The Balancing Act of Online Safety and Free Expression

John Scott-Railton dives into the dark world of spyware, surveillance, and state power — and what it means for our freedoms in the digital age. From uncovering Pegasus spyware in 2016 to exposing private intelligence firms like Black Cube, John explains how governments, corporations, and authoritarian regimes exploit our phones and data to control narratives and suppress dissent.

We discuss how spyware has evolved from phishing texts to zero-click exploits, the chilling stories of journalists and dissidents targeted, and why even democracies are sliding into mass surveillance under the guise of “safety.” John also warns about the next frontier: AI supercharging surveillance, corporate data brokers selling your life by the byte, and if Bitcoin faces the same creeping panopticon risks if incentives aren’t carefully guarded.

In this episode:

- The rise of mercenary spyware like Pegasus

- How the state abuses surveillance tech

- The role of corporate surveillance and data brokers

- AI’s potential to supercharge surveillance

- If Bitcoin could face the same panopticon dynamics

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Follow:

Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny

John Scott-Railton: https://x.com/jsrailton