Freedom Tech Weekend

🚀 Freedom Tech Weekend – Season 1 Finale 🎉 In this final episode we dive deep into the hidden truth behind privacy promises from AI services and VPN providers. From Anthropic’s new data‑retention policy to real‑world VPN log scandals (PureVPN, NordVPN), we show you why “trust‑me‑bro” isn’t enough. 🔐 Learn how Maple’s private‑AI platform uses secure enclaves, confidential computing, and open‑sou...

In this episode we dive deep into Wavlake, a decentralized streaming service that lets independent artists keep 90 %+ of their royalties and lets fans tip songs with Bitcoin (sats). We compare it with the old record‑store era, explain how you can listen, boost, and even buy tickets without middlemen, and show how Maple AI (our privacy‑first LLM) helps you plan the show. 👉 What you'll find Learn h...

Welcome to another episode of Freedom Tech Weekend! In today’s live stream, host  Marks shows you how to run open‑source Large Language Models (LLMs) locally on your laptop (and eventually on a phone) using a handful of powerful, privacy‑first tools. 🔒 Why go local? Commercial AI services (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) keep your data on third‑party servers, exposing you to leaks, ads, and even legal dat...

Welcome back to Freedom Tech Weekend! In this impromptu episode, host Marks shows you how to build a privacy‑first, plug‑and‑play smart‑home hub using a Raspberry Pi and the open‑source Homebridge platform. If you’re tired of proprietary ecosystems like Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Apple HomeKit, this step‑by‑step guide will get your devices talking without handing over your data. 🔧 What you’ll...

In this episode of Freedom Tech Weekend , we dive into a powerful alternative to Google Docs and other cloud-based note-taking tools— Obsidian . If you’re looking to reclaim your digital privacy and sovereignty, Obsidian offers encrypted, markdown-based, locally stored notes with optional sync—without handing your data to Big Tech. Host Marks walks through his personal Obsidian workflow, shares us...

Take control of your content. On this week’s Freedom Tech Weekend, we explore open source media servers you can run from home to stream music, movies, photos, and personal videos to your devices—anywhere in the world. Say goodbye to Netflix, Spotify, or Amazon Photos and hello to your self-hosted, private media cloud. We'll look at privacy-preserving platforms like Jellyfin, Emby, Ampache, Subsoni...

This week on Freedom Tech Weekend, we’re diving into White Noise — a brand-new secure messaging app that rivals Signal but without centralized servers. Built on the Nostr protocol and leveraging the powerful MLS (Messaging Layer Security) standard, White Noise delivers encrypted, scalable, identity-free communication designed for freedom lovers. We cover: What makes centralized servers risky for p...

In this special July 4th episode of Freedom Tech Weekend, we step away from tool demos and dive deep into the philosophy of The Sovereign Individual—a prophetic book that predicted the decline of the nation state and the rise of personal sovereignty via digital tools like Bitcoin, encryption, and the internet. Host Marks reflects on how broken money—not just taxes—was a root cause of the American...

What if you could own your podcast and keep your freedom? In this episode of Freedom Tech Weekend, Marks dives deep into Podcasting 2.0 — a powerful open protocol that helps creators reclaim their feeds from platforms like Spotify and YouTube. Whether you're just launching your first show or looking to migrate off closed systems, Podcasting 2.0 offers tools like value-for-value monetization, chapt...

Ready to ditch eye‑strain and midnight doom‑scrolling? In this Freedom Tech Weekend episode we go hands‑on with the Daylight Computer DC‑1—the first tablet designed to emit zero blue light at the hardware level while remaining perfectly readable in direct sunshine. ☀️ Host Marks takes you on a demo of the DC‑1’s amber, glare‑free “LivePaper” display, shows how its adjustable color temperature prot...

Take control of your location data! In this Freedom Tech Weekend episode we compare Google Maps, Apple Maps and truly private options built on OpenStreetMap, then dive deep into Organic Maps—an open‑source, offline‑first navigation app that never phones home. You’ll learn how major mapping services monetize your movements, why Apple’s differential privacy still leaves breadcrumbs, and how communit...

Worried about what OpenAI saves when you chat with ChatGPT? Data retention at ChatGPT and other services is more than you think. 🕵️‍♂️ In this Freedom Tech Weekend livestream, Marks digs into the court order forcing OpenAI to retain every user prompt—even “deleted” and “temporary” chats—and shows how that threatens freedom of thought. We break down the New York Times vs OpenAI lawsuit, what data C...

