Privacy Episodes

News about where technology and privacy meet, daily.
April 1, 2020

Wed. 04/01 - The Zoom Privacy Storm

We’ve reached the end of the John Legere era. Samsung thinks we’ve reached the end of the LCD era. Comcast is inadvertently proving ISP datacaps are BS. Is Zoom a victim of its own success? And it’s maybe not overstating thi…
March 23, 2020

Mon. 03/23 - The Pros And Cons Of Surveilling Against Covid19

The pros and cons of using big data, cellphones and the surveillance economy to combat the coronavirus. More iPhone rumors from Ming-Chi Kuo. Is the Oculus Quest bringing VR into the mainstream? And how to block your messy b…
Jan. 21, 2020

Tue. 01/21 - Why Didn't Apple Encrypt iCloud Backups?

Apple could have encrypted iCloud backups… but didn’t… ostensibly to play nice with the government? Getting an Uber from the airport is about to get more expensive. Digital media is actually making money??!! Is IGTV on the w…
Aug. 2, 2019

Fri. 08/02 - Stop Listening To Me, Siri!

Google and Apple suspend their programs where humans listen in on what you say to your voice assistant, Google will let Android users in Europe pick a search engine, Verizon tortures the very definition of words, Amazon dash…
July 13, 2019

(Bonus) The Superhuman Brouhaha With Mike Davidson

Remember the whole Superhuman kerfuffle of the last week or so? Mike Davidson wrote a blog post calling out some shady stuff in the Superhuman email product, all of silicon valley debated it, Superhuman walked things back a …
Guest: Mike Davidson
July 3, 2019

Wed. 07/03 - Why Is Everyone Arguing Over Superhuman?

Telsa sold a lot more Model 3’s than anyone expected, more signs of tech manufacturing fleeing China, Uber’s new Dine-In service is kinda brilliant, and have you seen the whole tech world arguing over Superhuman? Sponsors: T…
April 11, 2019

Thu. 04/11 - Alexa Snags Its Own "Scandal"

Yes, there are people listening in on your Alexa recordings, but it’s complicated; Jeff Bezos challenges competitors to pay their workers more, the third big unicorn IPO of the year happened today, and a rundown of noteworth…
March 16, 2019

The State of Consumer Data and Privacy With Consumer Reports' Justin Brookman

When issues of consumer data, and consumer privacy come up on the show, I think I've asked a couple of times before, what are the laws here? In the United States. Who owns my data? What are the rules? What mechanisms are in …
March 7, 2019

Thu. 03/07 - Facebook Pivots To Privacy

Facebook pivots to privacy, Huawei follows through on suing the US government, Duplex rolls out wide, and Bird’s white label scooter scheme. Sponsors: Lightstream.com/ride Metalab.co Links: A Privacy-Focused Vision for So…
Feb. 16, 2019

NBC News' Jacob Ward On Data Vs. Privacy

Remember that first weekend longread from yesterday, from NBC’s Tech Correspondent Jacob Ward? As I said, it triggered some things that I’ve been thinking about for a while. About data and data harvesting and data capitalism…
Guest: Jacob Ward
Jan. 4, 2019

Fri. 01/04 - The Verge vs. AT&T And L.A. vs. The Weather Channel app

The Verge and AT&T have a trademark dispute, the city of Los Angeles and The Weather Channel app have a location data dispute, more on how shows like Bandersnatch really might be the future of storytelling and the weekend lo…
Aug. 13, 2018

Tue. 8/13 - Does Google Track Even When You Say No?

Is Google tracking you even when you tell it not to? Big executive departure at Netflix, Elon expounds on taking Telsa private, and how machine learning can identify devs simply by the way they code. Links:Lenovo Launches Ul…
May 22, 2018

Tuesday, May 22, 2018 - Amazon Vs. The ACLU

Another chip flaw found, privacy activists turn their attention to Amazon, ZTE might be saved by the Trump Administration, Zuckerberg’s European sojourn is a damp squib, and now you can mute annoying people on Instagram. Sto…
March 28, 2018

Wednesday, Mar. 28, 2018 - Facebook Privacy Shortcuts

Facebook introduces Privacy Shortcuts, Trump is “obsessed” with Amazon, Waze launches local ads, Shyp shuts down, video streaming will get faster and there’s more music now than ever! Stories from: @harrymccracken, @NeilSha…