Silent Mode Cafe
Welcome to Silent Mode Cafe, the podcast where we translate the digital realm into plain English. From data privacy and basic internet security to smart home gadgets and the latest AI developments, we serve up tech insights with a side of caffeine.
Silent Mode Cafe
Weekly Roundup: Private Matters: Your Digital Life Exposed
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
YouTube's AI now estimates your age based on watch history, potentially blocking content or requiring ID verification if it thinks you're under 18. Data brokers are deliberately hiding opt-out pages from search engines, violating privacy laws while making it difficult for consumers to protect their information.
• Major apps like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram request a combined 882 permissions, gaining access to cameras, microphones, and location data
• Data brokers including Comscore and Equivia used hidden code to prevent opt-out pages from appearing in Google Search results
• AI tools in education are raising concerns about student data collection and privacy
• Companies face wiretap lawsuits over AI systems recording customer service calls without proper consent
• Recent data breaches affected US federal judiciary systems, Columbia University (870,000 people), Connex Credit Union (172,000 customers), UK MOD subcontractor, French telecom Bouygues (6.4 million customers), Allianz Life Insurance (1.4 million people), and Canadian Parliament
• Social engineering tactics were used in several breaches, highlighting the human element in cybersecurity
Check your app settings monthly and disable unnecessary permissions. For YouTube age restrictions, check your Google account settings and opt out where possible.
Your digital life is under constant scrutiny, with AI algorithms making assumptions about who you are based on your online behavior. YouTube has rolled out a new system that estimates your age from watch history alone – not profile data – and automatically restricts content if it decides you're underage. The concerning part? If the algorithm gets it wrong, you might find yourself locked out of legitimate content or forced to upload government ID just to prove your age.
Data brokers have been caught red-handed trying to keep you from exercising your privacy rights. Over 30 companies including Comscore and Equivia deliberately coded their websites to hide opt-out pages from Google Search, making it nearly impossible for consumers to say "no" to data collection. This deceptive practice likely violates California's privacy laws, prompting Senator Maggie Hassan to set a September 3rd deadline for companies to fix these issues or face consequences.
The permission requests from popular apps have reached staggering levels – a study found that just 20 major applications, including social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, request a combined 882 permissions from users. These apps want access to everything from your microphone and location to your camera and files. Meanwhile, AI tools are infiltrating classrooms with little oversight, potentially collecting and storing sensitive student data without adequate parental knowledge or consent.
Recent breaches have affected millions: Columbia University (870,000 people), Connex Credit Union (172,000 customers with SSNs and debit card numbers exposed), French telecom Bouygues (6.4 million customers), and even the Canadian Parliament and US federal judiciary systems. These aren't just statistics – they represent real people facing real consequences from data exposure.
Take back control by checking app permissions monthly, using privacy-focused browsers, and being vigilant about what information you share with AI tools. Remember: in the digital world, if you're not paying for the product, you are the product. Stay safe, stay private, and stay curious.
Welcome to Silent Mode Cafe
Speaker 1Welcome back to Silent Mode Cafe , your weekly download on the biggest privacy and security stories shaping the digital world .
Speaker 2Oh man , hey , I'm Salah . Look , I'm here with the ever-curious Vivek . Today's episode is packed as usual . Packed as usual . Look , we're talking about AI guessing your age , data brokers or data collectors playing a bit of hide and seek , which ?
Speaker 1is really interesting .
Speaker 2And of course , as always breaches that were a bit horrifying , quite frankly .
Speaker 1Yeah , if you've been online at all in the past 14 days , and if you haven't , that's amazing . But if you have , there's a good chance . Your data was involved , so let's break it down . Let's break it all down and help you protect yourself . So we'll start with the first segment , which is the big stories of the week
YouTube's AI Age Estimation
Speaker 1. And the big story in the past 14 days is related to YouTube's AI , which has started estimating your age .
Speaker 2Yeah , that's a good place to start . Well , let's kick things off with this . So now for all you YouTube users , personal as well as for your children YouTube rolling out AI that is now estimating your age based on your watch history . Not profile data , but your behavioral data .
