SOV-012: The Truth About VPNs: Beyond the Marketing Hype - The Sovereign Computing Show
Release Date: 04/22/2025
BRH-005: BitDevs Radio Hour #5 – Confidential Script, UTX Oracle, CAT Confiscation Draft, and Post-Quantum Signatures
ATL BitLab Podcast
Broadcasting live from ATL BitLab, Stephen DeLorme is joined by Josh Doman (filling in for Alex Lewin) for BitDevs Radio Hour #5. This episode covers a wide sweep of Bitcoin technical developments: a North Carolina Bitcoin++ recap, the UTX Oracle project for inferring price signals from UTXO patterns, Josh’s Confidential Script approach to covenant experimentation via trusted execution environments, the controversial “CAT” draft proposing to freeze certain UTXOs, post-quantum signature research (including stateful hash-based schemes), consensus cleanup work, and Great Script Restoration...
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BRH-004: BitDevs Radio Hour #4 – Your 2025 Bitcoin Wrapped is Here
ATL BitLab Podcast
Broadcasting live from ATL BitLab, Stephen DeLorme and Alex Lewin close out the year with a festive edition of the BitDevs Radio Hour. This episode covers a grab bag of fresh Bitcoin technical developments: new BIP assignments, a novel approach to private collaborative custody, a consensus discrepancy discovered via differential fuzzing, Lightning protocol optimization ideas, a serious React server components security vulnerability, and the debut of Bitcoin Wrapped 2025. It’s a year-end mix of hard engineering talk, cryptographic concepts, dev-ops war stories, and community reflections. ...
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BRH-003: BitDevs Radio Hour #3 – Zeus Wallet, Graduated Wallets, eCash, and the Future of Bitcoin UX
ATL BitLab Podcast
Live from ATL BitLab, Stephen DeLorme and Alex Lewin sit down with , founder of , one of Bitcoin’s most beloved Lightning wallets. This episode dives deep into the design trade-offs of non-custodial Lightning, the emergence of “graduated wallets,” eCash systems like Cashu and Fedimint, statechain-based systems like Spark, and the future of Bitcoin payments UX. The conversation ranges from practical LSP economics to the viability of Ark, Spark, and other L2 proposals, as well as Evan’s views on privacy, trust models, griefing attacks, covenants, and how wallets should guide users up the...
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BRH-002: BitDevs Radio Hour #2 - Cluster Mempool Merged, Jack Mallers De-banked
ATL BitLab Podcast
It's time for another BitDevs Radio Hour! Alex Lewin and Stephen DeLorme discuss some of the latest technical developments in Bitcoin. This conversation covers topics like the merging of Cluster Mempool into Bitcoin Core, preventing lightning pinning attacks with P2A and v3 transactions, the drama over Jack Maller's getting debanked by Chase, and other topics.
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BRH-001: BitDevs Radio Hour #1 - Bitcoin Kernel Project, Soft Fork Debate, BIPs Process Update
ATL BitLab Podcast
The very first BitDevs Radio Hour! Alex Lewin and Stephen DeLorme discuss some of the latest technical developments in Bitcoin. This conversation covers topics like the Bitcoin Kernel Project, recent soft fork related debates and internet drama, and updates to the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal process with Murch's motion activate BIP3. Bonus: El Salvadaro smash buys the dip and Coinbase brings back ICOs.
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EVNT-008: Andrew Lunde: Uncancelable Names: Building Identity on Bitcoin - Atlanta BitDevs
ATL BitLab Podcast
Can Bitcoin replace DNS? Andrew Lunde presents Spaces Protocol, a permissionless naming system anchored on the Bitcoin blockchain. Learn how auctions determine ownership of top-level names like "@bitcoin," the technical challenges of browser integration, and the trade-offs between decentralization and scalability. Discover how $120,000 in Bitcoin has already been burned through the auction process, the role of DHT nodes in storing metadata, and why this approach may recreate the centralization problems it aims to solve. Show Notes: 00:00 Opening Quote: Uncancelable Identity ...
