It Could Happen Here - Delete Your Account?

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

Online harassment is as bad as it’s ever been. And the election results have a lot of people worried about their privacy & safety. Before you make any big moves like logging off forever, do a qu...ick digital hygiene check. There are a few simple steps you can take today to make life a little harder for online trolls.  Resources: https://www.wired.com/story/the-wired-guide-to-protecting-yourself-from-government-surveillance/ https://digitaldefensefund.org/ddf-artwork-zines/cybersecurity-with-pigeon-know-your-cyber-civil-rights  https://open.nytimes.com/how-to-dox-yourself-on-the-internet-d2892b4c5954  https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/some-steps-to-defend-against-online-doxxing-and-harassment  https://crimethinc.com/2020/08/26/doxcare-prevention-and-aftercare-for-those-targeted-by-doxxing-and-political-harassment See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The 2025 iHeart Podcast Awards are coming.
Starting point is 00:00:40 This is the chance to nominate your podcast for the industry's biggest award. Submit your podcast for nomination now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. But hurry, submissions close on December 8th. Hey, you've been doing all that talking. It's time to get rewarded for it. Submit your podcast today at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Welcome's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German,
Starting point is 00:01:13 where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking musica, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight-up comedia, and that's a song that only Nuestra Gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast.
Starting point is 00:01:51 And we're kicking off our second season digging into tech's elite and how they've turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech brought to you by an industry veteran with nothing to lose. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts from. On Thanksgiving Day 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay
Starting point is 00:02:33 with his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, and welcome back to It Could Happen Here, a show that is no longer hypothetical now that it is happening here. I'm your occasional host, Molly Conger, and today I just want to talk to you a little bit about your online security. It's a hot topic right now for obvious reasons, and this won't be a comprehensive overview on the subject by any means. I'm sure there will be more episodes in the future covering specific angles on this and more depth, but today I just want to touch on some basics,
Starting point is 00:03:25 especially for people who may be asking themselves some of these questions for the first time. This is more of a mental framework and a pep talk. The main message here is don't freak out. I'm not saying the situation isn't serious or your concerns aren't real, it's very serious. But freaking out is not gonna do you any good. And if you're looking for complicated, high-tech solutions to the very real anxiety that you're feeling right now, this episode doesn't have it. That's not what I have for you today. And I know a lot of people have really specific concerns
Starting point is 00:04:00 about apps they might be using to track their menstrual cycles or fertility. And we're not going to touch on that today because I think it's a topic that deserves its own episode and an episode where I talk to an actual expert. So I'm hoping to get that out next month. So what are we talking about? The answer is pretty simple. Calming down and shutting up. That's right. It's only Thursday when this airs, but it is always shut the fuck up Friday in our hearts.
Starting point is 00:04:33 Because the main source of the risks you can do something about is your own mouth. Because here's the thing. I'm not an expert on digital security. I'm not a computer programmer or a hacker. I had to call our producer Danil one time because I went to record an episode and my little recording device said no. And I almost cried and it turned out I accidentally slid the little tab on the data card that locks it. I don't know. But what I do know a lot about is how to exploit someone else's
Starting point is 00:05:07 lack of digital security. If you're a listener to my show, Weird Little Guys, you know that I kind of have a knack for finding out everything there is to know about a guy. So what I can offer you is a sort of reverse engineered guide to stay safe online from someone like me, but evil. I like to tell people that you should be thinking of your digital security kind of like your health. People are going to have different risk factors, different vulnerabilities, different concerns, different goals. If you're undocumented or on a student or work visa, the risks and possible consequences for you are very different. If you're queer or trans a student or work visa, the risks and possible consequences for you are very different. If you're queer or trans or a person of color, your risk profile looks different.
Starting point is 00:05:51 If you're economically dependent on family members whose politics don't align with yours, your risk profile is different. If you have a criminal record, if you work in a field where your political activity is a significant threat to your continued employment, if you're running for office, if you have a security clearance, if you have children or vulnerable family, these are all different vulnerabilities. And you're going to have specific concerns that are unique to you, and this isn't meant to address those specific risk scenarios. But just like people who may have different risk factors when it comes to their health, everyone can benefit from the basics. You know, no matter who you are, you have to wash your hands.
Starting point is 00:06:29 And when it comes to digital security, a lot of people want to jump right to the exciting, complicated technical fixes. You know, they want the Kim Kardashian full-body MRI equivalent of being safe online. People want to talk about buying burner phones and getting a Faraday bag and evading high-tech surveillance, but they're not washing their hands. People love to say they're going to buy a burner phone, but if you go to Walmart and you buy a burner phone and you put your credit card into the machine that is recording a video of your face and then you take that phone home and turn it on inside your house next to your real phone, you've done nothing but waste your time and money. So we're not talking about solutions like that. What we are talking about is boring, unsexy, basic stuff that everybody can and should be doing
Starting point is 00:07:16 before they jump into the deep end if you choose to go that route. Because I'm not saying you shouldn't worry about more advanced threats. I'm just saying you have to start here. So before you can figure out how to mitigate a risk, you have to nail down what that risk actually is. What is the outcome that you're hoping to avoid? There's a lot of anxiety right now about unknowable possibilities. And it's really easy to get overwhelmed with the what ifs of a worst-case scenario and then you just end up feeling really helpless. And look, yeah, there are some potential threats here that I don't have the tools to help you address, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be taking the steps that are within your control right now. You have to fight off that feeling of helplessness.
Starting point is 00:08:04 So what we're talking about here is threat modeling. I gave a little workshop a few months ago about digital security. And the first thing I asked the group was, what is the bad thing that you were worried will happen? And most people's answer to that was, they're worried about getting doxxed. Okay, that's fair. That's a valid fear. But what do you mean by that? What specifically is the piece of information you are worried someone will discover? Is it your name, your address, where you work? Is it connecting two pieces of your online identity that you thought were separate? Doxxing can mean a lot of things to different people at a different context. And it can happen in degrees, right? Like, you know, my full legal name, I'm, you know,
Starting point is 00:08:52 doxed to whatever extent that means anything. But this could still happen to me. Someone could still discover a piece of information about me that I wish they didn't have. And most people can't become completely anonymous. I can't help you do that. And honestly, I don't think that should be most people's goals. Don't disappear. I'm not telling you you should disappear. This is just about figuring out what makes sense for you and what you can do to navigate the landscape that you've chosen to operate in. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going.
Starting point is 00:09:52 That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real inspiring stories from the people, you know, follow and admire, join me every week for post run high. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:10:46 Hey, I'm Jack Peace Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. I'm Jack Peace Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me in a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts dedicated to protecting and celebrating our stories. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while commuting or running errands, for those who find themselves seeking solace, wisdom, and refuge between the chapters. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works
Starting point is 00:11:14 while uncovering the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Black Lit is here to amplify the voices of Black writers and to bring their words to life. Listen to Black Lit on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into how tech's elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech
Starting point is 00:11:48 from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. This season I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel-winning economists to leading journalists in the field, and I'll be digging into why the products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong though, I love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things
Starting point is 00:12:08 that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough. So join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:12:24 Check out betteroffline.com. The 2025 iHeart Podcast Awards are coming. This is the chance to nominate your podcast for the industry's biggest award. Submit your podcast for nomination now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. But hurry, submissions close on December 8th. Hey, you've been doing all that talking. It's time to get rewarded for it. Submit your podcast today
Starting point is 00:12:51 at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Hola, mi gente. It's Honey German, and I'm bringing you Gracias, Come Again, the podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture, musica, peliculas, and entertainment
Starting point is 00:13:07 with some of the biggest names in the game. If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities, artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators, sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know it's going to be filled with cheeseisme laughs and all the vibes that you love. Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity,
Starting point is 00:13:33 community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries. Don't miss out on the fun, el té caliente, and life stories. Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So what is the actual negative outcome specifically that is making you feel afraid? What is the concrete thing that you are thinking about when you experience that fear? And people's answers tend to be that they're worried about getting harassed. They're worried about their physical safety.
Starting point is 00:14:16 They're worried about negative fallout at work or at school. People's fears tend to be about things like getting arrested, getting sued, getting fired, getting hurt, and getting embarrassed. And so the next question is, can you identify the potential sources for the kinds of harm you're worried about? And you can sort these into a few primary categories. The state can harm you. That's the police, the government.
