Customer Reviews

Chatter: Dispatches from the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The author takes pretty complex issues,like how U.S. intelligence eavesdrops on phone calls and emails, and presents them in a fast-paced and easy to understand way. Reading the book you realize that anyone can listen to anyone these days and privacy is disappearing very quickly. Most of the book is actually about how you go about writing about somethnig that is so secret that there is no accountability to congress, not to mention the press. But what makes it a good read is that you experience that process along with the author, the frustration of trying to figure out just how much surveillance our government does and how good at it they are. For those who don't know a lot about how the U.S. listens in, this book will probably freak you out, and it might make you angry as well. Either way, you won't put it down.

Its written more like spy novel, yet it still deals honestly with the very important issues of our intelligence network. I think the author is dead on when he talks about our need for more human intelligence. He does this with numerous anecdotes, which are both interesting and very entertaining. Overall, the presentation is very well balanced without the polemic we so often hear coming out of most contemporary writers. Entertaining and a must read for anyone interested in our national defense

Good place to get started on communications intelligence -- especially in light of the Bush Admin domestic eavesdropping flap -- that makes Keefe look prescient.

The book is written in entertaining, digestible yet intelligent style, only infrequently forced or self-indulgent. His discussion of the TIA program is hysterical -- and chilling. I didn't mind the self-report/travelogue aspect since part of his purpose is to characterize various sources and 'names' in the field and show how geographically broad it is. That in turn is part of his larger goal: "Just how much of this is paranoid, and how much is reality?" He illustrates that issue and the trouble finding balance by his variably successful efforts to meet people or get information from them. (He comes off sounding like a bemused boy scout at times as he careens among disaffected spies, muck-raking journalists, conspiracy theorists, and the occasional helpful 'grown-up.')

I would have liked more on the emerging technical aspects of Comint, but as Keefe repeatedly cautions, whatever 'they' (officialdom) will let you know about their real capabilities is already ten years out of date; what you can dig up on your own is probably wildly exaggerated -- but you can't be sure. Whenever he gets close to 'state of the art' reporting, his sources worry about exposing their potential profit-margin as much as breaching security. But that's his next book, perhaps. (He also gives the impression he worried about being responsible with what he revealed.)

Recommended -- a readable book that will make you say, 'Yikes!' a couple times a chapter.

I was given this book by a friend and finished it in two sittings. Not only did I learn a great deal about how countries spy on other countries and even their own citizens, this book also made me think for the first time about privacy issues. To what extent should I worry about how much the government knows about me and my life?

I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a great read.

The author of this book accomplishes the unusual feat of crafting a work of non-fiction that is both a primer on government surveillance in the post-modern world and in incredibly entertaining chronicle of his adventures (and misadventures) as he attempted to research the subject. I couldn't put it down.

This book is a personalized account of the author's research into government sponsored eavesdropping over the last 50 years, with an emphasis on the Echelon project run by the USA, UK, and several other allies such as Canada, Australia, etc... The sources for this book includes other books on the subject, and primary sources such as government documents, interviews with current and ex-government officials, leaks to the press, etc...

As described by the author, the Echelon project is a top-secret intelligence program composed of satellites, fiber optic cables, eavesdropping equipment, numerous supercomputers and data mining software. The supposed purpose of Echelon is to continuously scan the airwaves, phone lines, and cable lines to look for threats to the security of the nations involved, whether they be real or perceived. That means every time you talk on a cell phone or email someone, some computer in a government lab somewhere is keeping track of your conversation.

The author goes into the history of Echelon, describing those who created it, both individuals and organizations, and shows how different nations take part in it. The book also provides examples of how this system is sometimes abused, such as the government of one country obtaining information thru Echelon, and passing it to corporations based in that country to help them secure deals, contracts, and bids when competing against the corporations of other countries.

The focus of the book is one the politics, ethics, and history behind Echelon. There is very little on the science and technology. There is also minimal discussion on the laws and legal framework governing such organizations, though this might be due to the lack of laws and a legal framework. In all, this is a good book to read, especially if you are a fan of X-files, James Bond, and other government conspiracy kind of stuff.

"Chatter" is the exactly the type of book that one would expect from a recent college grad/law schhol student who has little or no practical experience with the subject he is writing about. It is superficial and, despite occasional disclaimers to the contrary, primarily plays to the paranoia of the uninformed in order to create a product that will scare and sell. Keefe ignored the first rule of authorship: If you don't know what you are writing about, don't put pen to paper.

