Topic: Lifelock

Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani currently under indictment, reportedly paid Giuliani $500,000 to help model a company called Fraud Guarantee after the identity theft protection service LifeLock. Information from a DC lobbying firm suggests Parnas was attempting to raise his political profile through these business dealings. The discussion characterizes Parnas as a fraudster whose primary legal troubles stem from bribing officials for marijuana licenses.

LifeLock recently experienced a security scare involving customer emails, highlighting the risks of centralized data storage. The hosts argue that the "computer revolution" was intended to decentralize control, yet users have become reliant on cloud services due to convenience. They advocate for local storage solutions, noting the affordability of high-capacity hard drives.

Delta Airlines announced a cyber attack involving a third-party chat service provider that may have exposed customer payment information. The hosts discuss the frequency of such breaches and express skepticism about identity theft protection services like LifeLock, arguing they create a single point of failure for personal data.

A listener's donation leads to a rant about the etiquette of eating peanuts on airplanes, specifically the "fist-shaking" method of consumption. The hosts also discuss how ad blockers interact with year-end celebrity death slideshows on news websites, often leaving blank pages where advertisements would normally appear.

LifeLock has reportedly agreed to a $100 million settlement with the FTC for failing to secure consumer data and deceptive advertising. The hosts note that this story is underreported because LifeLock is a major advertiser for many high-profile radio hosts and podcasters, including Rush Limbaugh.

The hosts critique NPR for its increasing reliance on corporate advertisements disguised as sponsorship acknowledgments. They highlight commercials for Cedars-Sinai, Carbonite, and LifeLock appearing on the public radio network. This is contrasted with the No Agenda model of direct listener support without corporate influence.