Starting point is 00:14:43 You can get charged with a crime. Institutions can harm you. If you're a student, you can get in trouble at school. If you have some kind of professional license, people could file complaints against you. Politicians and organized political groups can harm you. You know, Marjorie Taylor Greene might tweet your TikTok video or Canary Mission might do a blog post about where you work. And right-wing groups can harm you. You might get targeted harassment from some Nazi telegram channel. Worst case scenario, maybe you were physically threatened or attacked by an extremist group. You could get swatted. And then there's just this sort of wild card of the random strangers and internet mobs and the way they factor into and exacerbate all of the
Starting point is 00:15:26 above scenarios. When it comes to harm from the state, that's beyond what we're talking about with this digital hand-washing metaphor. A lot of the prevention steps you can take today are still going to help you, they're still worth taking, but at the end of the day, if the government wants to know who runs a Twitter account, who drove to a protest, who supported a movement, who donated money, that's beyond the basics. Most of what I have direct experience with are just these basic measures that you can take today to make it a little bit harder for the average weird little guy to get into your business. It'll stop the average online troll. It'll slow down a decent sleuth, but it's not the kind of stuff that stops a guy with a warrant. Think of protecting your
Starting point is 00:16:11 online identity like being inside your house. If you have no curtains, someone walking down the street can see you even if they didn't go out of their way to look. If you're putting everything out there with no thought to digital security, somebody could dox you without even if they didn't go out of their way to look. If you're putting everything out there with no thought to digital security, somebody could dox you without even trying, just like they would be able to see in through your windows from the street. Somebody who is a little more curious about you might walk into your yard. But if you put up a fence, maybe that person will decide, this isn't really worth my time. Somebody who loves peeping in windows and really wants to see you, he's going to hop your fence, right? But the average troll will see these
Starting point is 00:16:51 barriers and they'll get bored. But again, curtains, a fence, a locked door, a guard dog, these don't stop a guy with a warrant. So we're talking about just putting up barriers that slow down and discourage the average low to mid-level weirdo. In short, delete your Facebook, set your accounts to private, use Signal, put a passcode on your phone, say less, and try to do something about the data brokers. Let's break these down one at a time. I'm sure it's been talked about on this show before, but I tell everyone in my life, download Signal. Download Signal. It's free. Put it on your phone. It's just an encrypted messaging app. And I use it by default pretty much exclusively in place of regular texting, just because it's easier for me to have everything in one place. It doesn't
Starting point is 00:17:42 collect or store your metadata. It doesn't back up to the cloud. And you can set all of your conversations to automatically disappear at whatever time interval you choose. You don't need text messages from a year ago. You don't. Those can never help you. They can only hurt you. Just let them go. And turn off the biometric unlock on your phone, whether that's a fingerprint or a face ID, turn it off. Turn it off, set a passcode. If you get arrested and you have your phone on you, they can use your finger or your face to unlock it without a warrant. But if you have a passcode, you're a little bit safer. So set a passcode that's at least six digits long, longer if you can bear it, I know.
Starting point is 00:18:27 When it comes to social media, you have some choices. You may look at your own threat model and say, well, I don't care if everyone can see what I've posted. And that's okay, right? We all have different goals and vulnerabilities. And if you're a very public organizer, then yeah, you need public social media. But if you've been using Facebook for 20 years, you probably weren't always very careful about what was on there. And there are privacy settings now where you can retroactively set all of your old posts to a new privacy settings.
Starting point is 00:18:57 You should do that. Start there if you haven't done that. But that still leaves a lot of digital debris. If you've changed your display name to something more private in recent years, something that isn't your current legal name, old posts that other people made about you still have your old name in them. So if they tagged you 10 years ago, that old name is still a link to your current profile. And you can't control the content that your friends and family posted years ago. And on the flip side, if in the end you decide you don't care what's on your Facebook about you,
Starting point is 00:19:36 when you're doing your threat modeling, consider the people close to you. Because when I'm working at this from the other side, a lot of times I'll find that, you know, the guy that I'm looking for has done a pretty good job cleaning up his own digital presence, but his wife, his mom, his sister, someone in his life has not.
