"THE GOVERNMENT CAN SEE YOUR PASSWORDS"
“They can see all of your messages”
That’s not a conspiracy theory, It’s something today’s guest says from experience…
John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer who spent 15 years inside the agency, including as Chief of Counter-Terrorism Operations in Pakistan after 9/11.
He later became the first CIA officer to publicly confirm the existence of the CIA’s torture program - a decision that cost him his freedom.
John didn’t hold back when he described a world he lived inside, how intelligence agencies recruit, surveil, manipulate, and protect power - and what really happens when someone breaks the rules to tell the truth!
I wanted to understand what actually happens behind the scenes in systems we’re told that are there to protect us, and how different that reality can be from what most people assume.
John explained to me why nothing you do on your phone is truly private and how metadata is bought and sold which had me mind-blown.
I wanted to find out:
- What really makes someone betray secrets?
- Why do money, fear, love, and resentment drive decisions more than ideology?
- How do intelligence agencies shape media narratives and public perception?
- What does whistleblowing cost when you challenge powerful institutions?
- Has modern technology quietly erased the idea of personal privacy?
As the conversation unfolded it was clear this wasn’t just a discussion about the CIA - it was a wider reflection on how fragile our assumptions about safety and control really are.
The systems most people trust to protect them are far more complex than we’re often led to believe.
There’s also a moment where John explains how agencies think about ordinary people, not as individuals, but as data points. That part of the conversation will rewire how you look at your phone and even your everyday online behaviour.
I thanked John for coming on and for being willing to speak so openly about experiences that most people never get to hear about.
Let me know your thoughts once watching.
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