To be fair, I admit that the book is well enough written so that I persevered to the end hoping against hope that I would learn some concrete information. Unfortunately, the book contains almost no useful information. It is hard to believe that Keefe spent six months researching and writing it, much less the reported five years worth of effort. The hard information discussed in the book could have been gleaned from a couple of Google searches. Keefe is guilty of lazy, sloppy research, using the alleged veil of governmental secrecy to excuse the dearth of factual information in his book.

Keefe appears to be totally ignorant about the existence of professional unclassified publications that discuss HUMINT, SIGINT, COMINT, satellite imagery, all aspects of the intelligence community, etc. in an academic, calm manner. One such publication is "Intelligence and National Security." The Air Univerity, the Naval War College, and the Army War College all have professional journals that discuss matters covered in Keefe's book. Even the "Naval Institute Proceedings" can be a useful research tool.

I worked in miliary intelligence for many years as a generalist. Yes, I saw radio intercepts of radio traffic from Russian trawlers that made me wonder what the collectors thought was useful about the information. Yes, the intelligence community would greatly benefit from having much more emphasis placed on in depth, thoughtful analysis of foreign countries and the regimes that control them. Perhaps a little too much emphasis is placed on trying to collect current, fast breaking intelligence. But, you know what, you need to have the collection capability in place in case something bad happens. You can't create the collection capability from scratch in an emergency.

And, despite what Keefe says about our intelligence failures - and there are many - being able to analayze - ex post facto - the traffic that preceded a surprise attack or whatever does lead to useful, actionable intelligence. To forego that ability on the grounds that the collection systems did not provide timely advance warning would be foolish in the extreme.

I am not worried about the government spying on my communications. The people who work in intelligence are normal people. They mean me no harm and have no interest in me. Despite what the paranoids think, there is no big brother in government who will take the slightest interest in what I say or do. On the other hand, there are many people in business who are actively trying to violate ny privacy by trying to capture every piece of information about what I buy, the people I call, the books I buy, the Web sites I visit, etc. Keefe would do us a big service in writing about this topic. This is a real threat to our privacy. Of course, that might mean that he would have to do actual research and spend long hours trying to understand and explain the technologies, the algorithims, etc.

Don't waste your time with this book. It's a simplistic discussion of a complex topic. The book is aimed to be marketed to alarmist paranoids.

This book is a must-read for any informed citizen. I had no idea this was happening. Additionally, it's a very entertaining read. It reads like the Da Vinci Code!

There's probably no one better than Keefe in unraveling the secrets one of our most misunderstood and yet most important government agencies. The NSA has been around for over fifty years, yet it was unknown before the recent domestic spying incident. Over a year before Bush's authorization of illegal wiretaps was revealed, Keefe warned us of the potential of such an organization. If you want to know about an government agency that can read every one of your emails and listen in one every one your phone conversations (if you think that it needs a court order, think again) then this book is for you.

I don't normally read books like this, although I will admit to having skimmed through James Bamford's first couple of books about the NSA. Keefe does not profess to be any kind of expert on the intelligence business, although I suspect that, based on this book, he may now be recognized as someone who is certainly better versed on the subject than the average American citizen. What CHATTER does demonstrate is an inquring mind, solid scholarship and research skills, and an uncanny ability to cut to the heart of the matter when it comes to trying to find out exactly what the USA's NSA and Great Britain's GCHQ and their "third party" partners have been up to for the past few decades. Is it legal? Is it ethical? How effective have the partnerships been? These are all questions Keefe examines carefully. The National Security Agency gets a close look here, as it should. I'm not sure much new has been added here, considering all that Bamford has put into print in the past few decades. But the US-UK alliance and the existence (or not) of "Echelon" gets some interesting new looks here. And Keefe makes it a point to mention more than once the words of former NSA Director, Michael Hayden, who, while testifying before congressional hearings, noted that perhaps the congressmen should find out what their constituency wants the most, national security or personal privacy.

Keefe agrees there should be a debate on this matter, but in the end he admits -
"On the tricky issue of line drawing, this book is designed not to be the last word but the first. I'm still not certain I know where that line between security and liberty should be. Do you?"

A good question, certainly. And I'm sure CHATTER will not be the last word on this subject. - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA