In Minority Report, Tom Cruise dodged holograms and predictive ads that knew him better than he knew himself. Sound familiar? Today’s Connected TVs (CTVs) are doing the same thing — tracking what you watch, when you watch, and even who’s in the room.

In this episode of Burn Notice: A Smoke Signal Podcast, Ian and Ainsley light up the grill on James W's writings on how CTVs collect and share your viewing habits, why advertisers treat your living room like a real-time surveillance hub and what tools and tactics can smoke-proof your home theater setup

Because the future of TV isn’t just about what you watch — it’s about what your TV knows about you.

The future isn’t sending killer robots—it’s sending cloned voices. Like the T-1000 in Terminator 2, AI can now mimic anyone you know with just seconds of audio, slipping into your life with urgent pleas that sound terrifyingly real. Scammers are already weaponizing this tech, exploiting the trust hardwired into us when we hear a loved one’s voice.

But Judgment Day doesn’t have to come for your ears: by setting family code words, verifying calls, limiting your digital exhaust, and arming yourself with the right tools, you can spot the imposters before they strike.

In the metaverse, your Digital Twin is already in the ring—built from the data trails you leave behind. In this episode, AI hosts Ainsley and Ian take us through the writings of James W. With VR headsets scanning your eyes, platforms tracking your every move, and avatars becoming indistinguishable from you, the line between reality and replica is fading fast.

While James W. may not be an action star, there is a fight coming for the future of our identity in the Metaverse—and when it comes to protecting your privacy and your Digital Exhaust, he'll be Van Dammed if he doesn't help you avoid a Double Impact.

Every revolution begins with a realization: the Matrix of Digital Exhaust isn’t inevitable — it’s engineered. In this high-stakes edition of Burn Notice: A Smoke Signal Podcast, James W., the Pitmaster of Intel, steps into the role of reluctant protagonist, sharing how personal battles with surveillance shaped his call for a new era of privacy.

Joined by AI hosts Ian and Ainsley, he lays out the blueprint for Privacy by Design — a philosophy that flips the script on passive acceptance of data collection. Instead of letting your clicks and keystrokes fuel a system built against you, this episode arms you with tools and tactics to demand change at both the personal and technological level.

Because if we don’t end the mindset of helplessness, the Matrix of Digital Exhaust expands unchecked. But if we choose revolution — building privacy into every design, every decision, every innovation — then we can rewrite the code of our future.

The Machine Army never sleeps. Every crawler, every bot, every algorithm is scouring the web to reload your Digital Exhaust into the Matrix. Identity thieves, harassers, and data brokers wait on the other side of that code, ready to weaponize what they find.

In this trench-war edition of Burn Notice: A Smoke Signal Podcast, James W., the Pitmaster of Intel, joins AI hosts Ian and Ainsley to show you how to fight back. From using search engine removal tools and PII takedown requests, to mastering Boolean operators and advanced search tactics, this episode equips you with the arsenal to hunt down your own footprint before someone else does.

Because you don’t truly know the Matrix until you fight it. And once you do, you’ll learn how to not just survive its Machine Army — but unload your Digital Exhaust and deny it the fuel it craves.

What if your every click, swipe, and purchase wasn’t just data — but code inside a Matrix designed to score, sort, and sell you? In this red-pill edition of Burn Notice: A Smoke Signal Podcast, James W., the Pitmaster of Intel, joins AI hosts Ian and Ainsley to reveal how data brokers and tech giants weave your Digital Exhaust into a surveillance scoring system that shapes your reality.

From landlords predicting if you’ll pay rent, to insurers gauging your “risk,” to marketers deciding what price you see — the Matrix isn’t science fiction. It’s here. And it feeds on the invisible trails you leave behind.

But there’s a way to fight back. This episode arms you with the tools to spot the traps, cut the data streams, and unplug from the scoring machine. Because the real question isn’t whether you’re in the Matrix — it’s how long you’ll stay plugged in.

In Stranger Things, the Upside Down is a mirror world crawling with predators, where one wrong move can unleash chaos into the real world. LinkedIn may not have Demogorgons, but it does have digital predators and doppelgängers — fake profiles that look legitimate, lure you in, and quietly siphon off your data.

In this chilling edition of Burn Notice: A Smoke Signal Podcast, James W., the Pitmaster of Intel, teams with AI hosts Ian and Ainsley to crack open the LinkedIn portal. They expose how polished headshots, thin résumés, and suspiciously vague connections act as camouflage for threat actors. Just as Eleven’s remote viewing opened a gate to danger, your LinkedIn settings — if left wide open — can give strangers a back door into your world.

But there’s a way to flip the script. From locking down profile photo visibility and custom URLs to pruning your connections and controlling who can find you, this episode lays out the countermeasures that slam the gate shut.

Because sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction — and if you don’t guard your digital exhaust, the LinkedIn Upside Down might find its way into your reality.

“Show me the money!” In Jerry Maguire, it was a rallying cry. In the digital age, it’s a warning. Every swipe of your debit or credit card turns into financial exhaust — a trail of transactions banks and data brokers package, re-identify, and sell to the highest bidder. They’re not just watching your balance; they’re watching you.

In this Kansas City–forged edition of Burn Notice: A Smoke Signal Podcast, James W., the Pitmaster of Intel, brings his best from the Show-Me State — proving that if you want real financial privacy, you’ve got to demand it. Together with AI hosts Ian and Ainsley, he lays out the countermeasures: how to opt out of data grabs, lock down bank settings, and stop your purchases from becoming someone else’s profit engine.

Because in the fight to control your financial exhaust, it’s not enough to earn money. You’ve got to show it who’s boss.

In this hard-hitting edition, AI hosts Ian and Ainsley channel the precision of The Accountant to dissect the world of digital money services. Just like Christian Wolff crunching numbers in the shadows, these platforms—PayPal, Venmo, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, and more—move billions quietly behind the scenes. But every tap, transfer, and transaction leaves a trail of Digital Exhaust that threat actors, advertisers, and data brokers are eager to trace.

James W., our Pitmaster of Intel, breaks it down with surgical accuracy: how to lock down privacy settings, minimize exposure, and strike the balance between convenience and security. From hidden permissions to overlooked toggles, this episode arms you with the tools to manage your money without leaving your secrets on the ledger.

Because in a world where every transaction tells a story, the question isn’t just how you spend—it’s who’s watching while you do it.

This isn’t a friendly sparring match — it’s twelve rounds against the heaviest hitters in Big Tech’s surveillance machine. In this episode of Burn Notice: A Smoke Signal Podcast, AI hosts Ian and Ainsley step into the digital ring with James W’s playbook for surviving the fight.

Like Rocky going the distance, you’ll see how every click, scroll, and search is turned into “Digital Exhaust” — and how data brokers use it like body shots to wear you down. We break the fight down with the TOPS Framework, showing you who’s in your corner and who’s trying to land the knockout blow.

From resetting mobile IDs and tightening browser defenses to deploying opt-out tools that hit back hard, this is your privacy training camp. The bell has rung. You’re the underdog, but with the right stance, the right guard, and the right tools, you can go the distance — and win.