Sean O’Brien is a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School and the founder of Privacy Lab. He’s the chief technology officer at Panquake and teaches cybersecurity at Yale, where he’s also developed Web3 and blockchain courses. He was the founding head tutor at Oxford’s Cybersecurity for Business Leaders programme. His expertise has been featured in The New York Times and Wired.
I recommend joining Panquake, especially because it’s still in its developmental phase.
CIA and whistleblowing
John Kiriakou is a journalist and former CIA counterterrorism officer who blew the whistle on the CIA’s torture programme in 2007, revealing it was approved by President George W Bush. For this, he was indicted under the Espionage Act and served 23 months in prison. John has received several awards for his courage and integrity.
Cybersecurity isn’t just about stopping hackers; it’s about protecting privacy from corporations and governments that intrude on your personal life. Big Tech collects extensive data on users, claiming it’s for ‘personalisation’ or ‘security’.
Should the state have secrets?
State overreach under the guise of ‘national security’ is a problem.
The indictment and imprisonment of whistleblowers show how far the state will go to protect its ‘secrets’, even when those secrets involve all sorts of violations and breaches of international law.
In the current zeitgeist where the lines between Big Tech surveillance and state secrecy blur, a more transparent and ethical approach becomes increasingly vital in safeguarding both personal and societal freedoms.
Which is why I believe in decentralisation and being less dependent on the big guys. My website, for example, sits on a dedicated server and my videos are uploaded to Odysee and Bastyon, both of which are fairly independent and decentralised.
Conversation
What are the differences between Mark Zuckerberg and me? I give private information on corporations to you for free, and I’m a villain. Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he’s Man of the Year.
Julian Assange
