Nonfiction

Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence

Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-18 06:52:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Amy B. Zegart
  • ISBN：0691147132
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A fascinating and authoritative account of espionage for the digital age， from one of America’s leading intelligence experts

Spying has never been more ubiquitous―or less understood。 The world is drowning in spy movies， TV shows， and novels， but universities offer more courses on rock and roll than on the CIA and there are more congressional experts on powdered milk than espionage。 This crisis in intelligence education is distorting public opinion， fueling conspiracy theories， and hurting intelligence policy。 In Spies， Lies， and Algorithms， Amy Zegart separates fact from fiction as she offers an engaging and enlightening account of the past， present， and future of American espionage as it faces a revolution driven by digital technology。

Drawing on decades of research and hundreds of interviews with intelligence officials， Zegart provides a history of U。S。 espionage， from George Washington’s Revolutionary War spies to today’s spy satellites; examines how fictional spies are influencing real officials; gives an overview of intelligence basics and life inside America’s intelligence agencies; explains the deadly cognitive biases that can mislead analysts; and explores the vexed issues of traitors， covert action， and congressional oversight。 Most of all， Zegart describes how technology is empowering new enemies and opportunities， and creating powerful new players， such as private citizens that are successfully tracking nuclear threats using little more than GoogleEarth。 And she shows why cyberspace is， in many ways， the ultimate cloak-and-dagger battleground， where nefarious actors employ deception， subterfuge， and advanced technology for theft， espionage， and information warfare。

A fascinating and revealing account of espionage for the digital age， Spies， Lies， and Algorithms is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the reality of spying today。

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Reviews

Justin ，

This book is a great introduction into what actually goes on in the US Intelligence Community。 Prof。 Zegart will walk you through some of the common misconceptions， explain what the different elements are responsible for and what that actually means， and why it's been so hard for Presidents and Congress to manage。 The book tends to be pretty forgiving of its subjects， though it isn't without criticism， but if you're looking for a skewering of the CIA or something you'll want to look elsewhere。 T This book is a great introduction into what actually goes on in the US Intelligence Community。 Prof。 Zegart will walk you through some of the common misconceptions， explain what the different elements are responsible for and what that actually means， and why it's been so hard for Presidents and Congress to manage。 The book tends to be pretty forgiving of its subjects， though it isn't without criticism， but if you're looking for a skewering of the CIA or something you'll want to look elsewhere。 That said， the book does stay at a fairly high level， and while Zegart does a good job outlining some of the problems， I found myself a bit disappointed that it never took a next step to think about fixing them （except for recommending Congress should do its job more and adopt the 9/11 Commission recommendations， which， yeah seconded）。It's also a pretty easy read， accessible even if you don't have a background in the subject matter， and is well footnoted in case you want to start running down anything mentioned。 Happy to have it on my shelf， though it's one I'll probably loan more than revisit。 。。。more

Jun Sung ，

The first 9/10's of this book is a historical survey of American intelligence， building a sympathetic and persuasive case for the institution。 In a sense， it's almost necessary， but what I came for was found in its timely final chapter and a half。 The first 9/10's of this book is a historical survey of American intelligence， building a sympathetic and persuasive case for the institution。 In a sense， it's almost necessary， but what I came for was found in its timely final chapter and a half。 。。。more

