Guest Introduction and Background

Could America turn off Europe's internet?

That’s one of the questions that Graham and special guest James Ball will be exploring as they discuss tech sovereignty. Could Gmail, cloud services, and critical infrastructure really become geopolitical leverage? And is anyone actually building a Plan B?

Plus we explore if Meta is quietly plotting to turn its smart glasses into face-recognising surveillance specs? With reports of internal memos suggesting they plan to launch controversial features while everyone’s distracted by political chaos, we ask: is this innovation really wanted by the public... or something far creepier?

All of this, and much more, in episode 455 of the award-winning "Smashing Security" podcast with cybersecurity veteran Graham Cluley, joined this week by journalist and author James Ball.

EPISODE LINKS:

• IcedID malware developer fakes his own death to escape the FBI - Risky Business.
• Sex toys maker Tenga says hacker stole customer information - TechCrunch.
• Dutch police arrest man for "hacking" after accidentally sending him confidential files - Hot for Security.
• Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses - New York Times.
• Trading Sovereignty for Scale? The Costs of the US - UK Tech Prosperity Deal - Just Security.
• Just Mercy - Wikipedia.
• Just Mercy trailer - YouTube.
• Bryan Stevenson’s TED talk: We need to talk about an injustice - YouTube.
• The Residence - Netflix.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

SPONSORS:

• Vanta - Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
• Passwork - a reliable secrets manager and password management solution.
• Adaptive Security - request a custom demo featuring a real CEO deepfake simulation.

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THANKS:

Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.

Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.