Ready to own your conversations and ditch data-mining messengers? In this Freedom Tech Weekend episode we take a hands-on tour of the Signal app—the open-source, end-to-end-encrypted messenger trusted by activists, journalists, and privacy pros worldwide. Fresh from the Oslo Freedom Forum, host Marks shares real-world lessons from AI workshops for human-rights defenders, then dives into: Why Signa...

Unlock the real power of the internet in this Freedom Tech Weekend episode! Marks walks you through Tor—the Onion Router—showing how its volunteer-run network of encrypted relays lets anyone browse anonymously, punch through censorship, and take back digital sovereignty. We clear up misconceptions (no, it’s not just for criminals), dig into the U.S. Navy origins, and demo the Tor Browser step-by-s...

Need to send files to non-Apple devices? 🎉 In this bite-sized Freedom Tech Weekend episode, Marks streams from an airport layover to show how anyone—on iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, or macOS—can swap files instantly without AirDrop. We compare two open-source, cross-platform tools: LocalSend – a polished desktop & mobile app that uses local Wi-Fi to beam files peer-to-peer with no central server...

Welcome back to Freedom Tech Weekend! In this episode, Marks from Maple AI shows you how to take control of your inbox with privacy-first email tools you can try today. Learn the pros and cons of disposable emails versus long-lived email aliases, see live demos of Guerrilla Mail, Proton Mail, and SimpleLogin, and discover how aliases protect you from spam, data breaches, and unwanted tracking. We...

Ready to break free from closed-source password lockers? In Episode 5 of Freedom Tech Weekend, we dive straight into Bitwarden—the leading open-source password manager—and its self-hosted sibling Vaultwarden. 🚀 📡 Follow Me X/Twitter: @marks_ftw Nostr: marks@primal.net Get confidential AI for free: https://trymaple.ai

Welcome to Freedom Tech Weekend! In this live session we put Kagi’s new Orion Browser through its paces and ask a simple question: can you finally ditch Chrome, Firefox or Brave without sacrificing speed? You’ll hear: Real-time install & first-launch on macOS A deep dive into Orion’s zero-telemetry promise and the independent Size-of-Cat privacy audit Side-by-side comparison with Firefox, Brave an...

Welcome to Freedom Tech Weekend — your weekly dose of open-source tech you can run yourself. In this episode, we explore Firefly III , a powerful, privacy-first alternative to tools like QuickBooks and YNAB. This open-source, self-hosted personal finance app gives you full control over your financial data with no monthly fees and no data harvesting. We walk through setup, features like transaction...

In this episode of Freedom Tech Weekend, we explore Goose, a powerful tool that uses Model Context Protocol (MCP) to coordinate with various AI tools and agents. Goose is an on-machine AI agent that automates engineering tasks, allowing you to integrate different tools and services to streamline your workflow. We dive into the basics of Goose, its features, and its potential applications. We also...

Welcome to the first episode of Freedom Tech Weekend. This is a show that streams every Friday at 15:30 UTC or 10:30 Central (Bitcoin Park Time). In this episode we discuss Tailscale, the personal VPN app that lets you connect together your own devices to create a secure tunnel from anywhere in the world. Moving forward, the show will be interactive with the community for people who are there live...

News Encryption for College Football in the United States https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/sports/college/red-raiders/2024/10/31/texas-tech-football-big-12-review-finds-helmet-communications-not-compromised/75094982007/ Tor Network - IP Spoofing Fixed https://blog.torproject.org/defending-tor-mitigating-IP-spoofing/ Bitcoin Fog User Roman Sterlingov Gets 12.5 Years for Allegedly Running It Base...

News Freedom of Speech Freedom House published 14th edition of the report called Freedom on the Net 2024 https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2024/struggle-trust-online Start9 - Moving support off Telegram and onto Matrix https://primal.net/e/note130quwdwrm932usz2g47a6ajd3lks98l2ccg0ykz3cpjr6llnhewqhltmn8 Lightspark https://x.com/lightspark/status/1849852892955672867 Update on the Michael S...

Intro Welcome back to Freedom Tech Wrap, a weekly podcast on news and project updates in the freedom and independent technology space. Host Marks shares his objectives for the show: Increase the reach of important privacy tools to the general public Keep a pulse on the freedom tech space Changes to the Show Increased distribution channels to major podcasting platforms Limited number of stories and...

Connect With Us Nostr - marks@nostrplebs.com X/Twitter - @markskram Web - nostrings.show Lightning - marks@mutiny.plus Please support our show through V4V on Podcasting 2.0 apps. Thanks for listening!