Combat Studies Group: GroundRod Level 1 Course Review

A conservative estimate suggests the National Security Agency (NSA) collects more than 10 exabytes of data annually (1) (2). Or enough data to watch movies for the next 285,000 years.

If that doesn't generate a spontaneous bowel movement of pure terror, I'm not sure what will.

All this data they are collecting on you is primarily about making money (3). It gets dark real fast when a government organization wants to use that data against you.

What can we do to be better prepared and deal with this reality?

What is the GroundRod 1 Course?

It's a two-day course were your learn how to take the first steps to protect yourself from digital surveillance.

For example, I understand that we have zero privacy when using technology. But how bad is it? And what steps can I undertake to protect myself?

The instructor, Kay (@K_CSG), covers that in the course. Kay is a former combat and OGA veteran, an INFOSEC professional, and a firearms and tactics instructor.

He has taught the GroundRod courses for many years. He started teaching our special forces soldiers overseas how to protect their digital privacy from foreign intelligence agencies and corporations.

Due to the high demand for this course, he started teaching American citizens (and celebrities) how to protect themselves from digital surveillance and use technology to help them instead of harm them.

Who is this course for?

It's a class for the everyday citizen. This class helps you and me take back our digital privacy.

If you are concerned about the data corporations, cybercriminals, and governments are stealing from you, this is the course for you. It teaches you how to stop this digital theft.

Don't think you have to be a tech version of Jason Bourne to take this course. Most of us are Juan Jason Bourne when it comes to tech! 👇👇👇

Do you need to be a tech nerd to sign up for this class? No! Bring your curiosity and a Windows (preferably) laptop or a Macbook (2014 or older).

A good friend of mine, a dedicated professional and a former GRS Team Leader. Its my opinion that his GroundRod 1 & 2 are probably the most important courses a civilian can take. https://t.co/LfEpESaY0j https://t.co/yFPDTl0VC7

— NC Scout (@Brushbeater) April 16, 2024

Student Testimonials

I asked the guys in the class to write one-liners about this course:

"The best digital surveillance countermeasures course available in the civilian sector."

1. It's the best course if you can only afford one—superb foundation for a preparedness mindset.
2. This class was mind-blowing! Anyone security-minded should learn this.
3. I learned that I have a great deal to learn about security issues.
4. It's a big, scary world. Knowing the risk of learning basic protection is an excellent first step.
5. Every patriot should take this course. I can't wait for GroundRod 2 and 3.
6. I am glad I came to this course. Unreal how detailed the digital world has gotten (in a scary way)
7. What a fantastic introduction to privacy. The class is a must for privacy-minded people.

Day 1

For obvious reasons, I won't provide you with all course content. However, I will provide information about specific topics we discussed on day one and day two to give you an idea of the course content.

Intro to INFOSEC, COMSEC, and PERSEC

An essential concept that Kay kept repeating throughout the course is that our data is currency.

A book called The Age of Surveillance Capitalism details this surveillance capitalism and serves as a wake-up call for privacy-minded citizens.

Once I grasped this concept, I understood everything they sold us, such as phones, laptops, and cars, was just the icing on the cake. Our data was the cherry on top—the stuff they wanted to extract from us.

Defensive Measures

We discussed many defensive measures in class. One example is a USB blocker attached to the end of your USB-C cable. How many of us have flown on an airplane or sat at the airport and decided to plug in our phone to charge it?

Well, guess what? You put yourself at risk when you do that because there have been instances where they (corporations) have downloaded data directly from your cell phone. How crazy is that? I was utterly floored by this bit of knowledge and immediately ordered the USB data blocker.

I told you that this class made many of us very uncomfortable now that we knew more about what was happening around us.

• USB-C Data Blocker (4-pack at $12.99)

VPN

I know a lot of you run VPNs on your devices. The problem is, do you know which one is safe to use? Several VPN service providers are domestic and foreign intelligence agency honeypots.

Do you trust a conservative influencer who knows nothing about technology to recommend a VPN for you? Kay rattled off a list of well-known VPN providers and pointed out which ones were safe to use and which ones to avoid.

I am only scratching the surface of day one course content. What are you waiting for? Check out the course overview and sign up for a two-day class.

Day 2

Day two of the class was action packed with great topics and hands on activities. I will highlight two topics and provide some additional details.

TAILs Setup

A large chunk of our time was spent on setting up the Linux program TAILs on a USB. What is TAILs? It's a software program made for activists, journalists and privacy minded citizens. It's a place where you can communicate securely and store sensitive documents.

This was a hands-on exercise where Kay walked us through the process to boot directly from a USB and learn how to use the TAILs program. This process involves a lot of steps and it was made easy because we had Kay answer our questions and problem solve along the way.

The guys in class agreed that this portion of the class was incredibly valuable because we were shown how to install TAILs on a USB. And more importantly how to securely store sensitive data and keep it away from prying eyes.

Reading Materials

As we wrapped up class we were provided with two online resources to continue our digital privacy journey. I was familiar with the privacy tools website and reference the site regularly when I need help reviewing software tools to see if they are privacy focused.

• Privacy Tools Website

Best Privacy Tools & Software Guide in in 2024

The most reliable website for privacy tools since 2015. Software, services, apps and privacy guides to fight surveillance with encryption for better internet privacy.

• Prism ⚡ Break

Opt out of global data surveillance programs like PRISM, XKeyscore, and Tempora - PRISM Break - PRISM Break

Opt out of global data surveillance programs like PRISM, XKeyscore and Tempora. Help make mass surveillance of entire populations uneconomical! We all have a right to privacy, which you can exercise today by encrypting your communications and ending your reliance on proprietary services.

PRISM BreakPeng Zhong

We covered a ton of other topics on day two. I won't publish those because I think it would be a lot more valuable if you signed up for the course yourself.

Conclusion

I thought this two-day course was valuable and highly recommend it to fellow citizens who want their privacy back. I feel like I took my first step in regaining my digital privacy from cyber criminals, corporations, and governments.

My first step after I completed this course was to purchase a privacy-focused router from Kay's privacy store. The need to protect my family, our electronic devices, and our browsing habits was a good step in the right direction to start making the necessary changes to take back my digital privacy.

In 2025, I plan to phase out my phones and swap them for privacy-focused phones from Kay's privacy product store. Swapping the hardware is the next big step for me, and I view it as essential to keeping my data private.

Here is a GroundRod 1 Course Review with different content from @DolioJ who attended this course.

I hope this article and Kay's reputation have convinced you to take the course, it will be well worth your time.

Stay well, brothers

– FA

References

1. "Utah Data Center and Exabyte Storage Capacity," Wikipedia. link
2. "How much data can the NSA store?" The Daily Dot. link
3. "NSA Spying on Petrobras: Industrial Espionage Allegations," Reuters, September 9, 2013. Link

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