Opt Out
Opt Out is a podcast hosted by Seth For Privacy that explores why privacy matters and how people can take back control of their data. Each episode features conversations with guests who share their personal motivations for privacy, along with the tools and techniques they use in daily life. The show mixes practical advice on data sovereignty with broader discussion of the risks of surveillance and centralized platforms. The goal is to inform and inspire listeners to adopt healthier privacy habits and to normalize caring about privacy.
Episodes
Escaping the technocracy w/ Gabriel Custodiet and UrbanHacker
If you’ve ever wanted to dive deeper into personal privacy and security, there’s no better resource out there than Escape the Technocracy. I chat with the creators on why they started the project, what to expect from it, and where they’re taking it next.More about Gabriel and UrbanGabriel’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/gabriel-custodiet/Urban’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com
Making Bitcoin dev great at Bitcoin++ w/ Nifty Nei
Tired of Bitcoin conferences for suits and TradFi bros? Nifty has been making Bitcoin conferences great again with Bitcoin++ for years now, and she’s joining me on Opt Out to chat all things Bitcoin dev, Bitcoin++, and more.More about NiftyNifty’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/nifty-nei/More about Bitcoin++Website: https://btcpp.dev/Bitcoin++’s Twitter: https://x.com/btcplusplusSupp
The next step for VPNs w/ Carl Dong from Obscura
The VPN paradigm has grown stale, with simple one-party providers being the best available. But what if we could further minimize trust by shift to a two-party hop system? Obscura is doing just that, and we’re sitting down with their founder Carl Dong to learn all about it.More about CarlCarl’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/carl-dong/More about ObscuraWebsite: https://obscura.net/Ob
Can AI be private? w/ Marks from OpenSecret
AI is all the rage, but with it come new privacy questions and concerns. Marks from OpenSecret joins to walk us through how we can have our AI-generated cake and eat it too.More about MarksMarks’ guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/marks/More about OpenSecret and Maple AIOpenSecret’s website – https://opensecret.cloudHow does OpenSecret work? – https://blog.opensecret.cloud/opensecret-tec
Improving SimpleX w/ Evgeny from SimpleX and Daniel Keller from Flux
Two years after our first episode on SimpleX, we’re back with an update on all they’ve been working on, including a new approach to chat relays with Dan from Flux.More about our guestsEvgeny’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/evgeny-poberezkin/Dan’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/dan-keller/More about SimpleXWebsite – https://simplex.chat/Quantum-resistant encryption blog
An open-source security platform w/ Zach Herbert from Foundation
If you're frustrated by the need for multiple hardware wallets, security keys, two-factor applications, or even phones and looking for an easier way to secure your digital life, Foundation has just what you need. Zach Herbert, co-founder and CEO of Foundation, joins me to talk through their latest product, Passport Prime, and how they're seeking to lower the barrier of entry to proper di
How Kagi is fixing search w/ Vlad Prelovac
Ever wondered why your Google search results are so bad? Looking for an alternative that puts your interests first instead of an ad company’s? Today we chat with Vlad Prelovac, founder of Kagi, a new type of search engine that rethinks finding information on the internet from the ground up.More about VladVlad’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/vlad-prelovac/More about KagiKagi’s websit
Bitcoin and Ossification w/ Jameson Lopp
We get to the bottom of what ossification is, why it's harmful to Bitcoin to push for premature ossification, and why we need to improve the building blocks available to developers to enable trustless and useful layers to be built on Bitcoin.More about Jameson:Jameson's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/jameson-lopp/More about ossification:Lopp's recent blog post: https:
Proton Wallet w/ Andy Yen
I sit down with Andy Yen, founder and CEO of Proton, to discuss the release of Proton Wallet, the decision to focus on Bitcoin despite its lack of privacy, why they don't accept Monero, and much more.More about Andy:Andy's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/andy-yen/More about Proton Wallet:Website: https://wallet.proton.me/Launch blog post: https://proton.me/blog/proton-walle
SimpleX chat and how privacy aligns with the future of computing w/ Evgeny from SimpleX
Heard of SimpleX chat and curious what it's all about? This episode, we're sitting down with Evgeny, the founder of SimpleX Chat to talk about SimpleX, privacy, data sovereignty, and the future of computing.More about Evgeny:Evgeny's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/evgeny-poberezkin/More about SimpleX:Website: https://simplex.chat/Chat protocol: https://github.com/simp
How FediMints could ease onboarding and privacy in Bitcoin w/ Eric Sirion and Matt Odell
This episode, we're sitting down with Eric Sirion and Matt Odell to chat about FediMints, a fascinating and unusual new proposal that seeks to ease onboarding and privacy on Bitcoin with important trade-offs.More about Eric Sirion and Matt Odell:Eric Sirion's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/eric-sirion/Matt Odell's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/odell/Mo
Special: Live YouTube Q&A!
