The Virtual Private Network (VPN) business is hot. What was once the domain of the corporate world is now a ubiquitous phenomenon. Today there are 1.5 billion VPN users worldwide--making this a nearly $50 billion global market. In this episode of Privacy Files , we take a hard look at the world of VPNs. What's driving the growth in VPN adoption? Who's using VPNs, for what and why? Are all VPNs the same? What about free VPN services? Are all VPNs truly private? 93% of organizations employ...
May 06, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 29
World Password Day is May 4, 2023. And with 80% of hacking-related breaches being linked to passwords, this Intel-conceived annual event, is an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of strong passwords and fight back against bad actors. It's a great reminder to take inventory of your accounts and reassess all login credentials--especially financial accounts. Take an extra hard look at account passwords for checking, savings, credit cards, peer-to-peer payment apps and investmen...
May 03, 2023•55 min•Ep. 28
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) has been receiving a lot of press lately. There is so much data freely accessible online today that many experts say spy agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) should focus their research efforts on OSINT sources first, long before employing covert techniques like wiretapping or reading an adversary's mail. In other words, OSINT isn't just about stalkers and other bad actors using publicly-available info...
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 27
Imagine a future where YOU own your data and not Big Tech. Imagine a future where you control what personal information you share, with whom and for how long. Decentralized identity offers this future and the technology and standards are being developed today. When available, decentralized identity will put an end to the practice of giant corporations storing your sensitive personal data--only for a hacker to come along and breach that database, exposing you to identity theft and financial fraud...
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 26
Identity theft is big business for bad actors. In 2021, there were nearly 1.7 million reports of identity theft in the United States, translating into $56 billion in losses. Credit card fraud is the second leading form of identity theft with nearly 400,000 cases being reported in the United States in 2021. In 2023, worldwide payment card fraud losses are expected to exceed $35 billion. In fact, global payment card losses from fraud are expected to total nearly $400 billion over the next ten year...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 25
Each year in the United States, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) processes approximately 160 million individual tax returns. Personal income taxes in America is anything but a simple process. In fact, there are literally more than 800 forms and schedules available to accommodate a wide variety of income reporting scenarios. But with approximately 92% of all tax returns in the United States being filed electronically, just how safe is your personal data? To kick off the episode, we cover a litt...
Apr 12, 2023•44 min•Ep. 24
In the United States, there are nearly 40,000 private detectives and investigators. Jobs for private detectives and investigators are expected to grow 13% through 2030. Globally, the private investigation services market stands at $18.2 billion USD in 2022. In fact, private investigation services account for 20% of the entire global security services market. So what's responsible for the growing demand for private detectives and investigators? One word: Fraud. A rapid explosion in fraud acro...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 23
In this episode of Privacy Files , we wrap up our two-part series on Smart Devices and Privacy. We highlight another handful of popular smart devices and discuss the privacy and security implications of employing them in your home. From baby monitors and security systems (including Ring doorbell cameras) to smart cars and digital assistants, we give you the pros and cons and how to better protect yourself. Then we step back a bit to look at the smart home as a whole. What's the common theme?...
Mar 24, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 22
Today, smart devices are practically everywhere. In fact, there are now 15.14 billion internet-connected devices worldwide. That number is expected to double by 2030. In 2020, the number of Inernet-of-Things (IoT) devices surpassed the number of non-IoT devices. And there's no looking back. Worldwide, 127 devices are connected to the internet every second of the day. And by 2025, it is estimated that 152,200 devices will be connecting to the internet every minute. Smart devices bring lots of...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 21
In this spellbinding episode of Privacy Files , Rich and Sarah peel the layers off of the Chinese Spy Balloon incident that occurred over the United States from January 28 to February 4 2023. While this incident may have been an attempt by the Chinese government to gather intelligence from American military installations, there are further concerns that the technology included in the balloon's payload could have been used to surveil American citizens. According to the U.S. State Department, the ...
Mar 15, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 20
The video game industry is the largest category within the entertainment industry, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue annually. Estimates put the video game industry at five to ten times the box office revenue of the movie industry. More than half of Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z play video games. In fact, an astonishing 81% of Gen Z plays video games. But just exactly how private is gaming? According to one former FBI agent, in 2019, there were approximately 1,000 swatting cases in ...
