5 Steps to Escape the Digital Prison

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This article is a summary of a spoken conversation between two human beings. It was condensed into written form using AI, and then edited by a human being.

We’re in a battle right now for our privacy and our liberty. And technology is the battleground. The thing is most people still haven’t seen it yet. They think that this fight is happening somewhere else, in Washington and courtrooms and some far off place. But it’s happening in their pocket, on their phone, every single time they scan their face just to check their bank account. My guest today has spent over 20 years studying exactly how that happens.

So here’s the bigger picture that we have to keep in mind: For almost a hundred years, there’s been a plan to take away our liberty, not by force but by slowly replacing our freedom with technology that watches, tracks and controls. It’s called technocracy. And piece by piece, that plan has been built through companies that look private on the surface, but were actually funded and shaped by the same government agencies that could never legally spy on you directly. The Internet, Google, even Siri. All of it traces back to defense and intelligence money. So when a private company asks you to scan your face just to open an app, that’s not just a tech company being careful. That’s a piece of a bigger plan falling into place.

My guest today is Glenn Meder, the founder of Privacy Academy. He has worked in privacy and security for more than two decades. After attending FreedomFest, he came away with a troubling realization. Even people who care deeply about the Constitution and personal freedom often do not see how quickly technology has become the main channel through which liberty can be limited.

That blind spot matters because the systems being built around us do not arrive with a warning label that says, “Give up your freedom here.” They arrive as convenience. Faster checkouts. Easier logins. Safer streets. Better recommendations. Protection for children.

Each new tool has a simple reason for existing. But the real question is what happens when all of the tools can identify the same person, collect the same data, and share it across a growing number of systems.

“We really do have to raise people’s awareness of this issue, and we have to understand that this is how the attack on liberty is happening.”

Glenn says many Americans treat liberty as a fight for “our guy” instead of a principle that must be defended whether the people in power are friendly or hostile.

“Our fight for liberty is really our fight for our guy. And I don’t think that’s how it should be.”

He points people back to local and state action. City councils. County commissions. State legislators. These are often the places where surveillance cameras, data centers, data-sharing contracts, and new digital requirements are approved.

“We need to stand up for liberty ourselves on a local level, and on the state level. There is no one that’s going to save us from this.”

That is not a message of despair. It is a message of responsibility. Americans do not need permission to ask questions, show up, learn how a system works, or speak for their rights.

One of the most important issues Glenn raises is the push for online child safety laws. He agrees that children need protection online. The question is what these laws require from everyone else.

His concern is that age verification can become identity verification for every person using the internet. If a website must prove who is underage, then the system may require every user to prove who they are. In practice, that can mean uploading an ID, providing a face scan, or using other biometric information.

“They do not want us to be anonymous. They do not want us to be private. They want total surveillance, and then total control.”

Glenn argues that private browsing, anonymous communication, and private transactions are not loopholes for criminals. They are part of a free society. A whistleblower needs a way to communicate safely. A person researching a sensitive medical issue or a controversial political topic should not have to fear that every click will follow them forever.

“Freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of research, freedom of press, all of these things rely on our ability to be anonymous and private when we do things.”

This is where the issue becomes personal. If privacy becomes a permission the public receives from a company or government system, then it is no longer really privacy.

Flock cameras. License plate readers. Smart cars. Facial recognition. Online identity checks. Artificial intelligence. Digital money.

Most people look at these as separate problems. Glenn believes we need to look at the larger pattern.

“We’re fighting the pieces instead of the whole picture. We have to look at the whole picture that comes together with this.”

His warning is not that one camera or one app instantly creates a total control system. His point is that these tools can connect. A digital identity can tie a person to what they do online. AI can process enormous amounts of data. Financial systems can become more traceable and programmable. Vehicles and devices can report location and behavior.

That is why he believes digital identity is such an important issue. It can become the anchor point connecting every other part of a person’s life.

“Digital ID combined with online digital ID, those are the anchor points. And then you have AI. AI is the management of the whole social credit system.”

These are Glenn’s concerns and analysis of where current technology could lead. But the central question is worth asking: who controls the systems that know where you are, what you say, what you spend, and what you are allowed to access?

Glenn brought up a piece of history that deserves more attention: the writ of assistance.

In colonial America, these were broad search warrants that allowed British customs officers to search homes and businesses without naming a specific place or specific goods. James Otis argued against them in 1761, and the fight over these warrants became part of the growing resistance that led to the American Revolution.

Glenn sees a parallel with mass surveillance today.

The old system gave authorities the ability to search people first and find a reason later. Modern surveillance can collect information first and decide later how to use it. Emails. Messages. Location history. License plate scans. Purchases. Digital relationships.

The technology is new. The principle is not.

“We own this country. Our representatives answer to us. We don’t answer to them. They’re not our rulers.”

That is the core question behind every camera contract, data center proposal, online age-verification rule, and digital-ID policy: does it treat free citizens as people with rights, or as subjects who must be watched and managed?

Surveillance and government overreach are only part of the problem. The same technologies that collect mountains of personal data also create a rich target for criminals.

Glenn shared a story about his 85-year-old father. Glenn’s wife happened to visit while his father was on the phone with people claiming to be Apple support. The scammers had kept him on the line for more than an hour. They were telling him to buy $14,000 worth of Home Depot gift cards.

Glenn immediately recognized the situation and told his father to hang up.

“They create this bubble of illusion that you get stuck in.”

From the outside, it may sound obvious. But scams work by creating urgency, fear, and confusion. They make a person feel they must act now, before they have time to call a family member or think clearly.

AI is making this more dangerous. Voice cloning and deepfake video can imitate a loved one, a co-worker, or a company executive. Glenn pointed to the reported case of a Hong Kong employee tricked into sending roughly $25 million after a deepfake video conference impersonated senior colleagues.

“Scammers and hackers are being superpowered by AI, very, very dangerous.”

This is not a future problem. It is a family problem now. Have a simple rule: if a caller creates panic, demands gift cards, requests passwords or codes, or tells you to keep the call secret, hang up. Then call the real company or person using a number you already trust.

Glenn does not believe people should live in fear or throw up their hands because the technology feels too complicated. His approach is simple. Start small. Take one step. Then take another.

“Don’t try to do too much at once. Just have patience with yourself, move forward and you will get to the point where you are really quite private and secure.”

Here is the five-step framework he shared:

1. Become aware. Learn what is happening, how data is collected, and why privacy matters.

2. Get your own house in order. Reduce unnecessary data exposure and improve your personal security one practical step at a time.

3. Share what you learn. Talk with family, friends, and neighbors, especially people who may be more vulnerable to scams.

4. Act locally. Attend meetings. Ask questions. Challenge policies that erode privacy and liberty.

5. Trust God and refuse fear. Do what you can, then keep living a good life instead of allowing fear to rule you.

Glenn also recommends reducing dependence on Google services as a practical beginning. He calls it “de-Googling.” That may include moving away from Google Search, Chrome, and Android over time. He also warns that switching to an iPhone is not a complete privacy solution. The point is not perfection overnight. The point is to become more intentional.

His most encouraging example came from a woman over 70 who worked through Privacy Academy’s steps one by one. By the end, Glenn says she was more private and secure than the vast majority of people, including many technology professionals.

“You are more private and more secure than 99.999 percent of people on the planet.”

That is the message people need to hear. You do not need to be a computer expert to protect yourself. You just need to begin.

To learn more from Glenn Meder, visit Privacy Academy and consider joining one of his free educational webinars. Share this article with someone who needs to understand that privacy is not a technical issue. It is a liberty issue.