General
Freedom Mobile removes insurance coverage for lost or stolen phones
Freedom Mobile's phone protection plan is removing coverage for lost or stolen phones. In exchange, they are reducing the monthly fee by $1 (down to $9). This change was first noticed on Reddit by user Alphalee and you can read messages from upset customers (obviously). <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/b8bf42c609.jpg" alt=""> This change will come into effect on August 2nd, 2018. Repair service is now listed at $99 (was unlimited in the past). It looks like this is an attempt to limit fraud and reduce insurance costs for Freedom Mobile.
Review of the free Mozilla Send service
As a citizen of the digital world, you probably transfer large files daily. Sure you could use Google Drive, Dropbox or OpenText Core but Mozilla believes there is a better way (Mozilla Send). Mozilla Send is a web experiment that allows you to easily transfer large files up to 1GB in size. Mozilla Send can be used with any modern browser. How to use Send 1 - Go to https://send.firefox.com/ <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/65fea92c0f.jpg" alt=""> 2 - Upload a file
9 things you should pack on every trip
As a frequent traveller, I have picked up some tricks that make travelling a lot easier. I wanted to share some of those with you and hopefully make your life a little easier. Global WIFI Hotspot I wrote my first review of the (gen 1) Skyroam Global hotspot in 2015 and it became one of my most used travel items. When they released (gen 2) a new LTE capable model, the Skyroam Solis, I bought one and reviewed it as well.
OnePlus policy that makes it a better buy than Samsung, HTC or LG
As a security technologist, the security philosophy of the OEM is a crucial determinant of my decision to buy or recommend a device. This is where Apple shines with it's iPhone update strategy. Every single iPhone receives updates (security and version) at the same time. This is why I highly recommend Google's Pixel devices. The Pixel line offers the same regular and speedy update schedule. The other Android manufacturer that has shown it cares about upgrades is OnePlus. Until this week, it did a great job delivering updates quickly, but it didn't formally commit to a software upgrade schedule.
Is TOR Private and Anonymous?
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from readers (from this blog, Twitter and LinkedIn) is "Should I consider TOR private and anonymous?" This question is interesting with fervent activists on each side [of the issue]. On one side are TOR proponents extolling the virtues of the platform and explaining how it will save humanity from the scourge of privacy-invading networks. On the other side of the discussion are conspiracy theorists that claim TOR is nothing more than an NSA honeypot (a data collection tool).
Calgary airport offers the best WIFI performance in Canada
Ookla, everyone's favourite speed test service has just published internet performance metrics for North American airports. Calgary Airport has been rated as the best performer of all Canadian airports and is the third best in North America. Seattle Tacoma International Denver International Airport Calgary International Montreal's Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport was rated the worst. Toronto's expensive Toronto Pearson International Airport is rated 23rd.
Examples of Darknet (TOR) sites
I have received a lot of requests from readers, LinkedIn and Twitter connections to provide examples of some "interesting" darknet (TOR Onion Network) sites. I have posted over a dozen on my LinkedIn page but thought I would show a couple here. My security team and I perform internet and darknet reconnaissance work to create briefing packages on cyber crime, determine trends and spot organizational dangers. As part of this research, we sometimes stumble on interesting examples that I share. I have chosen not to hide the onion addresses (aka the URL) because I want to show that these are not made up designs but actual sites.
Snapchat usage grows among teens
Pew Research publishes interesting surveys, and they recently shared results about what teens use most. Contrary to public opinion, Snapchat is still king with teens, followed by Youtube. Facebook usage amongst teens is down 71% compared to the 2014-2015 Pew report. 45% of teens admitted to being online "almost constantly." 24% of teens admitted to being online "several times a day." Girls are more likely to be "almost constantly" online (50%) compared to boys (39%). [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="446"]<img src="https://ekiledjian2.
Chromebooks are great and here are some myths you might believe
Anytime I pull out a Chromebook in a professional setting, colleagues and friends are dumbfounded how a tech geek like me would "settle" for a browser only thin client. People are downright shocked when I pull out my $1200 Pixelbook. Why would I buy a "browser only" device when I could use a Windows or Mac device that can run the Chrome browser but do so much more? Chromebooks can't run apps If you are reading this article, there is a good chance you are not a millennial that grew up with iPads and smartphones.
