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Siara Joy
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Technology
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to log out, where we explore the delicate balance between our digital lives and our human tendencies. Hosted by Siara, a tech enthusiast who’s just as hooked on her phone as you might be, this podcast dives into how technology and the internet shape us and how we can use it to enhance, not overwhelm, our lives. Siara will talk to experts, internet personalities, tech enablers, and the "offline nomads" of the world. Artificial intelligence (AI), deepfakes, bots, social media, digital wellness, it's all on the table. Log out with us to make tech work for you, not vice versa.

  1. 2d ago

    #021: How to Make Yourself Harder to Track: 5 Tools for People Who Value Their Privacy

    Why does a billionaire deserve privacy and you don’t? The wealthy treat their personal information as something worth protecting, and yours deserves the same consideration. Siara shares five accessible tools for people who want to become harder to track and more deliberate about who gets access to their lives. Drawing on years of using privacy tools herself, she explains what makes them worth adopting, which features matter, and how to get started without spending a fortune or making your daily life more complicated. She also revisits a sobering exchange in Congress when Mark Zuckerberg was asked to disclose details about his own private life. It’s a reminder to reconsider how much access we’ve come to accept as the price of being online. You have more say in that exchange than you might think. Subscribe to Log Out Find Siara on Instagram Key Takeaways: Your personal information is worth protecting, regardless of how much money you have. Travel is a useful time to review the networks you join, the apps you download, and the permissions you grant. A VPN can mask your IP address and add protection between your device and the VPN provider, but it doesn’t stop every kind of tracking. Reusing passwords puts other accounts at risk when one set of credentials leaks. A password generator makes unique passwords easier to maintain. Look for an encrypted password manager with password generation, autofill, breach alerts, and passkey support. Email aliases let you receive messages without giving every company your primary address, and you can disable an alias when it starts attracting unwanted mail. A privacy-focused browser can block known trackers and restrict tracking cookies. Setting it as your default helps make those protections part of your routine. Incognito mode mainly limits what a browsing session leaves in your local history. Websites can still collect information about your visit. Data removal services handle requests to covered data brokers and check for returning listings. California residents also have a free state-run option through DROP. Siara recommends starting with a password manager, then adding tools that address the other ways your information is exposed. Please find the full fact check here.  Find Siara on social: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ TikTok Follow Log Out: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ Mastodon: Logoutpod Other Ways to Listen: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Amazon Music⁠ ⁠More Podcast Platforms⁠ ⁠Our website⁠

  2. Sep 24

    #020: The Business Behind Rage Bait: Renée DiResta on Who Profits From YOutrage and How to Spot Propaganda

    Your social media feed is full of rage bait, fake accounts, and propaganda, and someone is making money every time you engage with it. Renée DiResta, author of Invisible Rulers and a Georgetown researcher who has studied online manipulation for over a decade, breaks down how rage bait, propaganda, and AI-generated content end up in your social media feed, and why so much of it comes down to money. We get into how fake accounts pose as everyday Americans, how foreign bot networks try to hijack real debates, why fact-checking and Community Notes struggle to keep up with misinformation, and how to spot an influencer who profits from making you distrust everyone else. Renée also shares the questions she asks herself before reacting to anything that makes her mad, and how to take back some control over your algorithm. Key Takeaways: Astroturfing creates the illusion of a grassroots movement using paid people or fake accounts. Falsely claiming that real protesters are paid is a common tactic for discrediting genuine movements. Adversarial abuse is when bad actors deliberately exploit a platform's normal features to manipulate or harm people through scams, influence operations, or AI-generated exploitation content, usually without hacking anything. Facebook pays creators for engagement, so fake accounts with AI-generated profile photos post rage bait into everyday spaces like coupon groups, hoping the angry comments turn into a payout. The data center debate was targeted two ways at once: a suspected Chinese bot network trying to sow division, and Bangladeshi page operators posting the same outrage for money. Both were dwarfed by real Americans' opinions. Many false claims spread as a signal of distrust in institutions, so a fact-check alone rarely changes minds, especially once someone has publicly shared the claim and feels invested in it. Community Notes only appear when raters who usually disagree find the same note helpful. Contributors get no pay or recognition, so most notes never gather enough ratings to publish. When X revealed where accounts were based, many fiery US political influencers turned out to be posting from countries like Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan to collect engagement payouts. Be wary of influencers who claim to have every answer, sell you the fix, and tell you to distrust doctors, the government, or the media. Trustworthy voices admit what they don't know. Algorithms feed you more of whatever makes you angry, which can make a niche issue feel like the biggest story in the country while people with different feeds never see it at all. Before reacting to something that enrages you, ask whether it happened and whether the world needs your take. A real video can still be used to support a false claim. Find Renée DiResta online: Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/renee.diresta⁠  LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneediresta/⁠  Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/noupside.bsky.social⁠  TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@nodice.app⁠  Twitter: ⁠https://x.com/noUpside⁠  Substack: ⁠https://reneediresta.substack.com/⁠  Website: ⁠https://www.reneediresta.com/⁠ Book: ⁠https://www.reneediresta.com/books/⁠ Find Siara on social: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Follow Log Out: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠ Mastodon: Logoutpod Other Ways to Listen: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Amazon Music⁠⁠ ⁠⁠More Podcast Platforms⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Our website⁠⁠

