Episode 22: Malicious pixels

Posted on by Christie Koehler

Direct download link: Episode 22.

This week Audrey and I chat about the latest exploit which allows hackers to infect computers with malware via normal-looking banner ads; social media, fake news, and extremist content; Trump’s meeting with tech industry execs; and ideas for collective organizing.

Before we get started, I’d like to remind everyone to consider supporting the show with a recurring monthly contribution. This is a labor of love for me, meaning I don’t get paid for the work of hosting or producing the show. I’ll keep doing this as long as I can, but it’s tough, as I’m sure a lot of you know. Even small contributions go a long way. One dollar, five dollars, ten dollars a month, means a lot to us. Reaching a sustainable level of revenue for the podcast means not only can we continue to produce episodes regularly and timely, but we can increase our quality, too. Transcripts are one example of this. We’d like to be able to provide a written transcript for each and every episode, to make the content as accessible as possible. Please contribute what you are able.

Thanks and enjoy the show!

Show Notes

Steganography attack via ad banners

Evernote privacy policy concerns

Social media, fake news, and extremist content

The tech industry and Trump

Collective organizing

Things we like on the Internet

Community Announcements

Gift cards

We have gift cards again! Choose from several options from $10 to $100. We also have a gift card meant just for digital subscriptions, and you can order a gift subscription for the print edition by putting the recipient’s name and address in the shipping details. Both kinds of gift subscriptions will start with Issue 5: Hardware.

New merch!

There’s two new items in the shop this month: a Technology is for Everyone tote bag, and a DNS is Broken mug. These are made to order and will be sent directly from the manufacturer.

Join us for a holiday countdown

This year we’re doing a special countdown to the holidays. From November 28-December 24, we’ll be sending out a series of short daily emails featuring great learning resources, gift ideas, and organizations to support. Join us by signing up for the mailing list (be sure to check the box for “Holiday Countdown 2016”).

Bonus! On December 24 we’ll pick three lucky subscribers at random to each receive a gift: a collection of the first year of Recompiler issues (these are not available to buy); a “Technology is for Everyone” tote bag; or a “DNS is Broken” mug. We’ll only include you in the drawing if you’re on the list on December 24, so don’t forget to sign up.

Call for contributors on security and surveillance

In our first issue of 2017, we’ll be talking about security and surveillance, with a focus on topics that will help people in our quickly-changing digital and political environment. We’re interested in covering this all the way through the stack, from users to hardware. Read our announcement for details.

Support the Podcast

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