2023 Review: The Safing Private Network (SPN)

What is SPN? A VPN – or Virtual Private Network - is a service that creates an encrypted tunnel between the device and the provider's se... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

2023 Review: Skiff Mail

What is Zero-Knowledge/End-to-End Encrypted Email & Why Do You Need It? Encrypted email is a bit of a misnomer. Technically all emails a... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

Where To Go From Here

I'm not a fan of Elon Musk for a variety of reasons. I've been relatively open about that. But even a broken clock is right twice a day, ... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

The (Not So) Scary Truth Behind Intel ME

If you dig a little deeper into privacy - beyond the basics like encrypted communications, password managers, 2FA, and Linux - you'll sta... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

Book Review: Stuff They Don't Want You To Know by Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick, & Noel Brown

About the Author & the Book Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick, and Noel Brown cohost one of my personal favorite podcasts, Stuff They Don’t Wan... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

Custom Domains 101

A more advanced strategy that comes up often in the privacy community is that of “custom domains.” These tools can provide a wide variety... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

2023 Review: IVPN

Disclosure: The New Oil is sponsored by IVPN. Per the terms of this agreement, IVPN does not have any input on our review, but we want to... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

New Year’s Checkup

It’s a new year, and for most people that means “new beginnings.” Humans are naturally drawn to specific milestones in our lives because ... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

2022 Review: Aegis & Ravio

What is 2FA and Why Do You Need It? 2FA is an abbreviation for “two-factor authentication,” which is basically what it sounds like. User... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 1 year ago

Transparency Report: 2022 (And Goals for 2023)

“What a year.” My annual catchphrase. I always say that this project has exploded in ways I never expected, and that never stops being tr... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

Book Review: Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil

About the Author & the Book Cathy O’Neil is an American mathematician and data scientist. She got a Ph.D in math from Harvard, and later... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

Twitter May Be Hacked and Nobody's Talking About It

The following is an original piece of journalism from The New Oil Twitter may be compromised, and nobody's covering it. This is the alle... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

The Sandbox is a Lie

Regardless of how you feel about capitalism, there is one aspect of it that – to some extent – I think we can all agree is nice: the free... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

Book Review: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff

About the Author & the Book Shoshana Zuboff is no stranger to technology and the way it impacts our modern life. With a Ph.D. in psychol... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

Safe Shopping: 2022 Edition

Next week, gift-giving season officially beginning in the United States (and at least a few other places, I presume) with Black Friday. A... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

2022 Review: Wire

What is Wire & Why Do You Need It? Wire is an end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) messenger available on Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS. ... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

How to Read a Privacy Policy

Perhaps one of the most underrated and feared things in the quest to protect your privacy is the dreaded privacy policy. Many a question ... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

2022 Review: MySudo

What is Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) and Why Do You Need It? Voice-over-IP – or VoIP – is basically phone calls over the internet or cell data r... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

The Rising Standard of Tech Literacy

Times change. If you're reading this, well, you can read. And I'm willing to bet so can almost everyone else you know and work and associ... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

2022 Review: ProtonVPN

Disclosure: I have an affiliate link with ProtonVPN that gives me a small financial incentive if you sign up for a paid plan using it. Yo... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

2022 Review: Bitwarden & KeePass

In this review, I’ve decided to lump both Bitwarden and KeePass into the same review because of their vast similarities. However, there a... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

Your Loved Ones Are Betraying Your Privacy

Privacy can be overwhelming. It seems like every company out there is intent on collecting as much data as possible. For example, this mo... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

2022 Review: Threema

What is Threema & Why Do You Need It? Threema is an end-to-end encrypted messenger available on Android, and iOS. Linux, Mac, Windows, a... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

The New Oil Has a Merch Store Now

The New Oil now has a merch store. If you have no interest in such things, feel free to ignore this. But if you’re interested in possibly... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

2022 Review: ProtonMail

Disclaimer/Disclosure of Interest: The New Oil has a ProtonMail affiliate link. If you sign up for a paid plan using this link, we get a ... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

Prime Day is This Week. Here’s Why You Should Stop Using Amazon

Amazon’s now-legendary “Prime Day” is July 12-13. Boy that sneaks up on you fast when you avoid them and don't have ads in your life. Muc... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

2022 Review: Signal Messenger

What is Signal & Why Do You Need It? Even if you’re not big into privacy or security, you’ve likely at least heard of Signal. The WhatsA... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago

Why to Care About Privacy After Years of Sharing Data

I have a thought experiment for you. Pretend you’re driving somewhere local. A friend’s house, your favorite store, the office, whatever.... | Continue reading


@blog.thenewoil.org | 2 years ago