News, Tips & Tools For Protecting Your Privacy Against The Surveillance State

I was a privacy nerd before it was cool. After spending years advocating for privacy and sharing with others some things they could do to protect their privacy from overreaching government agencies and nosy corporations, I was angered and excited at the Snowden revelations. Angered because of the size and scope of what they revealed; Excited because it proved what I had been saying all along — Our government is spying on all of us. I launched Enemy of the [Surveillance] State to provide news, tips, and open-source tools to help people fight back against this illegal and immoral surveillance.

After spending years hearing me talk about doing a podcast about privacy and surveillance, my wife asked me one day, "Hey, you know that podcast you keep talking about? Would you either do it or stop talking about it?" I knew she was right so I launched the show a month later.

I started with a fairly cheap microphone and a simple mixer recording into a Tascam DR-05 digital field recorder. The sound was decent, but I wanted better. Within a couple episodes, I upgraded to a Rode Procaster mic and a Zoom Livetrack L8 mixer with built-in recording. The sound was much better. I still use that set-up.

I began producing an episode a week, but with my full-time job, family responsibilities, and some health issues I faced for a while, I have dropped off to doing an episode once or twice a month.

I made a decision early on not to be ad-supported since I want listeners to know that if I recommend a particular tool it is because I believe in it, not because I was paid to say so. The show is supported by listeners via Patreon.

I love doing the show and look forward to the day when the support of my listeners is such that I can do this full-time. For now, the feedback I get from listeners is enough to keep me going. There is little that is more gratifying than hearing someone tell me the show has helped them better protect their privacy.

As I mentioned earlier, my studio set-up is made up of a Rode Procaster mic, Zoom Livetrack L8, a good pair of headphones, and a laptop running Linux. I do my post-production editing in Audacity.

It takes a few hours to record, produce, edit, and publish each episode. If I add to that the research for each episode, it takes the better part of a few days to line up a guest, record, edit, and produce an episode.

I have found guests by asking people I respect in the field of privacy. As a journalist, I find that reaching out to potential guests and giving them a chance to tell their story is a good tactic.

I mostly use social media to promote my show. Though most social media is the exact opposite of privacy (and so this may seem a bit hypocritical), I figured that if I want to reach people who need to know about privacy and surveillance, I need to go where people are. I prefer Twitter (@surveillanceNME), but I use others, as well.

The best advice I wish I'd had when I started is this: Before launching, spend a few weeks recording episodes that can be posted anytime. That way, if you hit a week where it is a struggle to get an episode recorded, you have one ready to go. That will keep the stress at bay.

Besides that, I would say, focus on quality. The world does not need more podcasts; The world needs more quality podcasts. Content is king, but no one is going to listen to the content unless the audio and production quality is good. Practice recording. Then do it again. Record, edit, and produce things you will never publish. Listen to it. Do it again. Watch videos on how to produce quality audio. You (and your listeners) will be glad you took the time.

Find the show at enemyofsurveillance.podbean.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow me on Twitter at @SurveillanceNME.