Google to rebrand music service to Youtube Music
It seems not a week goes by without Google renaming, cancelling or somehow changing one of its services. Google will update its music service with the hope of dethroning Spotify and Apple Music. Google will leverage its most recognized media brand to give music a fighting chance. So you will soon welcome YouTube Music into this world. “On Tuesday, May 22, we’ll be changing that by introducing YouTube Music, a new music streaming service made for music with the magic of YouTube” — Elias Roman, Product Manager - YouTube Music
Google to replace Drive with Google One
Google just announced their new Google One service. Google One will replace the existing Google Drive service and will allow users to buy additional storage that can be used across its various properties (gmail, drive, photos, etc). In addition to the new name, Google is throwing in some additional goodies into the existing plans The $US9.99 ($CAD13.99) 1 TB storage plan will be upgraded to 2 TB for free A new 200 GB tier will be implemented ($US2.99) Existing 1 TB customers will automatically get upgraded in the coming weeks as soon as the move is implemented.
Turn your legit link into a scary one
When Google finally shut down its Goo.gl shortening service, I wrote an article about the best alternative URL shorteners. Security specialists cringe at these services because they can often be used to hide attacks, but when brute forced (using a program that tries to find valid links automatically), you can usually find classified or confidential information. If you are interested in this type of research, check out this academic paper entitled "Gone in Six Characters: Short URLs Considered Harmful for Cloud Services.
Google launches New Tasks App (Mobile & Web)
In a blog post entitled "With new security and intelligent features, the new Gmail means business", David Thacker (Google VP Product Management, G Suite) announced, "We’re also introducing a new way to manage work on the go with Tasks." The new refreshed Tasks system will be available on the web and have accompanying mobile apps (Android and IOS). The new updated Tasks system will allow you to create tasks & subtasks with due dates and notifications. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/78965c05f3.jpg" alt=""> The current tasks was an anemic stand-alone product that barely worked.
Best URL shorteners
URL shorteners are something you either use a lot or never. Google launched it's own URL shortening service in 2009 with unique (at the time) features like third-party API access, QR code generation, ability to use easily on mobile. But Google is retiring this public facing service and replacing it with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL) accessible by developers only. This is not surprising since Twitter retired Deck.ly when it acquired TweetDeck. As part of the process of making TweetDeck more consistent with Twitter.
Quebec to change tax collection rules for foreign tech companies
Montreal's La Presse newspaper is reporting that "two high-level government sources" have confirmed that the upcoming Quebec budget (March 27, 2018) will include new sales taxes levied on foreign tech companies like Netflix, Amazon, Google, and Apple, that do not have a Quebec presence. As it currently stands, these non-resident foreign companies are not expected to collect sales taxes from consumers. Under current regulations, the government expects consumers to auto-report these purchases and submit the necessary taxes. Based on a November report, the Quebec government believes it lost 270M$ during the previous fiscal year because of this collection model.
What makes a good Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Only five years ago, the title of Chief Information Security Officer was likely awarded to an employee that had worked hard and was dedicated to the company. It was an honorific title often given as a reward. Times have changed and companies need a new breed of CISO. The number, severity, and impacts of cyber threats are continually increasing. Companies now rely on complex highly integrated IT systems whose confidentiality, availability and integrity are paramount. The WannaCry ransomware was a good example of how poorly managed security can cripple an organization.
Canadians can find out what data a company stores about them
The average consumer is starting to realize how much personal data companies collect about them. RELATED: How Target knows you are pregnant through data analytics Consumers should be concerned about what data is collected, how is is used and who it is shared with. Canadian privacy laws ( like Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) allow consumers to access their information (aka companies must respond to a request for personal information held by the company). “Principle 4.9: Upon request, an individual shall be informed of the existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information and be given access to that information.
OPSEC : Backup Strategy for the Security Conscious
RELATED: The best way to protect your data - images, music, documents Even with all of the technological advancements we have made, backups are usually overlooked by the "average Joe" until something significant occurs (causing a massive shift in paradigm). Why backup Traditionally we backed up our information in case the physical media we used (hard drive, DVD, ZIP Drive cartridge, Bernoulli Box, etc.) had a catastrophic incident. Modern headaches that we add to the justification list now include malware and cryptoware data modification, seizure at a border crossing or shutdown of a cloud service.
Review of the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 EDC backpack
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I evangelize the benefits of one bag travel. My go-to bag for the last ten years has been the RedOxx AirBoss, but I regularly get questions about Tom Bihn bags. My 5-11 Rush 24 work backpack was starting to fall apart, and in my quest to find the "best" bag for me, I spend three months reviewing various bags. Here is my review of the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 backpack.
Samsung Note 8 review from an iPhone user
You should take the time to read my article about why I am switching from an iPhone to an Android device. A summary of the situation is that I have had every iPhone since the very first one ten years ago and the spark isn't there anymore. I have been dual carrying Android phones for the last 5 years but my main personal daily driver has been an iPhone. Looking at messages from readers, many of you are in the same boat and I will be reviewing a handful of phones for switchers with the requirements of an iPhone users looking to geek out.