“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act. If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
― George Orwell
Pass it on! Tell a friend!
———————————————————-
* MORE NOTEWORTHY POSTINGS
———————————————————-
The Real Book Spy’s
june 2022 reading guide
By The Real Book Spy
Welcome to June, thriller fans!
While most of the country is finally starting to heat up, so too is the thriller genre . . . and it’s going to be one heck of a summer!
This month, there are a ton of really great books set to hit store shelves, and as always, we’ve highlighted a few of our favorites
Link
Ronan Farrow on the Threat of Modern Spyware
By David Remnick — The New Yorker
Ronan Farrow has published an investigation into a software called Pegasus and its maker, NSO Group. Pegasus is one of the most invasive spywares known; it allows users—including law-enforcement officials or government authorities—to hack into a target’s smartphone, gaining access to photos, messages, and the feeds from a camera or microphone.
NSO markets Pegasus as a tool to catch terrorists and other violent criminals, but once a surveillance tool is on the market it can be very difficult to control. Farrow finds that Pegasus is being used to suppress political opposition in democratic nations, including Spain. The largest known cluster of Pegasus attacks has targeted people in Catalonia who support the independence movement, which the Spanish government views as a threat.
“This is not just an information-gathering tool,” Farrow tells David Remnick. “It’s an intimidation tactic, and it works.”
LINK:
How Democracies Spy on Their Citizens
The inside story of the world’s most notorious commercial spyware and the big tech companies waging war against it.
By Ronan Farrow — The New Yorker
NSO Group’s software has been linked to repressive regimes, but now “all types of governments” use it, an observer said.
LINK:
Ronan Farrow on Investigating the World’s Most Notorious Spyware Company
NSO Group
By Daniel Estrin — All Things Considered, NPR
NPR’s Daniel Estrin speaks with Ronan Farrow about his New Yorker investigation into Israeli spyware company NSO Group, and his interview with an employee who quit.
A princess from Dubai, The British prime minister’s office, a Saudi women’s rights activist, prominent politicians, lawyers and activists in Catalonia – they were all victims of hacking by the world’s most notorious spyware company.
LINK:
Ronan Farrow: How Democracies Spy on Their Citizens
By Amanpour and Company
The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow recently investigated the commercial spyware industry and its implications for democracies around the world. He tells Hari Sreenivasan what he found.
LINK:
XXXXX
By XXX
XXXXX
LINK:
- XXXXX
XXXXX
By XXX
XXXXX
LINK:
- XXXXX
SPY NOVELISTS
Robert Baer
Bayard & Holmes
Mark Bowden
Yossef Bodansky
James Bruno
Charles Cumming
Len Deighton
Alan Furst
Saul Herzog
David Ignatius
Adam James
Sebastian Junger
Andrew Kaplan
Philip Kerr
John le Carré
Robert Littell
Mark Mazzetti
George Orwell
Chris Pavone
Martin Cruz Smith
Olen Steinhauer
David Vinjamuri
Valerie Plame Wilson
