He Built a Phone the Government Can't Track W/Hakeem Anwar

Episode SummaryOto sits down with Hakeem Anwar — founder of #TakeBackOurTech and Above, a privacy-first phone, laptop, and communications company — to map out exactly how the surveillance system works and what people can actually do about it.They trace Hakeem's path from a decade-deep conspiracy rabbit hole through a big-tech career to founding Above after COVID convinced him he was "coding his own prison."From there the conversation covers the AI data center boom (and the free tool Hakeem built, aidatacentermap.org, to track its water and power use), Palantir's "unified surveillance" model, the push toward digital ID, why he's grown wary of Bitcoin's transparency, and a live demo of de-Googled phones, offline maps, and the F-Droid app store.They close on Hakeem's long-term vision: small communities running their own local servers and mesh networks, fully independent of Big Tech.Chapters / Timestamps(Shifted +1:05 to account for the trailer at the top of the episode)00:00 – Trailer01:05 – Intro &amp; Hakeem's Red Pill Moment03:05 – Rabbit Holes: From Conspiracy to Big Tech04:05 – COVID, Freedom Cells &amp; the Pivot to Above08:05 – Why Privacy Matters: From Snowden to Data Brokers10:05 – Brainwaves, EEGs &amp; Where the Surveillance Line Stops11:05 – The Data Center Boom: Four Theories on Why13:05 – Inside AIDataCenterMap.org: Mapping Power &amp; Water Use16:05 – The Hidden Cost: Heat Islands &amp; Water Wars17:05 – San Marcos, Texas: How One Town Pushed Back19:05 – Arizona's Data Center Gold Rush21:05 – Wi-Fi Sensing, EMF &amp; the Surveillance Feedback Loop26:05 – Palantir &amp; Unified Surveillance28:05 – Digital ID: Why Nigeria Is Getting $200M to Build It29:05 – Terms &amp; Conditions: What Are You Really Agreeing To?31:05 – Going Private: Why Oto Is Ready to Ditch His iPhone32:05 – Inside F-Droid: The Open-Source App Store34:05 – Is Bitcoin Compromised? A Privacy Maximalist's Take38:05 – Forking Bitcoin: 35,000 Versions &amp; What That Means41:05 – Demo: Reading the "Nutrition Facts" on Your Apps43:05 – Offline Maps &amp; Passive GPS: How It Actually Works45:05 – Wi-Fi Sensing &amp; Seeing Through Walls47:05 – Above's Movement: Hundreds of Thousands Going Private49:05 – Layer Zero: Mesh Networks &amp; Replacing the Internet52:05 – Encrypted Chat, Phone-Over-Internet &amp; Video Conferencing54:05 – The Power of Taking the First Step in Your Community58:05 – Sourcing, Repairability &amp; Above Protect Insurance59:05 – Vision: Community Server Farms &amp; Sovereign Computing1:01:05 – People Power: The Antidote to Centralized Control1:02:05 – Re-Internalizing Self-Worth in a Tech-Dependent World1:04:05 – Building an "Autobot": Oto's AI Assistant Plans1:05:05 – Local AI Hardware: The Above Quantum 151:10:05 – Free Support: Above's White-Glove Onboarding1:12:05 – Final Words: Have Faith &amp; Invest in Your Health1:14:05 – Closing &amp; Where to Find HakeemKey TakeawaysAbove builds de-Googled phones and laptops running open-source software (like GrapheneOS) that show users exactly which companies are tracking them inside any app, with no ads and no logging on Above's own services.Hakeem's aidatacentermap.org tracks hyperscale data centers' estimated water and power draw, and includes case studies like San Marcos, TX, where a local group blocked a data center by showing up 100-strong to a rezoning hearing.By 2030, data centers are projected to use 40–50% of current total US power consumption, according to the map's estimates.Hakeem describes Palantir's model as "unified surveillance" — pulling disparate data (library check-ins, traffic cameras, police records) into one investigative platform — and ties it to the broader push toward digital ID.Offline tools like the F-Droid app store and OpenStreetMap let phones navigate and function fully without an internet connection or Google/Apple location services.Hakeem's long-term vision is community-run mesh networks and local server farms (8–30 households pooling resources) replacing reliance on Big Tech infrastructure entirely.Learn More / Get StartedData Center Impact Map — https://aidatacentermap.orgAbove Phone &amp; Laptop — https://abovephone.com (use code OTO50 for $50 off any device)Hakeem's Writing — https://tbot.substack.comCONNECT WITH OTO:Instagram – <