Its the holiday season! And thus our annual installment of Holidays and Scams! Holiday SCAMS! Charity watchdog sites https://www.charitywatch.org/home https://www.charitynavigator.org/ http://www.give.org/ https://www.guidestar.org/ Charity scams Charity Scams – How to Tell If a Charity Is a Fraud (aarp.org) How To Recognize Veteran Charity Scams (aarp.org) https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/how-donate-wisely-and-avoid-charity-scams https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search http://www.nasconet.org/resources/state-government/
Scram, Scammers! We ain’t talking! (10/10/20 Part 2)
Scammer season is year around. The tricks they use can vary on time of year, though. SCAMS targeting our Seniors! Pocket featured an article from Kiplinger, and Alert Internet Surfer Hiro thought it was worth sharing with us. We agree! https://getpocket.com/explore/item/6-scams-that-prey-on-the-elderly https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/ https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts/
Deplatforming! What is it? (8/8/20 Part 2)
“You can’t be here anymore! Nyah!” Deplatforming! What is deplatforming? What is going on? Who is doing it? Join Jonathan, LD, Sam and special guest Danno as we talk about this pretty hot topic!
Politics, Twitter, and Social Media – bleh (5/30/20 Part 2)
The Executive delivered an Executive Order about Internet Censorship this week — an order that is unenforceable. Executive Orders and Section 230 Normally we hate talking about these type of things, and this time it is no different. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20200528/01321044592/two-things-to-understand-about-trumps-executive-order-social-media-1-distraction-2-legally-meaningless.shtml https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/05/why-donald-trumps-war-on-big-tech-is-doomed-to-fail/ https://www.wired.com/story/trump-social-media-executive-order/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/05/28/trump-social-media-executive-order/ And of course, Sam is always keen to point out your ISP might well WANT to be the editor of your internet. A desire that is far more dangerous to free speech than a particular website or platform… https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/07/verizon-net-neutrality-violates-our-free-speech-rights/ Last but not least, we’ll let Mike Pompeo get the last word. Maybe these two should talk pic.twitter.com/it2Yu9eIIG — Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) May 27, 2020 Oops.
Scams, shams, and more of the same… (4/25/20 Part 2)
Just like watching the weather, you gotta keep your eyes on those darn scammers. The bad guys have a terrible dedication to stealing people’s money! So, we have to be vigilant, like it or not. Watch for COVID Scams! Threats? Stuff that’s too good to be true? Guess what, its the bad guys after YOU! https://www.fcc.gov/covid-scams https://www.ftc.gov/slideshow-items/report-scam http://ag.hawaii.gov/ https://news.yahoo.com/google-blocking-18m-coronavirus-scam-094845302.html
Zoom! It’s wildly popular with growing pains! (4/4/20 Part 1)
Zoom.us provides an increasingly popular web-conferencing service that people are using in this time of working from home and social distancing. But, like any good thing, this overnight growth spurt has some growing pains! This previously professional service is now being used for social connection by seemingly everyone, meaning the jerks have come along too. Zoom! Security – Part 1 Join Jonathan, LD, and Sam as we talk about some of the problems Zoom is having!
Making your Zoom meeting more secure! (4/4/20 Part 2)
So, we went over the problems Zoom has been having in hour one. Now? Let’s talk about fixing those problems! How DO you make your Zoom meeting more secure? Zoom! Security – Part 2 Join Jonathan, LD, and Sam as we discuss this popular teleconference service!
Working from Home! With Links! (3/28/20 Part 1)
Many folks are having to work remotely versus going to the office and being around people. Are you one of them? First time to this experience? Fear not, we’re talking about it! Working Remotely Useful links for you! https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-work-from-home-without-losing-your-mind/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryhannon/2013/09/02/10-tips-for-working-from-home/#2a5480b787ad https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-set-up-a-workable-home-office-1977403 https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-apps-for-a-second-phone-number/
EARN IT? More like BURN IT! (3/14/20 Part 2)
The EFF has brought to our attention some BAAAAD legislation that’s being drafted. Even worse, its actually bi-partisan, coming from Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). They go into a LOT of depth, and we’ll be going over this. S.3398 – EARN IT Act of 2020 If you’re afraid of government over-reach, unintended consequences, the safety and security of your online life, and freedom of speech? This is a show for you! This’s podcast is brought to you by Audible – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/MauiOnline . Over 180,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.
Be secure on your phone! (2/22/20 Part 1)
Got a smart phone? Did you know its pretty much a computer? You probably take security seriously on your computer, so you should take it seriously there too! Mobile Security! So, tips and links to help you out! Use a PIN, Pattern, or Fingerprint reader. PINS and Patterns (android) are nice because you can change them, let other people know them if you need them to get into your phone, and you can change them. Fingerprints and biometrics are convenient, but aren’t foolproof. Also, whether or not they’re protected by the 4th and 5th Amendments is unclear right now. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/01/feds-forcing-mass-fingerprint-unlocks-is-an-abuse-of-power-judge-rules/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/01/court-rules-against-man-who-was-forced-to-fingerprint-unlock-his-phone/ Encrypt your phone. Its an easy way to protect your data, photos, contacts, and more. It doesn’t incur much performance hit these days. If you want to sell your phone, just resetting it doesn’t make your data unrecoverable. Encrypt THEN reset. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-reasons-encrypt-smartphone-data/ https://gizmodo.com/why-you-should-be-encrypting-your-devices-and-how-to-ea-1798698901 Don’t jailbreak/root your phone. This is often done to add customizations or run pirated apps. You can break the security of an iPhone doing this, leaving you with little or no protection. Pirated apps from outside the official stores run significant risk of having malware. If you use wifi a lot or travel a lot, get a VPN service. https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-is-a-vpn-and-why-you-need-one