John Knefel

John Knefel is a freelance journalist covering national security and civil liberties. He is the co-host of Radio Dispatch, a daily political podcast.

Science

As DARPA Preps for a Pandemic, It Has a New Enemy in Trump

What do you do when the president is an anti-vaxxer?

ByJohn Knefel
Science

This Low-Tech Device Is Primed for a Comeback

Business is booming at the dawn of the Trump era.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

The United States Needs a Federal Robotics Agency Before It's Too Late

It could prevent disaster.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

Trump’s Border Wall Could Be Invisible

Pathfinder could be the future of surveillance at the southern border.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

The Election Hack Is Actually a Lot Like a 'Law & Order' Episode

"The weapon is the malware."

ByJohn Knefel
Science

The World's Weirdest Courtroom is in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

The high-tech courtroom has plenty of secrets, and can be shut down in a moment’s notice.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

Why 9/11 Defense Lawyers Rely on Encryption

When your client is an accused 9/11 conspirator, you can't trust the smoke detector.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

Big Brother Digs Your Tattoo

The agency behind the atomic clock wants to catalogue civilian ink.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

A Trump Presidency Is a Godsend for the Surveillance Industry

The companies that make hidden cameras could make a killing.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

FBI Cyber Chief Won't Comment on Controversial Digital Law

Activists say antiquated laws are making the Internet less secure. The top cyber agent at the FBI isn’t going to make them feel any better.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

The Aquafina Bottle is Watching You

Cameras are everywhere and available to everybody.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

Where Smartphone Privacy Starts

Burner is what you download when you don't need a burner phone, but you want one.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

DARPA's Automated Bug Hunter Could Revolutionize Cybersecurity

Right now, finding and patching exploits is difficult. Could machine learning solve that problem?

ByJohn Knefel
Science

Bad Digital Law Is Fueling the Internet of Things Dumpster Fire

Copyright protections are prioritizing corporate profits over security.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

Why People Are Using Emojis Instead of Names on Their Phones

There's a disconnect between security developers and the rest of us.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

If You Want to Avoid Getting Hacked, Hire Women

Sorry, but dudes are bad for security.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

Trump Voters Don't Sweat Robot Outsourcing

As long as the robots are American, we're good.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

Why Cyber Security Experts Are So Worried About Malicious Toasters

"To say that it couldn't happen to us would be ridiculous."

ByJohn Knefel
Science

The Ground War Will Be Autonomous

It's only a matter of time -- and whether robots will kill without human oversight.

ByJohn Knefel
Science

When Snowden Wanted a Spy-Proof Phone Case, He Went to Andrew Huang

We're risking becoming totally dependent on our devices. Andrew “bunnie” Huang wants to change that.

ByJohn Knefel