Cox recounts how he uncovered the ANOM operation starting in 2016, tracing PGP Blackberry usage among criminals before identifying the government-built devices disguised as secure tools. Unlike mainstream encrypted apps, ANOM phones ran on a closed, costly network that attracted global organized crime—making them ideal for surveillance. His reporting combined digital forensics, in-person outreach (including at a Vancouver conference), and transparent, iterative publishing to build trust with sources—and even earned unexpected cooperation from the FBI. Cox prioritized ethical rigor: naming the foreign partner country involved, anonymizing vulnerable individuals, and centering participants’ voices over his own. The investigation also prompted reflection on broader surveillance ethics, platform integrity, and journalistic sustainability—culminating in the founding of 404 Media as a lean, subscriber-supported alternative to compromised legacy outlets. His new book, Dark Wire, documents this landmark case not as a triumph of law enforcement, but as a profound reckoning with privacy, power, and accountability in digital society.