Life in the Panopticon

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

Tracking our faces and whereabouts is getting out of control. It’s a mass surveillance infrastructure that keeps growing in Borg-like fashion. Facial recognition and license plate readers are proliferating at a stupefying pace and companies like Flock are consolidating the collected data and packaging it up for sale to law enforcement agencies. Even if no human in these agencies were to abuse this data, it’s creating an irresistible target for scheming hackers and nation states keen on espionage. The longer we let this go, the harder it will be to stop.

In today’s news: Asus routers are being hacked and you need to take action; 23andMe has been sold, along with its users’ genetic data; AI-generated videos have just become way more realistic; US government taps surveillance company to centralize all its citizen data; CFPB regulation limiting data brokers is axed; Kroger is packaging and selling its customer loyalty data; automated license plate reader data use is expanding in scary ways; Android phones gain key new security feature; EU court rules that real-time bidding data gathering is illegal; Montana is first state to plug data broker loophole; and I relate my recent privacy experience at the US border.

Article Links

1. [LifeHacker.com] If You Have an Asus Router, You Need to Check If It’s Been Hacked https://lifehacker.com/tech/asus-routers-hacked
2. [404media.co] 23andMe Sale Shows Your Genetic Data Is Worth $17 https://www.404media.co/23andme-sale-shows-your-genetic-data-is-worth-17/
3. [lifehacker.com] You Are Not Prepared for This Terrifying New Wave of AI-Generated Videos https://lifehacker.com/tech/you-are-not-prepared-for-this-new-wave-of-ai-generated-videos
4. [nytimes.com] Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/trump-palantir-data-americans.html
5. [techcrunch.com] White House scraps plan to block data brokers from selling Americans’ sensitive data https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/14/white-house-scraps-plan-to-block-data-brokers-from-selling-americans-sensitive-data/
6. [therecord.media] Consumer Reports: Kroger using loyalty program to package, sell customer data https://therecord.media/kroger-using-loyalty-program-to-sell-customer-data
7. [404media.co] A Texas Cop Searched License Plate Cameras Nationwide for a Woman Who Got an Abortion https://www.404media.co/a-texas-cop-searched-license-plate-cameras-nationwide-for-a-woman-who-got-an-abortion/
8. [404media.co] License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool, Leak Shows https://www.404media.co/license-plate-reader-company-flock-is-building-a-massive-people-lookup-tool-leak-shows/
9. [arstechnica.com] Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for 3 days https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/android-phones-will-soon-reboot-themselves-after-sitting-unused-for-3-days/
10. [signal.org] By Default, Signal Doesn’t Recall https://signal.org/blog/signal-doesnt-recall/
11. [therecord.media] EU court rules that tracking-based online ads are illegal https://therecord.media/eu-court-rules-tracking-based-ads-illegal
12. [eff.org] Montana Becomes First State to Close the Law Enforcement Data Broker Loophole https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/05/montana-becomes-first-state-close-law-enforcement-data-broker-loophole
13. Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/border-insecurity-update/
14. The Atlantic: How to Disappear https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/extreme-personal-data-privacy-protection/682867/
15. BADBOOL data removal service list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/115L6LpQg_UX638IyUfdwGhRS7dIU3lKwz6fjAcDtE-0/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Further Info

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Table of Contents

• 0:00:00: Intro
• 0:01:50: Josh Corman interview promotion
• 0:03:04: How to Disappear
• 0:03:49: News rundown
• 0:07:32: If You Have an Asus Router, You Need to Check If It’s Been Hacked
• 0:19:01: 23andMe Sale Shows Your Genetic Data Is Worth $17
• 0:23:22: You Are Not Prepared for This Terrifying New Wave of AI-Generated Videos
• 0:28:42: Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans
• 0:35:04: White House scraps plan to block data brokers from selling Americans’ sensitive data
• 0:38:08: Kroger using loyalty program to package, sell customer data
• 0:46:23: A Texas Cop Searched License Plate Cameras Nationwide for a Woman Who Got an Abortion
• 0:49:43: License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool
• 0:55:15: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for 3 days
• 0:59:25: By Default, Signal Doesn’t Recall
• 1:03:13: EU court rules that tracking-based online ads are illegal
• 1:06:07: Montana Becomes First State to Close the Law Enforcement Data Broker Loophole
• 1:09:28: Tip of the Week: my border experience
• 1:22:30: Wrap up
• 1:24:10: Patron podcast preview
• 1:24:39: Looking ahead