Privacy Files

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 a VPN but still less than 40% of Americans say they use one. Of all global internet users, 31% report using a VPN. While significant VPN growth is still expected in the United States, other high-growth markets include China, Canada, Germany and Japan. Most concerning is that 47% of personal VPN users use a free VPN service. This is problematic for a variety of reasons: 60% of free VPN users encounter problems with their connections including slow internet speed, numerous or buggy ads, and streaming issues. 86% of free iOS and Android VPN apps have unacceptable privacy policies, ranging from a simple lack of transparency to explicitly sharing user data with Chinese authorities. 64% of free VPN app offerings had no web presence outside of their app store pages, and only 17% responded to customer support emails. 38% of free Android VPNs contain malware. In a November 2021 study, just 15% of free VPN apps respected iOS users' choices when they declined voluntary ad tracking. Some free VPNs have been known to sell your bandwidth, potentially putting you on the legal hook for whatever they do with it. Overall, the takeaway is that not all VPNs are the same. Features vary widely. It is highly recommended that you stay far away from free VPN services. Paying for a quality VPN service will give you peace of mind and help you avoid potential headaches later that could cost you many times more than the service itself. To close out the episode we talk about Anonyome Labs' launch of its own VPN service, MySudo VPN. It's one of only two VPN services that doesn't require personally identifiable information (PII) to sign up. No email address. No phone number. No passwords. Another benefit is that MySudo VPN is compatible with MySudo, the world's only all-in-one privacy app. The VPN space is a fascinating one and this episode is a great overview of where VPN technology is today. Links Referenced: https://explodingtopics.com/blog/vpn-stats https://nordvpn.com/blog/vpn-for-china/ https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-free-vpn/ https://www.top10vpn.com/research/free-vpn-investigations/ownership/ https://cdn-resprivacy.pressidium.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/paper-1.pdf https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FTC-CDT-VPN-complaint-8-7-17.pdf https://www.top10vpn.com/research/free-vpn-investigations/ios-request-to-track/ https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/not-all-vpns-care-about-your-privacy/ https://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/its-not-that-hard-to-unmask-real-people-in-anonymous-data-researchers-warn/ https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/3-companies-control-many-big-name-vpns-what-you-need-to-know/ https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/companies-secretly-own-dozens-vpns/ OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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 investments. If there are accounts you haven't used in a while, consider whether it's worth keeping them open. The more password-protected accounts you hold, the greater your exposure is to a data breach. In this episode of Privacy Files, we examine the topic of password security. From longer and more complex passwords, to multifactor authentication and password managers, there are many tools available for upping your password game. Every study of a topic typically begins with the statistics. And it's no different here as we highlighted the most interesting facts about passwords. For instance, 59% of people use their name or birth date in their password. Definitely not a good idea! Even more fascinating--only 45% of people said they would change a password after a breach. 42% of organizations rely on sticky notes for password management. Again...not a good idea! One of the more concerning stats is about the reuse of passwords. Almost two-thirds of people use the same password across multiple accounts. While traditional advice typically includes resetting passwords every so often, more experts are now recommending the use of a password manager to store long and complex passwords that never need to be reset. Combine this approach with multifactor authentication and the security of your accounts should be at their maximum. In fact, research indicates that multifactor authentication blocks 99.9% of all attacks. Those are pretty convincing results. We also briefly touch on other secure access methods such as biometrics, passkeys, security keys and decentralized identity. Links Referenced: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/netflix-password-crackdown-timeline-sharing-paid-earnings-q1-2023/ https://www.foxnews.com/tech/ai-tech-can-crack-common-passwords-stunning-speed-researchers-find https://www.tomshardware.com/news/thermal-cameras-and-machine-learning-combine-to-snoop-out-passwords https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/password-statistics/ https://www.wired.com/story/best-password-managers/ OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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 information on you to do you harm. Today, OSINT is used by corporations and governments to track people and even predict the future. In this episode of Privacy Files, Brian Tillman (aka Mr. Metaverse) fills in for Sarah as co-host to help Rich make sense of the rapid rise of OSINT. Given the voluminous amounts of information the public is routinely sharing, how can corporations and governments leverage that data to make critical decisions? Rich kicks off the episode by briefly defining what OSINT really means and how your day-to-day online activities are leaving a data trail that feeds the OSINT machine. From predicting crime in America's largest cities to analyzing consumer app data to locate secret American military bases around the world, the power that OSINT harbors for society's future is just now being discovered. While OSINT has been around for decades, it really took off with the advent of the internet. And now with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) making giant leaps in recent years, the ability to make sense of unimaginable amounts of data in minutes instead of days, weeks or months is altering the way militaries, governments and corporations solve problems. Just some examples of vectors where your personal data may be acquired include: facial recognition cameras, license plate readers, social media usage, cell phone location data sharing, and anytime you provide someone your email or phone number. Links Referenced: https://hai.stanford.edu/news/re-imagining-espionage-era-artificial-intelligence https://www.smartcompany.com.au/industries/information-technology/grocery-chains-surveillance-tech-auror/ https://scitechdaily.com/ai-algorithm-predicts-future-crimes-one-week-in-advance-with-90-accuracy/ https://www.csoonline.com/article/3445357/what-is-osint-top-open-source-intelligence-tools.