Smart‑TV 'Privacy'

Smart TV Data Harvesting

“You have zero privacy anyway." —Scott McNealy

There is no privacy on a "smart" TV. The modern television business model isn't about just selling you hardware, it's also based on telemetry, harvesting and selling your personal viewing habits and data. Whenever and whatever you watch, that info is being 'phoned home' to data brokers.

The Solution 

The only real mitigation is to never give the TV access to the Internet. Skip the Wi-Fi setup, leave the Ethernet port empty; instead, use an external streaming box that you control. 

If you want to stream content from a smartphone, tablet or computer, use Wi-Fi Direct instead of a local network:

• Apple: Use Peer-to-Peer AirPlay. Ensure both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on your iOS device or Mac, and you can mirror your screen directly to compatible TVs without a router. 
• Android: Use the built-in Cast or Screen Mirroring feature (sometimes labeled Smart View). This utilizes Wi-Fi Direct (Miracast) for direct wireless connection to the TV.
• Windows: Press Win + K to open the Cast menu. This uses Miracast to project your screen direct to the TV without needing a local Wi-Fi network.

Surfshark VPN No Longer Recommended

No to Surfshark VPN

The Problem 

Surfshark was formerly a recommended VPN service, but no longer:

1. Payment Card Abuse. A payment card is a required part of an account, making you vulnerable to unauthorized charges. 
2. Aggressive Upselling. Not content to just provide good service, Surfshark aggressively pushes services you do not need or want, going so far as to create subscriptions with automatic renewals that you never ordered.  
3. Blocked IPs. Abuse by customers of a limited IP pool means that Surfshark connections are increasingly blocked by network providers.  

The Solution

It's surprisingly hard to find a good, low-cost VPN, with ample IP pools, high performance, and solid privacy policies. It's not perfect, but my current top pick is Private Internet Access (PIA).

• No logs
• Open Source 
• Reliable access 
• 10 Gbps servers optimized for speed
• Unlimited devices on one plan from $2.03/mo 
• Every setting can be customized 

Starbucks Tipping Goes Rogue

New Starbucks Tipping

The Problem

Tipping is supposed to be a reward for good service, but Starbucks does not actually provide table service, just counter service, and the brewing of coffee is now fully automated (and mediocre). So the 'barista' (using the term loosely) now just takes your order and pushes a brew button. Is that service worthy of a tip?

If you pay with the app on a smartphone, you already have a tipping option (and notification) should you choose to tip, but now Starbucks hits you again on the new Verifone tipping terminal. 

Worse, if you walk away without touching the terminal, it stays wide open to abuse, like a barista reaching over to apply a tip without your consent (which has actually happened, perhaps inadvertently, but still fraudulent).

And the most outrageous thing of all is that the fixed tip amounts—not percentages like at more responsible restaurants—are egregiously high for a lower-cost item like a brewed coffee (as in the picture):

• 30% at $1 tip
• 60% at $2 tip
• 149% at $5 tip

The Solution

Until Starbucks changes course, putting customers back ahead of greed, the solution is to mobile order ahead, thereby avoiding the tipping terminal entirely. You can even select personal cup for the discount and extra stars!