaling their service, future plans for business and family tiers, and their commitment to remaining a two-person operation.

Show Links:
EasyOptOuts - https://www.easyoptouts.com/

Podcast music: Recluse by Ray Heffer

In today’s show, I discuss the National Public Data (NPD) breach, which contains 2.7 billion records, including the social security numbers of US residents. I cover how to check if your SSN is part of the breach and emphasize the importance of setting up a credit freeze for yourself and your kids. I also explore some useful tools for searching large datasets and share my thoughts on a Reddit post.

In this week's episode:

1. On the brink of giving up!
2. Using OnlyOffice as a Google Docs alternative
3. National Public Data (NPD) breach
4. Ripgrep (rg) and Silver Searcher (ag) tools for searching massive datasets
5. Credit freezes
6. Best efforts for Windows 11 privacy
7. ElevenTray, a useful utility to always show Windows 11 tray icons

Show Links:
Simplewall - https://github.com/henrypp/simplewall
ElevenTray - https://github.com/locksec/eleventray
OnlyOffice - https://www.onlyoffice.com/
LibreOffice - https://www.libreoffice.org/
Credit Freeze Guide - https://inteltechniques.com/freeze.html

Credit Freeze for Kids:
Equifax - https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/identity-theft/articles/-/learn/freezing-your-childs-credit-report-faq/
(800)685-1111
Equifax Security Freeze, PO Box 105788, Atlanta, Georgia 30348

Experian - https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
(888)397-3742
Experian Security Freeze. PO Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion - https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/credit-freeze-faq#freeze-other-minor-0
(888)909-8872
TransUnion, P.O. Box 380, Woodlyn, PA 19094

https://www.transunion.com/credit-disputes/child-identity-theft-inquiry-form

Podcast music: Recluse by Ray Heffer 

This week I respond to a few listener questions, primarily around the use of social media as a privacy enthusiast. Love it or hate it, you can guess which camp I'm in, social media like LinkedIn has almost become a requirement for job searches, employers, and connecting with other professionals. I also touch on OPSEC for OSINT, a new talk track I am planning to present in the future. It's important for all of us to maintain better Operational Security (OPSEC). Finally, I share my latest blog post: Venturing into AI Security with Locally Hosted LLMs, and why locally hosted AI is essential for privacy.

In this week's episode:

1. Redacting  ███ in your social media profiles
2. Minimizing the use of profile photos
3. Always assume private profiles are NEVER private
4. Addiction to social media and down regulation of the dopamine receptors
5. More on custom domains
6. Operational Security for OSINT professionals
7. Locally hosted LLMs for private AI
8. Data (PII) leakage with ChatGPT

Show Links:

• ChatGPT Privacy Issue - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/22/technology/openai-chatgpt-privacy-exploit.html
• Brain anatomy alterations associated with Social Networking addiction - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5362930/
• AI Security with Locally Hosted LLMs - https://lockdown.media/ai-security-with-llms
• Expired Domains - https://www.expireddomains.net/
• SimpleLogin - https://simplelogin.io/

- Brill (Enemy of the State)

Podcast music: Recluse by Ray Heffer 

In this week’s show, I take a deeper dive into Apple’s iCloud Private Relay, discussing who should and who shouldn’t use it. I then discuss my latest article, “The Complete Setup Guide to pfSense for Privacy and Security,” and the benefits of an always-on VPN. Lastly, for those who are parents, I offer a discussion on privacy for kids and some non-invasive techniques for protecting them online.

In this week's episode:

1. Intro
2. iCloud Private Relay
3. Complete Guide to pfSense
4. Privacy for Kids
5. Listener questions

Show Links:

• The Complete Setup Guide to pfSense for Privacy and Security: https://lockdown.media/complete-setup-guide-to-pfsense
•  NextDNS: https://nextdns.io/
•  Cron package for pfSense: https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/packages/list.html
•  Private Relay Outage: https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/iphones/having-browsing-trouble-on-apple-devices-youre-not-alone-apples-private-relay-system-is-having-problems
•  iCloud Private Relay Overview: https://www.apple.com/privacy/docs/iCloud_Private_Relay_Overview_Dec2021.PDF

- Truman Burbank

Podcast music: Recluse by Ray Heffer

This week we go back to the basics of privacy and security for the average Joe or Jane, and discuss the latest iPhone settings for privacy. I also discuss the Twilio Authy API abuse that resulted in 33 million phone numbers for Authy accounts being exposed. Huge thank you to the Patreon supporters!

In this week's episode:

1. Back to the basics
2. Advice for the 'average Joe'
3.  The Twilio Authy API breach
4.  iPhone privacy settings
5.  Listener question on doorbell cameras

Show Links:

• 1Password Security Audits: https://support.1password.com/security-assessments/
• Bitwarden Security Audits: https://bitwarden.com/help/is-bitwarden-audited/
• Twilio Breach: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-abused-api-to-verify-millions-of-authy-mfa-phone-numbers/
• MySudo: https://mysudo.com/
• ProtonMail: https://protonmail.com/
• StrongBox: https://strongboxsafe.com/
• KeepassDX: https://www.keepassdx.com/
• Amcrest Cameras: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZJS3L5Y

- Edward Snowden

Podcast music: Recluse by Ray Heffer

After escaping to the mountains and living like a recluse for the past few months, I am back. In this week's show, I discuss my latest experiences in purchasing a home and titling in a living trust, along with the potential obstacles with title deeds and mortgage lenders, and avoiding data breaches with utility companies. I also revisit GrapheneOS after using it daily for the past year, and answer listener questions.

In this week's episode:

1. Living in the mountains
2. Buying a house with a living trust
3. Potential pitfalls with title deeds and mortgage lenders
4. Balancing privacy and security
5. The 'All or Nothing' approach
6. Why I still use Obsidian over Standard Notes
7. Revisiting GrapheneOS and the Play Integrity API
8. Baby Reindeer
9. Listeners Questions

- Daniel J. Solove