Steve's Book Stuff ，

American intelligence is not an easy world for an outsider to understand。 For starters， there are 18 different agencies or departments of the US federal government which conduct intelligence。 This includes every branch of the military， the CIA， the FBI， the NSA， the DEA and more。 All these different organizations have different objectives and skill sets。 They are nominally organized under the office of the Director of National Intelligence。 Collectively they are referred to as the Intelligence C American intelligence is not an easy world for an outsider to understand。 For starters， there are 18 different agencies or departments of the US federal government which conduct intelligence。 This includes every branch of the military， the CIA， the FBI， the NSA， the DEA and more。 All these different organizations have different objectives and skill sets。 They are nominally organized under the office of the Director of National Intelligence。 Collectively they are referred to as the Intelligence Community。 In Spies， Lies and Algorithms author and academic Amy Zegart provides an overview of American intelligence。 Her book is a guide to understanding what intelligence is。 It delves into the various agencies that engage in it， and the types of intelligence they gather。 It discusses the challenges to effective intelligence， counterintelligence， and the growing relevance and importance of cyber intelligence。 Ziegart is a Stanford professor and Senior Fellow at both the Hoover Institution and Stanford’s Institute for International Studies。 She is a contributing writer for The Atlantic， and has at times been a consultant to US intelligence agencies。 She has long been interested in， and studied US intelligence。 She is the author / editor of two previous books on intelligence。 She is well positioned to write this primer。Zegart starts out by clarifying that intelligence work is not James Bond or Jason Bourne。 Intelligence is information gathering and analysis of that information。 Later in the book she covers the rise of covert operations within intelligence agencies。 Covert operations differ from intelligence。 Intelligence produces analysis for policy makers to take action。 Covert ops are secret actions taken to advance US interests while giving deniability to the government。 Both intelligence and covert operations have had successes and often failures。 （Think 9/11 and Saddam’s Weapons of Mass Destruction， among others）。 The author delves into the history of failures and also the “seven deadly biases” that can contribute to them。There is quite a bit of history throughout the book， but the main focus is on explaining the world of intelligence。 The chapter on congressional oversight is a good example。 While historical context is given， the emphasis is on explaining what good oversight is and is not。 Finally Zegart turns her attention to the future of intelligence and the growing importance of cyber warfare。 This section delves into both the history of cyber threats and the need for better cyber actions on the part of the US government。 The picture she paints here is not pretty。 Cyber is a fast changing world， and the understanding of cyber threats is rapidly evolving。 In Zegart’s telling the Intelligence Community has so far been behind the curve in anticipating and countering these threats。 Coupled with cyber threats is the rise of OSINT， or Open Source Intelligence。 Today， anyone with an internet connection can take part in information gathering and analysis。 Many private citizens and groups are。 The ideas and perceptions they bring to light can draw the Intelligence Community’s attention and focus away from their work。 Many of those ideas and perceptions have proven to be misinterpretations of the available information。 Others may prove to be extremely valuable （see this article on TikTok in the current Ukraine crisis）。The gap between Silicon Valley and the intelligence agencies is another challenge。 Effective cyber intelligence will rely on a solid working relationship between the two。 What can and will be done to bridge that gap is still to be determined。 Spies， Lies and Algorithms is an excellent guidebook to US Intelligence。 It’s well worth a read by anyone interested in a better understanding of Intelligence。 Four stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐。 。。。more

Al ，

Great book looking at US national security。 Interesting perspective from someone outside of the US government

David ，

Author Amy Zegart （senior fellow at the Hoover Institution， senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute， and Stanford professor） explores the history of American intelligence， cognitive biases that get in the way of good intel， counterintel， covert action， traitors， and cyber threats。Two samples from the book:-----In 2003， an expert panel from the National Academy of Sciences conducted a comprehensive study examining the scientific validity and reliability of polygraphs for employment screenin Author Amy Zegart （senior fellow at the Hoover Institution， senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute， and Stanford professor） explores the history of American intelligence， cognitive biases that get in the way of good intel， counterintel， covert action， traitors， and cyber threats。Two samples from the book:-----In 2003， an expert panel from the National Academy of Sciences conducted a comprehensive study examining the scientific validity and reliability of polygraphs for employment screening。 The study concluded that there is “little basis for the expectation that a polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy” and that “polygraph testing [is] intrinsically susceptible to producing erroneous results” in both directions， failing people who are telling the truth （false positives） and passing people who are lying （false negatives）。。 。 。“Given its level of accuracy， achieving a high probability of identifying individuals who pose major security risks in a population with a very low proportion of such individuals would require setting the test to be so sensitive that hundreds， or even thousands， of innocent individuals would be implicated for every major security violator correctly identified，” the expert study noted。。 。 。Yet many intelligence agencies still use polygraphs。 In fact， the FBI expanded the use of polygraphs after the Hanssen case。 Defenders say the test provides a helpful deterrent and one input into a broader system designed to identify past or ongoing behavior （such as debts， alcoholism， marital troubles） that could indicate that an employee might be susceptible to working for a hostile intelligence service， terrorist group， or other organization operating against the United States government。 As former CIA Director William Colby put it， “I don’t believe in the polygraph but it sure as hell helped us。 My security people told me that， faced with the polygraph， people told us things that caused us not to hire them。 As far as I’m concerned， it paid for itself right there。”-----Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden stole an estimated 1。5 million documents containing some of the most highly classified programs in the U。S。 government in just ten months before hightailing it to Hong Kong and then Moscow in 2013。 The trove was so huge， if the documents were printed and physically stacked， the pile would be three miles high。Snowden claims he was a whistleblower who acted out of conscience， not a traitor who acted in cahoots with a foreign power。 But Snowden did not just copy what he happened to see on his desktop。 A bipartisan review by the House Intelligence Committee found that Snowden sought access to classified programs by tricking coworkers into giving him their security credentials and by searching their network drives without their permission， downloading away。 The “vast majority of the documents he stole，” the report concludes， “have nothing to do with programs impacting individual privacy interests — they instead pertain to military， defense， and intelligence programs of great interest to America’s adversaries。”----- 。。。more

