Reading this right now? 

Congratulations. You’re winning.

Yes, all of the usual corporate and government entities know you’re here. Google remembers everything you’ve ever searched, BuzzFeed knows how you’ve scored on all their quizzes, and your cell phone provider knows who you talk to and who you sleep with. Terms of Service agreements are an exercise in futility, encrypted email often takes more trouble than it’s worth, and yeah, sure, go ahead and give Facebook a fake name, but don’t think you’re fooling anyone. Companies are collecting your data from just about everywhere, storing it through time unknown, and using it however they want. Oh, and that’s where the FBI-and-friends find it.

But Bruce Schneier, author of the book, “Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World,” says the fact that you’ve taken the time to read this far means you’ve got the one reliable protection available to us in year 2016: awareness.

Schneier also happens to be a security technologist and cryptographer and well, he’s kind of a tech hero - a Chuck Norris - of the digital sphere. His cause: privacy.

In fact, even before The Economist called Schneier a “security guru,” a different company tried to make him into an $100 dollar action figure (he didn’t like their price and proposed $40 instead). Go to the site, “Bruce Schneier Facts,” and you’ll find photos of Schneier’s face pasted onto different movie heroes’ bodies, bearing captions like: “Bruce Schneier watches Blu-ray movies by looking at the discs.”

Click on listen above and hear Manoush and Schneier discuss ways we can feel less helpless when it comes to protecting our data and maintaining some online privacy. 

PLUS: We still want your feedback on N2S and we want YOU to help us decide what we should cover in our next big project. So please, fill out this short survey - it’s only 11 questions and won’t take you more than 3 minutes.

This is a repeat episode which originally aired in 2015. For more Note to Self, subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, I Heart Radio, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or anywhere else using our RSS feed.