Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

Digital Provenance

With modern AI tools, how do we know which images and videos are real and which ones are generated? Wouldn’t it be helpful to have some digitally verifiable way to tell where something came from and whether it has been altered? Turns out, that technology already exists. It’s open and free to use, and it’s supported by many technology companies. I’ll be digging into all the details of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) with Jacobo Castellanos from Witness.org. Interview Notes Jacobo Castellanos: https://www.witness.org/portfolio_page/jacobo-castellanos/  Witness: https://witness.org  Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity: https://c2pa.org/  Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI): https://contentauthenticity.org/  Content Credentials explainer: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a6282984  The Guardian Project: https://guardianproject.info/  Creator Assertions Working Group: https://cawg.io/  ProofMode tool: https://proofmode.org/  C2PA Content Credentials and the Surveillance Risk: https://library.witness.org/product/c2pa-privacy/  How C2PA works: https://contentauthenticity.org/how-it-works  Further Info Digital Citizen, Phase 1: https://fdsd.me/phase1  Countdown to FDSD500!! https://fdsd500.com  Get your FDSD500 merch!! https://fdsd.me/merch  My book: https://fdsd.me/book  My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter  Table of Contents 0:00:13: Intro 0:01:17: Interview prep 0:02:39: Lingo 0:04:10: What is Witness.org? 0:06:22: What is the purpose of C2PA? 0:09:26: How does C2PA work? 0:17:28: Is C2PA embedded in our devices, too? 0:19:57: Are there fees or licensing required to use C2PA? 0:22:41: Does C2PA info include creator information? 0:26:41: As a user, how do I experience C2PA info? 0:30:54: Can C2PA be used to undo changes? 0:32:46: What are C2PA’s limitations? 0:38:36: Does C2PA report data to third parties? 0:41:07: Could C2PA be used to limit information? 0:45:27: Can C2PA info be removed? Reattached? 0:48:35: Is here a global C2PA content registry? 0:49:53: How do certificate authorities work? 0:53:37: Are any laws requiring provenance info? 0:56:56: How can we get involved? 0:59:15: How do we re-establish trust in our news? 1:02:27: Wrap-up 1:03:39: Patron podcast preview 1:05:23: Reminder for Phase 1 1:05:47: Looking ahead

Countdown to Episode 500!

It’s time to start the official countdown to my 500th podcast episode! I’ve been publishing a podcast every single week for over nine years now, which is a rather amazing accomplishment (if I do say so myself). But the entire purpose of the podcast – as well as my book and my blog – has been to try to improve the security and privacy of as many people as possible. So to celebrate this momentous occasion, I’m going to be conducting an experiment to figure out the most effective way to protect our data and devices. And I’m going to need your help. In the news: Chat Control 1.0 has been resurrected in the EU; Apple’s Hide My Email is failing to do so; Meta patents a new, creepy wearable device; The Intercept’s Signal account was taken over for months; Papa Johns wants to know when your fridge is empty; Opera Browser has a new feature to combat ClickFix attacks; Google disrupted a residential proxy network; John Deere has been forced to support third party repairs; and the Supreme Court further protected our device location history. Article Links Chat Control 1.0 sneaks through the EU Parliament: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/chat-control-1-0-sneaks-through-the-eu-parliament-letting-companies-scan-user-data-without-warrants-legal-tactic-used-to-force-a-majority-required-re-vote-on-eve-of-parliament-break Apple Hide My Email bug allows 100% of real email addresses to be discovered: https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/01/apple-hide-my-email-bug-seemingly-allows-100-of-real-email-addresses-to-be-discovered Meta Patents AI Device That Tracks Your Emotions, Watches You Take Your Meds: https://www.404media.co/meta-patents-ai-device-that-tracks-your-emotions-watches-you-take-your-meds The Intercept’s Signal tipline username was hijacked for months: https://cyberinsider.com/the-intercepts-signal-tipline-username-was-hijacked-for-months Papa Johns Can Predict When Your Fridge Is Empty: https://www.adexchanger.com/?p=461783 Opera’s new security feature stops copy paste attacks from malicious websites – Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2206574/opera-new-security-feature-stops-copy-paste-clickfix-attacks Google Disrupts NetNut Residential Proxy Network Spanning 2 Million Home Devices: https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/google-disrupts-netnut-residential.html The Deere Dam Just Broke: FTC Settlement Empowers Farmers Right To Repair: https://fighttorepair.substack.com/p/the-deere-dam-just-broke-ftc-settlement Justices rule that cellphone location histories are protected by the Fourth Amendment: https://therecord.media/supreme-court-geofencing-ruling-fourth-amendment Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/celebrating-500-episodes/  Further Info Countdown to FDSD500!! https://fdsd500.com  Get your FDSD500 merch!! https://fdsd.me/merch  Hacking the water supply: https://www.wired.com/story/what-happens-if-china-hacks-the-us-water-supply-war-game-volt-typhoon  My book: https://fdsd.me/book  My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter  Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support  Table of Contents 0:00:07: Intro 0:01:07: Quick headlines 0:03:18: News rundown 0:04:40: Chat Control 1.0 is back 0:09:27: Apple Hide My Email exposes real address 0:13:15: New creepy Meta patent 0:19:16: Intercept loses Signal account 0:23:52: Papa Johns knows when your fridge is empty 0:27:54: Opera implement ClickFix protections 0:32:49: Google foils residential proxy maker 0:38:23: John Deere forced to allow user repairs 0:41:06: SCOTUS restricts location data, again 0:46:04: Tip of the Week 0:53:17: Wrap-up 0:55:01: Hacker summer camp 0:55:42: Patron podcast preview 0:56:13: Looking ahead

