EP 040 The Digital Leash: Exposing Pegasus Spyware and Modern Surveillance | Forbidden History

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Beneath the headlines.

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Behind the timelines, there is a
story no one wants you to find.

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Welcome to some unapproved thinking, where
forgotten truths, buried patterns, and

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invisible systems rise to the surface.

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You weren't crazy, you were just early.

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Let's begin.

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Welcome back, everyone.

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Today we're diving into a topic
that feels like it's creeping more

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and more into our daily lives.

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Surveillance.

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It's like we're all connected to
this digital leash that constantly

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pulls us in different directions.

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You know, when I first heard about
Pegasus, that spyware that can hijack

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your phone without any interaction, I was
like, oh wait, we're letting this happen.

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That's wild.

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I mean, accessing messages,
microphones, cameras, even our

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locations, it's pretty invasive, right?

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It starts with a message you
never see, no suspicious link,

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no strange file, no warning.

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Your phone stays in your pocket,
your screen never lights up

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and nothing looks out of place.

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But in that exact moment,
your entire digital life may

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already be open to someone else.

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That's not a theory, that's not a
concept, that's a product, and it exists.

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I remember the first time I
really understood how completely

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vulnerable we all are.

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I was sitting in a coffee shop.

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Watching people around me, everyone
staring at their phones, completely

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absorbed, completely trusting.

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That's when it hit me.

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We're all carrying the most sophisticated
surveillance device ever created,

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and we paid for it ourselves.

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The company behind this particular
nightmare is called NSO Group.

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For years, they've been selling one of
the most powerful surveillance tools ever

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created to governments around the world.

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The software is known as Pegasus.

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Tonight we ask when the device in
your pocket becomes a window into

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your soul, who's really holding
the other end of the leash?

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Mm. This is some unapproved thinking.

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We live in an age where digital
surveillance has become so normalized

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that we barely notice it anymore.

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Your phone tracks your location.

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Your apps monitor your behavior.

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Your searches are recorded.

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Your conversations are analyzed.

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We've accepted this as the price
of convenience, but what if I told

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you there's a level of surveillance
so sophisticated, so invasive, so

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complete that it makes everything
you thought you knew about digital

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privacy look like child's play.

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I spent years inside corporate
systems where we discuss customer

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insights and behavioral analytics.

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The language was always clinical
professional, but what we were really

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talking about was surveillance.

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If corporations can do this much with
your data, imagine what governments

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can do with military grade spyware.

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The post smartphone world created the
perfect surveillance infrastructure.

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Everyone carries a device that knows
where they are, who they talk to,

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what they search for, what they buy,
what they read, what they watch.

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The infrastructure was already there.

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Pegasus just weaponized it.

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Pegasus isn't mass surveillance.

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It's precision surveillance,
targeted, silent surgical.

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It doesn't need to watch everyone.

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It just needs to watch
the people who matter.

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The journalists investigating corruption.

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The activists organizing
resistance, the lawyers defending

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dissidents, the politicians
asking uncomfortable questions.

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Understanding what Pegasus can
do isn't just about technology.

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It's about recognizing that your phone
isn't just a communication device,

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it's a surveillance device that can be
turned against you by anyone with the

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right access and the right motivation.

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Let me walk you through what Pegasus
actually does, because the reality is more

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disturbing than most people can imagine.

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Pegasus doesn't need
you to click anything.

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It doesn't need you to download anything.

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It doesn't need you to
make any mistakes at all.

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These are called zero click exploits.

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Vulnerabilities in apps like iMessage
or WhatsApp that can be triggered

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without any action from you.

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One second.

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Your phone is yours the next second.

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It isn't, and you'll
never know the difference.

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I've read the technical
documentation on how this works.

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It's not science fiction, it's
operational technology that's been

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deployed against real people for years.

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Once Pegasus is on your
device, it becomes invisible.

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It can read your encrypted
messages, even from apps that

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claim to be completely secure.

