Private investigator Egor shares his experience working with Black Cube, an Israeli intelligence company hired by Harvey Weinstein to spy on journalists.
Investigative researcher John Scott-Railton is targeted by Black Cube for his work uncovering hacking campaigns.
Egor explains various espionage and surveillance tactics used, including checking for tailing vehicles, using garages and one-way streets to evade followers.
Deep dives
Egor's Interaction with Black Cube and Ronan Farrow
Egor, a private investigator in New York City, shares his experience working with Black Cube, an Israeli intelligence company hired by Harvey Weinstein to spy on journalists. Egor was assigned to follow Ronan Farrow and Jodi Kantor, renowned journalists from The New York Times. He eventually realizes the unethical nature of the job and contacts Farrow to expose the situation.
John Scott-Railton's Encounter with Black Cube
John Scott-Railton, an investigative researcher from Citizen Lab, is targeted by Black Cube for his work uncovering hacking campaigns. He becomes suspicious when approached by a person named Michel Lambert, who shows an unusual interest in his research on aerial photography. Scott-Railton manages to record their interactions and arranges a meeting with Lambert in a New York City restaurant while being observed by reporters. Lambert realizes he's being set up and escapes, while Egor watches over the situation.
Espionage and Surveillance Tactics
Throughout the podcast episode, Egor explains various espionage and surveillance tactics. These include checking for tailing vehicles by driving in certain patterns, using garages and one-way streets to evade followers, and even observing suspicious behavior like professional photographers near a meeting location. These details highlight the intricate and sometimes intense methods used in the world of surveillance and intelligence gathering.
The Bumbling Spy: A Failed Black Cube Operation
In this podcast episode, the host recounts a personal experience with a failed operation conducted by Black Cube, a private intelligence firm. The summary outlines how the protagonist, who goes by the name Egor, was lured into a meeting with a supposed journalist named Michel, who was actually an operative from Black Cube. Egor recounts the strange and uncomfortable conversation, revealing that Michel was ill-prepared and resorted to offensive tactics to extract information. As the meeting progresses, Egor realizes that the operation is unraveling when he is contacted by his colleague, Hakan, who reveals that the unexpected presence of a professional photo shoot in the hotel lobby has compromised their cover. The summary concludes with Egor's reflections on the whole experience and the questions it raises about the motives behind Black Cube's operation.
Uncovering the Aniso Group Connection
In the next episode, the podcast delves into the Aniso Group, a target of investigation by JSR for years. JSR has published multiple reports on the activities of the Aniso Group, which is believed to be responsible for deploying spyware to target victims. The summary points out that lawyers representing victims of Aniso Group were also targeted by anonymous spies, further suggesting a connection. While the episode promises to explore the Aniso Group in detail, it ends with a cliffhanger, leaving listeners eager to learn more in the upcoming episodes.
Igor works as a private investigator in NYC. He’s often sitting in cars keeping a distant eye on someone with binoculars. Or following someone through the busy streets of New York. In this episode we hear about a time when Igor was on a case but sensed that something wasn’t right.
Sponsors
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Sources
Article: The Case of the Bumbling Spy
Podcast: The Catch and Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow
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