Defending Device Data

Our Constitutional rights were written without any concept of modern technology such as cell phones and the internet. Much of our privacy laws are still geared towards the pre-digital age. Even though the internet is many decades old now, the era of traveling with smartphones and laptops is still relatively new and the laws around privacy have not kept up. Today I’ll be speaking with Nathan Freed Wessler from the ACLU about device searches, particularly at the US border. We’ll also talk about how cases relating to location tracking have evolved since the landmark Carpenter case that Nate successfully argued in front of the Supreme Court almost 10 years ago now. Interview Notes ACLU: https://aclu.org/  Nate Wessler: https://www.aclu.org/bios/nathan-freed-wessler  My first interview with Nate: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2022/08/01/now-place-left-to-hide/ ACLU facial recognition suit: https://reason.com/2026/06/11/aclu-sues-after-facial-recognition-falsely-identifies-florida-man-as-a-child-abductor/  Travel Insecurity: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/border-insecurity/  Further Info My book: https://fdsd.me/book  My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter  Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support  Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons  Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch  Table of Contents 0:00:12: Intro 0:02:37: What makes border searches different, legally? 0:08:15: What is the 100 mile rule? 0:12:42: How do digital searches differ from physical? 0:19:26: What is digital contraband? 0:23:33: How does ‘in plain site’ work on a phone? 0:26:29: How has the Carpenter decision held up? 0:32:59: Should Carpenter apply to ALPRs? 0:41:29: How does AI complicate matters? 0:47:11: How should we prepare for border searches? 0:59:49: What about privileged or corporate data? 1:03:33: Can I lock my device before I hand it over? 1:05:30: What’s next for you and the ACLU? 1:08:36: Wrap up 1:11:01: Patron podcast preview 1:11:27: Looking ahead

