We live in a world where cybersecurity (or lack thereof) levels the playing field. Wars suddenly don’t have to cost billions and trillions of dollars; instead, all an attack takes is a computer and malintent. But at the same time, all it takes is a computer and goodwill to bring down an oppressive government or infiltrate a human trafficking ring. Cyber capabilities can be used for good just as much as they can be used for bad. So what does this new, cheap, easy-to-access technology mean for businesses, governments, and, most importantly, the general population?

Over his three-decade-long career, that’s the question Joseph Menn has set out to ask… and answer.

“People liked having the power of a NASA supercomputer in their pocket, and they didn't really think about all the downsides... But, since 2016, the scales have fallen from people's eyes and they see that there's real danger and there are real problems with manipulation of people's emotions, people getting addicted to tech, and it being a plaything for foreign and domestic powers for disinformation. This has really caused people to ask a lot of questions, and the answers from the companies have just frankly been inadequate.”

Joseph is an author and investigative journalist at Reuters. He is one of the most respected mainstream journalists focusing on tech policy and cybersecurity issues today.

He recently released his latest book titled Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World, which tells the story of the oldest, most respected, and most famous American hacking group of all time. Its members invented the concept of hacktivism and created what was, for years, the best tool for controlling computers remotely. Their actions have forced large corporations to focus more on protecting their company’s and customers’ security.

In this episode, Chad and Joseph discuss the history of computer hacking, Joseph's writings over his 30-year career as a journalist, and what it looks like to be an investigative journalist today.

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