The OPSEC Podcast

Ahmed Hassan, a security practitioner from Great Dynamics, dives into the underappreciated world of corporate surveillance. He reveals how retailers track your every movement and emotion using advanced camera networks and phone sensors. The conversation exposes the alarming truth about dating apps targeting loneliness via motion analytics. Ahmed also discusses the misuse of burner phones and offers insights into bespoke OPSEC services for travelers. Listeners are urged to prioritize their privacy in a world where data is the new currency.

For more than a decade, intelligence agencies, data brokers, and criminal syndicates have quietly relied on the same vulnerability: your wireless signals. Your phone, your credit cards, your passport, your key fobs — they all broadcast data constantly, whether you realise it or not. And every signal can be intercepted, cloned, profiled, or used against you.In this episode of The OPSEC Podcast, we break down a hard truth: modern tracking doesn’t require hacking — just proximity. Bluetooth skimmers, RFID harvesters, rogue NFC readers, silent ping collectors… they’re everywhere, especially during the holiday travel boom.You’ll learn how Faraday sleeves, RFID-blocking wallets, and shielded travel kits shut down these attacks by cutting off the signals entirely. Not with software. Not with “anti-tracking apps.” But with the same electromagnetic isolation techniques used in classified facilities and intelligence operations since the 1940s.In this episode, you’ll discover:How Bluetooth hijacking and RFID skimming actually work (and why tourists are the easiest targets)Why your phone still broadcasts identifiers even when it’s “off”The difference between consumer-grade Faraday products vs. intelligence-grade shieldingWhy doubling-layer protection (sleeve + wallet, sleeve + bag) mirrors professional tradecraftThe silent rise of contactless credit card theft in crowded holiday shopping zonesWhy a $10 RFID sleeve can stop a $500 attack before it beginsThe truth about Faraday backpacks, travel organisers, and which brands actually hold upHow to integrate Faraday protection into daily OPSEC without looking like a tactical wannabeIf intelligence agencies rely on signal isolation to protect classified hardware, identities, and operational assets, why shouldn’t you use the same principles to protect your phone, passport, and money?Your devices broadcast more about you than you think.Your security is your responsibility. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explore the world of masked payment cards and their vital role in safeguarding your financial footprint during online shopping. Learn how merchant-locked and single-use tokens bolster security, while alias IDs help maintain your privacy. Discover the risks of traditional bank cards and why it's crucial to manage card lifecycles carefully. From regional alternatives like Revolut to essential procedures for account linking, gain actionable insights to enhance your operational security and reduce fraud risks this holiday season.

For 50 years, 130 governments trusted Crypto AG to protect their most secret communications. Every single message was being read by the CIA and German intelligence. Operation Rubicon was the longest-running espionage operation in history. The CIA secretly bought a Swiss encryption company in 1970, installed backdoors in every device, and sold “secure” communications to governments worldwide. Nobody suspected a thing – until 2020.Now it’s happening again. But this time, they’re buying your VPN companies. Kape Technologies – an Israeli company founded by former adware criminals with ties to Unit 8200 (Israel’s NSA) – quietly bought ExpressVPN in 2021. They also own CyberGhost, PIA, and Zenmate. Plus all the VPN “review” sites that conveniently rank their products at the top.In this episode of The OPSEC Podcast, you’ll discover:Why Chinese VPNs like Turbo VPN are 51% owned by the Communist Party (and why they target American teenagers on TikTok)How Russian VPNs like Kaspersky are legally required to give the FSB access to all your trafficWhy “free VPNs” turn your computer into a botnet zombie (the Hola VPN scandal)What VPNs actually do vs. the anonymity BS they claim in their marketingThe only 3 VPN companies that pass the trust sniff test: ProtonVPN, Mullvad, and NordVPNA VPN does not equal automatic privacy. It’s outsourcing trust from one party to another. If you take trust from your ISP and give it to a malicious actor, you’re worse off than having no VPN at all.Free VPNs make YOU the product. Israeli companies inject adware. Chinese companies feed data to the CCP. Russian companies hand everything to the FSB.Check who owns the VPN – not just where the servers are located. Because if the CIA launched a VPN service promising “guaranteed privacy,” they’d sell exactly zero subscriptions. So why trust companies with the same intelligence agency connections?Your privacy is your responsibility. Do your due diligence or accept the consequences.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Courts can’t agree if geofence warrants are constitutional – but law enforcement is using them anyway. Your phone is volunteering you for mass surveillance operations right now.In 2024, one court declared geofence warrants “categorically unconstitutional” mass surveillance. Another court said they’re perfectly legal. When the law can’t agree on what’s legal, you need to take matters into your own hands.Google Play Services is spyware. It takes over your Android device, harvests all your data, and hands it to law enforcement in dragnet operations. The January 6th investigation proudly used geofencing to track everyone in the area – including innocent bystanders caught in the dragnet who had to defend themselves against crimes they didn’t commit.In this episode of The OPSEC Podcast, you’ll discover:•Why GrapheneOS is now 90-95% functional as a daily driver (the excuses are dead)•How sandboxed Google Play Services gives you control without sacrificing functionality•The Aurora Store’s tracker-counting feature that exposes which apps are spying on you•Why airplane mode on stock Android doesn’t actually turn off your cell tower beacon•The two-factor screen lock that stops you from checking texts while driving (inconvenience as a feature)If you don’t volunteer the information, they have no right to use it. Stock Android and iOS are designed to make you volunteer everything – your location, your patterns, your entire digital life.GrapheneOS gives you back control. The flashing process is now stupidly simple. The functionality is there. The only sacrifice is convenience – and convenience is a trap.Take the leadership role with your family. Build devices for your parents like Alan did. Show them the small differences. Be their tech support. Your care for their privacy is leadership in action.Remember: Your privacy is your responsibility. Your vulnerabilities are on you too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover how stolen Ukrainian iPhones are leading to Russian casualties by broadcasting their locations. Smartphones, often dubbed the best spying devices, are mining personal data every moment. Learn about the 10-step signature reduction strategy to safeguard your digital footprint. Explore how even your car and smart devices can be tracking you. Find out why those targeted ads aren't mere coincidences and how metadata can reveal your every location. Your convenience comes at a price—reduce your identifiable traits to enhance your security.

