The New Oil

Last week, I wrote about how our phone numbers have evolved into a unique, static ID that companies abuse to track us. As anecdotal evidence, I mentioned that “I personally had my last phone number for well over a decade before I finally got rid of cell service altogether in favor of the 'living on Wi-Fi 24/7' model.” This prompted an email from a reader asking me to elaborate. Why not?

Imagine this: you walk into a casual dining restaurant for dinner with some friends. The host informs you that there's a short wait for a table – about fifteen or twenty minutes – but they can let you know what the table's ready. They ask for your social security number and without so much as a thought you hand it over. The host scribbles it down on a notepad and says they'll call out your last four when your table is ready.

That sounds insane, right? And yet, that's kind of what a lot of us do regularly with our phone numbers, handing them out willy-nilly at the drop of a hat to anyone who asks. My exaggeration in this case is pretty mild. Not convinced? Don't worry. Not only will I convince you in this blog post, but I'll also show you how to protect yourself and how to do so for free, no less.

Like most readers who've spent some time online, I've seen my fair share of scams. However, a few weeks ago, a friend sent me a screenshot of a phishing email that his friend received, and this one was surreal to read. It started off by addressing the friend by name, then followed up with “I know that calling [their phone number] or visiting [their home address] would be a convenient way to have a chat with you in case you don't take action.” Despite not being my phone number or address, I could feel my anxiety spiking. Just for good measure, the email went on to include some technical jargon like “RDP” and “Pegasus spyware,” things that any average person can Google and verify are real – which might result in a panicked non-expert ascribing validity to the email itself.

Scams are getting really good.

This week, the UK put the entire world at risk. I understand that may sound like alarmist hyperbole, but follow me. To understand, we have to go back to 2016, a year that I like to describe as “the year the world got collectively blackout drunk and decided to call our ex.” A lot of wild stuff happened that year – especially in the UK – so one thing that might’ve slipped under the radar was the passing of a little law called the Investigatory Powers Act. This law would later go on to be nicknamed “The Snooper’s Charter” by critics, and it allowed the UK to dramatically expand their electronic surveillance powers. How dramatically, you might ask? Two weeks ago, Apple was ordered to insert an encryption backdoor (more on that in a moment) into iCloud. And they weren’t allowed to publicly disclose it. And also even if they wanted to fight it, they’d still have to comply while the courts considered their appeal.

Yeah. That dramatically.

The thing is, Apple has made it abundantly clear in no uncertain terms that they will refuse any request by any government to knowingly insert backdoors into their software. So in light of their inability to fight this request, Apple simply decided to remove iCloud encryption entirely for UK users.

In keeping with my pledge to post major updates on the blog, I should let you all know that recently, The New Oil fully deleted our Odysee channel. For those who care, let me explain why. This won’t take long.

Many of us know we can do better on the internet. We know that we’re not using good security practices, and many of us know we’re being tracked online. Getting started can be overwhelming and intimidating for some, but I think the new year is a great excuse to take those first steps. In this blog post, I want to share one of the absolute easiest but most powerful things you can do to start regaining your privacy and security online: block ads.

2024 has drawn to a close at The New Oil. Here’s how things went for us.

What does it take to truly opt out of invasive online tracking, creepy or unwelcome targeted ads, and data collection that you never meaningfully agreed to? In recent years apps and services have been advertising their alleged privacy features but – no surprise – it turns out that many of these features may be woefully inadequate.

Today is Computer Security Day. While not a high profile holiday, I of course can’t miss the opportunity to bring it up because in our increasingly digital world, cybersecurity likewise becomes increasingly important. Nearly everything in our lives are now basically repurposed computers: phones, TVs, even cars, washing machines, and more. Many a privacy enthusiast has decried the growing difficulty of finding a “dumb” product that isn’t internet connected from TVs to light bulbs and even toys. For better or worse, it seems that we are moving into a world where everything is internet-connected, and we may soon have no choice but to focus on harm reduction rather than avoidance. As such it’s important we take a moment to go back to the basics and talk about the best ways to secure our computers of all kinds.

Black Friday is quickly bearing down upon us. For those not in the know, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the US, and traditionally marks the official start of Christmas shopping season, and as such, many vendors, retailers, and manufacturers offer steep discounts on their products and services.

This year, I’d like to start what I hope to make an annual tradition. In this blog post, I’d like to make a list of all known privacy- and security-related Black Friday deals. If you’re reading this closer to a future Black Friday after 2024, check out thenewoil.org/black-friday to be taken to the latest version of this blog. If you spot a deal that isn’t listed here, please send it to me so I can add it. I will try to update as often as I can.