Speaker 1Yep data but your behavioral data , yep . So if the AI thinks you're under 18 , it'll block certain content automatically . Great in theory , but what if it gets it wrong ?
Speaker 2Yeah , you mean like suddenly it's now going to get locked out of videos , or worse , it's going to get locked out of videos , or worse , it's going to force me to update my ID to fix it , for example .
Speaker 1Yeah , and let's be honest , right , most people don't want to hand Google a copy of their driver's license just to watch a documentary .
Speaker 2Yeah Well , folks , if you want to get around this , the way to do this is check your Google account settings . Opt out of age-based restrictions , where you can Also do not upload personal data . If you think this is going to confuse the algorithm , Yep .
Data Brokers Hiding Opt-Out Pages
Speaker 1So next up is data brokers hiding opt-out pages , which is another thing , right ? So it's kind of interesting . The entire conversation is around age restrictions or hiding opt-out pages as it relates to personal information . So next up , one of the things and this one made me do a double-take Salah . You know , there are over 30 data brokers , including Comscore and Equivia , who were found hiding their opt-out pages from Google Search .
Speaker 2So this is used hidden code so people can't easily find their way to say no , don't collect my data and folks . You know we've talked about all these privacy acts out there . This might be allegedly Vivek to bring back that topic violates the California CCPA Privacy Act .
Speaker 1Yeah , and so essentially what that means is that opt-out information should be out in the front . They weren't putting it in the front . They were hiding it in a way to confuse a person into giving their data . So now Senator Maggie Hassan is giving them until September 3rd to fix it or face legal consequences . So this has become a hot topic .
Speaker 2That's actually amazing . I'd love to see the government really sink their teeth in yeah , really sink their teeth in . You know the tip around this one is just use privacy-focused browsers , like we've mentioned a hundred times over , right ? Use DuckDuckGo for your searches , browser extensions to uncover hidden opt-outs , and don't give up because they really want you to . They want you to make giving your personal information an opt-in to be easy , Right , Okay . So third topic , let's get into this . One gets interesting
App Permissions Getting Out of Hand
Speaker 2. App permissions are getting out of hand , without a doubt , right . A study that looked at 20 major applications and folks . This is including your Facebook , your TikTok , your Instagram , and this study . They looked at a request a combined 882 permissions , which is ridiculously aggressive , right ?
Speaker 1Yeah . So to put it into context , when apps like Facebook , tiktok , instagram want access to your microphone , your location , your camera and even your files , that all adds up . So just imagine 20 of the top apps combined have asked for a total of 882 permissions .
Speaker 2Got it Right , and whether people want to give them those permissions or not , right . And it's not just that they want access , but the issue is what they want to do with that information , right ? Why do they want to listen in ? Why do they want access to my camera and my location ? Well , guess what ? You're the product with all these free applications they want to sell , share your data or train their algorithms on your specific data your specific data .
Speaker 1Yeah , so , as you can see , the topic today is revolving more around permissioning what you should share what you shouldn't share . So one of the pro tips for this is please go into your phone settings and revoke anything unnecessary , especially location , which I say all the time , like , for example , for Instagram , my location is off . You have to be very careful about mic access , because there have been rumors that you know , even though the mic is off , there's someone always listening . So , all the unnecessary applications , please revoke them for your privacy , for your data privacy and for your personal privacy too . So that's a pro tip , especially as it relates to app permissions
AI in Education: Privacy Concerns
Speaker 1. Then , the fourth topic that we want to talk about is related to education and AI , and the topic , essentially is AI and education . Is it creepy or clever , salah ? Why don't you take us through that ?
Speaker 2Yeah , I like that . Look one on the education front , axios . It's reporting growing concerns around AI tools in classrooms . Right yeah , in classrooms .
Speaker 1right , yeah , so does that mean you know tools that are supposed to help teachers , maybe storing or even sharing student data , including grades and learning patterns ?
Speaker 2Yeah , I mean , like one recent breach , powerschool exposed tons of student information , Like who wants their children's information out there or be used right ? And let's be real about this Most parents have no idea what's being collected about their kids . Yeah .
Speaker 1So if you're a parent , ask your school if they're using AI tools . You may have the right to opt your child out . So this is going to become , I think , at minimum on this .
