Privacy Interviews

Why Big Tech's Privacy Promises Are Lies

Privacy Interviews

Show Notes

Melanie Ensign is the founder and CEO of Discernible and former communications lead for Facebook, Uber, AT&T, and DEF CON. She pulls back the curtain on how these large corporations operate, revealing why most internal privacy teams operate like "tax attorneys" rather than privacy advocates. Discernible: https://www.discernibleinc.com Melanie Ensign: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieensign Weekly IR Comms Simulations: https://www.discernibleinc.com/experience/

★ Support this podcast ★

More from Privacy Interviews

Jul 16, 2026

Is it possible to create a private and secure mobile carrier? Cape Mobile thinks so! In this video Jonah sits down with Ruddy Wang, Head of Consumer at Cape to answer questions about the service and to dive into how the privacy & security features work.

May 21, 2026

Naomi Brockwell is one of the most well-known educators in the privacy space today, and recently she’s begun using that voice to influence legislation here in the US that could be a significant step in regaining our privacy as citizens – by default. We spoke with @NaomiBrockwellTV about this "Surveillance Accountability Act," the importance of digital liberties, and why we all need to campaign for our privacy.

Apr 19, 2026

Privacy Guides sat down with Carissa Véliz, author of Privacy is Power and University of Oxford associate professor, to talk about how predictive AI will make a ‘meritocracy’ impossible, how lifelike chat bots are designed to deceive you, and the importance of privacy in the digital age. Carissa Véliz is an associate professor at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford, a renowned author and speaker, a board member of the Proton Foundation, and a member of UNESCO’s Women 4 Ethical AI. Her new book, ‘Prophecy,’ comes out on April 21st. Prophecy is about how extensive use of predictive analytics is undermining our abilities to defy the odds, making systems unaccountable, and increasing risk in business and society while creating a false sense of security. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/759692/prophecy-by-carissa-veliz/ Some references in this video can be found on her website: https://www.carissaveliz.com/research https://www.carissaveliz.com/writing 💬 Join the community: https://discuss.privacyguides.net ❤️ Support our work: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/donate/ 🏡 Visit our website: https://www.privacyguides.org Privacy Guides is a nonprofit project dedicated to promoting privacy, best cybersecurity practices, and digital rights. As a part of MAGIC Grants, a 501(c)(3) public charity, your donation to support our cause may be tax deductible.

Apr 13, 2026

Privacy Guides sat down with EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn to reflect on her over 30 years of service defending privacy and digital civil liberties at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the importance of community in activist spaces, and the big picture in our fight for privacy. Cindy Cohn’s memoir, Privacy’s Defender, is now available at a variety of retailers: https://www.eff.org/Privacys-Defender In “Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance,” Cindy weaves her own personal story with her role as a leading legal voice representing the rights and interests of technology users, innovators, whistleblowers, and researchers during the Crypto Wars of the 1990s, battles over NSA’s dragnet internet spying revealed in the 2000s, and the fight against FBI gag orders. 💬 Join the community: https://discuss.privacyguides.net ❤️ Support our work: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/donate/ 🏡 Visit our website: https://www.privacyguides.org Privacy Guides is a nonprofit project dedicated to promoting privacy, best cybersecurity practices, and digital rights. As a part of MAGIC Grants, a 501(c)(3) public charity, your donation to support our cause may be tax deductible.

Dec 16, 2025

Privacy Guides sits down with technology journalist Taylor Lorenz to decipher a slate of bills being fast-tracked through Congress which threaten free speech, privacy, and your right to freely access information on the internet. 💬 Join the community: https://discuss.privacyguides.net ❤️ Support our work: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/donate/ 🏡 Visit our website: https://www.privacyguides.org Privacy Guides is a nonprofit project dedicated to promoting privacy, best cybersecurity practices, and digital rights. As a part of MAGIC Grants, a 501(c)(3) public charity, your donation to support our cause may be tax deductible.

See all episodes →