Starting point is 00:19:57 So if there's someone in your life who maybe is at greater risk than you are, don't be their weak spot. And if you're in a position to do so, talk to the people in your life about this. Have these conversations about what are our risks? What are our goals? Let's do a digital hygiene check together. Because you can build an impenetrable digital fortress around yourself, but if your Aunt Kathy is live streaming your baby shower, that didn't do you much good. And now that more people are talking about these kinds of concerns, you can try broaching
Starting point is 00:20:29 the subject with people in your life that may not have been receptive to it a year ago. Show your mom how to set her Facebook to private. Take the time to explain to your less political siblings why they should think about the ways in which their social media use might expose someone they care about. Don't just scold them or say it's reckless that you're doing this. Talk about why. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together.
Starting point is 00:21:29 You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all it's light-hearted pretty crazy and very fun listen to post run high on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts hey i'm jack these thomas the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. I'm Jack Peace Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me and a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts dedicated to protecting and celebrating our stories. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to
Starting point is 00:22:26 audiobooks while commuting or running errands, for those who find themselves seeking solace, wisdom, and refuge between the chapters. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works while uncovering the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Blacklit is here to amplify the voices of Black writers and to bring their words to life. Listen to Blacklit on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into how tech's elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires.
Starting point is 00:23:10 From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. with nothing to lose. This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel-winning economists to leading journalists in the field, and I'll be digging into why the products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong, though. I love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough, so join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make things better.
Starting point is 00:23:49 Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Check out betteroffline.com. The 2025 iHeart Podcast Awards are coming. This is the chance to nominate your podcast for the industry's biggest award. Submit your podcast for nomination now at IHeart.com slash podcast awards.
Starting point is 00:24:13 But hurry, submissions close on December 8th. Hey, you've been doing all that talking. It's time to get rewarded for it. Submit your podcast today at IHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's IHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities, artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators, sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know it's going to be filled with chisme laughs and all the vibes that you love.
Starting point is 00:24:57 Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries. Don't miss out on the fun, el té caliente, and life stories. Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So when it comes to social media,
Starting point is 00:25:35 I'm saying delete your Facebook as a sort of shorthand for the general cleanup of the stuff that you've left online for the last 20 years. Cleaning up your online presence is the number one thing you can do right now to thwart the bizarro universe version of me who is trying to collect every piece of information about you. Because even if you're careful today, even if you're so smart about it now and you're not putting anything online that puts you at risk, you weren't always that careful.
Starting point is 00:26:09 We're all guilty of it. People who've been doing this for a long time, people who know better, we're all guilty of being a little messy online. It's okay. There's no shame that you didn't know before. Don't feel silly. Don't feel guilty. Just start cleaning it up today. And so to figure out what exactly you might've been leaving out in the open, one thing you can try is doxing yourself or do it with a friend, right? Try doxing each other. So start with a completely clean cache, delete your cookies, whatever, open an incognito browser, start with a blank slate and just Google yourself. Google your name, your address, your phone number, Google yourself. Google your name, your address, your phone number. Google the usernames that you currently use on various sites. But Google the username you used in high school. Google your old aim handle. Google the email address you made when you were 12. What comes up? And is that
Starting point is 00:26:59 information you want everybody to have? Probably not. Start by deleting accounts you don't use anymore. Just wipe those bad boys right out. You don't need those. A lot of people have no idea that the ghost of their old MySpace page still exists online. I've actually used that one fairly recently to confirm the details about a person's close associates and family members. They hadn't logged into MySpace since 2010, but your top eight lives forever. So delete or set to privates any account that you don't use, don't need, or just don't need to be public facing. Log into every social media site, every forum, every online store where you've ever created an account, and just look at what's visible. Your online reviews may contain information about where you
Starting point is 00:27:50 live. Your profile on some forum you posted on in 2012 probably has your birthday on it. And if you're an active Pinterest user, your Pinterest boards are probably revealing a lot more information about you than you realize. Information about your family, your interests, your plans for the future. People will make Pinterest boards with names like Jaden's second birthday. And now I know that you have a son named Jaden whose second birthday party you were planning last July. That's a real example. So set these things to private.
