Podcast Summary
Podcast: Watchman Privacy
Host: Gabriel Custodiet
Episode: 174 – Steven Harris: Engineering Freedom
Date: April 21, 2025
Episode Overview
In this engaging and wide-ranging episode, Gabriel Custodiet hosts engineer, author, and polymath Steven Harris for an in-depth discussion straddling preparedness, engineering, the changing threats to privacy, and the mindset needed for success in an increasingly technocratic world. Harris, known for his work on nuclear survival, energy, and practical preparedness, shares hard-won lessons from decades in engineering, manufacturing, and consultation, as well as stories from field-testing, combat simulation, and collaboration with special operators.
While the stated focus is privacy, the discussion evolves into a masterclass in self-reliance—spanning everything from why “there is no single best tool” for everyone, to why modern vehicles and smart home devices are key vectors of surveillance, and how foundational habits underlie personal and professional excellence. Throughout, Harris urges listeners not just to “think privacy,” but to cultivate adaptive, critical, and prepared mindsets in every domain.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Steven Harris’ Background & Mindset
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Polymathic Experience: Harris details his journey from electrical engineering at Chrysler, to manufacturing, mechanical and chemical engineering, and hands-on combat simulations.
- Quote: “I gave myself a PhD in combat simulation.” [05:52]
- Experience with FASA/BattleTech, Starship Combat Simulator, and nuclear preparedness.
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Mindset for Excellence: Harris describes his “curse” of perpetual curiosity and high-speed mentality—always learning, always early, always over-prepared.
- Quote: “It has to do with desire, drive, want...a culture of daily learning is really important.” [07:05]
- “You reach over and pick it up [something someone else dropped] before they can even realize.” [08:40]
- Analogy with “ball drive” in canines: relentless pursuit.
2. Lessons from Engineering & Manufacturing
- Wealth Creation: Real economic value comes from R&D and manufacturing, not finance. “We’re the only ones in the company that makes anything real. Everyone else just assembles it or paints it.” [12:16]
- Mindsets in Companies: Success requires overcoming “Not Invented Here” syndrome and “finding reasons not to”—most failures stem from fixed mindsets or vanity, not showstoppers of physics.
- Quote: “The only thing development engineers do with reasons when you find problems is they don’t turn it into a reason not to. They turn it into a problem solved.” [22:08]
- Example: Sears could have “beaten Amazon” by pivoting early.
3. Preparedness: There is No One-Size-Fits-All
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Adaptive Preparedness: No universal best gear; environment, mission, and personal context dictate needs.
- Quote: “There is no longer any one best thing out there...What you have on you changes hour to hour, day to day, season to season.” [24:28]
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Hierarchy of Needs: Clothing is the most important—exposure kills faster than thirst or hunger. Real-world stories illustrate this: stranded family in Death Valley, winter car accident in Montana.
- Quote (Jim Phillips): “Clothing is your mobile personal shelter, because the environment will kill you first before anything else.” [29:38]
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Mission-Specific Readiness: He lists must-haves (multiple lights, situational-specific toolkits, mini screwdrivers for laptops) and the philosophy “two is one, one is none.”
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Practical Examples: Discussed carrying two flashlights, tailoring kits for each environment (desert vs. arctic vs. sea), and the wisdom of redundancy.
- Quote: “Two is one, one is none. Three is for me, four is even more…” [53:33]
4. Privacy in a Surveillance Society
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It’s Already Gone: Harris bluntly states that privacy, for the average person, is lost.
- Quote: “It’s already gone. For your average citizen, it’s already gone.” [56:37]
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Listening Devices & Data Leaks:
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Alexa, phones, laptops—all can and do listen for keywords, as Harris’ colleagues demonstrated with contrived conversations and resultant targeted advertising.
- Quote: “They would see what started popping up...Sure enough, platypuses popped up.” [57:18]
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Nearly every free or innocuous app is a honeypot, extracting as much data as possible—primarily for marketing, not government surveillance.
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Real-World Example: Detailed personal story of receiving spam texts after a hospital visit, demonstrating how fragmented medical ecosystems leak/sell identifiable data quickly and systematically.
- Quote: “Someone in your hospital...was selling my information. How much do you think my name and number would be worth for someone selling or scamming insurance?” [64:29]
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Phones = Surveillance Devices: Even with permissions denied, apps may still access microphones, location, and more; Faraday/radio frequency shielding bags are essential for true privacy.
- Quote: “If you own a phone, basically you’re being monitored.” [67:51]
5. The Ubiquity and Normalization of Surveillance
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Smart Devices as Agents:
- Ring/WYZE doorbells and other smart cams normalize 24/7 monitoring, with AI able to recognize objects, activities, and even gunshots. Soon, mandatory event detection/reporting features may be baked in by law.
