Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
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firewalldragons.bsky.social
Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
@firewalldragons.bsky.social
Podcast host, author, blogger, educator, advocate for computer #security & #privacy, software engineer (retired).

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2026 is gonna be big:

* 📖 January: 11th anniversary of my book
* 🎙️ March: 9th anniversary of my podcast
* 💯 September: 500th podcast episode!!

I'm going to find a killer way to celebrate #500... so let's kick off the official #FDSD500 countdown...

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/
Podcast - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...
firewallsdontstopdragons.com
Today, I'll speak w/ @yahoo.bsky.social's CISO & "Chief Paranoid" Sean Zadig about keeping kids safe online, social media and age gating. We'll discuss his law enforcement experience and how tech companies should handle requests for user data.

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2026/02/16/p...
Professionally Paranoid - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
Today I speak with Yahoo CISO Sean Zadig – aka, the Chief Paranoid. Sean has had a long and varied career in cybersecurity, working...
podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM
On Monday, I'll be speaking with @yahoo.bsky.social's Chief Paranoid (CISO) Sean Zadig. We'll discuss security and privacy for kids, as well as how tech companies share data with law enforcement.

Subscribe:
firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/
Podcast - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...
firewallsdontstopdragons.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
Google promises to give users advanced notice before turning their data over to the government. It has not always kept that promise. We are calling for change. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Open Letter to Tech Companies: Protect Your Users From Lawless DHS
EFF is calling on technology companies like Meta and Google to stand up for their users by resisting DHS lawless administrative subpoenas for user data.
www.eff.org
February 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM
@geoffreyfowler.bsky.social has done amazing work... I can't wait to see what he does next!

geoffreyfowler.substack.com/p/washington...
The truth about covering tech at Bezos’s Washington Post
And why ‘We the users’ matters more than ever
geoffreyfowler.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Instead of repealing Section 230, we should limit its protections to services that only show users what they asked to see. When algorithms remove things I asked to see and add things I never asked to see, they're no longer neutral conduits.
February 10, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Today we'll talk about the dangers of agentic AI. Also: Lockdown Mode blocks FBI; lawsuit claims Meta can read WhatsApp messages; AI toy exposes child info; AI app exposes tons of personal data; US wants visitor DNA; CA town ditches Flock; more!

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2026/02/09/a...
Agents of Misfortune - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
The latest craze with artificial intelligence is agentic AI – exhibited most recently in the viral AI project called ClawdBot… or Moltbot… or OpenClaw....
podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
The SAVE Act would require American citizens to show documents like a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Our research shows that more than 21 million Americans lack ready access to those documents. bit.ly/4rA2p4R
New SAVE Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting
The “show your papers” requirement is an attack on the freedom to vote.
www.brennancenter.org
February 7, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
Why does hacklore persist when we should know better? 🤔

Short answer: Hacklore survives because it fits the incentives of almost everyone involved.

Longer answer:
medium.com/@boblord/why...
Why Hacklore Persists (and How We Replace It)
On a regular basis you’ll see someone warning about the non-existent dangers of “juice jacking”, sometimes in the news, like this clip from…
medium.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
Carey does it again! What a fun time. Take a listen! 📻 🔐

And sign up for the hacklore.org newsletter! 🤓

And OMG that looks like my old TVI-920 monitor! 🤯
February 2, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Cyber threats have evolved over time. If the risk of a particular threat decreases, then our list of top to-do items should reflect the changing landscape. Today @boblord.bsky.social argues that some old advice should be retired as #Hacklore.

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2026/02/02/d...
Debunking Hacklore - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
We’re all busy people with busy lives. We only have so much time and energy. So when security people dole out to-do lists, we...
podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:38 PM
As I'm going through my annual podcast listener survey responses, I've had several people tell me they really appreciated my series on deleting old accounts and data. There's a lot of good info here, so I thought I'd share it again.

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/data-diet-in...
Data Diet: Introduction - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
Many of us are carrying around some serious digital baggage. In this blog series, I'm going to help you trim the fat - a data diet, if you will. And in the process, improve both your privacy and your ...
firewallsdontstopdragons.com
February 1, 2026 at 7:49 PM
2026 is gonna be big:

* 📖 January: 11th anniversary of my book
* 🎙️ March: 9th anniversary of my podcast
* 💯 September: 500th podcast episode!!

