In this final episode of The Lockdown, I reflect on the journey of the podcast, and explaining why I’m redirecting my energy to other projects. I discuss the importance of practical privacy measures, measures over an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach, as well as sharing my thoughts on threat modeling, and address several listener questions about privacy tools and self-hosting. I also introduce a new concept from my recent blog post about the “space between” in cybersecurity, examining how compartmentalization of identities can serve as an early warning system against social engineering attacks.
In this week’s episode:
Matrix Community Rooms
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- Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★In this episode, I share news from my recent trip to the UK, noticing how it seems to have reached the epic proportions of a Black Mirror episode; from the absurd TV licensing program to the new Digital ID Brit cards that will track your behavior. I also explore how the UK may be serving as a testing ground for new levels of behavioral surveillance that could eventually spread globally. I dive into California’s $900 “smart” license plates that track your every move, centralized government digital currencies, and my predictions for the next 20 years of Orwellian surveillance.
In this week’s episode:
Matrix Community Rooms
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- Mustapha Mond (Brave New World
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★In this episode I address listener feedback and questions, from clarifying my stance on the “Tea” controversy to sharing practical tips from the community about Privacy.com workarounds. This episode covers some loose ends before I take a brief hiatus. I also discuss why I won’t be at Black Hat this year, share thoughts on minimalism versus practicality in privacy, and reveal my favorite Indian restaurant in Vegas for those attending Black Hat!
In this week’s episode:
Matrix Community Rooms
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- Friedrich Nietzsche
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★In this episode, I discuss the challenges facing privacy-focused payment solutions like Privacy.com, exploring alternatives and the troubling rise of KYC requirements across the industry. I dive deep into the Switzerland privacy crisis that’s forcing Proton to consider relocating their infrastructure, and what this means for encrypted email providers globally. I also cover the catastrophic security failure at Tea, a women’s safety app that exposed 72,000 images including government IDs through basic incompetence, leading to harassment campaigns on 4chan.
I wrap up with thoughts on vehicle tracking through DCM/Telematics modules, why buying older vehicles might be the better privacy-conscious choice, and how embracing the stoic lifestyle aligns with both privacy and my own philosophical principles.
In this week’s episode:
Matrix Community Rooms
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- Marcus Aurelius
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★In this episode, I address listener feedback and corrections regarding use of public Wi-Fi, MAC addresses, and aliases. I dive deep into the nuances of MAC address randomization on GrapheneOS versus Apple’s private Wi-Fi addresses, explaining why GrapheneOS offers superior privacy protection. I discuss the real threats of public Wi-Fi in 2025 (hint: it’s not hackers with Wireshark), and share my approach with aliases.
I also cover the rising threat of infostealers like Atomic Info Stealer for macOS, the dangerous intersection of gaming cheats and malware, and why I avoid third-party antivirus software. Most importantly, I address the GrapheneOS controversy: the loss of a senior developer to military conscription, Google’s strategic pivot that threatens custom ROMs, and why claims of GrapheneOS “dying” are misinformation spread by those with competing agendas.
In this week’s episode:
Matrix Community Rooms
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- Kevin Mitnick
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★In this episode, I explore the difference between the military mindset and the more stealth approach of minimization in cybersecurity. I share the results from the Ghost in the Source Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge, revealing how the winners cracked the AES encryption using dictionary attacks, keyword harvesting and the cipher tool hidden in robots.txt. I discuss why the “assume breach” mentality just leaves the doors wide open, using examples from Kevin Mitnick’s 1981 Pacific Bell infiltration to modern ransomware groups like Scattered Spider who breached MGM and Marks & Spencer through social engineering.
I also cover practical tactics for using public Wi-Fi, data curation techniques, the invisible surveillance net including Stingray devices, and provide a deep dive into GrapheneOS covering user profiles, app sandboxing, network controls, sensor permissions, and the proper use of sandboxed Google Play services.
In this week’s episode:
Matrix Community Rooms
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- Hajime Ryudo
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★