  3. Sep 11

    #019: All of the Ways Meta Tracks You (And How to Shrink Your Meta Footprint)

    Four of Meta's apps declare that they collect your health data. None of them will say why. Siara went through every Meta privacy policy and every App Store data disclosure to build a complete inventory of what Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Threads, Quest and the Ray-Ban smart glasses actually collect. One of these apps takes almost nothing. Four of them declare all fourteen categories Apple tracks. And the app most people think of as harmless is quietly collecting as much as Facebook. Then she shows you how to limit it. Every setting worth changing inside the Meta apps, every permission worth revoking on your phone, which controls actually reduce what gets collected versus which ones only limit how it's used, and the personal choices she's made herself. She also covers the Meta Pixel, what WhatsApp encryption does and doesn't protect, and what your Meta AI conversations have been used for since December. Subscribe to Log Out Find Siara on Instagram Key Takeaways: Meta is not a social media company, it's a data company that owns nine or ten separate collection points. Every Meta app collects the same baseline, then each adds its own set on top. Meta's privacy policy covers all its apps at once, so the App Store privacy label is the only place you can see what each individual app takes. Data collection across Meta apps runs on a spectrum, with WhatsApp lowest and Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads all declaring all fourteen of Apple's categories. Those four apps declare health and fitness data and credit scores, and Meta never explains why. Threads collects as much as Facebook despite being a text app with no camera, no filters and no shopping. The Meta Pixel sits on more than five million websites, so your browsing reaches Meta without you opening a single app. You can no longer opt out of off-platform data being collected, only out of it being used. WhatsApp encryption protects what you said, not who you said it to, when, how often, or where you were. Most Meta settings control how your data is used, so a tracker-blocking browser is one of the few things that reduces collection at the source. Please find the full fact check here.  Find Siara on social: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ TikTok Follow Log Out: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ Mastodon: Logoutpod Other Ways to Listen: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Amazon Music⁠ ⁠More Podcast Platforms⁠ ⁠Our website⁠

  4. Sep 3

    #018: Is Snapchat a Magnet for Child Predators? Former Prosecutor Zachary Yurick Tells All

    Millions of kids use Snapchat every day, and according to one former prosecutor, predators know exactly how to find them there. Zack Yurick spent five years prosecuting child sexual abuse cases before switching to civil litigation so he could go after the platforms enabling them, and Snapchat has become the center of his practice. In this conversation, he walks through exactly how the app's most popular features work against kids, why the safety settings most parents rely on don't do what they think, and what changed this year that finally lets these companies be held accountable in court. If you're a parent, this is the one conversation to listen to before your kid opens the app again. Key Takeaways: Snapchat's vanishing messages erase the evidence parents or investigators need most. Most online predators in Zack's cases fall between 28 and 38 years old. Duplicate Snapchat accounts take nothing more than a new email and username to create. Zack argues Snapchat already knows users' real ages from the data it collects. Snapstreaks trigger the same psychological pull as a slot machine. Find Friends has directly connected predators to kids in several of Zack's cases. Snap reportedly handles around 220 suspected sextortion cases a day. Section 230 shielded social platforms from lawsuits for nearly three decades. Zack wants Snapchat made safer, not banned. His top advice for parents is to audit their kid's friends list tonight. If you or someone you know experiences sextortion, NCMEC recommends blocking the account without deleting it and reporting through the CyberTipline or 1-800-THE-LOST, not relying on 911 alone. Please find the full fact check here.  Find Zachary Yurick online: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyyurick/  Website: https://www.goldbergmaloney.com/attorneys/zachary-yurick/  Find Siara on social: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ Follow Log Out: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ Mastodon: Logoutpod Other Ways to Listen: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Amazon Music⁠ ⁠More Podcast Platforms⁠ ⁠Our website⁠

