# 030 - Info Stealers, GrapheneOS Drama, and Why Video Games and Anti-Virus Are Spyware

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lockdown-practical-privacy-security-6158848/030-info-stealers-grapheneos-drama-and-why-video-games-and-anti-virus-are-spyware
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lockdown-practical-privacy-security-6158848/030-info-stealers-grapheneos-drama-and-why-video-games-and-anti-virus-are-spyware.md
Podcast: [The Lockdown - Practical Privacy & Security](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lockdown-practical-privacy-security-6158848)
Published: 2025-07-18T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/a8873835
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/a8873835/e33878c0.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-lockdown-practical-privacy-security-6158848/episodes/030-info-stealers-grapheneos-drama-and-why-video-games-and-anti-virus-are-spyware
Duration seconds: 3162

## Resource

In this episode, I address listener feedback and corrections regarding use of public Wi-Fi, MAC addresses, and aliases. I dive deep into the nuances of MAC address randomization on GrapheneOS versus Apple’s private Wi-Fi addresses, explaining why GrapheneOS offers superior privacy protection. I discuss the real threats of public Wi-Fi in 2025 (hint: it’s not hackers with Wireshark), and share my approach with aliases. I also cover the rising threat of infostealers like Atomic Info Stealer for macOS, the dangerous intersection of gaming cheats and malware, and why I avoid third-party antivirus software. Most importantly, I address the GrapheneOS controversy: the loss of a senior developer to military conscription, Google’s strategic pivot that threatens custom ROMs, and why claims of GrapheneOS “dying” are misinformation spread by those with competing agendas. In this week’s episode: Clarifications and Corrections: Public Wi-Fi, MAC addresses, and alias management MAC address randomization: GrapheneOS vs Apple’s implementation The real threats of public Wi-Fi in 2025 Info stealers and video games can be a privacy nightmare GrapheneOS controversy: Developer conscription, Google’s lockdown, and the future of custom ROMs Why antivirus software might be the malware you’re trying to avoid Matrix Community Rooms Matrix Community Space - https://matrix.to/#/#psysecure:matrix.org Individual Room Links: https://matrix.to/#/#lockdown-general:matrix.org https://matrix.to/#/#lockdown-podcast:matrix.org https://matrix.to/#/#lockdown-intro:matrix.org Show Links: MAC Address Lookup - https://maclookup.app/ OUI Lookup - https://oui.is/ 33mail - https://www.33mail.com/ OpenSnitch - https://github.com/evilsocket/opensnitch Privacy.com - https://privacy.com Lithic - https://lithic.com Kas…

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## Transcript

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