hebel. today · 6 November 202617 / 74

Technology · Digital Privacy Rights

Hardening digital defenses against automated exploitation

Securing mobile access. Smartphone users face persistent threats from physical and digital surveillance, as Tate Jarrow notes that 10% of Meta’s revenue stems from scam ads, contributing to a global scam economy of $1.5…

Securing mobile access. Smartphone users face persistent threats from physical and digital surveillance, as Tate Jarrow notes that 10% of Meta’s revenue stems from scam ads, contributing to a global scam economy of $1.5 trillion (Tate Jarrow from Tate's Online Safety Substack, Tate Jarrow from Tate's Online Safety Substack). To counter this, MacDailyNews advises that users delete advertising IDs on Android and disable tracking on iOS to prevent apps from linking location pings across services (MacDailyNews, MacDailyNews). Meanwhile, Randy Purse of Toronto Metropolitan University highlights that protecting devices and connections is the primary method for individuals to transition from easy targets to hard targets in the age of AI-driven phishing (Rob Carrick's Substack).

Managing agent risks. AI agents introduce new liabilities, as banks like Ally warn customers against granting agents direct access to funds due to the risk of first-party fraud. OpenAI recently added PIN and Face ID locks to ChatGPT to prevent unauthorized physical access, though the company confirms this does not create end-to-end encryption or prevent server-side data retention (AI Weekly, AI Weekly). Julia Díez reports that on school-grade plans, platforms like Lovable can exclude workspace data from model training by default to keep student projects private. Furthermore, Lacy Goodwyn notes that users often find opt-out settings buried at the bottom of screens, making it nearly impossible for individuals to prevent their data from being used to train AI models without a systemic change in platform transparency (Karen Smiley from 6 'P's in AI Pods).

  • The FBI’s $20.9 billion estimate for the global scam economy is at least 10 times lower than actual figures, according to FTC data (Tate Jarrow from Tate's Online Safety Substack).
  • A federal judge in the New York Times copyright case ordered OpenAI to preserve output logs that users had previously deleted (AI Weekly).

Try today · 20 min

Audit and restrict location permissions for all installed applications on your smartphone.

Go to your device settings and prioritize 'While Using' or 'Never' for apps that do not require precise location data.

You need

  • Smartphone
  • List of installed apps

Steps

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone or Android device.
  2. Navigate to the Location or Privacy & Security section.
  3. Review the list of apps with location access.
  4. Change permissions for non-essential apps to 'Ask Next Time' or 'Never'.
  5. Disable 'Precise Location' for weather, gaming, and content apps.
  6. Turn off system services related to location-based ads.
LinkedIn X

Sources

  1. Tate Jarrow, Tate's Online Safety Substack ✎ Written by a personThis analysis provides the $1.5 trillion estimate for the scam economy and explains the necessity of physical device locking.

  2. MacDailyNewsThis guide details specific paths for deleting advertising IDs on Android and managing privacy settings to reduce commercial surveillance.

  3. AI WeeklyThis report clarifies that local app locks do not prevent server-side data retention or court-ordered data preservation.

  4. Rob Carrick's SubstackThis interview emphasizes the strategy of protecting connections and devices to become a hard target for cybercriminals.

  5. Karen Smiley, 6 'P's in AI Pods ✎ Written by a personThis discussion highlights the difficulty of opting out of AI training when platforms bury privacy settings at the bottom of interfaces.

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