Modern smartphones, smart TVs, and cars remain vulnerable to hidden eavesdropping and surveillance even when they are turned off. This was stated by former CIA employee John Kiriakou during an interview on the podcast The Diary of a CEO with British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.
This is reported by Finway
According to Kiriakou, personal electronic devices pose a serious threat to users’ privacy, as they can be hacked by intelligence agencies without the owners’ knowledge. Most people mistakenly believe their gadgets are secure; however, in reality, they do not guarantee confidentiality.
“They are not safe at all,” emphasized the former intelligence officer while commenting on the issue of digital privacy.
The Scale of the Threat: Not Just the USA
John Kiriakou, who worked as an analyst at the CIA and was an operative in the Counterterrorism Center, highlighted that the tools for hacking personal devices are not exclusive to American intelligence agencies like the NSA, CIA, or FBI. Similar technologies are possessed by the intelligence services of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, Israel, and Iran. According to Kiriakou, each of these countries can conduct digital monitoring, so users should be particularly cautious, as even ordinary citizens may be under surveillance from both their own country and foreign agencies.
Smart Devices as Surveillance Tools
One of Kiriakou’s most striking statements was his explanation that household electronics can be used for eavesdropping. Intelligence agencies can remotely activate the microphones of smart TVs, even when they are turned off, and capture recorded conversations from the room. The former agent noted that such methods have been in use since the 1980s. The same risks apply to modern smartphones, as their speakers can be turned into means of covert audio surveillance even in standby mode.
Furthermore, Kiriakou reminded listeners of the massive data leak from the CIA in 2017, known as Vault 7, which was released by WikiLeaks. The documents detailed the ability to remotely hack into the onboard computers of vehicles, allowing not only for surveillance but also for using cars to physically eliminate targets by staging accidents.
John Kiriakou became widely known after he was convicted in 2012 for disclosing classified information about the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” program, specifically regarding the use of the waterboarding technique. He became the only person in the agency to be convicted for revealing this information. After his release, Kiriakou has been actively criticizing the activities of intelligence agencies and warning the public about the extensive digital surveillance that, according to him, has long ceased to be science fiction.