Darknet Diaries 163: Ola
281 snips
Sep 2, 2025 
Ola Bini, a Swedish programmer, privacy advocate, and martial artist in Ecuador, shares his harrowing journey of wrongful arrest under suspicions of hacking. He delves into the dire implications of mass surveillance and the urgent need for privacy as a human right, inspired by the Snowden Papers. Ola recounts the political upheaval surrounding Julian Assange's asylum, his own tumultuous legal battles, and the challenges of being imprisoned without formal charges. Throughout, he emphasizes the importance of better cybersecurity standards and the need for advocacy in at-risk communities.
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From ThoughtWorks To Ecuadorian Privacy Activist
- Ola Bini moved from Sweden to Ecuador in 2013 while working for ThoughtWorks and became involved in privacy activism.
- He befriended Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy but never collaborated professionally with WikiLeaks.
Privacy Enables Other Rights
- Ola frames privacy as control over personal information and links it to democratic rights like free elections.
- He warns technological scale makes mass privacy violations far easier than historical surveillance methods.
Arrested At The Airport With No Explanation
- On April 11, 2019, airport agents detained Ola without clear explanation, held him overnight, and restricted lawyer contact.
- He discovered the arrest tied to media claims calling him a Russian hacker only after watching TV in custody.
