Épisodes

  • 13. How China Spies: Trump, TikTok, and Taiwan

    13. How China Spies: Trump, TikTok, and Taiwan
    Jan 22 2025
    Is the Chinese state using TikTok to spy on you? Why did President Biden move to shut TikTok down in the US the day before Trump's inauguration? And where does TikTok fit into China's cognitive warfare strategy? On Sunday 19 January, TikTok users in the United States opened their apps to receive an error message from the company, explaining that "a law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.". Op eds were written, influencers took to other social media apps to express their dismay, and politicians scrambled to explain why they were taking drastic action against the Chinese tech company. But, what did the 24-hour ban really mean for national security and data privacy in the US? Listen as David and Gordon take a deep dive into how China spies in the 21st century. ------------------- Pre-order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link. Get tickets to see David and Gordon in conversation at Waterstones Trafalgar Square on Tuesday 28 January at 19:00 GMT via this link. ------------------- Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: @triclassified Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 min
  • 12. The Spy Who Loved Me: A Russian in New York (Ep 2)

    12. The Spy Who Loved Me: A Russian in New York (Ep 2)
    Jan 21 2025
    The net is closing in around Anna Chapman. She is being watched by the FBI as they suspect her of being a Russian spy. Her moves are being tracked, but it is not as simple as they think. With the US and Russia trying to reset relations and President Medvedev stateside, the FBI are not in a place to be arresting Russians in New York. Especially when they can’t prove what she is. So what will they do? Listen as David McCloskey and Gordon Corera discuss Anna Chapman and the precarious nature of her life in the USA. Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: @triclassified Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 min
  • 11. The Spy Who Loved Me: Undercover in Londongrad (Ep 1)

    11. The Spy Who Loved Me: Undercover in Londongrad (Ep 1)
    Jan 15 2025
    How did a Russian spy manage to infiltrate the upper echelons of London and New York society? Was Anna Chapman really an old fashioned Russian honeytrap or was she underestimated by the world's press? What was life like for wealthy Russians in "Londongrad" in the early 21st century? The year is 2001 and the 18-year-old daughter of a Russian oligarch is partying in London. She meets a handsome young man at a warehouse rave and her passport to a new life in Western Europe glistens before her very eyes. What could possibly go wrong? Join David and Gordon as they take us back to the height of Londongrad and what happens when a Russian spy tries to infiltrate high society. Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: @triclassified Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 min
  • 10. North Korea’s CIA: The Billion Dollar Heist (Ep 2)

    10. North Korea’s CIA: The Billion Dollar Heist (Ep 2)
    Jan 8 2025
    What happens when an authoritarian state runs its security services like an organised crime syndicate? Why did a group of North Korean cyber criminals gamble away vast sums of stolen money in the casinos of Las Vegas? And did Kim Jong Un's spies get away with their billion dollar heist? After over a year of work, the North Korean cyber criminals are inside the Central Bank of Bangladesh and about to escape with their bags of cash, but there's a glitch. The account they plan to send the stolen money to in the Philippines has triggered a security alert with the Federal Reserve in New York. Will they avoid getting caught in the act? Listen as David and Gordon share the dramatic details of how a North Korean spy ring orchestrated one of the biggest bank robberies in history. Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: @triclassified Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 min
  • 9. North Korea’s CIA: Inside Kim’s Crime Family (Ep 1)

    9. North Korea’s CIA: Inside Kim’s Crime Family (Ep 1)
    Jan 1 2025
    How did a group of North Korean cyber criminals manage to pull off the biggest bank heist in history? Did Kim Jong Un really orchestrate the murder of his own brother? And what does it take to keep an authoritarian state afloat? A seemingly innocuous spearfishing email lands in the inbox of an unsuspecting employee at the Central Bank of Bangladesh. Months of patient digital hacking follow, all masterminded by a team of cyber criminals within North Korea’s shadowy spy service. But how did they manage it? Listen as David and Gordon uncover how the North Korean state created one of the world’s most dangerous crime syndicates. Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: @triclassified Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 min
  • 8. The Man Who Made MI6

    8. The Man Who Made MI6
    Dec 25 2024
    The daring, gadget-loving, mischievous founder of MI6. Mansfield Cumming, the first C, was a former navy man brought out of retirement to keep tabs on German spies around the outbreak of the First World War. Over the following decade he established MI6 and set it on course to be a central part of the British security apparatus. Known to test the mettle of potential employees by taking a knife out and stabbing his own wooden leg; Mansfield was an eccentric man who's personality has come to shape the institution which he founded. In this Christmas special, listen as David and Gordon discuss the founding of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service. Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: @triclassified Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 min
  • 7. The Real Godfather: The Assassination that Shook Syria (Ep 2)

    7. The Real Godfather: The Assassination that Shook Syria (Ep 2)
    Dec 19 2024
    Did the assassination of Rafic Hariri lay the foundations for the ultimate downfall of the Assad regime? And was the Syrian dictator always destined for evil, or was evil thrust upon him? Rafic Hariri is looking over his shoulder, anxious for his future, with Bashar al-Assad hellbent on his removal from power. He steps up his security detail and coordinates convoluted exit strategies, but his efforts are ultimately in vain. So, what was the long-term impact of the assassination of the Lebanese president for the Syrian dictator? Listen as David and Gordon tell the story of the gruesome killing of President Hariri and the parallels between Assad and the ill-fated mafiosi, Michael Corleone. Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: @triclassified Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 min
  • 6. The Real Godfather: Assad’s Syrian Mafia (Ep 1)

    6. The Real Godfather: Assad’s Syrian Mafia (Ep 1)
    Dec 18 2024
    How did Bashar al-Assad become one of the Middle East’s most feared dictators? What role did Hezbollah play in the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister in 2005? And how did Assad’s rise to ultimate power mirror the ascent of Michael Corleone in the Godfather? As the new millennium dawned, Bashar al-Assad prepared to step into his father’s shoes as the next authoritarian president of Syria. While he enjoyed a smooth ascension to the top job, trouble was brewing over the border in Lebanon as the Lebanese Prime Minister sought to escape the debilitating control of its Syrian master. What follows is a story straight out of the Godfather canon with a mafiosi state fighting for ultimate power and a network of spies working to neutralise opposing gangs. Listen as Gordon Corera and David McCloskey discuss the Syrian plot to assassinate the Lebanese Prime Minister at the turn of the 21st century. Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: @triclassified Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    46 min