Podcaster Tucker Carlson made a strong claim recently that North Koreans have more privacy than Americans and stated it as a ‘fact.’
Is it true?
According to a poll conducted this year, most Americans might actually agree with Tucker! In 2026, the Center for Democracy and Technology found that 74% of Americans are worried about the privacy and security of personal data held by public agencies.
However, for anyone who has lived, traveled, and worked in North Korea, Tucker’s claim is not a ‘fact’ and could only be claimed by someone who has never actually been to the Hermit Kingdom.
Contrary to popular belief, North Korea has access to the most modern technology. In fact, North Korea is known to have some of the world’s most sophisticated hackers. In fact, sophisticated computer hacking now accounts for 13% of North Korea’s GDP!
To properly evaluate Tucker’s claim, let’s take a quick look to compare privacy in America to North Korea.
All computers in North Korea are subject to random checks by authorities and must be registered with the government. When was the last time Tucker Carlson’s computer was registered, obtained and checked by government?
Personal computers are not allowed to access the the World Wide Web. What North Koreans see, search, and write is all seen and monitored. There is no option to change it. Secure communication apps or browsers on computers are illegal.
Does Tucker have unrestricted access to the Internet on his computer? If he thinks that he is being monitored, can he hire professionals to install anti-monitoring software or encrypted communication software?
VPNs are illegal in North Korea. Tucker Carlson’s show is sponsored by Express VPN.
All mobile phones in North Korea operate on government network with total monitoring and control. North Korean phones take a screen shot every five seconds and control what words are allowed to be typed in. North Koreans are not allowed to have outside access to mobile networks.
Tucker has the option to hire a security team to give him a secure phone absent of government monitoring. It is not illegal or restricted for him to send messages, photos, or recordings to people outside of America using his mobile phone.
Contrary to Tucker’s claim, North Korea operates one of the most intense mass surveillance systems in the entire world with a vast network of informants who operate and monitor in layers and report to the authorities on fellow citizens they suspect of criminal and subversive behavior.
North Korea is a massive police state and its citizens are under constant surveillance in a way no other country in the world is.
The idea that the average North Korean has more privacy than the average American because the North Koreans do not use technology to monitor its citizens is demonstrably false. Every aspect of a person’s existence in North Korea is monitored using both technology and human resources and no one knows this better than Christians in North Korea.
