🛡️ Surveillance Self-Defense Masterclass

Returning October 2026.

John Kiriakou, a former CIA counterterrorism officer, and Sean O’Brien, a cybersecurity researcher at Yale Law School, have taught this material to exclusive, small cohorts over the years. This updated version puts the full course online so you can work through it on your own schedule.

✔️ Full 12-week curriculum

✔️ On-demand video course

✔️ Completely asynchronous

✔️ No required live sessions

✔️ Videos, readings, and practical exercises

✔️ Material from the former Hidden Trackers class folded in

✔️ Work through the course at your own pace

🎓 Twelve Weeks, on Your Schedule

Returning October 2026. The full twelve-week curriculum is coming back as an on-demand video course, with material from the former Hidden Trackers class folded in.

The course is asynchronous. There are no required live sessions. Watch the videos, read the material, do the exercises, and move at your own pace.

John and Sean bring two very different perspectives to the material: firsthand intelligence experience and cybersecurity and privacy research. Together, they explore how surveillance works, what information our devices and communications expose, and what practical steps you can take to reduce unnecessary risk.

🔍 What You’ll Learn

Threat Modeling

Identify what you actually need to protect
Think realistically about who or what you are protecting it from
Understand how your risks change depending on your circumstances
Choose security measures that make sense for your actual threat model

Phones & Operating Systems

Understand what information leaves your device during ordinary use
Learn how mobile operating systems affect privacy and security
Examine how applications communicate with services outside your device
Make better decisions about the software and devices you rely on

Hidden Trackers

Learn how ordinary apps and services can track their users
Understand the hidden data flows behind everyday technology
Learn techniques for seeing who your applications communicate with
Work through material from Ivy Cyber’s former Hidden Trackers class, now incorporated into the Masterclass

Encrypted Communications & Metadata

Understand what end-to-end encryption protects
Learn what encryption does not hide
See what metadata can reveal about your communications
Understand what information may still be exposed through legal process

Passwords & Recovery

Build better password habits
Protect recovery phrases and account recovery information
Understand how recovery mechanisms can become a security weakness
Develop habits that keep important credentials both secure and usable

Travel & Borders

Prepare your devices before traveling
Think carefully about the information you carry with you
Understand how your threat model may change while traveling
Consider privacy and security risks associated with borders and unfamiliar environments

🕵️ Two Perspectives on Surveillance

The Masterclass brings together experience from both the intelligence and technical worlds.

John Kiriakou spent fourteen years at the CIA and brings firsthand experience with intelligence operations, surveillance, operational security, threat awareness, and counterterrorism.

Sean O’Brien researches surveillance, mobile security, privacy, and Free/Libre and Open Source Software. His work examines how modern technologies collect and expose information and how people can use privacy-respecting alternatives.

The goal is not to teach you to memorize a list of privacy tools. It is to help you understand how surveillance works, what your technology reveals, how to evaluate risk, and how to make better decisions for yourself.

💻 How the Course Works

The complete Masterclass is delivered online as an on-demand course designed to fit around your schedule.

Watch the video lessons when it is convenient for you
Read the accompanying course material
Practice with exercises that reinforce the concepts being taught
Progress through the complete 12-week curriculum at your own pace

There are no required live sessions.

You do not need to be online on a particular day or at a particular time to complete the course.

👤 Who Should Enroll?

You do not need to be a cybersecurity professional to take the Masterclass.

The course is designed for:

People who want greater control over their privacy and digital lives
Journalists, researchers, activists, and others who work with sensitive information
Cybersecurity students and professionals interested in surveillance and privacy
Executives and professionals responsible for privacy or security
Travelers who want to make better decisions about the devices and information they carry
Anyone interested in surveillance, intelligence, privacy, and practical digital self-defense

👥 Your Instructors

John Kiriakou

Former CIA counterterrorism officer and Security Advisor to Ivy Cyber.

John spent fourteen years at the CIA and brings firsthand experience with intelligence operations, surveillance, operational security, threat awareness, and counterterrorism. He has taught the Surveillance Self-Defense material alongside Sean to small Ivy Cyber cohorts over the years.

Sean O’Brien

Founder of Ivy Cyber and cybersecurity researcher at Yale Law School.

Sean researches surveillance, mobile security, privacy, and Free/Libre and Open Source Software. He founded Ivy Cyber to develop, publish, and support privacy-respecting technology people can actually use and has taught the Surveillance Self-Defense curriculum alongside John for years.

♻️ Took the Class Before?

If you attended a previous version of the class, you do not need to purchase it again.

Previous attendees will receive access to the updated course when it opens.

To confirm your previous enrollment, contact hello@ivycyber.com from the email address you originally used to enroll so we can match you to the class roster.

🧾 Enrollment

Surveillance Self-Defense Masterclass: $100

The new 12-week, on-demand Masterclass returns in October 2026.

Join the waiting list now to be notified when enrollment opens.

⚠️ Please Note

This course is educational in nature and does not provide legal, financial, or individualized operational advice.
Course material may discuss surveillance, intelligence operations, terrorism, war, whistleblowing, and other sensitive subjects.
Course materials and exercises may be updated as technologies and surveillance practices change.
All customers agree to our Terms & Conditions.

🛡️ Learn From Experience. Defend with Knowledge.

Learn how surveillance works, understand what your technology reveals, and build practical habits for protecting your communications, devices, information, and privacy.

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