You ever have a doctor take photos of your condition for further examination? How about an MRI? Have you had one of those? We like to think that HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protects us here in the US. But increasingly ... It doesn't.

So over the next few weeks, we'll talk about who's collecting your medical information, how they're using it, and who they're sharing it with. And this series is wild because we're not only talking about pictures of that funny-looking mole you have. We're talking about the neural patterns of your brain and how it acts as you make decisions in Virtual Reality.

First things first, though: This week, we're going to look at services like MyChart, Phreesia, and the MANY doctor's offices that utilize Facebook's Tracking Pixel on their website.

We'll tell you how to stop these companies from collecting and sharing your data, and then we'll explain why you want to do that.

I mean, unless you want a generative AI like Chat GPT3 to be looking at photos of your favorite private parts and drawing some really interesting conclusions to share with others. (A real thing that's already happened.)

Also, In Today's Episode ...

BJ Speaks with Matthew D Green at John Hopkins University Information Security Institute to follow up on our previous episode concerning "The Cloud" and why you shouldn't put your important stuff in there.

Resources Mentioned In Today’s Show
-Email Privacy@Phreesia.com to opt out of their data collection
-Call your doctor's office to see what data is being shared and collected on you by companies like My Chart and request to opt out.
-Use the Tor Browser when visiting any websites related to managing your health care.
-Use PimEyes to see who is using pictures of your face.
-Use the pictures found by PimEyes to search HaveIBeenTrained.com to make sure your photos aren't being used to train generative AIs like ChatGPT3
-Request Clearview AI remove any pictures they have on you here.
-BJMendelson.com's Data Opt-Out Request List

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*Affiliate Link: 1Password.com
*Affiliate Link: Delete Me

Get Your Privacy Notebook: Get your Leuchtturm1917 Official Bullet Journal here.

*Using these affiliate links helps to support the show and do not cost you anything extra to use. If you like the show, we encourage you to use these links to sign-up for must have services like 1Password and Delete Me.

And before we go ...

Thanks to the interview in Slate, we're overwhelmed with requests for Privacy Audits.

So!

We want to let you know BJ and Amanda are recording a two-hour video course that you can purchase.

The course will include every step from the privacy audit and examples of how to put those steps into practice.

If you'd like to know when the course is available, email BJ at BJMendelson@Duck.com with Privacy Course in the subject line.

The "Cloud" has a bigger carbon footprint than the entire airline industry. It's also not secure. So if someone wants to mess with you, or worse, blackmail you after accessing your iCloud, GDrive, or Dropbox data? They absolutely can. Instead, we want you to go old school. So this week, Rosie explains why you want to get a nice external hard drive, encrypt a folder or the entire drive, and save your stuff there.

Resources Mentioned In Today’s Show
-Veracrypt (Wired's article on how to use it)
-Toshiba Canvio Flex External HD (Portable)
-Seagate Backup Plus Hub External HD (NOT portable. This drive needs to be plugged in.)
-Tresorit
-ProtonDrive (comes with a ProtonMail account, which we recommended here in a previous episode.)
TP Link AX3000 Router

Also In This Episode ...

This episode also contains the last part of BJ's first book on privacy — written back in 2017 — as read by Broadway actor Roger Wayne. After this week, every remaining episode will include an interview with a privacy and security expert!

Our Sponsor: DuckDuckGo

Affiliate Link: 1Password.com

Get Your Privacy Notebook: Get your Leuchtturm1917 Official Bullet Journal here.

And before we go ...

Thanks to the interview in Slate, we're overwhelmed with requests for Privacy Audits.

So!

We want to let you know BJ and Amanda are recording a two-hour video course that you can purchase.

The course will include every step from the privacy audit and examples of how to put those steps into practice.

If you'd like to know when the course is available, email BJ at BJMendelson@Duck.com with Privacy Course in the subject line.

Photo Credit: Karolina Grabowska

Writer and Co-Producer of Star Trek: Prodigy, Aaron Waltke joins BJ on the show to talk about the hit animated series and ... The Brave Little Toaster? What?

Yes. The Brave Little Toaster. But you'll have to listen to this week's episode to find out what's going on there.

In addition to "Prodigy", BJ and Aaron also talk about how Aaron bonded with his Dad over Star Trek, working hard to make "Prodigy" stand on its own feet, and how studying psychology informed his writing.

Great episode to listen to. So don't miss it.

This week on the show, Comics artist and writer Lucy Sullivan joins BJ Mendelson to talk about her excellent graphic novel, "Barking."

They also talk about what Lucy learned growing up in and around pubs, her collaborations with Jeff Lemire, and why you should be outside planting seeds to protect your mental health.

