Mis- and disinformation is just a fact of modern life, but certain events can cause the practice to significantly increase – like a big election. This is a good time to review this phenomenon, learning how to recognize it, how to avoid being drawn in, and perhaps most importantly how to reduce its spread.

In other news: Telegram’s CEO was arrested in France; too many people keep saying Telegram is an secure messaging app when it’s really not; if you think ads and tracking are bad now, wait till you hear all the ways modern TVs are monetizing their users; sextortion scams are using some new techniques to scam their victims; consumer groups have lobbied the FTC to create clear guidance on ‘software tethering’; and California just approved a new privacy bill that will finally require companies to honor universal opt-out signals from apps and browsers.

Article Links

1. BBC] Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested at French airport https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg2kz9kn93o


2. [blog.cryptographyengineering.com] Is Telegram really an encrypted messaging app? https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2024/08/25/telegram-is-not-really-an-encrypted-messaging-app/


3. [Ars Technica] Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/08/tv-industrys-ads-tracking-obsession-is-turning-your-living-room-into-a-store/


4. [briankrebs] Sextortion Scams Now Include Photos of Your Home https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/09/sextortion-scams-now-include-photos-of-your-home/


5. [advocacy.consumerreports.org] Consumer Reports, U.S. PIRG, and 15 other groups call on FTC to create clear guidance for ‘software tethering’ https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/ftc-software-tethering/


6. [Dark Reading] California Approves Privacy Bill Requiring Opt-Out Tools https://www.darkreading.com/data-privacy/california-privacy-bill-require-opt-out-tools


7. Tip of the Week: Spotting Fake News https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/the-truth-is-out-there/ 

Further Info

• My series on deleting your public data online: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/osint-reconnaissance/


• Enabling Global Privacy Control (GPC): https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-enable-global-privacy-control/ 


• Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna 


• Check out my book, Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons: https://fdsd.me/book 


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Table of Contents

Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show.

• 0:02:14 : News preview


• 0:05:22 : Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested at French airport


• 0:09:47 : Is Telegram really an encrypted messaging app?


• 0:19:57 : Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse.


• 0:41:25 : Sextortion Scams Now Include Photos of Your Home


• 0:48:06 : Consumer groups call on FTC to create clear guidance for ‘software tethering’


• 0:54:33 : California Approves Privacy Bill Requiring Opt-Out Tools


• 0:59:22 : Tip of the Week: Dealing with Misinformation


• 1:11:36 : Looking ahead