Kenn Thomas: The Octopus, Kartoniert / Broschiert

Klappentext

Assassinations. Surveillance. Software that watches back. The Octopus is real---and it never stopped growing.

The Octopus: A Transnational Tale of Espionage and the Murder of Danny Casolaro is the explosive investigation into the mysterious death of journalist Danny Casolaro , who was found in a West Virginia hotel room in 1991 with his wrists slashed and his notes missing. Casolaro had warned his family: If anything happens to me, it's not an accident. He was chasing what he called "The Octopus "---a covert network of intelligence agents, arms dealers, financial criminals, and government operatives linked by one central thread: the stolen PROMIS software.

Originally developed by the Washington, D. C.--based company Inslaw, PROMIS (Prosecutor's Management Information System) was a revolutionary surveillance program. But after its illicit modification---allegedly by U. S. intelligence and private contractors---it became a tool for monitoring not just criminals, but banks, journalists, dissidents, and foreign governments. With a backdoor inserted into its code, PROMIS was sold globally, giving unprecedented spying power to a hidden transnational elite.

This updated edition of The Octopus by Kenn Thomas (with original research by the late Jim Keith ) includes newly uncovered links between PROMIS, NSA surveillance infrastructure, the rise of biometric databases, and post-9 / 11 domestic spying programs. Casolaro's web of connections---once labeled conspiracy theory---now reads like a blueprint for the modern surveillance state. Readers will trace the tentacles from Iran-Contra , October Surprise , and CIA front companies , to 9 / 11 , financial black ops , and the evolving architecture of predictive policing and AI-driven intelligence systems.

For fans of The Men Who Stare at Goats , Poisoner in Chief , and Permanent Record , The Octopus is not just a conspiracy book---it's the origin story of our algorithmic dystopia.