  5. Aug 27

    #017: Surveillance Pricing Is Here: How Your Data Can Change the Price You See

    In this episode, Siara breaks down surveillance pricing, a growing practice in which personal data can influence the prices, discounts, promotions, and products consumers are shown. She looks at investigations from the FTC and Consumer Reports involving groceries, rideshare platforms, retailers, and the technology companies working behind the scenes to build increasingly sophisticated pricing systems. Siara shares four ways to make yourself harder to profile. Plus, two stories from this week’s tech news: Comcast is turning some Xfinity Wi-Fi routers into motion sensors, and New York City is making it easier to cancel subscriptions. Subscribe to Log Out Find Siara on Instagram Key Takeaways: Surveillance pricing uses personal data to influence the price, discount, promotion, or product offer you receive. Dynamic pricing responds to market conditions. Surveillance pricing adds information about the individual consumer. Companies can use data to estimate your “willingness to pay,” or the highest price they think you will accept. Consumer Reports found shoppers receiving different prices for identical groceries and rideshare users receiving substantially different fares for similar trips. Location, browsing history, shopping behavior, demographics, search activity, and other signals can potentially contribute to pricing systems. The FTC found that pricing intermediaries work with hundreds of companies across industries including grocery, apparel, travel, and retail. New York, California, Maryland, New Jersey, and Congress have all taken steps to investigate, disclose, or restrict forms of personalized pricing. You cannot completely opt out of surveillance pricing today, but reducing unnecessary data collection can make you harder to profile. Comparing prices across retailers, apps, logged-in and logged-out sessions can give you another point of reference before purchasing. Comcast is repurposing Xfinity Wi-Fi routers into motion sensors, raising new questions about how home internet hardware can double as surveillance infrastructure. New York City is making it easier for residents to cancel subscriptions, aiming to reduce friction and prevent unwanted recurring charges. Please find the full fact check here.  CamelCamelCamel Find Siara on social: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ TikTok Follow Log Out: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ Mastodon: Logoutpod Other Ways to Listen: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Amazon Music⁠ ⁠More Podcast Platforms⁠ ⁠Our website⁠

  6. Aug 13

    #016: How to Stop AI From Taking Over Your Life: 6 Boundaries To Set Before It's Too Late

    Lifestyle creep has a cousin, and it's called AI creep. It's the slow process where AI works its way into more parts of your life until things you once would have called invasive start to feel normal. This week, Ciara walks through the six boundaries she's written down for herself before AI gets the chance to set them for her, covering data access, judgment at work, always-on recording devices, AI clones, emotional dependence, and synthetic art. Plus, news on Spotify's new AI cover feature, Anthropic's text watermarking rollout, and a gap in iCloud Private Relay that iPhone users should know about. Subscribe to Log Out Find Siara on Instagram Key Takeaways: AI creep is the gradual expansion of AI into more parts of your life until things you once would have called invasive start to feel normal Hallucination is a built-in failure mode of AI, depending on it for decision making is a risk Always-on recording tools like Pocket, Plaud, and Limitless turn private conversations into permanent, searchable data Pew's February 2026 survey found 10% of US adults use an AI chatbot for emotional support and 4% for companionship, rising to 20% and 7% among 18-29 year olds Siara suggests deciding your AI boundaries before a tool asks for access, not in the moment it's requested Siara believes every AI permission should earn its place individually rather than being granted in bulk Siara believes nothing AI-generated goes to a colleague or the public without human review first Siara doesn't believe in turning herself into an AI clone or digital twin Spotify is testing a feature letting paying users create licensed AI covers and remixes, with artists opting in and getting compensated Anthropic now embeds an invisible watermark in AI-generated text from Claude, applied globally and designed to persist through copy and paste iCloud Private Relay only protects Safari browsing, not full device traffic, and researchers found conditions where it can still expose a user's real IP address Please find the full fact check here.  Find Siara on social: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ TikTok Follow Log Out: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ Mastodon: Logoutpod Other Ways to Listen: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Amazon Music⁠ ⁠More Podcast Platforms⁠ ⁠Our website⁠