Speaker 2Just ask what the tools are and how that data is being used . Probe your school to see . Are they thinking about it ? Are they putting any guardrails around these tools so they don't collect personal information about your kids ?
Speaker 1Yeah , and it's going to get a bigger , hotter topic because , again , who has access to the data ? Ai ? I mean , you know , as adults , we can deal with a certain amount of giving up our privacy , but when it comes to kids , you know , there's always that balance of I really don't want to share my child's you know grades to an AI system , child's grades to an AI system , because you don't know how it's going to get used in the future . When you know for colleges , you know , will colleges have access to that data ? How will they perceive it ? Does it store behavioral information ? So it can start . If you start going down that rabbit hole , it becomes more and more concerning , which obviously takes us to our next concerning topic , which is related to AI , again call recordings , which are sparking wiretap lawsuits
AI Call Recordings Sparking Lawsuits
Speaker 1. So , yeah , so this is a wild one . Companies like Google are facing lawsuits over AI tools that listen in on customer service calls .
Speaker 2Oh man , yeah , no , not the listen to improve service function that we all hear While we're talking . Recording , analyzing and storing calls without any consent , right or ?
Speaker 1any clear ?
Speaker 2consent , at least .
Speaker 1Right , and so the wiretapping laws in some US states are pretty strict , strict , sorry , strict . You need consent from both parties , so yeah , yeah , Look .
Speaker 2the pro tip on this one is if you don't hear , the call is being recorded . At&t does a great job , by the way , of letting you know this is recorded Again . The reason it's being recorded , of course , Vivek , is to improve the service , but regardless , if they don't come out and tell you , you can just ask hey , is this being recorded ? What will happen to that data ? And , believe it or not , you might actually be talking to an AI , not an actual human .
Speaker 1Yeah , it's kind of interesting . Well , what happens if you tell the AI , yes , we are recording .
Speaker 2Yes . And then what's ?
Speaker 1your next step going to be .
Speaker 2So next topic generative AI . Lawsuits are on the rise . And finally , ai tools like chatbots are now facing privacy-related lawsuits , and I think we talked about this one of the big lawsuits last time Users claiming that their interactions are being used without consent , potentially again violating the wiretap laws . Vivek .
Speaker 1Wow . So if you're using like an AI tool and typing sensitive information , is that the one where you're saying you may be sharing more than you think ? Are we talking about our dear friends in ChatGPT ?
Speaker 2That's right , and we talked about that last week , where Sam Altman , the CEO founder of ChatGPT , actually said so much is that . Hey , this is not personal information . This data that you are using could be used , or the way you're interacting with the chatbot could be used against you in a court of law .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah . So I think it's kind of interesting that it's coming full circle again , full circle , man .
Speaker 2So don't assume privacy by default . Folks Always read the fine print and if you're not sure , listen to Silent Mode Cafe . We'll tell you . But in general , don't trust AI tools with your personal information and if you have any specific questions , just send us an email or a question and we'll address it on the next podcast .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2Virk , how about we do some rapid fire on some breach
Data Breach Roundup
Speaker 2updates ?
Speaker 1Oh , our favorite topic Every week we have breaches . Yes , so , yeah , so let's go . So I'll start first and then , salah , you follow through . So the US federal judiciary systems were breached this week . So electronic filing systems compromised , sealed court records , warrants , even informant identities were potentially exposed .
Speaker 2No , the snitches are going to get caught . That's amazing . So is this information out for us to access ? Do we know ?
Speaker 1We just know that they got breached . I'm sure somewhere in the wonderful dark web you'll find it at some point in time , might have to pull out a browser there to see if we can find that Okay .
Speaker 2So look on the leak front , columbia University . They've been in the news . For 870,000 people , including personal , academic and health information was leaked . Two years of identity protection is being offered by the university Wow .
Speaker 1So it's just , it just gets more and more interesting . With Columbia University , my first thought was have 870,000 people graduated from Columbia , that they had all this information . Jokes aside , that's a lot of records .
Speaker 2Yes , that's a lot of records .
