The Russian Spy in My Econ Class
Earlier this summer, the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) said it had intercepted a Russian military intelligence officer who was posing as Viktor (sometimes Victor) Muller Ferreira, a…
The Birth of Spy Tech: From the ‘Detectifone’ to a Bugged Martini
Eavesdropping technologies of various sorts have been around for centuries. Prior to the invention of recorded sound, the vast majority of listening devices were extensions of the built environment. Perhaps…
The US Fixation on Chinese Espionage Is Bad for Science
Had I been born a decade later, would I still have aspired to come to the United States to be a scientist? Over the past few years, I’ve asked myself…
American Spy Agencies Are Struggling in the Age of Data
This story is adapted from Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence, by Amy B. Zegart. We’ve seen technological advances before. But never have we seen…
Private Espionage Is Booming. The US Needs a Spy Registry
Years ago, while stationed in Moscow as the bureau chief for a major news magazine, I was approached by a representative of a multinational company and presented with a tantalizing…