Once a year, I look back and pick my favorite privacy and security content from the last year. The first sections list the top content that I produced – blog articles and podcast episodes. And then I also list content created by other people. You can find even more of my favorite content on my Resources page.
NOTE: If you’d like to help me reach more people, this is a great article to share with others!
Top Articles
These are the top articles from 2024.
- It’s Time to Quit Chrome
- How to Choose a PIN
- Deleting your online data (3-part OSINT series)
- How to Use Email Aliases (2-part series)
- Credit Freeze: Now is the Time
- How and Why to Block Ads
- How to Backup 2FA Seed Codes
These are some of my top articles of all time.
- How to Send Files Securely
- De-Google Your Life (5-part series)
- Give the Gifts of Security & Privacy – including downloadable gift coupons
- Pros and Cons of Passkeys
- What a VPN Is and Isn’t
- How to Safely Download Software
- The Pro & Cons of Antivirus Software
Podcasts & Blogs
If you haven’t gotten into podcasts yet, you really should give them a try. I find it’s easiest to consume them while doing mindless tasks, like running on a treadmill, making dinner, doing household chores, or (in the before-times) commuting. Note that some of these sites call out “privacy” specifically, but they also cover security (they go hand in hand).
These are my top interview podcasts from Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons in 2024.
- Crazy Proton Summer – Andy Yen, CEO of Proton
- Open Source Intelligence – Jason Edison, Intel Techniques
- Means of Control – Byron Tau, author
- 400th Episode Special – Bruce Schneier
- Privacy is Power – Carissa Véliz, author
- Anom: The FBI’s Phone Company – Joseph Cox, 4040 Media
- Inside Ukraine’s IT Army – Dina Temple-Wraston, Click Here Podcast and NPR
Here are some other great security and privacy podcasts.
- Security Now! podcast – one of my major inspirations
- Techlore – great videos on security and privacy, plus their Go Incognito course
- All Things Secured – more great videos on security and privacy
- Surveillance Report – Techlore/The New Oil collaboration
Web Tools & Apps
There’s been an explosion of websites and tools to help you secure your devices and protect your privacy. Lots of great options here.
- Privacy Guides – if you want to get serious about privacy, this is your go-to site
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Online Anonymity – dense but extremely comprehensive
- Signal messaging app – the gold standard for true end-to-end encrypted chat
- Security Planner – personalized security, privacy tips from Consumer Reports
- Operation Privacy – another custom security, privacy tool
- d20key – generate random passphrases
Books and Documentaries on Security & Privacy
The books here would make great gift ideas.
- Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons (of course) – over 200 tips, written for non-technical people
- Privacy is Power by Carissa Véliz (my review and my interview)
- Data and Goliath by Bruce Schneier (my review)
- Means of Control by Byron Tau (my interview)
- Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever by Joseph Cox (my interview)
- Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (my interview)
- The Social Dilemma (Netflix) – required watching if you use social media
- The Great Hack (Netflix) – about how social media was used to influence elections
- Terms and Conditions May Apply (Amazon Prime)
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