Welcome to the first ever live Q&A on Opt Out! We covered a ton of topics ranging from personal privacy, self-hosting, Bitcoin, Monero, privacy-preserving donations, future plans for the podcast, and much more.Thank you to all those who joined live, and please let me know if you have any questions or want to dive more deeply into any of the topics we touched on here!Mentioned resources:https:/
Private messaging via Session w/ Kee Jefferys
Looking to explore alternatives to Signal and heard of Session, but not sure what sets it apart? This episode, we're sitting down with Kee Jefferys, CTO of Session, to chat about their Session messenger and it's approaches to chat, encryption, and network privacy.More about Kee Jefferys:Kee's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/kee-jefferys/More about Session:Website -- ht
Anonymous SIM cards via Silent.Link
Have you been struggling to find ways to get a usable and long-lasting phone number without giving up your ID or privacy? This episode, we're sitting down with Silent.Link to chat about their phone number service via eSIMs.More about Silent.Link:Website -- https://silent.link/Twitter -- https://twitter.com/silentlink1Matrix -- matrix://@support:silent.linkEmail -- support@silent.linkOpt Out&a
Monerotopia conference special w/ Douglas Tuman
This episode, we're taking a break from the normal structure of Opt Out to focus on a conference I'll be attending and speaking at in April, Monerotopia, and learn more about it from the creator, Douglas Tuman.More about Douglas Tuman:Douglas' guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/douglas-tuman/More about Monerotopia:April 7th, 2022 – Miami Beach, FLWebsite -- https://monero
Self-hosted search via Whoogle w/ Ben Busby
Looking for a privacy-preserving and light-weight search tool that you can self-host? This episode, we’re sitting down with Ben Busby to chat about his project, Whoogle search.More about Ben Busby:Ben’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/ben-busby/More about Whoogle:Github – https://github.com/benbusby/whoogle-searchInstalling Whoogle – https://github.com/benbusby/whoogle-search#installM
Taking back your data via Nextcloud w/ Jos Poortvliet
Looking for a solution to get off of Google or Apple's walled ecosystem and take back control of your data? This episode, we're sitting down with Jos Poortvliet to chat about Nextcloud and the many solutions it has to offer.More about Jos Poortvliet:Jos' guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/jos-poortvliet/More about Nextcloud:Site - https://nextcloud.com/Getting started - h
Network privacy via i2p w/ idk and Sadie
Have you heard about i2p but aren't sure where it fits into your network privacy toolkit? This episode, we're sitting down with Sadie and IDK from i2p to chat about i2p's approach to privacy, it's use-cases, and how it compares to similar tools like the Tor network.More about idk and Sadie:idk's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/idk/Sadie's guest profile -
Managing passwords via Bitwarden w/ Ryan Luibrand
Looking for the right tool for password management, but wanting something that's open-source and encrypted by default? This episode, we're sitting down with Ryan Luibrand to chat about Bitwarden and their password manager tool.More about Ryan Luibrand:Ryan's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/ryan-luibrand/More about Bitwarden:Website -- https://bitwarden.com/Roadmap -- h
Private search via Startpage w/ Kelly Finnerty
Have you been considering a more privacy-preserving search engine but not sure where to start? This episode, we're sitting down with Kelly from Startpage to chat about the Startpage search engine, how it works, it's limitations, and more.More about Kelly Finnerty:Kelly's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/kelly-finnerty/More about Startpage Search:Website -- https://www.s
Application firewalls w/ David and Daniel from Safing.io
Heard about application firewalls and tools like Little Snitch on Mac, but not sure where to start? This episode, we're sitting down with David and Daniel from Safing to chat about their project, Portmaster.More about David Gunnarsson and Daniel Hovie:David's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/david-gunnarsson/Daniel's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/daniel-