- Quote: “Notify me of a gunshot...then someone’s going to pass a law that there has to be gunshot identification...in all these electronic devices.” [74:35]
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Automobiles as Trackers:
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Modern vehicles now function as rolling surveillance devices, sending detailed driving/location data to manufacturers who monetize your habits.
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Quote: “...they now have probably the best picture of the world duty cycle ever imagined...they are monetizing you.” [82:31]
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OnStar and its successors actively track accidents, location, and more—even in "normal" operation.
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Commercial Surveillance > State Surveillance:
- Harris emphasizes data brokers, automotive, and tech companies (Google, Facebook) are the main privacy threats—not intelligence agencies.
- Quote: “The biggest intruder into our lives is the data brokers, Facebook, the car companies...If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.” [83:41]
6. Harris’s Privacy and Security Strategies
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Balanced Approach:
- Harris describes a layered approach: uses cameras for security, but powers most off when he’s home; employs DIY cut-off switches for Alexa; understands and exploits the benefits and risks of connected devices.
- Quote: “So for personal privacy, I might have those things for security because, like, you might be more privacy centric, but maybe I’m more security centric. Does that make sense?” [89:29]
- Harris describes a layered approach: uses cameras for security, but powers most off when he’s home; employs DIY cut-off switches for Alexa; understands and exploits the benefits and risks of connected devices.
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Overwatch/Mutual Aid:
- Shares house-camera notifications with trusted friends when absent, creating distributed awareness.
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Hard Lessons from Victimization:
- Shares traumatic burglary experience to stress importance of layers, operational security, and resilience.
- Quote: “Once you’ve been...sensitized to this issue as in you’ve been violated...you come home at 1:30 in the morning, it's like, why is my back door [gone]…” [90:24]
- Shares traumatic burglary experience to stress importance of layers, operational security, and resilience.
7. Final Thoughts & Calls to Action
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Preparedness is Insurance:
- Food, water, power, and information are critical “insurance.” Whether you learn from Harris, Gabriel, or another trusted source, take concrete steps.
- Quote: “Security is like oxygen. You don’t know you need it until it’s gone, and then you’ll pay any price to get it back instantly.” [100:54]
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Preparedness Becomes Lifestyle:
- The goal is making privacy, security, and preparedness “as natural as breathing.”
- Quote: “That’s what we want our listeners...to emulate...such that it becomes as natural as breathing.” [111:22]
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Get Started Today:
- Act, don’t “find reasons not to”—the slow, incremental, daily steps matter most.
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
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On mindset and curiosity:
“It’s not a secret, it’s a curse. Listen to Elon speak on Joe Rogan...you’ve got a brain that doesn’t shut off…” [07:05] -
On company extinction:
“The number one thing I find is...people play not invented here syndrome...and that is just destructive as hell.” [18:09] -
On preparedness priorities:
“Clothing is your mobile personal shelter, because the environment will kill you first before anything else.” [29:38] -
On privacy loss:
“It’s already gone. For your average citizen, it’s already gone.” [56:37] -
On targeted ads via smart speakers:
“They would see what started popping up...Sure enough, platypuses popped up…” [57:18] -
On vehicle surveillance:
“They now have probably the best picture of the world duty cycle ever imagined...they are monetizing you.” [82:31] -
On the main privacy threat:
“The biggest intruder into our lives is the data brokers, Facebook, the car companies...” [83:41] -
On resilience:
“Once you’ve been...sensitized to this issue as in you’ve been violated...you come home at 1:30 in the morning, it's like, why is my back door [gone]…” [90:24] -
On preparedness as peace of mind:
“My friends, it is the biggest peace of mind you will ever have. ...I am begging you, I am pleading you...do something every day, every week, every chance you get to move yourself forward.” [101:55]
Important Segments (with Timestamps)
- Introductions, Harris’ background, mindset for achievement: [00:00–11:40]
- Engineering/manufacturing, lessons on corporate extinction, R&D vs. vanity: [11:42–23:11]
- Preparedness philosophy: gear, context, environmental adaptation: [23:41–56:06]
- Modern privacy loss stories, surveillance via smart devices/applications: [56:15–70:16]
- Smart home and automobile as surveillance centers, monetization of users: [70:16–83:36]
- Harris’s advice: balancing privacy/security, hard lessons, mutual aid: [83:57–94:16]
- Preparedness as a way of life, final philosophy and closing wisdom: [95:07–112:30]
Resources and Links Mentioned
- Steven Harris:
- NuclearWarSurvivalSkills.com (2022 update)
- Harris1234.com (podcast, store, resources)
- Freezer preparedness video, battery bank video etc.
Summary
Steven Harris delivers hard truths: digital privacy is effectively lost for most, but adaptive, thoughtful preparedness—supported by disciplined habits, layered security, and situational awareness—remains the best insurance policy for retaining autonomy and dignity in the technocratic era. His advice is broad but actionable: know your situation, adapt to it, avoid complacency, and embed privacy and resilience naturally into your day-to-day thinking—just like breathing.