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Intercept

The Secret History of Computers and Spies

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About this listen

 The computer was born to spy, and now computers are transforming espionage. But who are the spies and who is being spied on in today's interconnected world?

This is the exhilarating secret history of the melding of technology and espionage. Gordon Corera's compelling narrative, rich with historical details and characters, takes us from the Second World War to the internet age, revealing the astonishing extent of cyberespionage carried out today.

Drawing on unique access to intelligence agencies, heads of state, hackers and spies of all stripes, INTERCEPT is a ground-breaking exploration of the new space in which the worlds of espionage, geopolitics, diplomacy, international business, science and technology collide. Together, computers and spies are shaping the future. What was once the preserve of a few intelligence agencies now matters for us all. Computer Science Freedom & Security Military Politics & Government Security & Encryption Espionage Computer Security Technology War Hacking Imperial Japan Cyber Warfare Middle East

Critic reviews

Riveting ... Making use of excellent sources, Corera, the BBC's security correspondent, has produced a highly relevant read that addresses the key debate in intelligence gathering - the balance between privacy and security
If you are looking for a clear and comprehensive guide to how communications have been intercepted, from cable-cutting in the First World War to bulk data collection exposed by Ed Snowden, this is it ... A most readable account of how computers and the internet have transformed spying
What good timing for [this] book ... Gordon Corera's book takes us through the labyrinth of cyber-espionage ... It concerns a psychosis of control, whereby the digitisation of spying infests every cranny of our lives
Bleakly entertaining ... The lesson of INTERCEPT is that secret information is power, and that there is no end to the struggle to capture it and control it
Gordon Corera, best known as the security correspondent for BBC News, somehow finds time to write authoritative, well-researched and readable books on intelligence. Here he explores the evolution of computers from what used to be called signals intelligence to their transforming role in today's intelligence world. The result is an informative, balanced and revealing survey of the field in which, I suspect, most experts will find something new
Never mind all those cold-war thrillers set in 1970s Berlin. The true golden age of spying and surveillance - whether carried out by states or, increasingly, by companies - is now
All stars
Most relevant
I found it informative and interesting. it gives a good overview of what's happening in cyberspace

worth a listen

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Great book, well read and nicely referenced and informed. Little bias or opinion.
Important reminder of the capability and miss use of it my the ruling elite be they left or right

Excellent review of capabilities and the moral question

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Gordon Corera clearly knows what he's talking about and this book is well researched. If it wasn't for the fact that it sounds like he is reading this in a police interview room, it would be 5 stars. Poor production values (which are so easy to get right) let it down.

Knowledgeable and objective account

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very interesting and tallies up disparate things ive known about some of the dark arts.

accurate

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