Best & Worst Gifts for 2025!

Holiday shopping season is here! And that must mean that it’s time again for my annual Best & Worst Gift Guide! But this time I’ve recruited some top minds from Consumer Reports to lend their expertise and enlighten us with their tech gift-giving strategies! Yael Grauer, Stacey Higginbotham and Jeff Landale join me for a round table discussion of how to give tech gifts that won’t ruin the security and privacy of your recipients!

Interview Notes

• $10 off Consumer Reports!! https://www.consumerreports.org/fdsd/ 
• Consumer Reports: https://www.consumerreports.org/ 
• Cyber Readiness Report: https://innovation.consumerreports.org/new-report-2025-consumer-cyber-readiness/ 
• Security Planner: https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/ 
• Vulnerability Disclosure Programs: https://innovation.consumerreports.org/who-ya-gonna-call/ 
• Give Dragon Coupons! https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/give-the-gift-of-security-and-privacy/ 
• Library Freedom Project: https://libraryfreedom.org/ 
• Yael on spyware and iPhone 17: https://innovation.consumerreports.org/apples-new-iphone-memory-protections-safeguards-devices-against-sophisticated-attacks/ 
• Yael interview (Security Planner): https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/02/17/security-planner/ 
• Stacey interview (software tethering): https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2024/11/11/cutting-the-software-tether/ 
• iVerify interview: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2023/11/13/securing-your-smartphone/ 

Further Info

• All my Best & Worst guides: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/category/best-worst-gifts/ 
• My book: https://fdsd.me/book 
• My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter 
• Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support 
• Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons 
• Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch 

Table of Contents

• 0:00:15: Intro
• 0:02:18: What is your tech gift giving philosophy?
• 0:08:37: What are some worrying tech trends?
• 0:17:41: What are your tech gift horror stories?
• 0:22:09: What are your thoughts on giving tech gifts to kids?
• 0:29:52: What gifts are on your naughty list?
• 0:42:31: What’s on your nice tech gift list?
• 0:54:51: How should you handle receiving a bad gift?
• 1:07:06: Any other hot tips or advice?
• 1:11:08: What are some great non-tech gifts?
• 1:17:40: How can Consumer Reports help here?
• 1:20:39: Wrap-up
• 1:22:35: Dealing with phone spyware
• 1:24:35: Newsletter info
• 1:24:51: IoT vulnerability programs
• 1:25:04: Give Thanks
• 1:25:37: Patron podcast preview
• 1:26:28: Other gift ideas
• 1:27:27: EasyOptOuts and PayPal
• 1:28:12: Looking ahead