In This Issue

Title Story

O’Neill’s Four Rules of Surveillance: How FBI Tradecraft Can Make You Unstoppable

One of the questions I’m asked most often is, “Why did you join the FBI?”

The short answer? I wanted to serve my country—and I wanted to learn skills you can’t find in any college course, conference, or YouTube rabbit hole. The longer version? You’ll find it in Gray Day, the story of how I helped catch Robert Hanssen, the most damaging spy in American history.

While working undercover, I became a ghost—an FBI surveillance operative trained to disappear into the background while pulling critical intel from every flicker of movement. Later, as a corporate investigator leading The Georgetown Group, I realized something profound: the rules I lived by when tailing spies are just as valuable on stage in front of thousands, in airports, at business dinners, and navigating the chaos of a life constantly in motion.

Here are O’Neill’s Four Rules of Surveillance—and how I use them today, every time I step off a plane and into a new city to deliver a keynote.

1. Know Your Environment

In the FBI, this was the most important rule. If you didn’t know your city, you couldn’t follow your target. I could ghost someone through the tangled streets of D.C.—from embassy row to Rock Creek Park, through alleys and across the Mall—and never be seen. I knew the dead drop sites, the escape routes, the coffee shop blinds. I knew what belonged, and more importantly, what didn’t.

That awareness didn’t shut off when I traded my badge for a microphone.

These days, when I land in a new city to speak about espionage, cybercrime, or the tech-driven future, I start by learning the terrain. I walk. I find the hotel, the venue, the exits. I map the space between them. I figure out where I’d go if something went wrong. Not because I’m paranoid—because I’m prepared. Control the environment, and you control the outcome. And yes, it’s why I can find the best coffee shop within a six-block radius in under ten minutes.

2. Know Your Target

In surveillance, the target was everything. You had to understand their routines, their preferences, their personality quirks. Not because you wanted to mimic them, but because if they did something unexpected—like skip their usual walk or deviate from the norm—it could signal danger. You had to be able to spot the anomaly.

Today, my target is my audience. Whether I’m talking to Fortune 500 execs, insurance industry leaders, future-focused technologists or an auditorium of regular people who want to stay safe in digital world, I want to know what moves them. What keeps them up at night. What excites them. The better I understand the people in front of me, the more powerfully I can connect.

Also—true in surveillance, true on the road—sometimes you lose sight of your target. No big deal… if you’ve done your homework. If you know they like Starbucks at 3 p.m., check the nearest one and you’ll probably reacquire. That same strategy helps when you’re off-schedule on a trip or need to pivot mid-event. You can always re-engage if you know what matters to the people you’re trying to reach.

3. Blend

This one is non-negotiable. Surveillance operatives don’t wear trench coats and fedoras. The best ghost is forgettable. Unremarkable. Gray. If someone sees you, they forget you a second later. Blend into your surroundings and you’ll never raise alarms.

In everyday life, blending is about reading the room. Dress for the venue. Speak in the language your audience understands. Don’t fake who you are—just understand how to show up in a way that fits. Whether I’m keynoting in a tech-heavy crowd in Silicon Valley or talking to a book club in Boston, I calibrate. And I listen.

Blending also means watching your six. Situational awareness is survival. Know when something doesn’t look right. Know when you’re being watched. Whether it’s a surveillance tail or someone trying to shoulder-surf your login at the airport lounge, blending helps you stay invisible until it’s time to be seen.

4. Expect the Unexpected

Murphy’s Law was written by a spy. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong—and often in the worst possible moment. Surveillance work is chaos on a schedule. Targets duck into alleys, change cars, vanish into crowds. You adapt, or you lose them.

When I travel, I plan. Then I plan for the plan to fall apart. Delayed flights. Lost luggage. Slide decks that won’t load. You name it. But because I’ve spent my career making fast decisions with incomplete information, I never panic. I shift. I adjust. I stay calm, pull from experience, and make the next right move.

That’s the rule. Flexibility isn’t weakness—it’s a superpower. Know your mission. Know your tools. Then be ready to change the play the second the field changes. Because it will.

There you have it. O’Neill’s Four Rules of Surveillance—born on the streets of D.C., refined through years of ghost work, and now applied to the life I live every day.

They’ve helped me outmaneuver spies, yes—but they’ve also helped me land the keynote, write the book, launch the business, and build a life of meaning. Learn them. Use them. And win.

Cybersecurity Breach of the Week: When Elmo Gets Hacked

If you need a reminder that no one is safe on social media—not even fuzzy red Muppets—look no further than the hack of Elmo’s X (formerly Twitter) account last week.

Elmo, beloved by children and arguably the friendliest character on Sesame Street, became the unintentional mouthpiece for hateful and disturbing messages that were antisemitic in nature and filled with profanity. The hackers hijacked a symbol of innocence to inject chaos, spread hate, and make headlines. It worked.

The attack underscores something bigger: the expanded use of social media by brands, companies, celebrities—and yes, even fictional characters—has opened up new fronts for cyberattacks. When your brand’s identity lives online, that identity becomes a target.

Millions of parents, fans, and followers were exposed to something designed to shock and offend—right from a source they never imagined could be weaponized.

So, what’s the takeaway?

It’s more critical than ever to lock down every social media account—no matter how minor it seems. Whether you’re a global icon or a small business, use two-factor or multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) across the board. Don’t let your voice—real or fictional—get hijacked by someone else.

Tech of the Week

A Laser Defense System… for Mosquitos

Summer in Washington, D.C. is hazy, hot, humid—and swarming with mosquitos. There’s a reason the old saying claims D.C. was built on a swamp: it practically was. The bloodsuckers thrive here, and no amount of citronella or long sleeves seems to keep them at bay.

Enter the Photon Matrix—a new high-tech mosquito defense system straight out of a Bond villain’s backyard.

Dubbed the “Iron Dome for mosquitos,” this laser-powered solution doesn’t just repel bugs—it tracks them mid-flight using computer vision and shoots them out of the sky with focused beams of light.

Created by Seattle-based startup Photonic Sentry, the Photon Matrix scans its surroundings 100 times per second, identifying mosquito wingbeats like a biometric fingerprint. Once verified, the system zaps the insect with just enough energy to disable it without harming anything else—think targeted micro-strikes for backyard BBQs.

Beyond the backyard, there’s real global promise here. Mosquitos aren’t just annoying—they’re the deadliest animal on Earth due to the diseases they spread. A chemical-free, automated way to reduce their populations could be a game-changer in both developed and developing regions.

So while most of D.C. is stuck waving bugs away, the future might just look like a laser-powered light show—with fewer bites.

Appearance of the Week

On July 18, I joined Guy Lambert on The Live Zone @ Fox News to discuss vacation scams and tips and tricks to keep yourself safe before the vacation is booked and while you are abroad.

A.I. Trend of the Week: Fast Food, Faster Beefs

Even brands are using AI to snipe at each other now.

Popeyes just dropped an AI-generated diss track aimed squarely at McDonald’s, roasting the return of the McNugget Buddies with a digital voice, clever jabs, and an original beat. The result? A hilarious, petty, and oddly catchy ad campaign that’s turning fast food rivalries into algorithmic entertainment.

Check it out below. I wonder how McDonalds will respond!

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