Privacat Insights | Substack

The Ladder to Nowhere: How OpenAI Plans to Learn Everything About You

ChatGPT Health is a small part of a much larger plan to learn everything about you. In this post, I talk about what's driving them and how they might…

Jan 25 • Privacat

Can LLMs Unlearn? Part 3: The Technical Complexity of it All

This is part of my machine unlearning series. Since it's so long, I have broken this up into sections.

Nov 14, 2024 • Privacat

The Ladder to Nowhere, Part 2: OpenAI's Complete Picture of You

OpenAI is building a ladder to comprehensive surveillance. Each rung delivers value—ChatGPT, health tools, wearables, BCIs—while collecting everything…

Jan 27 • Privacat

On Silverback Gorillas, Men & Dating

Sometimes I wish Substack existed when I was in my 20s.

Jan 12 • Privacat

Restarting Paid Subscriptions

Fair warning, in case you want to re-evaluate your life choices.

Jan 12 • Privacat

Most Popular

18,000 words. Four Questions. Much Delegation. Little Guidance

Dec 20, 2024 • Privacat

Privacy Disasters: A Depressingly Regular Series

Mar 19, 2024 • Privacat

I Built an AI-Powered Futures Forecasting Pipeline With Claude Code

Jan 2 • Privacat

Agentic AI Browsers are Privacy Disasters

Nov 4, 2025 • Privacat

privacy disasters

Agentic AI Browsers are Privacy Disasters

Researchers expose the privacy disaster that is Agentic AI Browsers. I break it all down.

Nov 4, 2025 • Privacat

Using Microsoft Recall? Welcome to Hell

Microsoft never reads my blog posts, but really they should, because Recall is a Privacy Disaster

May 2, 2025 • Privacat

Dear Tech Companies: Please Stop Stepping on Your Own Dicks

Forcing users to decipher what you do with their data is a terrible idea.

Feb 1, 2025 • Privacat

Privacy Disasters: The Privacy CESspool

So many terrible ideas, so little time to rant about CES 2025.

Jan 8, 2025 • Privacat

Privacy Disasters: Microsoft Keeps Stepping in It

Microsoft releases the Torment Nexus v. 2.

Dec 17, 2024 • Privacat

Privacy Disasters: FaceHuggers Are Eating Your Skeets

This is a post about the current mishegoss related to Hugging Face and Bluesky's firehose, and how both companies are largely fucking over their users.

Dec 2, 2024 • Privacat

Privacat Insights

Privacat Insights

We live in a world of complex, messy systems and few simple answers. I'm curious about all of it, especially the interplay between those systems, and the people, policy & processes that influence them. Topics range, but frequently touch on law & tech.

Recommendations

Brangus

The Honest Broker

The Honest Broker

Ted Gioia

The CNR RPRT

Conor Hogan

Writing in the Dark with Jeannine Ouellette

Writing in the Dark with Jeannine Ouellette

Jeannine Ouellette

Experimental History

Experimental History

Adam Mastroianni

AI

Technology Is Destroying Friction.

And That's a Huge Problem

Nov 1, 2025 • Privacat

In Defense of Smart Weirdos: What I Learned at an AI Safety Law-a-Thon

I forgot just how much I miss that kind of crazy nerd energy.

Oct 28, 2025 • Privacat

Orwell Didn't Predict Grok, But He Did Anticipate This Tweet

Elon Musk is the poster child for not doing ketamine. But when he said the quiet part of the AI arms race out loud, I still got worried.

Jun 23, 2025 • Privacat

Should We Be Able to Read ChatGPT's Mind?

Where I explain why knowing everything AI knows about you might drive you crazy.

Feb 15, 2025 • Privacat

Chance Conversations with Conor & Carey

43:54

Episode 12 - Chance Conversations: Privacy, Justice, and Toddlers with Nukes! A Dive into the Mind of Rowenna Fielding

Fearless advocacy, toddlers, ethics, and puffins. C'mon, you know that sounds interesting.

Feb 4, 2025 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

35:57

Episode 11: Building Bridges: A Conversation with Debbie Reynolds

Find out how rehabbing homes and building bridges are critical to success for Debbie.

Jan 21, 2025 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

45:07

Episode 10: Tim Turner – Adapting to Industry Changes as a Reluctant Ronin of Data Protection

Listen now | Welcome to another thrilling episode of Chance Conversations!

Jan 7, 2025 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

47:36

Episode 9 -Exploring Privacy, Stoicism, and Data Protection with Odia Kagan

Welcome to another thrilling episode of Chance Conversations!

Dec 9, 2024 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

36:32

Chance Conversations: Privacy Trailblazer – Gabriela Zanfir-Fortuna

Despite some audio hiccups, Gabriela, Conor and I really get into the weeds.

Nov 25, 2024 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

40:55

Episode 7: Robert Bateman's Data Protection Obsession, Living in the Moment, Regulatory Nuances, and AI

In this episode of Chance Conversations, Conor and I interview Robert Bateman, a renowned expert in data protection and privacy law.

Nov 11, 2024 • Privacat, Conor Hogan, and Robert Bateman

49:55

Chance Conversations: Privacy's Advocate: Alexander Hanff on Industry Insights and Personal Journeys

Alex has some hot takes, and a lot of wisdom to share.

Oct 28, 2024 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

36:06

Episode 5: On Time, Energy, and Life's Journey, with Liz Steininger

Also, Liz and I have a bit of a therapy session.

Oct 14, 2024 • Privacat

38:41

Episode 4: From Determinism to Data Protection, a Journey through Privacy: Jason Cronk

In this episode of Chance Conversations, we welcome R.

Sep 30, 2024 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

37:40

Episode 3: Until There are Dragons: Shoshana Rosenberg

In this episode of Chance Conversations, Conor and I interview Shoshana Rosenberg, co-founder of Logical AI Governance and co-founder of Women in AI…

Sep 16, 2024 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

44:52

Episode 2: Exploring Resiliency in Cyber & Life with Lisa Forte

There's more to resiliency than you probably realize...

Sep 2, 2024 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

46:17

Episode 1: Navigating Data Protection - Insights & Personal Reflections from Ralph O'Brien

Listen now | Dive into Our First Chance Conversation with Ralph O'Brien!

Aug 19, 2024 • Privacat and Conor Hogan

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts