Reclaiming Data Privacy

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

There are way too many data brokers and they have way too much of our data. We’ve talked a lot lately about what you can do to reclaim your privacy and claw back some of that data and today I’m going to give you yet another interesting tool for your privacy toolbox: Permission Slip. This app and the related service, brought to you by Consumer Reports, will work on your behalf to request that these data brokers relinquish your information, or at least suppress the sharing of that data to the extent that’s legally possible. The tool has some helpful and interesting features that you may not find on other, similar services. Sukhi Gulati GIlbert is my guest today and will explain why you should consider using this tool and how it supports the overall effort to rein in dangerous business of data mining.

Interview Notes

• Permission Slip app: https://permissionslipcr.com/
• Protecting Your Privacy Online: https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/privacy/from-our-president-protecting-your-privacy-online-a1603013649/
• Digital Security & Privacy: https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-security-privacy/
• CR Report on data deletion services (PDF): https://innovation.consumerreports.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Data-Defense_-Evaluating-People-Search-Site-Removal-Services-.pdf
• California data broker registry: https://cppa.ca.gov/data_broker_registry/
• How to download the Vermont data broker list (which doesn’t seem to work): https://www.muckrock.com/foi/vermont-80/vermont-data-broker-db-107096/
• My article series on data deletion: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/osint-reconnaissance/

Further Info

• Annual listener survey!! https://fdsd.me/survey2025
• Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna
• Check out my book, Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons: https://fdsd.me/book
• Subscribe to the newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
• Become a patron! https://www.patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons
• Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch
• Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
• Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support
• Generate secure passphrases! https://d20key.com/#/

Table of Contents

Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show.

• 0:00:12: Intro
• 0:00:51: Couple quick news notes
• 0:01:45: Last call: listener survey
• 0:02:47: Interview setup
• 0:03:48: What brought you to Consumer Reports and the Permission Slip app?
• 0:07:19: How does Permission Slip compare to other data deletion services?
• 0:14:17: Where are the data brokers getting so much of our personal info?
• 0:17:00: How do I use Permission Slip?
• 0:21:47: What info does Permission Slip give to brokers?
• 0:24:42: Is it more effective to request data deletion yourself versus using a service?
• 0:31:12: What level of success should I expect when deleting my data?
• 0:33:16: Are there any limitations or exclusions for data deletion?
• 0:38:19: What if you live in a state or country with no privacy laws?
• 0:39:44: Can we limit access to our public data records?
• 0:41:24: Does freezing your credit do anything to limit data sharing?
• 0:43:53: How broken is the ‘notice and consent’ model for privacy?
• 0:45:57: Would it help to actively spread incorrect personal info?
• 0:48:31: How else can we reduce our data footprint?
• 0:50:04: What’s next for Consumer Reports in terms of privacy?
• 0:53:46: What does Permission Slip Pro cost?
• 0:55:19: Interview wrap-up
• 0:59:11: Patron content preview
• 0:59:50: Looking ahead