Mar 13, 2023•53 min•Ep. 19
In this episode of Privacy Files , Rich and Sarah observe Teen Tech Week by addressing some of the safety issues teenagers encounter while navigating the online world. The discussion was enhanced by welcoming a guest, the mother of a teenage daughter, to provide insight into the growing issues teens face online. Teens spend hours and hours on their mobile devices every single day. However, when they encounter a risky situation online, only 1 out of every 4 times do they actually inform a parent ...
Mar 07, 2023•40 min•Ep. 18
Nearly 1.2% of all emails sent are malicious in nature. That's approximately 3.4 billion phishing emails sent every single day. In this episode of Privacy Files , we examine how the increase in remote work is raising the risk level for data breaches at companies around the world. One growing threat is zero-click exploits. These are cyber attacks that don't even require the victim to click a link. This type of threat usually comes in the form of an image sent via a text. In fact, Samsung just rel...
Mar 03, 2023•33 min•Ep. 17
In Part 2 of our two-part series on TikTok and Privacy , we start off by looking at the mental health effects of being on the short-form video app. From feeding users a constant stream of harmful content to shaming people about their body image, TikTok has come under tremendous heat from critics around the world. While TikTok's community guidelines state that bullying and other forms of harassment are violations, only content moderators in the Beijing office are allowed to ban accounts. With the...
Feb 28, 2023•53 min•Ep. 16
More than 1.5 billion people use TikTok worldwide. Nearly one-third of the world's internet users are on the ultra popular short-form video hosting app. In 2022, TikTok was the most downloaded app on earth. But what is TikTok doing with all of this user data? Is it really just a harmless app for watching silly dancing videos? Or is there more to the story? In Part 1 of this 2-part Privacy Files series on TikTok and privacy, we review the origin story of TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. Did yo...
Feb 24, 2023•47 min•Ep. 15
In 2022, social engineering was the #1 type of cyber attack, with an average cost of $4.1 million per incident. It's so common that in the last six months, even Uber and Reddit were victims. Data breaches that occurred in 2022 where social engineering was the attack vector took on average 270 days to identity and contain--201 days to identity the breach and 69 days to contain them. When it comes to social engineering attacks, it's all about the human element. In fact, 90% of cyber attacks agains...
Feb 16, 2023•46 min•Ep. 14
Over 40 million Americans use dating apps. Globally, that number is more than 300 million. While many find success leveraging dating apps to find love, it's not always a positive experience. In fact, 46% of Americans say dating sites and apps are "not too safe" or "not at all safe." Of female dating app users ages 18-34, 60% said someone continue to contact them after they said they were not interested, and nearly one in five said someone had threatened to physically harm them. In this episode o...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 13
In this episode of Privacy Files , Rich and Sarah dive deep into the world of MySudo, the world's only all-in-one privacy app. And Bundy, Anonyome Labs' Head of User Support, joins the discussion from his office on the Gold Coast of Australia. As one of the original employees at Anonyome, Bundy brings an immense wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of MySudo. Before breaking down how MySudo protects personal data, Rich and Sarah discuss the recent news about the Federal Trade Commission ...
Feb 10, 2023•34 min•Ep. 12
ChatGPT is the hottest topic in technology. It's impossible to comb through the daily news and not bump into another story about this artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Yes, we admit, it's a really cool piece of technology. But what about the privacy implications? In this episode of Privacy Files , Brian Tillman (Mr. Metaverse) makes another special appearance on the podcast to discuss with Rich the privacy concerns surrounding ChatGPT. We talk about ChatGPT's origins and Microsoft's investme...
Feb 07, 2023•44 min•Ep. 11
People often say, "I have nothing to hide." Hence, they're not concerned about a government monitoring their personal communications. For those who hold this view, this episode might make you rethink your position. In this episode of Privacy Files , Rich and Sarah review the new 2-part PBS documentary Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus . This documentary is an earth-shattering story about governments using advanced technology to surveil politicians, heads of state, royal family members, jo...