  7. Aug 7

    #015: How to Manufacture an Addiction: 6 Hidden Tactics Apps Use To Keep You Scrolling

    Siara breaks down six psychological tactics engineers use to keep you glued to your phone. After reading a book that's reportedly passed around inside companies like Google, Facebook, and Slack, she deep dove to uncover the models they'ev been using for decades and breaks them down today. She walks through how these tactics quietly shape behavior without you realizing it's happening, and why understanding them is the first step to fighting back. She also covers two fast-moving stories worth knowing about: new EU AI Act rules requiring disclosure around AI and deepfakes, and a recent privacy scare involving Claude chats showing up in Google search results. Subscribe to Log Out Find Siara on Instagram Key Takeaways: The urge to reopen an app seconds after closing it is a trained response. Nir Eyal's four-step loop of trigger, action, variable reward, and investment is the core model behind most habit-forming apps. BJ Fogg's Stanford research on persuasive technology directly influenced how Facebook and other platforms were built to be engaging. Infinite scroll removed the natural stopping point that used to exist on social feeds. Ghost notifications and notification bait are designed to pull you into an app even when there's nothing new to see. Variable rewards work because unpredictability keeps you scrolling longer. Algorithms use exploration and exploitation together, testing new content on you while reinforcing what already works. Gamification features like streaks turn ordinary actions into something that feels like part of your identity. The EU AI Act now requires companies to disclose AI interactions, AI-generated content, and deepfakes starting August 2026. A recent Claude privacy incident is a reminder to review what you've shared with AI chatbots. Please find the full fact check here.  Find Siara on social: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ TikTok Follow Log Out: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ Mastodon: Logoutpod Other Ways to Listen: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Amazon Music⁠ ⁠More Podcast Platforms⁠ ⁠Our website⁠

  8. Jul 30

    #014: How The Betting Economy Targets Young Men: Keith D. Exposes The Online Gambling Epidemic

    Somewhere between watching "trade the World Cup" show up inside his own Coinbase app and a college classmate flashing a million-dollar gambling account like it was a fraternity paddle, Keith D realized gambling had quietly rebranded itself as an asset class. In this conversation, Siara and keith get into how sports betting and prediction markets borrow the language of real investing, portfolios, event contracts, information markets, to make a bet feel like a strategy, and why young men in particular are the target of that pitch. Keith walks through the financial mechanics behind sports books and peer-to-peer prediction markets, why the athletes and streamers promoting these platforms are often gambling with someone else's money, and how a habit that looks completely normal from the outside can quietly become a serious problem. We also get into the warning signs worth watching for in a friend, a partner, or yourself, and why this is a much harder addiction to spot than most. Key Takeaways: Prediction markets are marketed with investing language like portfolio and event contract, but the underlying activity is still gambling. Young men are a primary target for this advertising, in part because these platforms sell confidence and control, not just money. Streamers and athletes promoting these platforms are often gambling with the platform's money, not their own, which changes what a "win" actually means. The core business model of a sports book depends on you losing money over time, not occasionally, but by design. Nearly half of US adults under 30 currently live with their parents, and many young people are turning to high-risk betting as a shortcut around that reality. A gambling problem is much harder to spot than other addictions because there's no smell, no visible impairment, and it can happen entirely on a phone. Warning signs include increasing bet sizes, chasing losses immediately after losing, and being unable to stop despite wanting to. People experiencing a severe gambling problem face a meaningfully elevated risk of suicide, which makes early intervention especially important. Find the full fact check here. Find Keith D. online: Instagram LinkedIn Facebook TikTok Twitter YouTube No Dice App No Dice Instagram Find Siara on social: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ Follow Log Out: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ Mastodon: Logoutpod Other Ways to Listen: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Amazon Music⁠ ⁠More Podcast Platforms⁠ ⁠Our website⁠

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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Welcome to log out, where we explore the delicate balance between our digital lives and our human tendencies. Hosted by Siara, a tech enthusiast who’s just as hooked on her phone as you might be, this podcast dives into how technology and the internet shape us and how we can use it to enhance, not overwhelm, our lives. Siara will talk to experts, internet personalities, tech enablers, and the "offline nomads" of the world. Artificial intelligence (AI), deepfakes, bots, social media, digital wellness, it's all on the table. Log out with us to make tech work for you, not vice versa.

Information

  • Creator
    Siara Joy
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Siara Joy
  • Show Website
    log out