First published 2014
Glenn Greenwald examines the NSA surveillance programs that sparked a national security debate. The Guardian journalist who first reported the story presents his investigation into government spying operations. Greenwald draws from classified documents that Edward Snowden provided to expose the scope of digital surveillance. The book reveals how private companies worked with intelligence agencies to monitor communications. Greenwald argues that these programs violated civil liberties and constitutional protections. He traces the political and legal frameworks that enabled mass data collection. The account shows how journalists navigated government pressure while publishing sensitive revelations. Readers gain insight into modern surveillance capabilities and the tension between security measures and privacy rights.
Genres: political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, activism, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: government-corruption, whistleblower
Setting: United States
Period: 21st-century
260 pages · Hardcover · Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt (NY)