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It can silently activate your
microphone and listen to your

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conversations in real time.

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It can turn on your camera
without the indicator light.

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It can track your movements.

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With precision.

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Oh yeah.

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And it leaves almost no trace.

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This isn't the kind of surveillance
you see in movies where hackers

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need to break through firewalls
and type furiously on keyboards.

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This is point and click spying.

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Government agencies can literally
purchase the ability to completely

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compromise any smartphone on earth.

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But here's what makes
this truly terrifying.

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NSO Group isn't a government agency.

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It's a private company.

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That means the most sophisticated
surveillance technology ever created

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is for sale to anyone with enough
money and the right connections.

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The customer list reads like a who's who
of authoritarian regimes, Saudi Arabia,

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where journalists get dismembered.

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In embassies, Hungary, where
the government systematically

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eliminates press freedom.

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India, where dissidents
disappear, Mexico, where reporters

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investigating corruption end up dead.

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But hold on here.

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It's not just authoritarian countries.

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Democratic governments
have been customers too.

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Yeah.

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The technology is so powerful, so
tempting that even countries with strong

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civil liberties and traditions can't
seem to resist the urge to use it.

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And let's be clear here,
the targeting isn't random.

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Pegasus has been used against journalists
investigating government corruption,

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human rights lawyers, defending political
prisoners, opposition politicians,

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challenging authoritarian rule.

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Family members of dissidents who pose no
threat to anyone except by association.

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Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist
who was murdered in the Saudi

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consulate in Istanbul had associates
who were reportedly targeted with

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Pegasus before his assassination.

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That's not just surveillance,
that's intelligence gathering

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for assassination planning.

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The most chilling aspect is how this
technology eliminates the concept

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of private communication entirely.

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Every text message, every phone call,
every email, every photo, every document

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on your device, all of it can be accessed
remotely, silently, continuously.

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Your phone becomes a bug in your pocket.

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Your most private conversations
become intelligence reports.

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Your personal relationships becomes
surveillance targets your digital life

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becomes an open book for anyone with the
access and the motivation to read it.

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And the worst part.

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Mm. You'll never know what's happening.

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Ah, Pegasus is designed to
be completely invisible.

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No performance issues, no battery
drain, and no suspicious behavior.

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Your phone works exactly the same
way it always has, except now

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everything you do is being recorded
and transmitted to people who want to

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control or perhaps even eliminate you.

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This isn't theoretical.

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This is happening right now to
real people and in real time.

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Journalists, activists, lawyers,
politicians, anyone who poses a

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threat to power can be completely
compromised without ever

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knowing they're being watched.

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This pattern of using surveillance
technology to eliminate

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political opposition isn't new.

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Nope.

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But the scale, ah, and sophistication
of Pegasus represents a quantum

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leap in the ability to monitor
and even control populations.

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The East German Stassi built the
most comprehensive surveillance

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state in history with one in three
citizens serving as informants.

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But back then, even the Stassi needed
human agents, physical surveillance, and

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massive bureaucratic infrastructure to
handle this Pegasus well, Pegasus does

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what the Stassi could only dream of.

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Total surveillance that's
automated, invisible, and

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scalable to millions of targets.

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Have you studied how surveillance
states operate throughout history?

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The pattern is always the same.

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Identify threats, monitor their
communications, gather intelligence

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on their activities, then
eliminate them through legal,

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social, or even physical means.

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Pegasus just makes this process faster,
cheaper, and far more effective.

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The FBI's COINTELPRO operations in the
1960s and seventies used surveillance

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infiltration and disruption to
destroy civil rights organizations

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and the anti-war movements.

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But cointelpro, like the Stasi,
required massive human resources,

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physical surveillance, and
even the risk of exposure.

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Meanwhile, Pegasus eliminates
all of those limitations.

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The Soviet KGB pioneered many
of the surveillance techniques

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that modern intelligence
agencies still use to this day.