Speaker 1So I think that's one Okay . The third topic is that the Connex Credit Union . It's a credit union . 172,000 customer information was breached , which included Social Security numbers , debit card numbers and more additional information was stolen numbers , debit card numbers and more additional information was stolen . So Connex Credit Union if you are a member of Connex Credit Union , your information has been breached . So something to be aware of .
Speaker 2Wow , that's huge . Hey , the UK is back in the news . Uk MOD subcontractor has been hacked or a subcontractor , excuse me . Wow . 3,700 individuals are affected . Here's where it becomes interesting . Afghan evacuees and British personnel are now exposed . This breach could literally be life-threatening big topic there . Wow , that's scary that is super scary . I mean our government is not safe , your government is not safe . I mean , imagine that , uh , this is highly , highly damaging information , right ?
Speaker 1From a reputation as well by the way . Yeah , I mean , let's just yeah , especially sensitive military information like this , my goodness . The fifth topic is related to a telecom breach . There's a French company called and I'm going to massacre this name because I'm not French Bougez Telecom Breach Bouyes . It starts with a B-O-U-Y-G-U-E-S telecom breach . 6.4 million customers were hit names , phone numbers , birthdates leaked via a third-party vendor . So the issue is not only specific to US telecom providers , but also now French , so along that .
Speaker 2If you work with Alliance , life Insurance , alliance with a Z A-L-L-I-A-N-Z Life Insurance , chances are your data is compromised , and this is 1.4 million people's data was compromised , by the way , vivek , and this is CRM system , so a CRM system .
Speaker 2Folks will have all your personal information your name , your address , your contact information , personal information , your name , your address , your contact information , etc . And what makes this interesting is the way this was hacked . Social engineering used to infiltrate , wow . So we should do a lesson on social engineering . Social engineering is actually an area that's typically used on the recon front before a hack actually happens . Right , they want to learn about the organization , so they call in as an employee or as a customer and they start asking questions and they slowly navigate the system by understanding hey , you know , I'm having a problem with billing . Who can I talk to ? In billing , they use things like social platforms out there to try to map out the company . There are many different tools in social engineering extract information from banks by giving the bank routing information , saying hey , let's do a quick test , I'm so-and-so your partner , why don't you route 100,000 as a quick test on our new system ? And 100,000 gets wired and they skedaddle with that 100,000 . So it's really interesting . So in this case they bamboozled Alliance Life Insurance .
Speaker 1We should do a segment on social engineering .
Speaker 2We really should . Social engineering is one of my favorite hacking .
Speaker 1Speaking of which , our neighbors to the north , the Canadian Parliament . It got hacked . Canada got hacked . The Canadian Parliament , the House of Commons Network got hacked . Last week we talked about the SharePoint vulnerability issue . Apparently , hackers exploited the Microsoft vulnerability and they got access to sensitive info on government staff .
Speaker 2We said that this is going to play out . This has to do with , I believe , the SharePoint vulnerability , and we knew this is going to . I think we're probably folks going to have weekly updates on this as we find out how that vulnerability was used . So this one apparently hit the government of Canada . Yep , hey , another topic .
Speaker 1Go ahead , so wrap it up .
Speaker 2So another topic , real quick , is if you are looking for a job and you happen to be using Manpower's staffing firm , they have been hit by a ransomware attack and ransomware . Typically . Traditionally , what they used to do is just encrypt your devices and say if you want access back to those devices , pay us . But a lot of organizations said you know , we'd rather just buy new devices , we're not going to pay you . But so what they started doing is they did a dual extortion so they would extract all the data , and this is what happened in this scenario . So manpower staffing had their data stolen of 145,000 individuals , including passport scans and contracts that these individuals have had with manpower . So if you are using manpower , have used manpower . Please protect yourselves .
Speaker 1Right , and then I know it felt like a lot because it was and every week there's new news about everything that's going on in terms of breaches and data getting stolen or companies being sneaky , not telling you how your data is being used , but unfortunately , this is the new normal .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , that's sad . Every one of these breaches have created real world consequences for people . So you know this . Sadly enough , vivek , you're right , this is the new norm , it's the new normal . So , switching back to discussing some of these topics , you know AI being able to guess your age right'm still thinking about how easily someone can be misclassified in this situation .