Starting point is 00:28:23 Change your profile picture to something that isn't your face. Look at your username. Did you have to put some numbers at the end of that because the one you wanted was taken? Are those numbers your birthday? And vary your usernames a little bit. Unless you have some kind of professional reason for using a personal brand across every platform, don't use the same username everywhere. Keep separate areas of your life separate. Don't make it any easier than it needs to be to connect these different pieces of your digital footprint into one picture of who you are. Because again, I'm not talking about becoming completely anonymous online. A lot of people need to exist online as the person that they are. You
Starting point is 00:29:06 have a LinkedIn, you do public facing organizing. I'm not saying you need to disappear from online, but if you have accounts that you don't want connected back to your true identity, if there are pieces of you that exist that you don't want side by side, don't connect them. that you don't want side by side, don't connect them. So if you anonymously run a social media account for an activist group, don't use it to follow your own real account. Don't like your boyfriend's posts when you're logged into your anarchist shit posting account.
Starting point is 00:29:37 If you don't want it connected to you, don't create overlap. If you post a screenshot from one social media platform onto another, you know, a screenshot of a tweet on your Instagram, whatever, be mindful of what's in that image. Is there a thumbnail of your own profile picture in there? Does the screenshot show that you interacted with that post? Because a filled in heart on an Instagram screenshot is something I have used as a building block for a docs.
Starting point is 00:30:09 And maybe you've never posted anything identifiable on Twitter, but have you ever posted a link to your Twitter account on Reddit? Or are you in a big discord and you shared one of your own posts with your friends in there? Like, hey, look at this banger tweet, I'm going viral. And I say both of those specifically because both of those are specific mistakes that I have seen people make that were, for me, a crucial link between two accounts that connected the dots to figure out who they were. Use two-factor authentication. Use a password manager. Use complex passwords. Never recycle a password. Check databases like have I been pwned?
Starting point is 00:30:43 See what's been leaked about you you and some of that data is out of your control now but it's out there and you can't call it back but you can change all of your passwords today you can download a password manager and change all of your passwords today and all of your passwords should be something different from one another i'm going to say it again change all your passwords stop using your dog's name as your password for everything. It was hard, but I did it, okay? And when you're doing this digital hygiene check, you're Googling yourself, you're checking these breach databases, one of the things you're going to find is your address and your email address and your phone number and your parents' names and your parents' address,
Starting point is 00:31:25 all of these pieces of what you thought were personal private information, they are bought and sold to data brokers. And these data brokers put them online on sites that people can pay to access. Be like People Finder, True People Search, White Pages, there's hundreds of them. Now, by law, all of these sites have to have a link on them somewhere where you can ask them to delete your information. Some of them make it kind of hard, and it may take weeks for them to actually honor the request, and you may have to follow up. But theoretically, if they're operating legally, you do have the ability to manually clean up how much of your
Starting point is 00:32:06 personal information comes up from these data brokers. But I'll be honest with you, it's whack-a-mole. You could spend one afternoon a week for the rest of your life making opt-out requests and following up on them and checking back to make sure it's really gone. You can do that. I used to do that. But there are also services that will do it for you for a fee. I think there may be an episode in the pipeline examining that particular ecosystem in some more detail. So I won't go into the pros and cons of different services that exist. But if that's something you're interested in paying for, do some research about it before you put your money down. But at the end of the day, I just want you
Starting point is 00:32:45 to remember, you can't solve this whole problem. That might sound like a defeatist message, but I think it's healthy. I'm not saying it's hopeless. I'm saying you have to spend your energy where it counts. People ask me all the time, are you worried about this or that specific threat? And the answer is, yeah, probably. Yeah, of course I'm worried. But you can't let that fear overwhelm you. You know, if I get fixated on the existence of threats that are outside of my control, I'll just freak out. And that makes me less capable of focusing on mitigating the threats that are within my control. So don't put blinders on, don't lie to yourself, you know, be realistic, but don't wear yourself out worrying about things that are so far out of your control that all you have is fear.
Starting point is 00:33:36 So today, now, take a deep breath, delete your MySpace account, and talk to your mom about setting all her old Facebook pictures to private. It Could Happen Here is a production of Cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from Cool Zone Media, visit our website, coolzonemedia.com, or check us out on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast post run high is all about it's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories their journeys and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together listen to post run high on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Submissions close on December 8th. Hey, you've been doing all that talking. It's time to get rewarded for it.
Starting point is 00:35:06 Submit your podcast today at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast. And we're kicking off our second season digging into tech's elite and how they've turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, Hot Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts from. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors,
Starting point is 00:36:04 and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight up comedia, and that's a song that only Nuestra Gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba?
Starting point is 00:36:37 Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami? Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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