Book review: Permanent Record by Ed Snowden

Title: Permanent Record

Author: Edward Snowden

ISBN: 978-1-250-23723-1

GH rating: 90%

Summary

Until I read this book, I considered my personal integrity a fundamental strength, core to my very being. It pales in comparison to Ed's extreme courage and intense determination to expose the shocking truth about the NSA's mass surveillance programme and the way it was concealed from Congress.

The step-by-step account of his revelations may be tedious to some, but his methodical approach and clear determination shines through from start to finish. It rings true, all the way down to the issues he had arranging to hand over the evidence to a small select group of journalists in Hong Kong.

Pros

It's a page-turner, a gripping tale, well told and yet scarier than the most graphic horror flick due to the gravity and sheer scale of it.

There's a fair amount of autobiographical content as Ed explains the broader context - his home life, family and professional background at length. Having never been a spook, I was interested to learn about the recruitment and contracting processes, the access SysAdmins get (and the extraordinary level of trust placed in them, despite all the secrecy) and the associated security risks.

Whether you feel Ed is a whitstleblowing hero or a traitor, the book is a lucid account direct from the main protagonist. Read it to understand what he did and why, perhaps to design and implement better controls.

Cons

Now, just a few years after its publication in 2019, Ed's comments about the biggest players in the tech world embracing encryption are starting to ring hollow, while the rapid ascendance of AI overshadows even the most insidious governmental and commercial interests. In short, the technological content has dated rapidly since the big reveal in 2013.

Value

Excellent value as a primer in the security services and cybersecurity, a lucid account of the realities and challenges of sky-high-stakes whistleblowing, and a good read to boot.