Cybersecurity, Trust, and the Shifting Landscape of Government Oversight

How do you navigate a cybersecurity landscape where the threats are constantly evolving—and so is the government’s role in defending against them? I sat down with Jeff Man, a respected voice in cybersecurity and someone with deep roots in both the public and private sectors, to talk about this (and a bunch of other stuff) for the latest episode of the TechSpective Podcast. Jeff’s career spans more than four decades, including time at the National Security Agency during a pivotal era of transformation. He’s also spent years in the trenches with PCI-DSS compliance and now consults with companies across industries on how to build better, more resilient security programs. We talk about the philosophical and practical intersections between cybersecurity, trust, and governance in a rapidly changing world. Jeff and I discuss how cybersecurity has evolved since the Cold War, how the mythology around institutions like the NSA and Unit 8200 influences perception, and how recent political decisions are reshaping the roles of CISA, NSA, and other federal cyber agencies. But this episode isn’t just a retrospective or a policy rant. It’s a raw, candid, and sometimes uncomfortable look at where we are today. We question whether the growing skepticism of public institutions is warranted—and what it means when tech companies, not governments, are trusted as de facto arbiters of truth. And we grapple with the uncomfortable reality that while the cybersecurity stakes are higher than ever, the public’s confidence in traditional sources of authority may be at an all-time low. If you’re looking for a surface-level chat about tech trends, this isn’t it. But if you want to hear a thoughtful, unscripted discussion about the deeper issues impacting cybersecurity and society, this episode is a must-listen.