Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast


Latest Episodes

Have I Been FLoCed? (Part 2)
June 07, 2021

Is it possible for you to view your FLoC ID right now? And if so, can you decode this ID to understand what Google is learning about you from it? Does FLoC require your consent or cooperation from the sites you're visiting?

Have I Been FLoCed? (Part 1)
May 31, 2021

The public has voted and the results are in: people do not want to be tracked. In response, like pop-up ads before them, third party cookies are now being blocked by default by just about every browser - except Chrome.

How & When to Use a Passphrase
May 24, 2021

Today is the day we've all been waiting for! The super-secret, highly-collectible, security-enhancing device is finally HERE!! For a short period of time, I will be offering a very limited edition challenge coins to my patrons.

Protecting Intellectual Freedom (Part 2)
May 17, 2021

What is Tor, exactly? How and why would I use it? And what the heck is a Tor node? In part 2 of my talk with Alison from the Library Freedom Project, we'll discuss why libraries are so important in the fight for privacy and how they're using technologi...

Protecting Intellectual Freedom (Part 1)
May 10, 2021

Want to read a book without your reading history being tracked? Do you need to surf the web with complete anonymity? If so, then look no further than your local public library. You have the right to research and collaborate on politically or socially s...

App Tracking Transparency
May 03, 2021

After what seemed like forever, Apple has finally released its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature which requires apps to get your permission to track you across other apps and websites. This was announced last year and delayed by several months to...

Hunting for Stingrays (Part 2)
April 26, 2021

While law enforcement touts the benefits of cell site simulators, today we will talk about the negative impacts, as well. While the actual impacts are not documented due to secrecy, we have to wonder whether Stingrays could interfere with critical comm...

Hunting for Stingrays (Part 1)
April 19, 2021

The single easiest way to track someone today is using their cell phone. We have them with us at all times and in order for them to work, they must be tracked by the cell phone network. When law enforcement wants to identify people at a protest or hang...

Trust No One
April 12, 2021

Lots of news to cover today... and to me the common thread seems to be a lack of proper security and privacy. So the theme today is "trust no one". And the idea there isn't really personal trust, but computer trust, algorithm trust, procedural trust.

Social Media is Ruining Society
April 05, 2021

There are many business models and businesses that we curtail because they can be dangerous to people or democracy or society. Even rights enshrined in the US Constitution have reasonable limits. Now that it's become evident how engagement-optimized an...