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But KGB operations were limited by
technology, limited by geography,

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and limited by human resources.

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Pegasus transcends all
of those limitations.

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Yep.

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Just jumps over them.

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In a single bound, it can monitor
anyone, anywhere, anytime without

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human agents or any physical presence.

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What makes Pegasus historically
unprecedented is how it combines the

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reach of mass surveillance with the
precision of elite targeted operations.

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Previous surveillance systems had
to choose between watching everyone

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poorly or watching just a few people.

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Very well.

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Pegasus can watch specific individuals
with complete thoroughness while

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remaining completely invisible.

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The privatization of surveillance
technology represents yet

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another historical shift.

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When surveillance capabilities were
limited to government agencies,

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there was at least theoretical
oversight and accountability.

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Huh?

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But when those same capabilities are sold
by private companies to any government

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with enough cash, even the appearance
of oversight disappears, and that

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accountability just becomes impossible.

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Then there is the global nature
of Pegasus operations, which means

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that surveillance is no longer
limited by national boundaries.

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A journalist in Mexico can be monitored
by technology sold by an Israeli

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company to the Mexican government.

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An activist in India can be tracked
using software developed in Tel Aviv

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and deployed from servers in Europe.

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This creates a surveillance ecosystem that
operates beyond the reach of any single

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country's laws or oversight mechanisms.

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The technology transcends
borders, but the accountability

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remains trapped within them.

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Let me show you the recurring
mechanisms of surveillance technology

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and how Pegasus represents the
perfection of the very techniques

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that have been developing for decades.

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The pattern always begins with
surveillance technology being

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developed for quote unquote legitimate
security purposes, like fighting,

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terrorism, preventing crime, and
protecting national security.

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Pegasus was originally marketed
as a tool for law enforcement to

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track criminals and terrorists.

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Sounds fair.

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Right?

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But surveillance technology
like this never stays limited to

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its original purpose, does it?

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I've watched this same expansion in
corporate settings where monitoring

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tools introduced for productivity
measurement inevitably get used for

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employee control and or even elimination.

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The same dynamic applies
to government surveillance.

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Tools introduced for security always seem
to expand into political control tools.

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Then there's the targeting which follows
predictable patterns that reveal the

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true purpose of surveillance technology.

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If Pegasus were really about fighting
terrorism and crime, it would be used

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against terrorists and criminals.

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Right?

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Of course.

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Instead, it seemed to be consistently
used against journalists, activists,

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lawyers, and even political opponents,
all people who threaten power through

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information, not through violence.

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The privatization of surveillance
creates a market dynamic that

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incentivizes expansion and abuse.

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When surveillance technology is
sold by private companies, the goal

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becomes maximizing sales, certainly
not protecting civil liberties.

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NSO group profits from selling Pegasus
to as many customers IE governments

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as possible, regardless of how those
governments plan to ultimately use it.

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The international nature of
surveillance technology creates

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additional accountability gaps that
protect both the companies that sell

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it and the governments that use it.

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When an Israeli company sells
surveillance technology to a Mexican

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government that uses it against Mexican
journalists, which country's laws apply?

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Hmm.

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Well, the correct answer
is often none of them.

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The invisibility of modern surveillance
technology eliminates the deterrent effect

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that visible surveillance once provided.

247
00:13:14,010 --> 00:13:16,890
When people knew they were
being watched, they could modify

248
00:13:16,890 --> 00:13:18,180
their behavior accordingly.

249
00:13:18,540 --> 00:13:21,600
When surveillance is invisible, people
can't protect themselves because

250
00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:22,920
they don't even know their targets.

251
00:13:23,550 --> 00:13:28,080
The most insidious pattern in all
this is how surveillance technology

252
00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:33,900
creates self-censorship without ever
requiring actual real enforcement.

253
00:13:34,290 --> 00:13:38,280
When journalists know that their
communications might be monitored, they

254
00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,469
stop investigating certain stories.