Network privacy via Tor w/ Isabela Bagueros from the Tor Project
Wanting to get a better grasp of what the Tor network can do for your privacy, and what it can't do? This episode, we're sitting down with Isabela to chat about the Tor network.More about Isabela Bagueros:Isabela's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/isabela-bagueros/More about Tor:Website -- https://www.torproject.org/Tor Browser -- https://www.torproject.org/download/Com
Bear Arms N' Bitcoin conference special w/ Ragnar Lifthasir
This episode, we're taking a break from the normal structure of Opt Out to focus on a conference I'll be attending and speaking at in April, Bear Arms N' Bitcoin, and learn more about it from the creator, Ragnar.More about Ragnar Lifthasir:Ragnar's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/ragnar-lifthrasirMore about Bear Arms N' Bitcoin:Website -- https://gunsnbitcoin
Privacy-preserving networks w/ Harry Halpin from Nym
Wondering what's coming in the network anonymity and privacy space, or what alternatives are out there for Tor? This episode, we're sitting down with Harry Halpin to chat about the upcoming Nym network.More about Harry Halpin:Harry's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/harry-halpin/More about the Nym Network:Site -- https://nymtech.net/Getting involved -- https://nymtech.n
Securing your Bitcoin w/ Zach Herbert from FOUNDATION
Wondering how you can secure and spend your Bitcoin without trusting a centralized wallet or software? This episode, we're sitting down with Zach to chat about FOUNDATION devices and the Passport wallet.More about Zach Herbert:Zach's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/zach-herbert/More about FOUNDATION devices:Site -- https://foundationdevices.com/The Passport Bitcoin wallet -
Privacy on Bitcoin w/ Samourai Wallet
Wondering how you can manage to use Bitcoin privately? This episode, we're sitting down with Samourai Wallet to chat about their incredible FOSS Bitcoin wallet that enables private usage of Bitcoin.More about Samourai:Samourai's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/samourai-wallet/More about Samourai Wallet:The site -- https://samouraiwallet.com/The code -- https://code.samourai
Clean up your data online w/ Rob Shavell from DeleteMe
Wondering how to take back control of the data captured by data brokers before you started taking privacy more seriously? This episode, we're sitting down with Rob Shavell, co-founder of DeleteMe to chat about cleaning up the data about you that's been scooped up by data brokers across the internet.Note: There were a few small 1-2s segments where Rob's audio cuts out, but shouldn&ap
Email aliasing w/ Son from SimpleLogin
Heard about email aliasing but not sure where to start? This episode, we're sitting down with Son from SimpleLogin to chat about email aliasing.More about Son:Son's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/son/More about SimpleLogin:Website -- https://simplelogin.io/Github -- https://github.com/simple-login/appDocumentation -- https://simplelogin.io/docs/Techlore review -- https://w
Privacy education, funding, and Apple w/ Sun Knudsen
Wondering why someone decides to do privacy education and research full-time? This episode, we're sitting down with Sun Knudsen to chat about his education and research on privacy, funding in the privacy and FOSS spaces, and a little bit of macOS vs Linux.More about Sun Knudsen:Sun Knudsen's guest profile -- https://www.optoutpod.com/guests/sun-knudsen/Sun Knudsen's recommended tool
Sponsor Special w/ Viktor Vecsei from IVPN
Wanting to find a solid VPN provider, but struggling to break through all of the marketing fluff and grandiose claims? This episode, we're sitting down with Viktor, a member of the IVPN team, the newest sponsor of Opt Out to discuss the ethos behind IVPN, their approach to providing privacy to users, and some of the history of IVPN.More about Viktor:Viktor's guest profile -- https://www.
