Police1’s Spotlight articles introduce the products and services of a valued sponsor in their own words. This article profiles GoDark, a provider of Faraday bags and related signal-blocking gear — pouches, sleeves and duffels lined with material that blocks cell (4G/5G), GPS, Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi signals, plus EMP shielding. For law enforcement this is useful for evidence handling: Putting a seized phone or other device into a GoDark bag immediately isolates it from cell networks and Wi-Fi, so it can’t be remotely wiped, locked or tampered with before forensic examination. These responses were provided by Business Development Manager Nicola Zawadzki.
From where did your company name originate?
GoDark is named after the verb itself. Once a device is inside the bag, it goes dark: unable to send or receive signals. The Faraday shielding blocks incoming and outgoing RF signals, including GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular, until the device is removed.
What was the inspiration behind starting your company?
GoDark was founded by Todd Ariss, a physicist with a passion for digital security and an understanding of electromagnetic frequencies. The release of the Pegasus Project, which revealed how spyware could be installed remotely on phones with almost no trace, underscored just how exposed connected devices had become. Some 50,000 phone numbers were listed as potential targets, including government officials, heads of state and other high-profile figures. GoDark set out to provide a fundamental layer of protection for data, mission and operational security.
As we connected with law enforcement around operational security needs, we learned more about the forensic side of the job too. Our line has since grown from our everyday carry model to our Forensics Series for law enforcement and our MAS Tactical Series for military use.
As GoDark has evolved, the core mission hasn’t changed: control. In an ecosystem where we rely on our devices for nearly everything, GoDark hands control back to you over your data, your RF emissions, your location and the operational security or evidentiary value a device carries.
What is your signature product and how does it work?
Our signature product is the GoDark Faraday Bag for Phones, built on the same RF shielding technology used across our entire line.
Exposed signals create two main risks for law enforcement: risk to digital evidence and risk to operational security. When a phone is seized at a crime scene, it remains vulnerable to remote wipe or tampering unless it’s isolated. Officers carrying live devices are also exposed to location tracking and RF detection, which can put personnel and active operations at risk.
GoDark bags address both threats. Each bag uses three layers of GoDark RF-shielding fabric, independently tested to provide an average of 100 dB of attenuation between 200 MHz and 40 GHz, reducing EMF power by roughly 10 billionfold. Once inside the bag, the device is isolated from incoming and outgoing signals, preserving both the evidence and the officer’s operational security.
Why do you believe your products are essential to the law enforcement community?
GoDark offers a physical solution to digital threats. Officers and government personnel can protect themselves or preserve evidence simply by placing a device in a GoDark bag. No technical or cybersecurity background is required.
Our reliance on connected devices keeps growing, and so do the risks that come with it. GoDark gives first responders and government agencies an accessible, reliable layer of protection against those risks.
What has been the biggest challenge your company has faced?
Early on, the biggest challenge was awareness. A few years ago, our trade show conversations started with “Have you heard of Faraday bags?” Faraday bags were still an emerging concept in law enforcement and military circles, and we spent a lot of time explaining what the category even was before we could talk about our product.
That has shifted considerably. As departments and agencies have come to understand the operational security and evidentiary risks tied to connected devices, we’re seeing steadily increasing demand, and the conversation at trade shows now more often starts with “Have you used GoDark before?” We’ve also heard directly from military officials in various countries who believe every soldier should be equipped with a Faraday bag.
The flip side of that growth is that awareness has outpaced education. As Faraday bags become more mainstream, so does the amount of misinformation and inflated marketing around them. As an engineering company, GoDark works directly with agencies to close that gap. We explain the science behind our shielding, agencies tell us about the risks and conditions they’re facing in the field, and that ongoing exchange is what shapes how our shielding evolves.
What makes your company unique?
Founded by a physicist, GoDark approaches both the shielding material and the construction of the bag itself.
For law enforcement, military and government use, shielding must meet two key standards: IEEE 299-2006 and MIL-STD-188-125-2. GoDark and other premium Faraday bag brands pass both. However, shielding fabric is a material, and materials wear.
Because GoDark was built on physics-first principles, our bags are engineered for durability as well as effectiveness:
- Protective inner liner: Shielding fabric degrades due to friction. Many Faraday bags leave the shielding unprotected, allowing the enclosed device to rub against it and wear it down over time. GoDark’s inner liner protects the shielding and extends the bag’s usable life.
- Three shielding layers: We made the decision to move our line from the industry standard of two shielding layers to three. Although two layers passed the requirement for law enforcement and military, we upgraded to ensure shielding protection around supercharged towers or specialized military equipment and to add durability.
- Double roll-down closure: A minimum twofold roll ensures a secure seal and stronger signal blocking at the point most bags fail.
What do your customers like best about you and your products?
The consistent feedback we hear, from law enforcement and military, is about our build quality. The construction of the bag stands out. The protective inner liner provides an added layer of trust. A Faraday bag without a protective inner liner over the shielding is like a phone without a phone case: It’s vulnerable to damage. And in the case of a Faraday bag, that damage means compromised signal blocking. Our premium quality provides an added layer of security for our customers.
What is the most rewarding part of serving the first responder/local government community?
We’re at a point where reliance on connected devices, and the digital threats that come with it, have never been higher. There’s real uncertainty around how much control people and agencies have over their own data and devices. The most rewarding part of our work is giving that control back, whether that means evidentiary integrity for a case, operational security for an officer in the field or protecting the personal safety of the people carrying these devices every day.
We hear stories regularly about location data being exposed and the real danger that creates, for military personnel, for officers and for anyone whose safety depends on not being tracked. And what becomes public is only a fraction of what actually happens. Our goal is to ensure GoDark customers are protected from these threats.
What’s next for your company? Any upcoming new projects or initiatives?
We recently launched our Forensics Series, featuring serialized bags with clear evidence tag windows, available in phone, tablet and laptop sizes. Looking ahead, shielding requirements across military and law enforcement continue to expand, and we’re looking forward to working directly with agencies on specialized shielding solutions.