255
00:13:40,859 --> 00:13:44,189
When activists know their phones
might be compromised, they stop

256
00:13:44,189 --> 00:13:45,719
organizing certain activities.

257
00:13:45,989 --> 00:13:48,060
The surveillance doesn't
even need to be used.

258
00:13:48,270 --> 00:13:53,400
The knowledge that it exists is enough
in many cases to change behavior.

259
00:13:54,045 --> 00:13:57,915
The integration of surveillance
technology with assassination and

260
00:13:57,915 --> 00:14:02,745
elimination operations represents the
ultimate evolution of political control.

261
00:14:03,045 --> 00:14:05,625
Pegasus isn't just used
to gather intelligence.

262
00:14:05,715 --> 00:14:10,395
It's used to plan and execute operations
against the people being surveilled.

263
00:14:10,815 --> 00:14:15,075
The technology becomes part of a kill
chain that starts with surveillance and

264
00:14:15,075 --> 00:14:16,965
ultimately can end with elimination.

265
00:14:17,550 --> 00:14:19,860
The pattern reveals that
surveillance technology like

266
00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:22,290
Pegasus isn't really about security.

267
00:14:22,530 --> 00:14:24,870
It's ultimately just about control.

268
00:14:25,170 --> 00:14:27,270
It's not about protecting society.

269
00:14:27,420 --> 00:14:27,780
Nope.

270
00:14:27,810 --> 00:14:31,680
It's about protecting power, and
it's not about fighting crime.

271
00:14:32,190 --> 00:14:35,640
It's about eliminating the
opposition in the most effective

272
00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:37,230
and efficient way possible.

273
00:14:38,100 --> 00:14:41,310
Now, not everyone has accepted
the normalization of total

274
00:14:41,310 --> 00:14:42,165
surveillance like this.

275
00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,530
Around the world, individuals and
organizations have recognized the threat

276
00:14:46,860 --> 00:14:51,450
that programs like Pegasus represent and
have chosen resistance over resignation.

277
00:14:52,110 --> 00:14:54,780
Some countries have banned or
restricted the use of surveillance

278
00:14:54,780 --> 00:14:58,560
technology like Pegasus, recognizing
that the threat to civil liberties

279
00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:00,480
outweighs any security benefits.

280
00:15:00,870 --> 00:15:04,950
They understand that a technology
that can be used against anyone can

281
00:15:04,950 --> 00:15:06,330
eventually be used against everyone.

282
00:15:07,260 --> 00:15:11,040
The Pegasus Project, a consortium of
international journalists exposed the

283
00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,260
global scope of NSO group's operations.

284
00:15:13,260 --> 00:15:17,130
Despite facing the very surveillance
they were investigating, their work

285
00:15:17,130 --> 00:15:21,360
revealed that the threat to press
freedom posed by Pegasus is existential.

286
00:15:21,570 --> 00:15:24,720
When journalists can be completely
monitored, investigative

287
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:25,770
journalism becomes, IM.

288
00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,959
Some people have changed their
communication habits, their technology

289
00:15:30,959 --> 00:15:35,699
choices, and their operational security
practices because they understand

290
00:15:35,699 --> 00:15:39,030
that digital surveillance has reached
a level that makes traditional

291
00:15:39,030 --> 00:15:40,770
privacy protections obsolete.

292
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:45,209
Cybersecurity researchers have reverse
engineered Pegasus to understand how

293
00:15:45,209 --> 00:15:47,280
it works and how it might be detected.

294
00:15:47,550 --> 00:15:51,390
Their work provides the technical
foundation for defending against such

295
00:15:51,390 --> 00:15:55,770
surveillance technology, even when that
defense is difficult and imperfect.

296
00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,520
Some technology companies have
improved their security practices in

297
00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:03,180
response to the Pegasus revelations,
recognizing that their platforms are

298
00:16:03,180 --> 00:16:05,160
being weaponized against their users.