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/25/technology/china-surveillance-police.html https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-uses-ai-software-improve-its-surveillance-capabilities-2022-04-08/ OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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. In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah welcome Dr. Paul Ashley to the studio to break down the topic of decentralized identity--how it works, the technology underpinning it and the virtually infinite number of applications waiting to put this technology into practice. Dr. Ashley is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Anonyome Labs and one of the key industry players on the global stage who is developing the standards for decentralized identity. The global decentralized identity market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 90.3% from 2023 to 2030. Most experts attribute the predicted rise in decentralized identity to the explosion in identity fraud cases. In February 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a report revealing that identity fraud incidents increased by about 45% globally in 2020. Sarah kicks off the episode by defining decentralized identity and explaining how this approach to managing personal data is part of the larger discipline of Identity and Access Management (IAM). Dr. Ashley provides a history lesson on the evolution of IAM and the path that led us to decentralized identity today. He explains how data was first managed via a centralized approach. Then federated systems began to materialize. One common example of a federated approach to data management is Facebook. Facebook often asks users of the platform if they want to use their existing login credentials to access other platforms in order to collect that rich behavioral data. While convenient, the federate approach is a privacy nightmare. Sarah and Dr. Ashley then look at the anatomy of the decentralized identity process. From digital wallets and verifiable credentials to issuers and verifiers, it's a highly secure approach to giving the individual back control of their data--all based on blockchain technology. Rich and Dr. Ashley follow with a discussion on potential use cases and detailed examples of how the process actually works. Dr. Ashley closes out the episode by addressing some concerns about who controls decentralized identity and how the overall ecosystem should be structured to maximize privacy and security for digital wallet holders. Links Referenced: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/decentralized-identity-market-report OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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 years, with almost half of that amount occurring in the United States. With 65% (approximately 151 Americans) of credit and debit card holders in the United States having been a victim of fraud at some point in their lives, it's important to take extra precautions to protect your sensitive financial data. In this special "MySudo Monday" episode of Privacy Files, we look at virtual cards and how they can be used to better protect you against bad actors and financial institutions that want to sell your transactional data. We welcomed Dave Glass to the studio to lean on his expertise in the payment card industry. David is the Fintech Operations Manager at Anonyome Labs. We start with Sarah covering the eight most common forms of credit card fraud. Then Rich revisits a monumental hacking story from 2021 where hackers published a million stolen credit cards on the dark web. Sarah follows up by taking a hard look at MySudo virtual cards, explaining how they work and what the key benefits are. Rich and Dave then talk about the differences between a MySudo virtual card and a standard virtual card offered by a bank. Sarah takes it up a notch by discussing how to leverage MySudo's digital identity concept to compartmentalize different virtual cards, thus further limiting digital exhaust. The episode wraps up with Dave and Sarah talking about when ACH funding is launching for MySudo virtual cards. Then Rich provides a few tips for preventing credit card for those who choose not to use virtual cards. Links Referenced: https://www.disneydining.com/disney-guests-beware-of-credit-card-fraud-bwb1/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DisneyWorld/comments/12hsbja/credit_card_fraud_warning_4647/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 https://www.disneydining.com/guest-loses-apple-watch-on-ride-at-epcot-costing-her-more-than-40000-bb1/ https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/research/identity-theft-credit-card-fraud-statistics/ https://www.security.org/digital-safety/credit-card-fraud-report/ https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/hackers-published-one-million-stolen-credit-cards-on-the-dark-web-to-attract-cybercriminals-to-their-carding-site/ https://mysudo.com/2020/07/the-rise-of-surveillance-capitalism-or-whatever-happened-to-my-internet-free-will/ https://www.webfx.com/blog/internet/what-are-data-brokers-and-what-is-your-data-worth-infographic/ https://anonyome.com/2020/05/fight-the-fatigue-data-privacy-really-does-matter/ https://mysudo.com/2020/07/why-your-mysudo-virtual-card-is-more-private-than-a-banks-virtual-card/ https://mysudo.com/2020/08/the-most-private-way-to-use-mysudo-virtual-cards/ OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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 little news, looking at how one Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Secretary proposed mandating a GPS tracking device in all electric vehicles. The reason? He doesn't just want to tax you per mile driven, but he also wants to adjust your taxes based on where, when and why you're driving. In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah take a hard look at some of the problems with electronic filing and what you should be on the watch for. Sarah begins by introducing the Internal Revenue Code called Tax Information Privacy. It prohibits the IRS, your tax professional and any other tax prep company from disclosing your tax information without your written consent. Rich then dives into last year's bombshell story by The Markup about the Meta Pixel tracking code being used to collect sensitive financial information via some of the largest online tax-filing services. These services include H&R Block and TurboTax. In general, data being shared with Facebook included users' income, filing status, refund amounts and dependents' college scholarship amounts. The tax services involved in this investigation have since claimed they have either wholly removed or changed the settings of their tracking pixels to stop gathering financial information. But data sharing is just one vulnerability. According to Accounting Today, there has been a 300% increase in cyberattacks on accounting firms since the major rise in working from home started back in 2020. Keeping in mind that in 2022, there were nearly eight million reports of suspicious activity related to income tax filing and identity theft, Sarah closes out the episode by offering ten helpful tips for protecting your privacy when filing your taxes. Links Referenced: https://taxfoundation.org/publications/latest-federal-income-tax-data/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/how-to-navigate-an-unusually-complicated-tax-year-according-to-experts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_tax_forms https://themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2022/12/02/meta-sued-for-collecting-financial-information-through-tax-filing-websites https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23326894-322-cv-07557-si https://www.taxslayer.com/media-room/prdetails?articleID=122509 https://themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2022/10/20/senator-questions-zuckerberg-about-facebooks-collection-of-sensitive-health-information https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/05/20/americans-attitudes-about-privacy-security-and-surveillance/ https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/wsdot-secretary-wants-mandated-gps-tracking-for-a-road-usage-charge https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/03/15/how-improved-data-privacy-can-impact-the-future-of-the-gas-tax/?sh=56974e6b15ea OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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 across industry verticals, from data theft to financial fraud, is keeping private detectives and investigators very busy. But why is fraudulent activity rising so rapidly? The digitalization of businesses means that today, virtually any type of fraudulent activity can be carried out from the comfort of home, sitting in front of a laptop computer. In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah welcome Tom Chavez to the show to hear firsthand the challenges facing today's private investigator. Tom is the Co-Founder of Dark Horse Intelligence (https://darkhorseintel.com), a global intelligence company that handles a wide variety of services including fraud investigations, security audits and vulnerability assessments. He is also the Founder of Recover My Crytpo (https://recovermycrypto.com), a company that assists in solving cryptocurrency fraud, from stolen cryptocurrency and Ponzi schemes, to ransomware and sim swap attacks. Tom is a licensed private investigator at Gaslamp Quarter Investigations who also handles, when time permits, a broad cross section of cases involving the general public. From online research and security audits to stakeouts and disguises, Tom goes to great lengths to find the truth. With more than 25 years in investigations, hacking and social engineering, Tom understands the challenges in truly remaining private. He covers some of the main concerns people have with respect to privacy and then highlights ways you can better protect your personal data. Tom understands all the tricks of the digital world and as a privacy advocate, he will give you the knowledge necessary to limit your exposure to bad actors. Links Referenced: https://darkhorseintel.com/ https://recovermycrypto.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-chavez-dark-horse-intelligence/ OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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? If a device is connected to the internet, your privacy is at risk. At a minimum, make sure you research the privacy policy of any smart device you buy as well as the track record of the company who makes it. In the last half of the episode, we dive into smart cities and entertain some of the possible objectives driving their adoption. Organizations such as the World Economic Form (WEF), the United Nations (UN) and the G20 all have discussed plans to push for cities that incorporate more Internet of Things (IoT) technology into urban planning. We close out the episode by looking at smart meters. What kind of data do they share with utility companies and who can access this information? Also, how easily is the information hackable and what can hackers do with the data? You might find it surprising just how much can be learned about your day-to-day habits