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Chasing shadows : cyber espionage, subversion, and the global fight for democracy / by Deibert, Ronald,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In this real-life espionage thriller, cyber security expert Ronald Deibert uncovers the unseemly marketplace for high-tech surveillance, professional disinformation, and computerized malfeasance and reveals how his team of digital sleuths at the Citizen Lab have lifted the lid on dozens of spy cases targeting innocent citizens around the world. He recounts how the Lab exposed the world's pre-eminent cyber-mercenary firm, Israel-based NSO Group -- the creators of the phone-hacking marvel Pegasus -- in a series of human rights abuses, from domestic spying scandals in Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Greece to its implication in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Today, NSO Group, once valued at over a billion dollars, faces plummeting worth and an irretrievably tarnished reputation. Chasing Shadows provides a front-row seat to a dark underworld of digital espionage, sabotage, and subversion where autocrats and dictators peer into their targets' lives with the mere press of a button, spreading their tentacles of authoritarianism through a digital ecosystem that is insecure, invasive by design, poorly regulated, and prone to abuse. The brave activists, opposition figures, and journalists who dare to advocate for basic political rights and freedoms are hounded, arrested, tortured, and sometimes murdered. From the gritty streets of Guatemala City to the corridors of power in the White House, this compelling narrative traces the journey of the Citizen Lab, a pioneering digital watchdog, as it evolved into a globally renowned source of counter-intelligence for civil society and whose exploits are routinely covered in the world's media. But as this small team of sleuths disarmed cyber mercenaries and helped to improve the digital security of billions of people worldwide, their success came with a price. The Citizen Lab's dogged investigations ultimately brought them, too, into the same sinister crosshairs that plagued the victims they worked to protect. Like a John Le Carré novel brought to life and updated for the digital age, this book is a powerful tale of high-stakes espionage, transnational intrigue, and the inevitable toll exacted when one dares to defy oligarchs and dictators. You'll never look at your smartphone the same way again"--
Subjects: Munk Centre for International Studies. Citizen Lab.; Computer crimes.; Computer security.; Disinformation.; Electronic surveillance.; Espionage.; Intelligence service.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Outrage machine : how tech amplifies discontent, disrupts democracy--and what we can do about it / by Rose-Stockwell, Tobias,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Over the last two decades, there has been an inescapable rise of anger and aggression across our planet. Hate speech has become increasingly prevalent online, Western governments are turning towards authoritarianism and populism, and extremist groups are rising across both the left and the right ends of the political spectrum. Every day, it seems, we're hearing more angry voices and fearful opinions, we're seeing more threats and frightening news, and we're reacting faster and less rationally. The cause is hidden in plain sight: for the first time, almost all of the information we consume as a species is being controlled and curated by algorithms designed to capture our emotional attention. This, media researcher and strategic advisor Tobias Rose-Stockwell argues, is the outrage machine. It is the wide-cast net of social media that is propelled by tech, has been exploited by all of us, and which has been allowed to steadily replace our newspapers, emergency communication systems, town halls, churches, and more. In the vein of The Righteous Mind and Factfulness, Outrage Machine is a big-think book that explores the unintended consequences of this alarming shift in today's smartphone era--and shows us how to navigate the world we now live in. First, he explains how and why we've become addicted to not just technology, but outrage itself. Since social media algorithms now favor the most inflammatory content because it gets the highest engagement, the levels of righteousness, certainty, and extreme judgment in our daily interactions have increased as well. Next, he shows us why we're more prone to panic, and how the immediate dispersion of our panic can be more dangerous than the threat itself-and can bypass necessary confirmation of the accuracy and potential harm of this information. Rose-Stockwell also explores how the original intent of many of our social tools has been compromised, from improving click-through rates for charitable causes to catalyzing our current culture of click-baiting and sensationalism on an unparalleled scale. Fortunately, Outrage Machine is not just a warning--it's also a critical guide that clearly explains the underlying machinery that has come to control us, and a compass to help guide people toward reflection rather than reaction. The culmination of 15 years of research and inquiry, this book gives readers a language with which to comprehend what is happening to society, and offers new mental models for how to manage our time, our technology, and our attention. It also offers big-picture recommendations for how to redesign these platforms, as well as methods for fixing this broken system before it "fixes" us"--
Subjects: Democracy.; Information society.; Social media; Social media.; Hate;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Putin's witesses [videorecording] / by Mansky, Vitaly,film distributor.; Icarus Films Home Video,film distributor.;
The documentary serves as a fascinating look at Putin in the earliest days of his presidency, when the seeds of his authoritarianism were already being sown. It also raises difficult questions about the role of Mansky himself. As a filmmaker who witnessed and, in some cases, shaped these events, is he in some way complicit?E.DVD.
Subjects: Biographical films.; Documentary films.; Foreign films.; Historical films.; Motion pictures, Russian.; Video recordings for the hearing impaired.; Putin, Vladimir Vladimirovich, 1952-; Authoritarianism; Presidents;
For private home use only.
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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