The VPN paradigm has grown stale, with simple one-party providers being the best available. But what if we could further minimize trust by shift to a two-party hop system? Obscura is doing just that, and we’re sitting down with their founder Carl Dong to learn all about it.

More about Carl

• Carl’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/carl-dong/

More about Obscura

• Website: https://obscura.net/
• Obscura’s Twitter: https://x.com/obscuravpn
• Technical Blog Post on Obscura: https://obscura.net/blog/bootstrapping-trust/
• iCloud Private Relay: https://www.apple.com/icloud/docs/iCloud_Private_Relay_Overview_Dec2021.pdf
• MASQUE at the IETF: https://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/masque/about/

Supporting Opt Out

• Donations – https://optoutpod.com/donate
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AI is all the rage, but with it come new privacy questions and concerns. Marks from OpenSecret joins to walk us through how we can have our AI-generated cake and eat it too.

More about Marks

• Marks’ guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/marks/

More about OpenSecret and Maple AI

• OpenSecret’s website – https://opensecret.cloud
• How does OpenSecret work? – https://blog.opensecret.cloud/opensecret-technicals/
• Maple AI’s website – https://trymaple.ai

Supporting Opt Out

• Donations – https://optoutpod.com/donate
• Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform, if possible!
• Share it with your friends, family, and other communities!

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Two years after our first episode on SimpleX, we’re back with an update on all they’ve been working on, including a new approach to chat relays with Dan from Flux.

• Evgeny’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/evgeny-poberezkin/
• Dan’s guest profile – https://optoutpod.com/guests/dan-keller/

• Website – https://simplex.chat/
• Quantum-resistant encryption blog post – https://simplex.chat/blog/20240314-simplex-chat-v5-6-quantum-resistance-signal-double-ratchet-algorithm.html
• “Privacy-preserving content moderation” blog post – https://simplex.chat/blog/20250114-simplex-network-large-groups-privacy-preserving-content-moderation.html
• Network operator monetization plans – https://github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat/blob/stable/docs/rfcs/2024-04-26-commercial-model.md
• Run your own SimpleX SMP server – https://github.com/simplex-chat/simplexmq

• Website – https://runonflux.com
• Flux’s new AI product – https://ai.runonflux.com/

• Donations – https://optoutpod.com/donate
• Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform, if possible!
• Share it with your friends, family, and other communities!

Support the show