Vivekanand Mishra ，

Entertaining but not new

Kenneth ，

I was hoping for more history and insight than the book provided。 At times， it felt like more of a college textbook than a deep dive into the history of American intelligence。

Christian S。 ，

Amy Zegart provides an educator’s explanation of the world of intelligence that’s palatable for any level of reader。 Effusive in her use of analogies to explain relatively complex discussions， the author provides a refreshingly honest review of our intelligence agencies and the roles they play in government。 The book provides a wonderful description of the history of intelligence， how it has grown， the reasons we harbor misconceptions about what intelligence is and is not （and how we do and do n Amy Zegart provides an educator’s explanation of the world of intelligence that’s palatable for any level of reader。 Effusive in her use of analogies to explain relatively complex discussions， the author provides a refreshingly honest review of our intelligence agencies and the roles they play in government。 The book provides a wonderful description of the history of intelligence， how it has grown， the reasons we harbor misconceptions about what intelligence is and is not （and how we do and do not use/collect it）， and what the future holds。I particularly enjoyed the chapters regarding congressional oversight and the threats of cyber warfare。 Both， I believe， are critical to understanding what our biggest threats are and how the nation can best shift our policy making to reflect those threats。 Absolutely enjoyed the book and would strongly recommend to anyone who wishes to expand their understanding of the intelligence world。 It’s not all James Bond and Jason Bourne！ （In fact， almost none of it is！） 。。。more

George Siehl ，

Author Amy Zegart is a scholar， educator， and consultant in the field of national intelligence gathering and use。 In Spies， Lies， and Algorithms， she provides a primer for the American public on the work of federal agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency， National Security Agency， Defense Intelligence Agency， and fifteen more， of which you may not have heard。 Zegart writes， "The U。S。 Intelligence community （IC） is vast， comprising eighteen agencies and roughly one hundred thousand peopl Author Amy Zegart is a scholar， educator， and consultant in the field of national intelligence gathering and use。 In Spies， Lies， and Algorithms， she provides a primer for the American public on the work of federal agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency， National Security Agency， Defense Intelligence Agency， and fifteen more， of which you may not have heard。 Zegart writes， "The U。S。 Intelligence community （IC） is vast， comprising eighteen agencies and roughly one hundred thousand people that do everything from identifying strange gases in suspect buildings to eavesdropping on terrorists to compiling information for the President's Daily Brief each morning。"The cost， "For 2021， the total intelligence budget was an estimated $85 billion。" From surveys of her students and several follow-up national polls Zegart found that Americans know little of these agencies or their work。 Ominously， most of what they think they know is derived from watching "Spytainment，" movies and TV shows featuring James Bond， Jason Bourne， and their many studio clones。 Clearly， a primer on the field of intelligence is timely。Zegart traces the path of intelligence operations through American history。 She shows George Washington to be an adept hand at deception and disinformation， fooling the British repeatedly。 Ben Franklin supplied a stream of strategic false news through his basement newspaper while serving abroad during the American Revolution。 The path of intel in American history is intermittent， showing up in wartime， but then quickly disappearing。 This changed after World War II when the value of this resource--and the increasing need for it--led to the creation of CIA as an independent agency and the installation of continuing intel units within each military service。 Today， that path is a highway as the magnitude of threats and the number of adversaries expands。 Zegart writes， "Put most simply， intelligence is information that gives policymakers an advantage over their adversaries。" She identifies， "three core missions of the U。S。 Intelligence Community in action: intelligence collection， intelligence analysis， and covert action。" The lack of balance between collection and analysis versus covert action is a topic she raises frequently。Other issues she addresses include the question of the ethics of intelligence operations being conducted by a democracy; the scorecard of success versus failure in the IC over the years; and the growing importance of cyber warfare in the world today。 The latter matter is the most unsettling examination in the book。 People are deeply embedded in technology， but technology is so subject to attack and manipulation by various parties ranging from individual hackers to state sponsored agencies。 The ability to bring down networks now crucial to our society and our very lives is quite real， as Zegart explains。 Corporate America is a big part of the problem as their technology has made possible attacks such as the Russian interference in the 2016 election。 "While Facebook executives have been apologizing to Congress in public， they have been waging a campaign in private to deny， delay， and deflect regulation and stifle critics。" Of another tech giant she notes， "Google executives citing ethical concerns， cancelled an artificial intelligence project with the Pentagon。" Yet， "At the same time， Google agreed to help the Chinese government develop a more effective censored search engine。。。" This highly recommended book is accessible to any reader。 What any reader will find here is information that pertains to them quite directly。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0