Virtual Event: Amy Zegart

Harvard Book Store's virtual event series welcomes AMY ZEGART—senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of Spying Blind: The CIA, the FBI, and the Origins of 9/11—for a discussion of her latest book, Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence. She will be joined in conversation by Harvard Law School professor JACK GOLDSMITH, author of The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgement inside the Bush Administration, The Limits of International Law, and Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World.

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About Spies, Lies, and Algorithms

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.

Praise for Spies, Lies, and Algorithms

“I relied heavily on Amy Zegart’s pioneering work during my years as Ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and since. Her new book covers all we know and all we need to do to track evolving threats and new actors equipped with rapidly evolving technology. As she points out, the private sector has most of the tools government desperately needs, and strong leadership is essential to assure that all our capability is leveraged quickly and adroitly.” —Jane Harman, author of Insanity Defense: Why Our Failure to Confront Hard National Security Problems Makes Us Less Safe

“Amy Zegart’s marvelous book is a treasure for both the novice and the expert. Packed with history, insight, and wisdom from three decades of immersion in American intelligence, it provides an A-to-Z tour of this secretive world, and explores the challenges and dilemmas facing the intelligence community today.” —John E. McLaughlin, former deputy director and acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency

“Amy Zegart makes the field of intelligence accessible for all who need to understand it—and today that is everyone who needs to comprehend the present and anticipate the future. She places today’s intelligence organizations in historical context and explains why education is essential for ensuring their future effectiveness. Spies, Lies, and Algorithms is the book to read to begin that education.” —H. R. McMaster, author of Battlegrounds and Dereliction of Duty