Final Thoughts and Next Week's Preview
Speaker 1Yeah , I mean , in this case it's more of reversing the age right , like saying that if you are above 18 , it thinks you're 15 . But imagine if you are 15 and it starts showing you content as if you're 22 , right , and then the kind of uh situations you're put into uh and your access becomes limited or your access widens . So it's kind of getting interesting as to you know . Personally , I don't want to be uploading my ID just to prove my age to an AI agent .
Speaker 2Yeah yeah . That opens the door to so many issues . You know the algorithmic bias right ? You somehow made a assumption of who I am and what I like , and now you're tailoring contacts . But it's also a bit of overreach , don't you think ?
Speaker 1Yeah , I think it's also a bit of overreach , because assuming you use a shared computer and then your kids use AI for something and then suddenly the AI thinks that , oh , you're a 15-year-old trying to do their calculus homework or something Right ? So the tip always is please check your settings , don't be afraid to push back . You have a right to see and control what's being inferred about you . So a classic example is if you go to ChatGPT there was a time I did it a couple of months back . I haven't done it in a while you can ask things like ChatGPT , chatgp , gpt can you create a profile for me or what you think I am ? And they'll create a profile for you and say this is who I think you are and this is what we think you do , and blah , blah , blah yeah , so can you ?
Speaker 2uh , what does it think about you ? All ? Right , stop there , let's move on . Hey , how about the hidden opt-out pages ? That really bothers me . I don't like being tracked without me knowing . Right , you have the opportunity to track my information , but you know why ? Not just why . Hide the unsubscribe button , for example . Right , like we get spam calls , we get emails by these vendors . They've done a good job so far by saying hey , here's your unsubscribe option .
Speaker 1Yeah , I mean yeah , let's be honest right Between you and me and everyone else . How many times have you , when you installed a piece of software , it comes up with a license page who has 99.99% of the people just say accept the license ?
Speaker 2right .
Speaker 1Just accept it , right . So , in a way , just accept it . Just accept it . So , in a way , it's like digital manipulation , right ? They know most people won't dig deep enough to fight back , and that's what we're seeing with things like unsubscribe buttons , as well as also in terms of what the data brokers are trying to do .
Speaker 2I know 800 plus permissions that most applications ask for . That's crazy . Who's going to go through ? No one's going to go through 800 plus permissions , and I mean even though they fall under categories like tracking and voice and mic and all that business , that's still data overload and we know AI is just consuming that information like crazy .
Speaker 1So the tip , action tip is make it a monthly habit . I know there's a lot going on with everyone . Check your app settings and disable anything you don't absolutely need .
Speaker 2Yeah , before you open an app or when you download a new app , make it a habit , like Vivek just said , go into settings , look at what it has access to , what it's accessing , et cetera . Right , you know this all ties together . Ai is getting so much smarter , vivek , but I don't feel like it's getting safer .
Speaker 1Yeah , and then you're also seeing it that , from things like automated profiling to silent data hoarding , we need to evolve as users just as fast as tech evolves , especially with all the exponential advancements in AI . Yeah , all right . All right , now let's get on to some closing thoughts . So you know , that's a wrap on this week's privacy news .
Speaker 2Yeah , look , we covered AI apps . We covered lawsuits . There's too many breaches , as normal , but remember , you're not powerless . You truly are not powerless . It just takes a little effort .
Speaker 1So do audit your digital life once a month , Check your app permissions , your aid settings and please look out for those hidden opt-outs , especially when it comes to your data and sharing your data if you've already had your age misclassified or found an app asking for just wild permissions , DM us .
Speaker 2We'd love to hear about that A hundred percent .
Speaker 1So next week , you know , we'll be diving into social engineering , AI , voice fraud , how scammers can clone your voice and how to protect yourself .
Speaker 2And how you can clone your own voice . By the way , there's some cool apps out there . So , don't forget to subscribe . Please follow us . Lots to come , More updates for us . All right folks , stay safe .
Speaker 1Stay private and stay curious .
Speaker 2All right .
Speaker 1We'll talk to you next time .