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SOV-022: Matt Hill from Start9 - The Sovereign Computing Show
ATL BitLab Podcast
Start9 CEO Matt Hill joins Jordan Bravo to discuss the evolution of sovereign computing and the upcoming StartOS 0.4.0 release. Learn about Start9's mission to democratize server administration, their revolutionary new networking capabilities, plans for an open-source router, and innovative community programs for scaling support and development. Plus: why dignity matters as much as privacy and security in computing. Show Notes: 00:00 Opening Quote: Sovereign Computing Definition 00:33 Introduction and Show Sponsorship 01:51 Welcome and Sovereign Computing Origins 03:21...
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SOV-021: Google Kills Android Sideloading: The iOS-ification Begins - The Sovereign Computing Show
ATL BitLab Podcast
Google is making Android more like iOS by blocking "sideloading" of unverified apps starting next year. Jordan Bravo breaks down why "sideloading" is a psyop term designed to make normal software installation seem dangerous, how Google's new developer KYC requirements will kill freedom tech, and why this gradual "boiling of the frog" approach threatens projects like GrapheneOS. Plus a chilling reminder from former NSA/CIA director Michael Hayden: "We kill people based on metadata." Show Notes: 00:00 Opening Quote: Satoshi KYC Example 00:41 Introduction and Show Sponsorship...
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SOV-020: The Real Cost of "Free" Software - The Sovereign Computing Show
ATL BitLab Podcast
Not all "free" software is actually free - you're often paying with your data, privacy, or through deceptive subscription traps. In this episode, Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme break down the business models behind the software you use daily, from ethical freemium approaches like Tailscale to exploitative data harvesting like Gmail. They explore managed hosting models, the pros and cons of subscriptions versus one-time payments, and expose dark patterns that trick users into unwanted charges. Plus updates on Jordan's private SIM card journey and news about Google's forced Android changes and...
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SOV-019: How to Choose Sovereign Software - The Sovereign Computing Show
ATL BitLab Podcast
Not all software is created equal when it comes to digital sovereignty. In this episode, Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme break down their framework for evaluating software that respects your freedom and privacy. They cover why open source isn't always a guarantee, how to spot healthy vs abandoned projects on GitHub, the importance of data export capabilities, and sustainable business models that won't disappear overnight. Plus, news about Samsung killing bootloader unlocks, EU age verification requirements, and reviews of new authenticator apps from Proton and Ente. Show Notes: ...
info_outlineJordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme break down the reality of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) beyond the marketing hype. They explore what problems VPNs actually solve—hiding your IP address from websites, concealing your browsing from ISPs, and encrypting traffic—while addressing their limitations and downsides. Jordan and Stephen compare VPNs with Tor, examine trusted providers including Proton VPN, Mullvad, IVPN, and the innovative Obscura, and discuss the frustrating trend of websites blocking VPN users. Learn practical advice for incorporating VPNs into your digital sovereignty toolkit and why you should stand up for your right to privacy online.
Show Notes: https://atlbitlab.com/podcast/the-truth-about-vpns-beyond-marketing-hype
00:00 Introduction to The Sovereign Computing Show
00:35 ATL BitLab Sponsorship Information
01:55 Welcome and Episode Overview
02:07 Updates and Errata from Previous Episodes
05:06 White House Signal Group Security Mishap
12:17 Amazon Echo Privacy Changes
15:24 Main Topic: Understanding VPNs
16:33 Problem #1: How VPNs Hide Your IP Address
17:56 VPNs vs. Tor: Centralization and Trust Models
21:30 VPN Performance vs. Tor Performance
23:05 Problem #2: Hiding Browsing from ISP Surveillance
24:49 Problem #3: Traffic Encryption Benefits
25:35 VPN Provider Reviews
25:57 - Proton VPN: Features and Netflix Compatibility
27:32 - Mullvad: Privacy Features and Cross-Platform Support
30:08 - IVPN: Privacy-Focused Alternative
32:07 - Obscura: The VPN That Can't Log Activity
36:46 Downsides of Using VPNs
38:12 Website Blocking and VPN Discrimination
42:38 Conclusion and Recommendations
43:44 Show Outro and Support Information