OSINT Enabled Ghost Mode: Counter Surveillance for Everyday People
Desiree Wilson
DEF CON 33 · Day 1 · Main Stage
In an era defined by ubiquitous data collection and constant digital exposure, Desiree Wilson's DEF CON talk, "OSINT Enabled Ghost Mode: Counter Surveillance for Everyday People," presents a compelling and practical framework for individuals to reclaim their digital privacy. Wilson, an experienced information security architect, outlines a methodology leveraging open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools to build a personal, proactive counter-surveillance system. This "Ghost Mode" empowers even non-technical users to monitor who is tracking their data, where it's being accessed, and how it's being used, effectively flipping the script on the pervasive surveillance landscape.
AI review
A competent, accessible primer on personal OSINT-driven counter-surveillance that earns its place in a DEF CON community track. The tool stack is real and the use case is legitimate, but this is fundamentally a duct-tape integration tutorial, not original research — and the 'proof of concept' amounts to 'I saw some noise at a coffee shop.'