We Can Do This

With the 500th podcast and America’s 250th anniversary approaching, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how we can be better digital neighbors and digital citizens. We’re all in this together. Your security and privacy overlaps the security and privacy of many others. It’s important to improve our own situation, but we need to also realize that failing to do so can put others at risk who may be more vulnerable and have more to lose that we do. In the news: massive Fortinet breach; feds recover activists’ Signal messages; Visa partners with ChatGPT for agentic purchases; Anthropic models banned for export; US shortens cyber fix window to 3 days; EPIC endorses two new privacy bills; Canada’s spy agency hacks devices to clean out botnet; nearly half of LG smart TVs apps contain proxy SDKs; EFF calls out Amazon for shady Android devices containing proxies. Article Links Massive breach spills credentials for thousands of sensitive networks: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/massive-breach-spills-credentials-for-thousands-of-sensitive-networks How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages?: https://theintercept.com/2026/06/17/signal-messages-minneapolis-ice-protests Visa plugs its payment network into ChatGPT, letting AI agents shop and pay for users: https://apnews.com/article/visa-chatgpt-openai-shopping-mastercard-d769dec86344cb4977c98789e8ec492f The Fable 5 Export Controls Harm US Cyber Defense: https://www.lutasecurity.com/post/the-fable-5-export-controls-harm-us-cyber-defense US shortens cyber fix window to three days as AI threats rise: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-shortens-cyber-fix-window-three-days-ai-threats-rise-2026-06-10 EPIC Endorses Federal Bills Barring Worker Surveillance, Automated Workplace Decisions: https://epic.org/epic-endorses-federal-bills-barring-worker-surveillance-automated-workplace-decisions Canada’s Spy Agency Used First-of-Its-Kind Warrant to Clean Botnet-Infected Devices: https://thehackernews.com/2026/06/canadas-spy-agency-used-first-of-its.html Nearly Half of LG Smart TV Apps Contain Residential Proxy SDKs: https://spur.us/blog/smart-tv-apps-residential-proxy-sdks Primed for Malware: Stop Selling Compromised Android Devices: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/primed-malware-stop-selling-compromised-android-devices Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/we-can-do-this/  Further Info Loupe app (Mysk): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/loupe-what-apps-can-see/id6766152470  Loupe app overview (Techlore): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n_SpEWtqog  Free Fable petition: https://freefable.org/  My book: https://fdsd.me/book  My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter  Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support  Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons  Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch  Table of Contents 0:00:07: Intro 0:00:23: Quick news bits 0:02:46: News rundown 0:05:01: Massive Fortinet breach 0:12:27: Signal data security limits 0:17:58: Visa integrates with ChatGPT 0:23:01: Free Fable 0:30:35: US shortens cyber fix window 0:32:25: New federal privacy bills 0:35:18: Canada spy agency cleans up botnet 0:40:34: Shady Samsung TV apps 0:50:10: EFF on Android proxy devices 0:55:57: Tip of the Week 1:03:02: Patron podcast preview 1:03:27: Looking ahead

A More Personal AI

Most of the chatbots in the news today are trained on public data (often including copyrighted data). But it doesn’t have to be that way. What if you had a chatbot that could access all of your personal or company data, but hosted locally so that all the data was secure and private? You could ask it all sorts of interesting questions about that data, run helpful reports, and tease out important trends or do in-depth analysis that would be very difficult for a human to do. Basically, there are lots of uses for AI beyond ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude – and done in ways that preserve the privacy of your data and queries. Today we’ll discuss how we can do AI better with the CEO and Founder of Empathy AI, Angel Maldonado. Interview Notes Empathy AI home page: Empathy.ai Manifesto: https://empathy.ai/manifesto/  Molly vs the Machines: MollyVsTheMachines.com  The New Age of Ethical Commerce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_4d4outlFQ  Reddit LocaLLM: https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLM/ Also: https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/ Charlie Bridge: https://charliebridge.com/  Proton’s Lumo: https://lumo.proton.me  Project Gutenberg w/ Empathy.ai: https://projectgutenberg.empathy.ai/library/discover  Standard eBooks: https://standardebooks.org/  Calibre (free ebook manager): https://calibre-ebook.com/  Further Info My book: https://fdsd.me/book  My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter  Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support  Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons  Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch  Table of Contents 0:00:18: Intro 0:03:17: Lingo 0:04:12: Why did you start Empathy.ai? 0:08:10: How should we interact with LLMs? 0:13:53: How will AI change the future of work? 0:20:49: Can we limit AI resource usage? 0:30:30: How can we make agentic AI safer? 0:39:19: How do we keep LLM sessions private? 0:47:55: What are the benefits & risks of AI? 0:50:01: What will the world be like for kids today? 0:56:29: How should a layman learn about AI? 1:00:12: What’s next for you and Empathy? 1:01:32: Wrap-up 1:05:34: Patron podcast preview 1:06:29: Looking ahead