299
00:16:05,579 --> 00:16:09,300
While perfect security may be impossible,
better security can at least make

300
00:16:09,300 --> 00:16:11,520
surveillance more difficult and expensive.

301
00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,660
Legal advocates have challenged the
use of such surveillance technology and

302
00:16:15,660 --> 00:16:19,170
courts around the world arguing that
the right to privacy is fundamental,

303
00:16:19,319 --> 00:16:22,589
and that technologies like Pegasus
violate these basic human rights.

304
00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:27,329
Their work faces enormous obstacles,
but it establishes legal precedence for

305
00:16:27,329 --> 00:16:29,880
protecting privacy in the digital age.

306
00:16:30,569 --> 00:16:34,740
Civil liberties organizations have
documented the use of Pegasus against

307
00:16:34,740 --> 00:16:38,970
journalists, activists, and dissidents,
creating a public record of how

308
00:16:38,970 --> 00:16:42,480
surveillance technology is actually used
versus how it's supposed to be used.

309
00:16:42,810 --> 00:16:46,319
Their work reveals the gap
between the marketing claims and

310
00:16:46,319 --> 00:16:48,900
the actual operational reality.

311
00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,020
The most important
resistance comes from people.

312
00:16:52,365 --> 00:16:57,795
Like you and me who understand that total
surveillance is incompatible with basic

313
00:16:57,795 --> 00:17:02,925
human freedom and who continue to refuse
to accept that privacy is obsolete.

314
00:17:03,135 --> 00:17:08,835
Just because technology makes surveillance
possible, US outliers demonstrate that the

315
00:17:08,835 --> 00:17:13,515
surveillance state enabled by technologies
like Pegasus isn't inevitable.

316
00:17:13,845 --> 00:17:18,465
Every person who maintains operational
security, every organization that

317
00:17:18,465 --> 00:17:20,025
documents surveillance abuse.

318
00:17:20,399 --> 00:17:25,500
Every country that restricts surveillance
technology helps preserve the possibility

319
00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:28,349
of privacy and freedom in the digital age.

320
00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:33,899
I can already hear some of
you saying, okay, so what?

321
00:17:34,860 --> 00:17:38,580
Well, I think that understanding the
capabilities of Pegasus and similar

322
00:17:38,730 --> 00:17:41,939
surveillance technologies should
change everything about how you think

323
00:17:41,939 --> 00:17:45,960
about digital privacy, communication,
security, and the relationship

324
00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:47,370
between technology and your freedom.

325
00:17:48,150 --> 00:17:50,940
Every smartphone becomes a
potential surveillance device.

326
00:17:51,030 --> 00:17:55,560
When you understand that zero click
exploits can compromise any device

327
00:17:55,650 --> 00:18:00,090
without your knowledge or action, the
convenience of your always connected

328
00:18:00,090 --> 00:18:04,620
devices comes with the risk of that
always on surveillance that you can't

329
00:18:04,620 --> 00:18:07,050
detect or currently can't even prevent.

330
00:18:07,815 --> 00:18:11,235
The phrase, if you have nothing to hide,
really becomes meaningless when you

331
00:18:11,235 --> 00:18:15,585
understand that surveillance technology
like Pegasus is used primarily against

332
00:18:15,585 --> 00:18:17,355
people who are doing nothing wrong.

333
00:18:17,655 --> 00:18:23,115
Journalists, activists, lawyers, and
political opponents whose only crime is

334
00:18:23,115 --> 00:18:24,825
threatening power through information.

335
00:18:26,024 --> 00:18:29,235
Encrypted communication takes on
new significance when you realize

336
00:18:29,235 --> 00:18:33,195
that Pegasus can read encrypted
messages by compromising the

337
00:18:33,195 --> 00:18:35,294
devices that send and receive them.

338
00:18:35,625 --> 00:18:39,435
Encryption only protects data while
in transit, but it can't protect

339
00:18:39,435 --> 00:18:41,085
data on compromised devices.

