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

Amy Zegart's book "Spies, Lies, and Algorithms" explores the past, present, and future of American espionage in the digital age, offering an engaging and enlightening account of the field. She separates fact from fiction, providing a history of U.S. espionage, examining how fictional spies influence real officials, and exploring the issues of traitors, covert action, and congressional oversight. Zegart also highlights how technology is empowering new enemies and opportunities, and why cyberspace is the ultimate cloak-and-dagger battleground.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 424 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Spying has never been more prevalent or less understood in the digital age. The world is flooded with 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 harming intelligence policy.

In Spies, Lies, and Algorithms, Amy Zegart separates fact from fiction and offers an engaging and enlightening account of the past, present, and future of American espionage as it faces a revolution driven by digital technology. Zegart, a leading intelligence expert, draws on decades of research and hundreds of interviews with intelligence officials to provide a comprehensive history of U.S. espionage, from George Washington's Revolutionary War spies to today's spy satellites.

The book examines how fictional spies are influencing real officials, provides 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 importantly, Zegart describes how technology is empowering new enemies and opportunities, creating powerful new players, such as private citizens who are successfully tracking nuclear threats using little more than Google Earth. She also shows why cyberspace is the ultimate cloak-and-dagger battleground, where nefarious actors employ deception, subterfuge, and advanced technology for theft, espionage, and information warfare.

Spies, Lies, and Algorithms is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the complex world of espionage in the digital age. It provides a comprehensive and insightful account of the past, present, and future of American espionage and sheds light on the challenges and opportunities that the digital revolution has brought to the field.

Weight: 394g
Dimension: 132 x 203 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691223070