The Rest Is Classified 112. How To Protect Your Secrets: Inside China’s Technical Surveillance Playbook (Ep 1)
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Dec 29, 2025 Glenn Chafetz, former CIA officer and the agency's first Chief of Tradecraft and Operational Technology, shares insights into the evolution of surveillance technology. He discusses how the proliferation of data and surveillance tools has changed privacy expectations. Chafetz explains the risks of modern surveillance, the sinister roles of data brokers, and the challenges posed by biometric technologies. He also highlights the alarming implications for personal anonymity in an age where every device can be a data-collection platform.
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Intelligence Defined As Valuable Information
- Intelligence is information of value and losing it diminishes power.
- Protecting secrets preserves strategic advantage for states and organisations.
Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance Explained
- Ubiquitous technical surveillance (UTS) combines sensors, data and algorithms into everyday life.
- Both governments and companies use UTS for law enforcement, fraud detection and targeted advertising.
Phones Make Clandestine Meetings Visible
- Phones and sensors make clandestine meetings far harder because everyone's tracked.
- Not carrying a phone today itself looks suspicious and undermines anonymity.