This Week in Tech (Audio)

TWiT 1068: Toto's Electrostatic Chuck - Is TikTok's New Privacy Policy Cause for Alarm?

Jan 26, 2026
Guest
Doc Rock
Guest
Patrick Beja
Guest
Alex Stamos
Doc Rock, a YouTuber and Ecamm partnerships director, drops cultural tech anecdotes. Patrick Beja, French tech podcaster in Paris, explains European contingency planning. Alex Stamos, cybersecurity and AI expert, parses security, elections, and AI safety. They tackle TikTok’s new privacy terms, Microsoft handing over BitLocker keys, Europe’s tech failover plans, and AI image and CSAM legal questions.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Prediction Markets Warp News Incentives

  • Prediction markets have ballooned into large-scale gambling on news and events.
  • Alex Stamos and panelists warn this shifts public focus from impact to odds and amplifies manipulation risks.
ADVICE

Protect Keys By Avoiding Default Windows Backups

  • If your threat model includes governments, avoid Windows defaults that back up BitLocker keys to Microsoft.
  • Use local-only keys or Linux full-disk encryption to retain exclusive access to your keys.
INSIGHT

Prop Bets Make Small Actions Corruptible

  • Prop bets on individual actions are highly gameable compared with team outcomes.
  • Alex Stamos highlights the risk that tiny incentives can enable wire-fraud–style collusion.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app