A Bitcoiner's journey towards privacy w/ BitcoinQnA
Wondering what drives normal people to focus on FOSS? This episode, we're sitting down with QnA to chat about his journey towards privacy through Bitcoin and the impact of FOSS along the way.More about QnA:QnA's guest profile -- https://www.optoutpod.com/guests/bitcoin-qna/QnA's full list of recommended tools -- https://bitcoiner.guide/toolkit/QnA's recommended tools to Opt Out
Personal responsibility in privacy, FOSS funding models, and Bitcoin w/ Matt Odell
Wondering why FOSS and privacy have become such a focus for Matt Odell and Citadel Dispatch, or wanting to learn more about FOSS in general? This episode, we're sitting down with Matt Odell for a bit of a different show where we focus on listener questions around FOSS, privacy, FOSS community ethos, and his journey towards privacy.More about Matt Odell:Matt Odell's guest profile -- https
Balancing privacy with mental health, plus second realms w/ j43
Wondering how to find the right balance of privacy and convenience, or struggling with the mental strain of a journey towards personal privacy? This episode, we're sitting down with j43 to chat about the mental strain that can be caused by a journey towards privacy, and a deeper look at parallel economies or "second realms".More about j43:j43's guest profile -- https://www.opto
Global surveillance, VPNs, and Tor w/ Smuggler
Wondering how global surveillance could realistically work, or how VPNs can play a role in your privacy? This episode, we're sitting down with Smuggler to chat about global surveillance, a realistic look at VPNs (and Tor!), and his journey as a cypherpunk.More about Smuggler:Smuggler's guest profile -- https://www.optoutpod.com/guests/smuggler/Cypherpunk Bitstream Podcast -- https://taz0
Transitioning to Linux and CalyxOS w/ Chris Blec
NOTE: Apologies for the audio issues in this one, there was packet loss on Chris's side that only was apparent once we finished. If you have questions about a specific question please email me at seth@optoutpod.com or reach out on Twitter and I'll do my best to clarify it!Wondering what it's like to take the dive and switch to Linux and CalyxOS at once? How does the recent push for
Coreboot, FOSS firmware, Pop_OS!, and System76 w/ Jeremy Soller
Have you been thinking about switching to Linux for your daily driver, or wondering what Coreboot or open-source firmware are? This episode, we're sitting down with Jeremy Soller to chat about System76, the company that makes my laptop (among others) and are behind Pop_OS!, a user-friendly Linux distribution.More about Jeremy Soller:Jeremy Soller's guest profile -- https://www.optoutpod.