340
00:18:41,745 --> 00:18:44,635
The importance of operational security
increases dramatically when you

341
00:18:44,635 --> 00:18:48,555
understand that traditional privacy
protections are inadequate against

342
00:18:48,555 --> 00:18:51,225
military grade surveillance technology.

343
00:18:51,540 --> 00:18:55,080
Protecting yourself from Pegasus
level surveillance requires

344
00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:59,490
changing not just your technology
choices, but your entire approach to

345
00:18:59,490 --> 00:19:01,770
communication and information security.

346
00:19:01,770 --> 00:19:06,180
Overall, international travel becomes
a security risk when you realize

347
00:19:06,180 --> 00:19:10,320
that crossing borders with electronic
devices means potentially exposing

348
00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,980
yourself to surveillance technology
deployed by foreign governments.

349
00:19:14,399 --> 00:19:18,810
Your phone becomes a liability that
can compromise not just you, but

350
00:19:18,810 --> 00:19:20,399
everyone else that you communicate with.

351
00:19:21,165 --> 00:19:25,514
The value of good old analog alternatives
increases as digital communication

352
00:19:25,514 --> 00:19:27,315
becomes more and more compromised.

353
00:19:27,645 --> 00:19:31,575
Face-to-face meetings, written notes,
and other non-digital communication

354
00:19:31,575 --> 00:19:34,695
methods become essential for anyone
who needs to communicate privately.

355
00:19:35,325 --> 00:19:38,055
Most importantly, you realize that
the surveillance capabilities that

356
00:19:38,055 --> 00:19:41,595
exist today represent a fundamental
threat to human freedom that goes

357
00:19:41,595 --> 00:19:43,274
beyond individual privacy concerns.

358
00:19:43,889 --> 00:19:46,710
When anyone can be completely
monitored without their knowledge, the

359
00:19:46,710 --> 00:19:51,210
possibility of dissent, investigation
and political opposition disappears.

360
00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:55,649
Look, the goal here isn't to
become paranoid about technology

361
00:19:56,100 --> 00:19:59,910
or to retreat from the digital
communication landscape entirely.

362
00:20:00,270 --> 00:20:00,600
Nope.

363
00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:05,310
The goal is to understand the risks
so you can make informed choices

364
00:20:05,310 --> 00:20:09,660
about technology use and recognize
that privacy and freedom require

365
00:20:09,660 --> 00:20:12,060
active protection in this digital age.

366
00:20:13,725 --> 00:20:16,125
They turned your phone into the
most sophisticated surveillance

367
00:20:16,125 --> 00:20:19,245
device ever created and convinced
you to pay for it yourself.

368
00:20:19,605 --> 00:20:24,225
They made total surveillance, invisible,
automated, and even profitable.

369
00:20:24,555 --> 00:20:28,275
They created a world where
privacy doesn't exist, and they

370
00:20:28,275 --> 00:20:29,835
got you to call it progress.

371
00:20:30,525 --> 00:20:33,975
I've traced this story from
corporate boardrooms to intelligence

372
00:20:33,975 --> 00:20:37,635
agencies, from technology
companies to assassination plots.

373
00:20:37,995 --> 00:20:41,895
The digital leash isn't
metaphorical, it's operational.

374
00:20:42,225 --> 00:20:44,325
It's already around your neck.

375
00:20:44,985 --> 00:20:47,805
Pegasus represents the perfection
of surveillance technology.

376
00:20:48,135 --> 00:20:50,955
Zero click exploits that
require no action from you.

377
00:20:51,225 --> 00:20:53,355
Invisible monitoring that leaves no trace.

378
00:20:53,534 --> 00:20:56,085
Complete access to every
aspect of your digital life.

379
00:20:56,475 --> 00:21:02,774
The ability to turn your most personal
device into a weapon and turn it

380
00:21:02,774 --> 00:21:06,315
against you, but it's not just
the technology that's terrifying.

