E100: How the FBI Built a Secret Tech Startup to Snare Criminals: w/ Joseph Co

Investigative journalist Joseph Cox joins to discuss Dark Wire, his explosive new book revealing how the FBI secretly ran a global encrypted phone company to spy on the criminal underworld.

Guest Bio: Joseph Cox is an award-winning investigative journalist and co-founder of 404 Media. He specializes in cybercrime, surveillance, and hacking, and is the author of Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever, which is being adapted into a Netflix film directed by Jason Bateman.

Topics Covered:

• How the FBI created and operated the encrypted phone company Anom
• Global law enforcement collaboration with countries like Australia, Sweden, and Lithuania
• Legal and ethical concerns around bulk surveillance and entrapment
• Technical infrastructure and operational secrecy of the sting
• Impact on organized crime and the global drug trade
• Use of Bitcoin and hawala for money laundering
• AI’s growing role in law enforcement surveillance and data analysis
• Paranoia and fallout within the criminal underworld
• Future implications for privacy, encrypted apps like Signal and Telegram, and law enforcement tactics

📺Watch the full episode on YouTube➡️ https://youtu.be/OLvf63ZSlwk

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