A riveting 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 who are successfully
tracking nuclear threats using little more than Google Earth. 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.