Feb 02, 2023•36 min•Ep. 10
In this latest episode of Privacy Files , Rich and Sarah take on their most ambitious investigation thus far. From wearable technology and DNA analysis for ancestry research, to at-home blood tests and scheduling doctors' visits online, people now freely share more of their medical information than at any other time in human history. And along with the rise in the use of technology to analyze the details of our intimate medical history comes the increase in opportunities for abuse of that sensit...
Feb 01, 2023•44 min•Ep. 9
In this episode of Privacy Files , Rich and Sarah celebrate Data Privacy Week. Running January 22-28, 2023, this annual event, sponsored by the National Cybersecurity Alliance, is designed to raise awareness about online privacy. The mission is two-fold: help individuals understand that they have the power to manage their data and educate organizations on why it's important to respect their users' data. We kicked off the episode by covering the recent T-Mobile data breach where a hacker compromi...
Jan 25, 2023•31 min•Ep. 8
In this episode, Rich and Sarah tackle Part 2 of their deep dive into the mysterious and manipulative world of surveillance capitalism by reviewing perhaps the most well-known documentary on the subject: The Social Dilemma. It's a shocking look into how Big Tech attempts to manipulate and influence us--all told through the words of Silicon Valley tech experts. To enhance the discussion, Maddie and Chrysoula join Rich and Sarah in studio to provide a Gen Z perspective on the documentary and topic...
Jan 24, 2023•35 min•Ep. 7
In this episode, Sarah returns to the podcast to help Rich dive deep into a review of VPRO's landmark documentary: Shoshana Zuboff on surveillance capitalism . Surveillance capitalism is the core of the business model for today's Big Tech companies like Google and Facebook. It's not about your email address, phone number or social security. Surveillance capitalism is all about collecting voluminous amounts of rich, behavioral data on platform users to develop models that predict future behavior....
Jan 20, 2023•32 min•Ep. 6
We're hearing a lot about the metaverse these days. So far, the technology seems more hype than anything. Even though market adoption is low, it's evident privacy will be an even larger concern in this emerging world than today's "flat" internet. In this episode of Privacy Files , Brian Tillman (Mr. Metaverse) fills in for Sarah to provide his perspective on the overarching privacy concerns in this immersive virtual world. With Mark Zuckerberg and Meta leading the industry in developing metavers...
Jan 18, 2023•33 min•Ep. 5
Special guest appearance by Anonyome Labs' UX designer Brian Tillman. 80% of people surveyed value their data privacy more than keeping social media platforms free to use. Yet, 72% aren’t willing to pay to protect their privacy. To know where you're going, you must know where you've been. In this episode of Privacy Files , Sarah and Rich examine how variables such as generational cohort membership and individual life experiences shape how people view privacy and their approach to protecting pers...
Jan 06, 2023•36 min•Ep. 4
75% of Americans want to live more privately, but just don't know where to begin. In our third episode of Privacy Files, Sarah and Rich present some simple ways to live your digital life a little more privately without being extreme. In other words, there are some easy changes you can make today to protect your personal information without turning the effort into a full-time job. Did you know a SIM-based cell phone number can reveal almost as much about you (if not more) as a social security num...
Dec 27, 2022•29 min•Ep. 3
In this episode, Sarah and Rich address the reality for those living their lives online: The definition of privacy depends on who you talk to. We tackle the often nebulous term of "privacy" from the perspective of what we like to call a "normie." Touching on many hot-button issues in the privacy space, we cover the big issues like smart devices, smartphone tracking, social media usage and online advertising. By explaining the risk exposures, we make it easy for you to decide what's important to ...
Dec 27, 2022•29 min•Ep. 2
In this first episode of Privacy Files, co-hosts Sarah and Rich lay the foundation for what this podcast is about. We provide you with an overview of the most common data privacy issues affecting society today and give you a sneak peek into upcoming episodes. Our podcast is about making privacy approachable for everyone. It's not about extreme privacy. You won't hear any talk about "how to disappear online." The topics we discuss on Privacy Files are intended for a wide audience of people who ar...
Dec 27, 2022•22 min•Ep. 1
