💰 Crypto, Privacy, and Control

John mentions the endless phishing emails that claim his Coinbase account has been hacked. Sean uses that as a teaching moment: centralized exchanges like Coinbase and PayPal have turned cryptocurrency into a managed service rather than a true peer-to-peer (P2P) system.

He urges people to take control of their funds by using cold wallets and privacy-focused currencies such as Monero. Ivy Cyber partners with Cake Wallet to train users in how to safeguard their assets offline. The message is clear — if you do not hold your own keys, you do not really own your crypto.

🚕 Robotaxis & the Limits of Machine Judgment

The conversation closes with the subject of self-driving cars. John recounts seeing Waymo vehicles in Los Angeles that froze in traffic or stalled in puddles. Sean explains that these incidents stem from “misalignment,” the gap between what humans intend and what machines actually interpret.

AI systems generate probabilistic responses, not fixed rules, so even small misunderstandings of a command can cause unexpected outcomes. Sean also raises privacy concerns about LIDAR mapping, which allows cars to record their surroundings in incredible detail. That data can be stored, replayed, and analyzed later: a form of automated surveillance hidden beneath the promise of convenience.

Sean’s conclusion is not anti-technology. He calls for democratic control, transparency, and slower deployment of AI systems until the public can understand and govern them responsibly.
💭 Closing Thoughts
Throughout the discussion, John and Sean return to one theme: the technologies that make modern life efficient are also those that make it vulnerable. From social media to AI, every system that collects data can be exploited. Awareness, accountability, and open design are the best defenses against invisible risks.

🕵️ Defend Yourself From Spies

Join John Kiriakou and Sean O’Brien for an eight-week online course by Ivy Cyber.

This Surveillance Defense Course teaches how to detect real-world surveillance, safeguard your digital life, and build the awareness to protect yourself in both cyberspace and your neighborhood.

Dates: November 3 – December 28, 2025

Format: 3 Live Sessions and “Learn At Your Pace” Course Materials

Price: $895 USD (discounts available for paid Bits On Tape subscribers)

Enroll Now: https://ivycyber.com/product/course-surveillance-defense/

What you’ll learn:

Field techniques for recognizing and countering hostile surveillance

Tools for encrypted communication and private browsing

Practical exercises in operational security and cyber defense

Included:

12-month PrivacySafe Personal subscription

Discounts on Ivy Cyber products and future courses

Verified blockchain certificate of completion

🛡 Learn from experience. Defend with knowledge.

What's #AWS ? Avoid the clownshow🤡 and hang out somewhere that isn't feeling the outage, by design - #decentralized and FREE.

🔆Try https://privacysafe.social and connect with millions of #fediverse users.

If you want to find us on #Facebook, it's https://facebook.com/IvyCyber

We just got recognized by Joe Rogan as a top fan account there thanks to John Kiriakou's appearance on #JoeRoganExperience 🎉

We launched http://PrivacySafe.Social over a year ago, but kept it exclusive w/ "friends & family" until August at Hackers On Planet Earth conference

In approx. 3 months PrivacySafe.social userbase grew 413% and active users grew by 519%

Now that's what I call parabolic! 📈

😱 We Vibe Coded This AI Slop Nightmare with ChatGPT
It Only Took 15 Mins to Pollute the Internet with the World's Worst Website

Way back in August, we ran a simple test — we asked ChatGPT to vibe code the worst site possible. Purposefully coding a pile of AI slop comes with great responsibility… and we’re confident that we’ve contained this flaming pile of garbage well enough to share it with our loyal fans. 🤓

Check it out for yourself, but you've been warned! https://bitsontape.com/p/chatgpt-vibe-code-thanksgiving

50% OFF this Holiday Season https://ivycyber.com/kiriakou

Privacy is no longer just a niche, it is the operating system for the next cycle.

We explain the identity auction and a playbook for users and builders.

Read the Article

Twitter Post

Bluesky Post

LinkedIn Post

We're doing a hardware giveaway with vxunderground on twitter X: https://x.com/profdiggity/status/2002270553965486150

On Friday, Keonne Rodriguez reported to federal prison and will spend the holidays behind bars. He was one of the developers recently prosecuted for offering a privacy tool for Bitcoin.

Last week, John Kiriakou from our Ivy Cyber team interviewed him for #DeepFocus. It's an incredible conversation between two people unjustly imprisoned for their strong dedication to human rights and democratic values. #pardonsamourai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft_WgUh56xw

https://bitsontape.com/p/christmas-xmas-holiday-gifts-ai

Some holiday gifts sparkle. Others listen, record, and upload the details of your life to Big Tech servers. This year’s hottest gadgets promise friendship, fitness, and futuristic flair, but a growing number of them come with privacy and cybersecurity risks baked right into the design.

Before you wrap that shiny new wearable or smart device, take a closer look. They track conversations, movements, and moments that were never meant to be shared. Here’s our short list of holiday gifts you’ll want to return, recycle, or leave out in the cold.