The Firewall Times is a website dedicated to helping people protect against cyberattacks.
We empower our readers with the information they need to live securely. It can be a scary world – but you don’t have to live in fear. With some basic awareness of cyberattacks and online privacy, you can safely and confidently navigate the internet.
We write about both cybersecurity and online privacy because we consider these topics inextricable. How can you be truly secure online when your personal information is bartered around by irresponsible tech companies? Because privacy and security go hand in hand, we’re committed to providing information and guidance on both.
How the Firewall Times can help you:
- Give you the awareness to spot and dodge cyberattacks
- Show you how to guard your privacy and stop your personal information from being bartered around online
- Show you the tools you can use to stay safe online
- Offer guidance on how to live with the invasive technologies that surround us all
About Me
Hi! My name is Michael X. Heiligenstein, founder and managing editor of the Firewall Times. I grew up alongside the internet – and the security concerns that came with it.
I’m just old enough to remember the early days of the internet: dial tones, AOL, vBulletin message boards, Napster, Geocities, MySpace, Neopets. If you know, you know.
I remember the birth of Google, and, later, Facebook. The piece of tech I miss most is the classic iPod, designed to do one thing and do it well.
I’ve worked in online publishing and marketing since 2014. I remember the rise and rapid fall of organic Facebook traffic, which put thousands of writers, publishers, and marketers out of work.
I’ve seen firsthand Google’s incessant push to monopolize search traffic, and in the past few years I’ve watched with some anxiety as Google and Amazon have led the charge to put always-listening smart devices in every living room, kitchen, and bedroom.
Over the past several years, I’ve grown increasingly concerned about both privacy and security. I won’t spare words on my own views here: we’ve entered a dangerous moment, for both individuals and for our future as a society.
Irresponsible tech companies devour our personal information, handle it carelessly, and lie to the public and to our elected leaders. Foreign and domestic operatives interfere with our elections and our digital media, making it hard to tell what’s real online. And cyberattacks are rising, especially against targets in government and healthcare.
Surprisingly, I found that no web publisher was adequately covering these topics. So I founded the Firewall Times to provide people and businesses the information they need to survive the internet age. It lies at an intersection of everyone’s needs and my own personal interests, and I expect these concerns to only grow more urgent as time goes on.
How We Make Money
We don’t! But we plan to. As our site grows, I hope to monetize our content through advertising revenue.
The Firewall Times exists to inform readers. My first duty is to our audience, not our advertisers. The Firewall Times will never let advertising bias our product recommendations, and I remain firmly committed to providing the best information on cybersecurity and privacy.
Your Privacy
We take privacy very seriously at the Firewall Times. We will never sell your data or personal information to anyone. You can learn more in our privacy policy.