FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

Could Bodyguard Hackers Be Protecting The Team Behind 'Mr. Robot'?

We talk to a former Motherboarder who has joined the “Mr. Robot” writing team for the first episode of our new #fsociety podcast.
Image: USA

Hello, friend. If you've been a Radio Motherboard listener, you know that the themes in Mr. Robot, USA's moody, disorienting hacker drama, track closely with the infosec news we cover here every day. So for the second season of the show, we've decided to launch a new podcast, called #fsociety, to discuss how the hacks in each episode of the show correspond with breaches we've seen in real life.

In fact, Motherboard and Mr. Robot's respective moods align so closely that Lucy Teitler, a Motherboard correspondent, is now also a staff writer for the show's second season. We spoke with Lucy about how she made the shift from journalism about hackers and activism (and dramatic playwriting) to TV writing, how she gets in the minds of the characters, and the Mr. Robot staff's theory about why the show hasn't yet been hacked.

Advertisement

"I think we're all surprised nothing like that has happened with the show," Lucy told us. "Kor Adana, who is one of the writers as well as our tech guru, thinks that we may have protection, which I love the idea of. Like, somewhere on the internet, there are hackers protecting us from other hackers."

"It's not only an appealing thought, but possible. We think about it, and talk about it all the time," she continued. "The idea of finding someone's vulnerability and exploiting it and translating that into the emotional reality of the show is the subject matter, broadly speaking, of Mr. Robot. The power the internet gives to Elliot and everyone—the flip side of it is this vulnerability. You're putting this information out and you don't know who will take advantage of it. The truth is that control is an illusion."

We know we're a bit late launching this—I've been on vacation and got my laptop stolen while I was gone, which has slowed everything down a bit. We'll try to catch up with a few new episodes by next week, and will continue to follow this season as it progresses. You can subscribe to #fsociety on iTunes or your favorite podcasting app.

Read some of Lucy's Motherboard features:

Let's Play NSA! The Hackers Open-Sourcing Top Secret Spy Tools

When Dating Is Literally a Game You Just Can't Win

Tell All the Truth But Tell It Slant: Three Documentaries On Information Freedom

At Facebook's Hacker Party, Can't We All Just Be Friends?