In a hyper-connected world, we are not just observed—we are quantified. This blog post dissects the invisible architecture of ubiquitous technical surveillance (UTS), the erosion of privacy by design, and how our everyday interactions—both voluntary and coerced—fuel a vast ecosystem of data-driven control. From algorithmic profiling to emotional surveillance and counterterrorism’s moral gray zones, this piece interrogates the unsettling convergence of security, commerce, and control. Read More…
Authoritarian regimes have long viewed exiled dissidents as a threat—but in the digital era, this contest has gone transnational. Today’s exiles are not just passive victims of repression but strategic actors in global information warfare. Armed with smartphones and secure messaging apps, they amplify dissent, shape international opinion, and even provide actionable intelligence to foreign governments. But they also face mounting risks—malware, phishing, threats to family back home—as regimes extend their coercive power across borders. Drawing on cases from Iran, Syria, and beyond, this post examines the evolving dynamic of digital transnational repression and the emerging power of the digital diaspora. Read More…
Overclassification and rigid compartmentalization are suffocating innovation in the intelligence community. In an era where technological speed determines security relevance, our antiquated secrecy protocols increasingly serve as roadblocks, not safeguards. This piece analyzes how bureaucratic secrecy undermines agility, collaboration, and digital transformation—and argues for a recalibration of risk in how we handle classified knowledge. Read More…
The popular image of the rogue hacker as a lone digital warrior—unaffiliated, ideologically driven, and detached from state control—is a myth that obfuscates the real structure of cyber conflict. States increasingly outsource cyber operations to non-state proxies, leveraging patriotic hackers, private contractors, and criminal syndicates. This blog post deconstructs the lone actor narrative and examines how state-enabled plausible deniability remains a core feature—and growing liability—in contemporary cyber strategy. Read More…
Once hailed as the Kremlin’s masterstroke in sub-threshold warfare, the so-called “Gerasimov Doctrine” has shaped Western interpretations of Russian hybrid conflict since the 2014 annexation of Crimea. But as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on, its early fusion of psychological operations, information warfare, and kinetic ambiguity is giving way to an older, bloodier reality. This post reevaluates the Gerasimov Doctrine—where it came from, what remains relevant, and what recent failures suggest about its limits. Read More…
