Benn Jordan yearns for a time when technology respected user privacy.

Benn Jordan first made a name for himself with his music as Flashbulb and later by reviewing synths and effects pedals on YouTube under Benn and Gear. However, about five years ago, he shifted the focus of his channel. While he didn’t completely abandon music gear content, over time, his channel evolved into a platform for exploring science and technology topics, eventually becoming a nonprofit venture.

Though he still occasionally dives into music or audio-related subjects—like critiquing AI music systems or exploring data storage in bird songs—Benn has recently concentrated on issues surrounding the surveillance state. He has exposed significant security vulnerabilities in Flock’s camera systems, showcased how easily a Ring camera can be hacked, and seemingly validated a conspiracy theory regarding Unitree’s robot dogs allegedly transmitting data back to servers in China.

In essence, Benn Jordan has transitioned from being a top music gear YouTuber to a leading figure in cybersecurity content. He took a moment to step away from revealing unsettling truths about government and corporate surveillance to answer our weekly questionnaire.

What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer? (Do not count pre-installed software like Gmail)
On a new Windows PC, Ninite. It’s like wishing for more wishes; this free tool quickly installs a customizable list of software you’d otherwise spend hours setting up.

What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone?
That it was easily unlockable and rootable.

What is your happy place online?
Strudel.cc. It’s a completely free, powerful, and well-documented musical programming language that runs entirely in your browser. It’s a fantastic way to procrastinate and even learn to code by accident.

What is your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned?
The original Pebble Watch. It didn’t collect my data or track anything. It simply told me the time and date, notified me of new messages, and lasted a week on a single charge—exactly what I want from a watch.

Which was the most disappointing?
The Amazon Echo Show (3rd gen). I bought it for pentesting, but it’s laggy and awkward, primarily designed to spy on you, show ads, and push you to pay for features it was supposed to have.

What creation are you most proud of?
On YouTube, in 2022, a scammer posing as Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene contacted me on Instagram, claiming he wanted to write about my music. Knowing the real Andy Greene, I decided to follow the scam as far as I could and then share the story with Andy. What started as a video about scamming a scammer turned into a narrative about West African oppression and Sakawa culture. At one point, I was literally drinking my own blood on a WhatsApp call with a Ghanaian witch doctor while at Chili’s with my partner’s family. The video didn’t get many views, but it significantly shaped the direction of my channel.

What is your current obsession?
Spectrometry and interferometry, especially how subtle changes in invisible light waves can be used to detect and demodulate sounds.

When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone?
I actually try to do this every day!

What do you think is worth splurging on?
A tripod. The price difference between a midrange tripod on Amazon and something like a Sachtler is hard to justify at first, but over a decade, it proves to be more economical than constantly replacing or upgrading midrange options.

What would the tagline for your biopic be?
“If Jon Hamm were for sale on Temu.”

What’s the last GIF or meme you used?
I’m not sure if this counts as a meme, but I often use the triangle diagram with an option for each corner, where you can only select two at a time.