Massive Personal Data Breach And More On CHOM 97.7 FM

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Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away about what’s going on in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

  • We often talk about hacks and the problem of passwords. We’ve become very numb to the problem. Last week there was a massive breach. Did you hear about it? I only caught minor rumblings about it in the tech publications, but check this out: 773 million email addresses and over 21 million passwords. I’ll do some quick math: that’s close to ONE BILLION! This was one of the largest public data breaches ever. The information comes from more than 2,000 different sources. Breaches happen, people.
  • Find out if your email has been compromised. Go to: Have I Been Pwned?
  • Elon Musk‘s Hyperloop idea is back in the news and Montreal/Toronto are right there in it. Hyperloop One has picked Montreal to Toronto as a top choice to build the first high-speed travel system. But here’s where it gets interesting: it would also include an Ottawa stop. This means Montreal to Toronto in 39 minutes and Montreal to Ottawa in 12 minutes. According to Hyperloop One this would, “create a Canadian mega region as much as a quarter of the country’s population.” Now, imagine this: working in Toronto and living in Montreal with this minor commute. 
  • The Gillette ad here around the world. Did you watch Gillette’s new spin on “The best a man can get”? Here was my take on it: The Best An Ad Can Get, but it was this article that really got me thinking about how the media works and tells stories.
  • App of the Week: Stoop.