The start of a new year is always a good time to add some big juicy goals to your to-do list – call them New Year’s Resolutions, if that works for you, but really it’s just about making up your mind to tackle some important personal objectives. Today I’ll give you several ideas to improve your privacy and security in 2025, and those around you.

In the news: dozens of malicious Chrome Browser extensions identified; net neutrality is dead, again, and probably for good this time; Apple to pay a meager $95M to settle a Siri privacy class action suit; Apple’s new Enhanced Visual Search is enabled by default and sending data to Apple; proposed ban on TP-Link routers is missing the real problem; Google’s change in its Privacy Sandbox policy seems to now allow the use of device fingerprinting; proposed HIPAA amendments will close major health data security gaps.

Article Links

1. [Ars Technica] Time to check if you ran any of these 33 malicious Chrome extensions https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/01/dozens-of-backdoored-chrome-extensions-discovered-on-2-6-million-devices/
2. Terms of service study: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2016/07/14/agree-terms-conditions-lie/ 
3. [nytimes.com] Net Neutrality Rules Struck Down by Appeals Court https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/technology/net-neutrality-rules-fcc.html
4. [reuters.com] Apple to pay $95 million to settle Siri privacy lawsuit https://www.reuters.com/legal/apple-pay-95-million-settle-siri-privacy-lawsuit-2025-01-02/
5. [macrumors.com] Apple Says Siri Data Has Never Been Sold or Used for Marketing  https://www.macrumors.com/2025/01/06/apple-siri-data-not-sold-for-marketing/ 
6. [9to5mac.com] Enhanced Visual Search shares your photos with Apple by default, to identify landmarks https://9to5mac.com/2024/12/30/enhanced-visual-search-shares-your-photos-with-apple-by-default-to-identify-landmarks/
7. [csoonline.com] No evidence that TP-Link routers are a Chinese security threat https://www.csoonline.com/article/3504775/no-evidence-that-tp-link-routers-are-a-chinese-security-threat.html
8. [Lukasz Olejnik blog] Biggest Privacy Erosion in 10 Years? On Google’s Policy Change Towards Fingerprinting https://blog.lukaszolejnik.com/biggest-privacy-erosion-in-10-years-on-googles-policy-change-towards-fingerprinting/
9. [Dark Reading] Proposed HIPAA Amendments Will Close Healthcare Security Gaps https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/proposed-hipaa-amendments-close-healthcare-security-gaps
10. Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/new-years-resolutions-2025/ 

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Table of Contents

Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show.

• 0:00:07: Intro
• 0:01:24: News preview
• 0:02:59: Time to check if you ran any of these 33 malicious Chrome extensions
• 0:12:51: Net Neutrality Rules Struck Down by Appeals Court
• 0:16:49: Apple to pay $95 million to settle Siri privacy lawsuit
• 0:19:02: Apple Says Siri Data Has Never Been Sold or Used for Marketing
• 0:26:29: Enhanced Visual Search shares your photos with Apple by default
• 0:35:23: No evidence that TP-Link routers are a Chinese security threat
• 0:47:01: Biggest Privacy Erosion in 10 Years? On Google’s Policy Change Towards Fingerprinting
• 0:53:08: Proposed HIPAA Amendments Will Close Healthcare Security Gaps
• 0:57:16: Tip of the Week: New Years Resolutions for 2025!
• 1:04:53: Wrap-up