Disable Your MAID

As we learned last week from Zach Edwards, our smartphones have a globally unique mobile ad ID, or MAID, that is automatically associated with everything we do on our phones… unless we take explicit steps to turn this off. Today I’ll tell you how this works and why you should disable this insidious form of tracking. In other news: the FTC warns us about a new type of scam; dating app Raw exposed sensitive user data; a determined reporter documents his efforts to disable all the AI features in his Google phone; “juice jacking” is back with a tricky twist; Apple’s AirPlay has a vulnerability whose fix may not reach all devices; Microsoft is pushing hard for passwordless accounts; Google Wallet allows you to verify your age without giving up personal info; and there’s a new and troubling update to the Signalgate saga. Article Links [lifehacker.com] The FTC Is Warning Consumers About a Scam on Discounted Monthly Bills https://lifehacker.com/money/ftc-monthly-services-scam [techcrunch.com] Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/02/dating-app-raw-exposed-users-location-data-personal-information/ [cnet.com] I Tried to Turn Off the AI on My Pixel 9. It Wasn’t Easy https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/i-tried-to-turn-off-the-ai-on-my-pixel-9-it-wasnt-easy/ [arstechnica.com] iOS and Android juice jacking defenses have been trivial to bypass for years https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/04/ios-and-android-juice-jacking-defenses-have-been-trivial-to-bypass-for-years/ [wired.com] Millions of Apple Airplay-Enabled Devices Can Be Hacked via Wi-Fi https://www.wired.com/story/airborne-airplay-flaws/ [Bleeping Computer] Microsoft makes all new accounts passwordless by default https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-makes-all-new-accounts-passwordless-by-default/ [blog.google] It’s now easier to prove age and identity with Google Wallet https://blog.google/products/google-pay/google-wallet-age-identity-verifications/ [404media.co] Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages https://www.404media.co/mike-waltz-accidentally-reveals-obscure-app-the-government-is-using-to-archive-signal-messages/ Tip of the Week: Disable your Mobile Ad ID: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/disable-your-mobile-ad-id/ Bonus Links [consumerreports.org] Using Contactless Payments on Your Phone? Take These Smart Steps. https://www.consumerreports.org/money/digital-payments/using-contactless-payments-on-phone-take-these-smart-steps-a1152343770/ Micah Lee’s TM SGNL blogs: https://micahflee.com/tm-sgnl-the-obscure-unofficial-signal-app-mike-waltz-uses-to-text-with-trump-officials/  https://micahflee.com/heres-the-source-code-for-the-unofficial-signal-app-used-by-trump-officials/  Further Info My book: https://fdsd.me/book  My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter  Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support  Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons  Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com  Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna  Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch  Table of Contents Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show. 0:00:00: Intro 0:01:09: News preview 0:03:38: FTC Warning Consumers About a Scam on Discounted Monthly Bills 0:06:51: Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information 0:13:31: I Tried to Turn Off the AI on My Pixel 9. It Wasn’t Easy 0:20:30: iOS and Android juice jacking defenses have been trivial to bypass for years 0:29:07: Millions of Apple Airplay-Enabled Devices Can Be Hacked via Wi-Fi 0:35:06: Microsoft makes all new accounts passwordless by default 0:40:35: It’s now easier to prove age and identity with Google Wallet 0:47:42: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages 0:57:06: CR report on payment apps 0:57:54: Tip of the Week: Disable Your MAID 1:04:05: Looking ahead 1:05:00: Patron podcast preview