Make sure you check out Lucy's terrific work here.

And as always, if you enjoyed this week's show, leave us a review. These reviews help others to find the show.

This week, the women of our show kick BJ to the curb and go deep on tips, tricks, and apps you can use to keep safe while going out on a date.

There's A LOT covered in this episode, but some of the highlights of what's covered by Rosie and Amanda King (co-author of "How to Protect Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos) include: How to avoid getting blackmailed, why you should use all new photos for your dating profile and remove the EXIF data from them, what tools you should know like Garbo.io and Noonlight, and why you should break up with someone at a Walmart. (A Mendelson Family tradition.)

Resources Mentioned In Today’s Show

Remove EXIF information from your photos here.
California Consumer Privacy Act (Now in effect!)
Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act <-- This page is not as helpful as the California one. We're looking for an alternative.
GDPR Data Removal Request (UK and European Union only)
Spot Infrared Imager to spot hidden cameras
Noonlight app
Stop Apple AirTag stalking with: Light Blue (ios) AirGuard (Android)
Garbo.io Background Checks
BurnerApp / Google Voice (see the previous episode for more!)
TinEye.com Reverse Image Search
If someone is trying to blackmail you online, read this.

Our Sponsor: DuckDuckGo

Affiliate Link: 1Password.com

Get Your Privacy Notebook: Get your Leuchtturm1917 Official Bullet Journal here.

Today's episode was NOT sponsored by Chena Hot Springs. We just love that place.

And before we go ...

Thanks to the interview in Slate, we're overwhelmed with requests for Privacy Audits.

So!

We want to let you know BJ and Amanda are recording a two-hour video course that you can purchase.

The course will include every step from the privacy audit and examples of how to put those steps into practice.

If you'd like to know when the course is available, email BJ at BJMendelson@Duck.com with Privacy Course in the subject line.

This week, BJ is joined in the George Carlin Podcast Studio by Mr. Gregg Spiridellis. Gregg is the co-creator of JibJab (Yes. That JibJab for our fellow Millenials and Gen X'ers), and Storybots.

In this episode, Gregg tells the story of how Storybots went from YouTube Channel to a multimillion-dollar Netflix acquisition and the influence Sesame Street has on the show.

Gregg also shares some terrific advice about how he uses technology to help drive his creative process and why you should always kill your darlings.

Not literally. But you know what we mean if you're listening to this show.

This week we introduce the Stranger Danger Phone! This is a backup, pre-paid Smartphone we recommend you use when dating online. The Stranger Danger Phone is also great for content creators who maintain some kind of public-facing presence online and need to be accessible to their audience.

These are easy to set up, and not expensive. Never give out your real phone number again! Rosie will explain why, and give you the steps you need to take to get one set up.

Also featured in today's episode, BJ speaks with the author of "How to Disappear," Frank M Ahearn. Today, Frank helps the thousands of people who fall victim to blackmail, extortion, sextortion, and romance scams online. We talk about what steps you can take to better protect yourself, and why you should consider riding the bus the next time you want to make a break for it.

***

Resources Mentioned In Today’s Show

Google Voice <--Use this with your Stranger Danger Phone to create a Decoy Phone number.
Burner (a paid alternative to Google Voice)
Faraday Bag from Silent Pocket
Emergency Power Bank to keep your phone fully charged when out with a stranger.
Mint Mobile <-- Have a trusted friend or family member buy your Stranger Danger Phone, in cash, along with a Mint Mobile sim card or three.

***

Our Sponsor: DuckDuckGo

Affiliate Link: 1Password.com

Get Your Privacy Notebook: Get your Leuchtturm1917 Official Bullet Journal here.

And before we go ...

Thanks to the interview in Slate, we're overwhelmed with requests for Privacy Audits.

So! We'd like to let you know BJ is recording a two-hour video course that you can purchase. The course will include every step from the privacy audit and examples of how to put those steps into practice.

If you'd like to know when the course is available for purchase, email BJ at BJMendelson@Duck.com

(Note: This interview was recorded earlier in the year. So we don't get into X-Men '97, other than mentioning Eric and Julia were invited to work on the sequel series, coming soon to Disney Plus.)

This episode is a wonderful trip down memory lane with Eric and Julia Lewald, the showrunner and a staff writer on X-Men: The Animated Series.

If you're a fan of the old cartoon, this episode is for you.

Eric and Julia also share some wonderful advice for aspiring TV writers and share their secret origin stories.

If you'd like to pickup their (EXCELLENT) books, you can visit Eric and Julia online here.