I'm a journalist reporting on "accountability issues," whether in police departments, city government, or at the federal level, on topics of national security and digital privacy.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Freelancers rarely get expense accounts for travel

Interests

• environment
• cooking
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• rock climbing
• journalism
• nature
• digital privacy
• encryption tools
• freedom of information

Music, Movies, and Books

I usually find myself reading nonfiction but novels by Arundhati Roy, a great current political thinker, have been consuming me lately.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Got the police chief of Chicago fired after suing the city and writing four columns about a particular story.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm happy to teach folks I encounter how to use encryption tools to take back their digital privacy. But I wanna learn all kinds of things. Surprise me!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my knowledge of how to do journalism as a concerned citizen doing other work for a living. And I can cook a mean, mean meal after having worked in kitchens at some of Chicago's best restaurants for six years.