MacVoices #26146: Live! – Encryption Comes, Encryption Goes, AI Lawsuits and Capabilities Abound

May 15, 2026 | MacVoices Live!

Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, and Jeff Gamet

The MacVoices Live! panel discuss privacy, AI, and digital trust, comparing Meta’s Instagram encryption rollback with Apple’s RCS encryption in Messages. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, and Jeff Gamet also examine an AI lawsuit involving a chatbot posing as a doctor, plus AI customer service, Apple Wallet, and user trust in technology.

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Show Notes:

Chapters:

00:00 Opening: encryption changes and AI concerns
00:49 Instagram encryption PSA
01:15 Meta’s privacy tradeoffs and safety concerns
01:47 Advice for Instagram users relying on encryption
03:24 Pennsylvania lawsuit against Character AI
04:17 Chatbots posing as doctors
06:04 AI customer service and banking example
07:00 Healthcare company implementation questions
09:39 The danger of users believing an AI is human
12:04 AI in fast-food ordering and prompt manipulation
13:15 Vision Pro content parallels and Apple Wallet convenience
15:36 Apple Wallet usefulness and clutter
17:40 Sponsor: CleanMyMac
18:23 Sponsor: NordLayer
19:03 Explaining the format and show flow
21:08 Apple Messages adds RCS end-to-end encryption
21:30 Apple privacy vs. Meta privacy messaging
24:59 Virtual services, banking, and location independence
27:49 Security expectations across platforms
28:32 OpenAI, ChatGPT subscriptions, Anthropic, and Perplexity
30:23 MacVoices Magazine and support information

Links:

Apple confirms iOS 26.5 Messages app adds RCS end-to-end encryption – 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/04/apple-confirms-ios-26-5-messages-app-adds-rcs-end-to-end-encryption/

Meta would rather leave New Mexico than rebuild its apps for kids
https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-new-mexico-trial-phase-two-child-safety

iOS 27 lets users create custom Wallet passes from any QR code as Apple gives up waiting for developers
https://thenextweb.com/news/apple-ios-27-wallet-custom-passes-create

Pennsylvania sues Character AI, says chatbot poses as doctors

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/pennsylvania-sues-character-ai-says-chatbot-poses-doctors-2026-05-05/

Guests:

Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitter, by email at embolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast.

Brian Flanigan-Arthurs is an educator with a passion for providing results-driven, innovative learning strategies for all students, but particularly those who are at-risk. He is also a tech enthusiast who has a particular affinity for Apple since he first used the Apple IIGS as a student. You can contact Brian on twitter as @brian8944. He also recently opened a Mastodon account at @brian8944@mastodon.cloud.

Jeff Gamet is a technology blogger, podcaster, author, and public speaker. Previously, he was The Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and the TextExpander Evangelist for Smile. He has presented at Macworld Expo, RSA Conference, several WordCamp events, along with many other conferences. You can find him on several podcasts such as The Mac Show, The Big Show, MacVoices, Mac OS Ken, This Week in iOS, and more. Jeff is easy to find on social media as @jgamet on Twitter and Instagram, jeffgamet on LinkedIn., @jgamet@mastodon.social on Mastodon, and on his YouTube Channel at YouTube.c

David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @daveg65@mastodon.cloud

Marty Jencius, Ph.D.,is a counselor educator and technology pioneer who has spent 30 years bringing emerging tech into his field — from founding one of the first professional listservs (CESNET-L) to podcasting, virtual reality, and now AI and AR. He is the founder of ThePodTalk.net, where he produces Vision ProFiles, The Old Mac Gang, A.I. Productivity Workflow, The Tech Savvy Professor, 15 Minute Bytes, The Neo Notebook, and Fade to Chat: Golden Age Cinema. He is also a regular panelist on MacVoices Live!, In Touch with iOS, and The Mac Show. Find him on Bluesky and Mastodon.