I'm going to find a killer way to celebrate #500... so let's kick off the official #FDSD500 countdown...

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/
Podcast - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...
firewallsdontstopdragons.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
This was a ton of fun. Hope you all tune in!
January 30, 2026 at 9:40 PM
Tune in Monday when I'll be debating the efficacy and wisdom of some oft-repeated security tips with cybersecurity guru @boblord.bsky.social - something he calls #Hacklore.

Subscribe here:
firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/
Podcast - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...
firewallsdontstopdragons.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
Today, we’re launching Encrypt It Already, a new website pushing tech companies to deliver stronger privacy protections to their users by enabling and expanding the use of end-to-end encryption across their products or services. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Introducing Encrypt It Already
Today, we’re launching Encrypt It Already, our push to get companies to offer stronger privacy protections to our data and communications by implementing end-to-end encryption. If that name sounds a
www.eff.org
January 29, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Happy #DataPrivacyWeek !!

Every year, I update my Data Privacy Checklist. It's chock full of ideas and helpful links.

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/data-privacy...
Data Privacy Checklist - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
Your privacy is under attack. Unless and until we speak up and fight back, nothing will change. Here's what you can do: my Data Privacy Day checklist.
firewallsdontstopdragons.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
In "Privacy's Defender," @eff.org Director Cindy Cohn chronicles her career protecting our right to digital privacy through 3 key legal battles, weaving her story with the history of Crypto Wars, FBI gag orders, and the post-9/11 surveillance state.

Out March 10th: mitpress.mit.edu/978026205124...
January 26, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Today I learned about the term Torment Nexus after sharing this article...

www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
Welcome to post-Darwinism: AI fires silver bullet for creating new life
In a breakthrough experiment, molecular biologists and tech entrepreneurs have teamed up to write the genetic code of a virus that destroys killer bacteria
www.thetimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:01 AM
Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
Thank you to @firewalldragons.bsky.social for covering the AI age verification bill being considered in the Florida Legislature!

Please call your state legislators and tell them you oppose these age verification bills!

#Florida #Privacy #Cybersecurity #AgeVerification
Today I'll explain how zero-knowledge proofs work. Also: Microsoft gives up BitLocker keys; FL mulls age verification; UK may ban VPNs; bad browser addons; ads-based data leakage; cops fail to redact Flock data; FTC limits GM car data; more!

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2026/01/26/z...
Zero-Knowledge Proofs - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
There exist many interesting technical tools which can greatly improve our privacy while still allowing us to use very personal data. In the next...
podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com
January 26, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Today I'll explain how zero-knowledge proofs work. Also: Microsoft gives up BitLocker keys; FL mulls age verification; UK may ban VPNs; bad browser addons; ads-based data leakage; cops fail to redact Flock data; FTC limits GM car data; more!

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2026/01/26/z...
Zero-Knowledge Proofs - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
There exist many interesting technical tools which can greatly improve our privacy while still allowing us to use very personal data. In the next...
podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:35 PM
I just updated an article I wrote some time back about preparing for a power outage. This is mostly for communications, but there are links to other helpful guides, as well.

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-prepa...
How to Prepare for a Power Outage - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
Hurricanes and winter storms often bring prolonged power outages. But you usually have a few days to prepare. This is how I prepare for loss of power.
firewallsdontstopdragons.com
January 23, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Data #privacy rights are great, if have them. But if exercising those rights is too difficult, do you really have them? Car privacy is bad - and Privacy4Cars' massive report shows that even those with privacy rights can't easily use them.

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2026/01/19/h...
Honoring Auto Privacy Rights - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast
Having data privacy laws are great. But if those laws can’t be practically enforced or your rights easily asserted, they’re not very useful. Modern...
podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com
January 19, 2026 at 2:55 PM
I honestly have no clue how common these tracking techniques are in the corporate world today... but you should at least know that these things are *possible*. There are some solid tips in here. Ironically, this is NSFW (language).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBsS...
How Employers Spy on You Completely Undetected
YouTube video by Proton
www.youtube.com
January 17, 2026 at 6:52 PM
What I want to know is: what was the exact vetting process for this box and who is allowed to stock and service it.
January 16, 2026 at 9:22 PM