Every time you use your real name online, you’re volunteering to be tracked, profiled, and monetized. You never agreed to this system, but you’re trapped in it anyway.Companies have created fake rules that 99% of people would reject on a fundamental level: surrender all your personal data or you can’t use our services. But here’s the truth – unless there’s a legal requirement, they don’t need your real information.In this episode of The OPSEC Podcast, you’ll discover:How to build bulletproof online personas that can’t be traced back to youThe 3-4 alias categories that cover all your digital needs (and keep you organized)Why VoIP numbers and masked credit cards are your new best friendsHow data breaches become learning opportunities instead of disastersThe alias isolation techniques that prevent cross-contamination between identitiesYour convenience is their profit. Every newsletter signup, fitness tracker, and social media account is feeding a massive surveillance machine designed to strip away your privacy.Companies monetize your data as the default standard – so make up your own rules. Use AI-generated profiles, government building addresses, and public holiday birthdays. Get creative, have fun, and watch corporate data collectors lose your trail completely.Remember: We never subscribed to this system where we default give all our data to these companies.It’s time to go against the grain. Your privacy is your responsibility – and your aliases are your armor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2024, Americans lost $12.5 billion to financial fraud – a staggering 25% increase from the previous year. Your bank account structure is making you a target.Most people make the same fatal mistake: they use one checking account for everything. Income flows in, bills flow out, debit cards get compromised, and criminals drain everything while you sleep.In this deep-dive episode of The OPSEC Podcast, you’ll discover:Why your “monolith” bank account is a single point of catastrophic failureThe 5-step OPSEC process applied specifically to your financial accountsThe “Onion Strategy” – a 5-layer financial structure that isolates and protects your moneyHow Privacy.com masked credit cards give you complete control over every purchaseWhy debit cards should never touch the internet (and what to use instead)The non-negotiable multi-factor authentication rules for anything touching moneyYour current bank setup is probably wrong. One compromised account shouldn’t wipe out your entire financial life, but for most people, that’s exactly what happens.The criminals are getting smarter, the losses are getting bigger, and nobody’s coming to save you.Learn the same financial OPSEC strategies that protect intelligence professionals and high-value targets. Because in 2025, everyone with money is a high-value target.Stop being low-hanging fruit. Your financial survival depends on it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2018, a fitness app accidentally exposed secret CIA black sites, military bases, and soldier patrol routes to enemy forces worldwide. Strava’s “harmless” heat map revealed 3 trillion GPS data points, lighting up covert locations in Afghanistan, Syria, and Africa like Christmas trees. Soldiers had unknowingly painted targets on their own backs, just by logging their daily runs. In this episode of The OPSEC Podcast, you’ll discover:How fitness trackers turned into enemy intelligence goldmines (the military scrambled to fix this OPSEC disaster)The 5-step OPSEC process born from Vietnam War failures that could protect you todayWhy your 5 AM run routine makes you vulnerable to stalkers, thieves, and worseThe “nobody’s coming to save you” reality of digital privacy (hint: it’s all on you)Simple countermeasures that take 5 minutes but could save you thousandsYour smartphone is tracking your every move. Your fitness apps know when you’re home alone. Your daily routines are being sold to data brokers right now. The same OPSEC failures that exposed military secrets are happening in your pocket every day. Don’t let your morning workout become someone else’s intelligence operation. Your patterns are being watched – make sure you’re the one in control.Remember: Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Alex – a regular guy who lost everything because of one social media post and zero OPSEC.While Alex slept peacefully, a hacker drained his bank accounts, stole his identity, and destroyed his digital life. His crime? Posting a photo of his new iPhone at the Verizon store.In this inaugural episode of The OPSEC Podcast, you’ll discover:The exact 20-minute process hackers use to destroy lives (Alex’s story will shock you)The “3 P’s of Privacy” OPSEC framework that could have saved Alex thousands of dollars and months of agonyWhy your smartphone is actually a “sensor suite designed to spy on you”The 5-step OPSEC process intelligence professionals use to stay invisibleSimple OPSEC identity management techniques that make you a “ghost” to bad actorsYour privacy is under constant attack. Every app, every smart device, every social media post creates digital breadcrumbs that criminals follow straight to your bank account.The good news? The same OPSEC techniques that protect CIA operatives can protect you too. Don’t become the next Alex. Your digital life depends on it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.