Cryptoanarchy and freedom w/ Pavol Lupták
What is crypto-anarchy? How can I opt out if my country has become too authoritarian or dangerous to remain in? This episode, we're sitting down with Pavol Lupták to chat about what crypto-anarchy is and why permanent residencies can be a way to physically (and financially) opt out of broken systems.More about Pavol Lupták:Pavol Lupták's guest profile -- https://www.optoutpod.com/guests/
Sponsor Special w/ Alex from LocalMonero and AgoraDesk
What's the best way to buy and sell Monero while maintaining personal privacy? This episode, we're sitting down with Alex, co-founder of LocalMonero, the newest sponsor of Opt Out.More about Alex:Alex's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/alex-localmonero/More about LocalMonero:LocalMonero's website -- https://localmonero.coLocalMonero onion address -- http://nehdddkt
Sponsor Special w/ Vik Sharma from Cake Wallet
Wondering what mobile Monero wallet I use and recommend and why I chose to take Cake Wallet on as a sponsor? This episode, we're sitting down with Vik Sharma, owner of Cake Wallet, the newest sponsor of Opt Out.More about Vik Sharma:Vik's guest profile -- https://www.optoutpod.com/guests/vik-sharma/More about Cake Wallet:Website -- https://cakewallet.comReddit -- https://www.reddit.com/r
Decentralized and censorship-resistant messaging platforms w/ Sean O'Brien
Wondering what alternatives are available for Twitter or similar centralized and censored services? This episode, we're sitting down with Sean O'Brien to chat about the need for decentralized and censorship-resistant micro-blogging and short messaging platforms.More about Sean O'Brien:Sean O'Brien's guest profile -- https://www.optoutpod.com/guests/sean-obrien/Panquake --
Parallel econonomies and "ethical Veksláks" w/ Juraj Bednar
Where does privacy fit in to opting out of a broken (or breaking) economy or society? How can we build parallel economies using privacy tools? This episode, we're sitting down Juraj Bednar to chat about his own personal privacy journey, how parallel economies can (and will!) work, and what role Bitcoin plays in building up a parallel economy around us.More about Juraj:Juraj's guest profi
PGP, Bitcoin, and Yunohost w/ Diverter
Ever wondered how you can easily self-host tools, or thought about hosting tools for friends or family to use? This episode, we're sitting down Diverter to chat about his favorite hosting solution, Yunohost, the importance of hosting tools for friends, family, and online communities as "Uncle Jim", and where Bitcoin fits into his toolkit.More about Diverter:Diverter's guest pro
Privacy by default, contributing to FOSS, and Monero w/ Justin Ehrenhofer
Wondering how you can contribute to FOSS projects without being able to code, or why privacy needs to be the default option in tools you use? This episode, we're sitting down with Justin Ehrenhofer to chat about contributing to FOSS projects as a non-dev, why privacy by default matters, and where Monero fits into his toolkit.More about Justin:Justin's guest profile -- https://www.optoutp
Threat models and the importance of open-source software w/ Nathan from TheNewOil
Wondering what the difference is between privacy, security, and anonymity and how the three intersect? How about what a threat model is and how to develop one for yourself? This episode, we're sitting down with Nathan from The New Oil to chat about threat modeling, the intersection of privacy, security, and anonymity, and how open-source software is central to opting out of surveillance.More
Mobile OS privacy, drag-net surveillance, and cryptocurrency usage w/ Max Tannahill
Wanting to learn more about mobile privacy, but not sure where to start? This episode, we sat down with Max Tannahill to chat about mobile OSs, surveillance, and cryptocurrency.More about Max:Max's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/max-tannahill/Mamushi, a CalyxOS Pixel retailer -- https://mamushi.io/Max's Twitter -- https://twitter.com/maxtannahillBlog post on migrating Mamu
Digital identity, FOSS, and self-hosting w/ k3tan
This week, I got the pleasure of sitting down with k3tan to chat about privacy, self-hosting, and some of his favorite tools.More about k3tan:k3tan's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/k3tan/Blog post on restarting your digital identity -- https://k3tan.com/starting-a-new-digital-identityBlog post on self-hosting -- https://k3tan.com/self-hostingRecommended FOSS software -- https:/
Privacy as a journey and "digital minimalism" w/ Techlore
This week, I got the pleasure of sitting down with Henry from Techlore to chat about digital minimalism, privacy education, and some of the tools and projects that Henry recommends for taking back control of our privacy and data in an ever increasing world of data capture, tracking, and sharing.More about Henry:Henry's guest profile -- https://optoutpod.com/guests/henry/More about Techlore:Ma
Welcome to Opt Out
Welcome to Opt Out!I hope you enjoy this short intro which I’m using to introduce the podcast and go ahead and get it published across all major platforms in preparation for our first episode on 6/1.Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe on your favorite app or to the RSS feed at https://www.optoutpod.com!Support the show
