Sexpionage and how foreign spies use intimacy to steal secrets | The Excerpt

As honey traps target even trained officials, questions grow about safeguarding national security from seduction‑based espionage.

On the Thursday, February 26, 2026, episode of The Excerpt podcast: How do nations defend secrets when intimacy is still used as a spy tool? USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard.joins The Excerpt to discuss modern sexpionage, its risks and why even trained officials remain vulnerable.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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Dana Taylor:

Sex for secrets. In an age dominated by digital surveillance, human desire remains a vulnerability. Foreign intelligence agencies are still using intimacy as a tool for gathering information. Is there a way to protect national security secrets from sexpionage?