Every year, I publish an annual guide to the best and worst gifts, based on two and only two criteria: privacy and security. But I decided that I wanted to actually create a gift that people could give to others that would help them protect their devices and data. Virtual Seat Belts & Sunscreen We’ve …
[Updated: Nov 17, 2022] Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote an article about why QR codes aren’t inherently dangerous. That’s still true. However, there’s a tricky new scam that will basically hold any QR codes you generate on their site for ransom. QR Codes: Let’s Review As I explained in the previous article, a …
All software has bugs. Therefore, the less software you have, the fewer bugs you have. In other words, the fewer applications and plugins you have installed, the fewer the opportunities there are for your computer or smartphone to be hacked. It’s a mathematical certainty. In the cybersecurity realm, we call this “reducing your attack surface”. …
Cloud file synchronization is extremely convenient and today it’s nearly ubiquitous. You might not even be aware that you’re using it right now. These services allow you to synchronize the contents of a special file folder across multiple devices through the internet. When you add a file to this folder, or make a change to …
For the past 9 months or so, I’ve been working on a secret project. To maximize the big reveal, my partner and I have kept this under wraps… until now! It’s hard to describe what this is succinctly, unless you happen to be part of the DEF CON #badgelife subculture. While DEF CON itself has …
You are tracked mercilessly today when you surf the web, either on your computer or your smartphone. Websites use several different techniques to identify you and record as much data about you as they can. While marketers will claim that you have the power to opt out of most tracking, this is frankly impossible to …
[This is a multiple-part series – go here for the full list] Welcome to Part 4 of my De-Google series. If you haven’t done so already, I’d start with the first article (strategy), even if you want to read the other articles out of order. You’ll find nice jump links as the bottom of the …
One of my personal goals for 2022 was to “de-Google” my life. I’ve been a huge user of Google’s products for years, so this was not going to be easy. But Google is an ad company and they’ve hoovered up way too much of my data. So I wanted to reduce my dependency on their …
[This is a multiple-part series – go here for the full list] Welcome to my series on reducing my Google footprint, where I explain how to de-Google your life. So far, I’ve explained how to asses your Google privacy “damage” and staunch the “bleeding” of further information. Then I explained how to replace Android, Google …
[This is a multiple-part series – go here for the full list] In preparation for an interview I just did for the Malwarebytes Lock and Code Podcast, I put together a strategy for my “de-Google” project. It’s honestly how I should have started this entire series of articles. But better late than never! (When you’re …
