Private Lives Public Eyes

Private Lives, Public Eyes - Journal By Yatco Home > Private Lives, Public Eyes Private Lives, Public Eyes Written by Claire Hagen UHNW Privacy in the Age of AI: as borders tighten and the digital gaze widens, where does that leave yachting — the last frontier of discretion? Aug 18, 2025 When I was fifteen, I hacked my school’s computer system. Not for malice, but for mischief—and yes, to impress a boy. With a little curiosity and a lot of nerve, I got hold of the official letterhead and sent out a notice giving the entire school a day off. Teachers were baffled, my classmates were ecstatic, and I thought I was a hero. Instead, I was expelled. My IT teacher, who knew I’d never been in trouble before, appealed on my behalf, and I was allowed back. But the lesson stuck: systems are fragile. That curiosity about how things work has always been how I’ve learned—teaching myself, experimenting, following instincts. And in the last two years, working deeply in yachting and the UHNW world, I’ve realised just how fragile privacy has become. What once required intelligence agencies can now be done by anyone with a laptop, an AI toolkit, and time. Family-office surveys show the scale of it. In 2019, barely a third of UHNW families listed cybersecurity as a top concern; by 2024 it was over 70%. According to Deloitte’s Family Office Cybersecurity Report 2024 , 43 % of family offices globally have experienced a cyberattack in the past 12-24 months, with about 25 % of those suffering three or more attacks. And according to Cybersecurity Ventures (cited via World Economic Forum) the global cost of cybercrime could reach US$10.5 trillion annually by 2025 . World Economic Forum+1 These numbers aren’t abstract—they’re the scaffolding of a new reality, where privacy is the rarest and most expensive luxury of all. From Curiosity to Real Danger What shocked me when I first experimented with AI search tools was how easily the fragments connect. Upload a photo to various apps and you can trace someone across years of the internet. Clearview AI has scraped over 30 billion images from social media and beyond, capable of identifying strangers from a single candid shot. A guest leaning on the rail of a yacht in Monaco can be matched to their LinkedIn profile and even their home address. The Risk to the Industry I’ve seen it firsthand: from the CEO of a large brokerage house appearing on an adult site because his corporate photo was scraped, to yacht managers photographed in nightclubs with escorts—images freely available for anyone to see. DeepFakes — the new threat And then there are the deepfakes. A Hong Kong man was tricked into wiring US$622,000 to what he thought was a friend’s urgent plea; the voice was fake. A London firm was conned out of US$25 million after criminals used a fabricated CFO in a video call. These are not hypotheticals; they are happening. I tested it myself: using nothing more than a grainy YouTube thumbnail, I deepfaked a shipyard CEO. When I shared the clip in a closed group, people genuinely thought I’d started doing his PR—they believed the interview was real. The AI version had him saying things so outrageous a Scouser half-cut in the pub wouldn’t dream of. Superyachts were designed as sanctuaries. Distance equalled safety. But Starlink has collapsed that illusion. One captain told me he runs 167 devices simultaneously on board. Connectivity has become oxygen for owners and guests, but it also means the hull is digitally porous. And then there are the stories of failure. Jeff Bezos’ phone was compromised by a single WhatsApp video file. GPS-spoofing demonstrations in the Mediterranean proved crews can be misled into believing they’re anchored when they’re drifting miles away. Reports surfaced of one yacht owner spending US$4 million on an anti-drone system after paparazzi drones kept circling his sundeck. And a luxury travel agency was hacked, with UHNW flight itineraries leaked to criminals who then turned up at airports pretending to be chauffeurs. The Risk to the Industry I’ve seen it firsthand: from the CEO of a large brokerage house appearing on an adult site because his corporate photo was scraped, to yacht managers photographed in nightclubs with escorts—images freely available for anyone to see. DeepFakes — the new threat And then there are the deepfakes. A Hong Kong man was tricked into wiring US$622,000 to what he thought was a friend’s urgent plea; the voice was fake. A London firm was conned out of US$25 million after criminals used a fabricated CFO in a video call. These are not hypotheticals; they are happening. I tested it myself: using nothing more than a grainy YouTube thumbnail, I deepfaked a shipyard CEO. When I shared the clip in a closed group, people genuinely thought I’d started doing his PR—they believed the interview was real. The AI version had him saying things so outrageous a Scouser half-cut in the pub wouldn’t dream of. Superyachts were designed as sanctuaries. Distance equalled safety. But Starlink has collapsed that illusion. One captain told me he runs 167 devices simultaneously on board. Connectivity has become oxygen for owners and guests, but it also means the hull is digitally porous. And then there are the stories of failure. Jeff Bezos’ phone was compromised by a single WhatsApp video file. GPS-spoofing demonstrations in the Mediterranean proved crews can be misled into believing they’re anchored when they’re drifting miles away. Reports surfaced of one yacht owner spending US$4 million on an anti-drone system after paparazzi drones kept circling his sundeck. And a luxury travel agency was hacked, with UHNW flight itineraries leaked to criminals who then turned up at airports pretending to be chauffeurs. Privacy isn’t something you buy. It’s something you practice. So where does that leave us? I’ve come to believe that privacy is no longer about disappearing. It’s about choosing when to be visible. For the ultra-wealthy, the true luxury isn’t the yacht itself, or the propulsion system, or the interior marble. It’s the privacy and safety that only a yacht can provide in this day and age. And the truth is, invisibility can still be practised. This is not about living in paranoia. It takes discipline and the structure of solid digital hygiene, yes, but also culture on board—the unglamorous choices: no Instagram geotags, verification of voices, and a collective pride in discretion from everyone. Written by Claire Hagen, digital consultant for UHNW clients and luxury brands, specialising in AI, creative marketing, and innovative solutions. Co-Founder of the www.armadayachtclub.com Insta @theartofyachts @this.is.odyssey Source: Deloitte+2Family Wealth Report+2 Source: World Economic Forum+1 Explore Topics Explore Topics Featured Posts Andrew Cardwell | Cybersecurity for the Modern Superyacht Operational insight. Earned credibility. Security built for the real world. Andrew Cardwell | Cybersecurity for the Modern Superyacht Operational insight. Earned credibility. Security built for the real world. JQ Louise | Writer, Editor "We find out what's actually worth it — from the people who know best." The editorial principle behind a platform built on access and credibility. JQ Louise | Writer, Editor "We find out what's actually worth it — from the people who know best." The editorial principle behind a platform built on access and credibility. 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