simply by analyzing smart meter data. Links Referenced: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/05/05/privacy-intelligence-agency-security-in-the-smart-home/?sh=6457a7c44aac https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/keeping-your-smart-home-secure-private https://www.vogelme.com/post/smart-home-privacy-what-data-gets-collected https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/collection-voice-data-profit-raises-privacy-fears/story?id=96363792 https://staceyoniot.com/podcast-chatgpt-takes-on-the-smart-home/ https://www.metrikus.io/blog/the-proptech-guide-to-iot https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/21/23649806/chatgpt-chat-histories-bug-exposed-disabled-outage https://www.cnet.com/home/security/can-your-home-security-cameras-be-hacked-heres-how-to-protect-yourself/ https://reason.com/2022/09/26/san-francisco-police-can-now-have-live-access-to-nearly-any-camera-in-the-city/ https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/smart+car https://fortune.com/2023/03/02/ford-patent-late-payments-shut-off-air-conditioning-radio/ https://www.rd.com/list/ways-hackers-can-take-control-of-your-car/ https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/ https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/smart-speaker-privacy/ https://earth.org/ OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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 convenience to our hectic and complicated lives. But is that convenience worth the increased risk to your privacy? In this episode of Privacy Files, Rich and Sarah kick of the show by celebrating the podcast's 21st episode--placing it in the top 1% of all podcasts globally. According to Jack Butcher, Head of the creative agency Visualize Value, 99% of all podcasts never make it past the 20th episode. Definitely worth a little celebration. And thank you to our listeners for supporting the privacy mission. You are the reason we created this endeavor. Sarah and Rich start off the episode with a little history about smart devices. Spoiler Alert: The first IoT device was actually a vending machine! The conversation shifts to the pros and cons of wireless and hardwired smart devices as well as smart devices in general. Sarah then dives into some specific types of smart devices and the nuances of each. She also touches on a few strange smart devices that sound a bit too much even for the most modern of societies. Rich and Sarah then break down the data privacy picture for devices like thermostats, smart glasses, audio/visual equipment, wearable technologies and smartphones. Rich closes out the episode by highlighting some examples of smart device hacking, including a test conducted by YouTuber Dustin from the channel SmarterEveryDay. Dustin used a laser to hack into a variety of smart devices during the experiment. All in all, this is an episode that may very well leave you reconsidering the adoption of smart device technology inside your home. Links Referenced: https://webicaster.com/en/blog/you-need-publish-21-episodes-be-top-1-worlds-podcasts https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/29/what-your-smart-tv-knows-about-you-and-how-to-stop-it-harvesting-data https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/smart-home.asp https://www.metrikus.io/blog/the-proptech-guide-to-iot https://techaeris.com/2019/12/26/experiment-shows-smart-home-devices-can-be-hacked-with-lasers/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/smart-home-hack-marketplace-1.4837963 https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/smart-home-experiences-cyber/ https://techjury.net/blog/how-many-iot-devices-are-there/#gref OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

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 spy balloon was likely capable of listening in on Americans’ communications and pinpointing the location of those conversing on the ground. A State Department official said, “It had multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geolocating communications. It was equipped with solar panels large enough to produce the requisite power to operate multiple active intelligence collection sensors.” The Pentagon now believes that China sent balloons over the continental U.S. at least four times over the past six years that went undetected. Rich and Sarah interviewed Dr. Juan Deaton about the science of radio waves and wireless communications technologies. Dr. Deaton is a research scientist and engineer who specializes in satellite communications. He has an extensive background in the areas of electrical and computer engineering, as well as wireless networking. After Dr. Deaton explains some common off-the-shelf technologies available for surveillance, the conversation moves to hypothetical scenarios. Should individual Americans be concerned? Can this type of surveillance technology be employed to intercept mobile phone communications? And if so, what can people do to better protect themselves from this invasion of privacy? We already know the FBI and the NSA have used cell-site simulator technology to surveil people's mobile phone conversations. "Stingrays" and "dirtboxes" are two types of surveillance devices reported to mimic a cell tower. This episode is informative and a bit unnerving at the same time. But in the end, Dr. Deaton helps put things in perspective. Links Referenced: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Chinese_balloon_incident https://time.com/6253974/chinese-balloon-worldwide-spy-operation/ https://time.com/6254318/chinese-balloon-spy-equipment-antennas/ https://time.com/6256389/chinas-spy-balloons-intelligence-mission/ https://www.diffen.com/difference/Analog_vs_Digital https://gizmodo.com/fbi-says-it-doesnt-need-a-warrant-to-listen-in-on-phone-1677609130 https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/01/fbi-says-search-warrants-not-needed-to-use-stringrays-in-public-places/ https://gizmodo.com/the-stingray-is-the-virtually-unknown-device-the-govern-5843361 OUR SPONSORS: Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com