381
00:21:06,735 --> 00:21:08,025
It's who has access to it?

382
00:21:08,535 --> 00:21:13,125
Authoritarian regimes that murder
journalists, democratic governments

383
00:21:13,215 --> 00:21:18,285
that spy on their own citizens, private
companies that sell surveillance

384
00:21:18,465 --> 00:21:20,235
to anyone with enough cash.

385
00:21:20,595 --> 00:21:23,355
The technology that was supposed
to protect us from terrorists

386
00:21:23,355 --> 00:21:24,945
is being used by terrorists.

387
00:21:25,425 --> 00:21:27,675
Um, they just happen to
have government badges.

388
00:21:28,380 --> 00:21:32,970
Jamal Khashoggi Associates were monitored
with Pegasus before he was murdered.

389
00:21:33,180 --> 00:21:36,480
Journalists investigating corruption
have been tracked and eliminated.

390
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:41,250
Activists organizing resistance have
been identified and disappeared.

391
00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:44,670
The technology doesn't
just violate privacy.

392
00:21:44,940 --> 00:21:47,040
It effectively enables assassination.

393
00:21:47,610 --> 00:21:51,990
Your phone isn't just a communication
device, it's a surveillance device that

394
00:21:51,990 --> 00:21:56,580
can be turned against you by anyone with
the right access and the wrong intentions.

395
00:21:56,985 --> 00:21:59,985
Every text message, every phone
call, every photo, and every

396
00:21:59,985 --> 00:22:05,145
location, all of it can be monitored,
recorded, and used against you.

397
00:22:05,835 --> 00:22:08,715
But here's what they can't
monitor your awareness.

398
00:22:08,895 --> 00:22:12,375
Once you understand that total
surveillance is operational,

399
00:22:12,585 --> 00:22:14,205
you can't be surprised by it.

400
00:22:14,505 --> 00:22:17,925
Once you recognize that your phone is
a potential weapon against you, you can

401
00:22:17,925 --> 00:22:20,295
make informed choices about how to use it.

402
00:22:21,030 --> 00:22:25,590
The official story is that surveillance
technology like Pegasus is used to fight

403
00:22:25,590 --> 00:22:27,840
terrorism and protect national security.

404
00:22:28,139 --> 00:22:31,620
The real story is that it's used to
eliminate journalists, activists,

405
00:22:31,830 --> 00:22:34,770
and anyone else who threatens power
through the power of information.

406
00:22:35,340 --> 00:22:37,230
The digital leash is real.

407
00:22:37,530 --> 00:22:42,330
It's invisible, and it's already
connected to the device in your pocket.

408
00:22:42,659 --> 00:22:46,020
The question is, are you ready to
recognize the leash or will you

409
00:22:46,020 --> 00:22:47,580
keep pretending it's just a phone?

410
00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,060
When the device in your pocket
becomes a window into your soul,

411
00:22:51,330 --> 00:22:53,730
privacy becomes a revolutionary act.

412
00:22:54,030 --> 00:22:57,150
The question is, are you
ready to be a revolutionary?

413
00:22:58,844 --> 00:23:00,074
Tracy out

414
00:23:00,465 --> 00:23:02,564
if this story didn't sit right with you.

415
00:23:02,985 --> 00:23:03,344
Good.

416
00:23:03,855 --> 00:23:05,294
You are not here to be comforted.

417
00:23:05,715 --> 00:23:08,235
You are here to see what others overlook.

418
00:23:08,625 --> 00:23:11,175
Thanks for exploring
some unapproved thinking.

419
00:23:11,685 --> 00:23:15,074
Learn more@someunapprovedthinking.com.

420
00:23:15,615 --> 00:23:16,514
New episodes, drop weekly.

421
00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:23,594
Subscribe, share, and keep questioning
because the pattern's still playing out.

422
00:23:24,014 --> 00:23:26,054
And next time we're going deeper.