Exploring Echelon Surveillance and Global Eavesdropping Operations

Curious about how authorities conduct eavesdropping? Who are their targets for snooping? And can intercepting communication effectively prevent future attacks? These are key questions explored in Patrick Radden Keefe's latest book, "Chatter." Dive into the world of intelligence gathering and security with Keefe's insightful exploration.

Back in the late 1990s, while studying in England, Keefe uncovered stories about a global eavesdropping network known as Echelon, spearheaded by the US. This system enabled America and its partners to monitor private phone conversations and emails of individuals and governments worldwide. Inspired by the intrigue of Echelon, Keefe delves into the world of communications interception, weaving together a tapestry of history, investigative journalism, and captivating anecdotes. The outcome is a daring and unique book that reads like a detective story, travelogue, and an exploration of paranoia and secrecy in the digital age.

The chatter begins at Menwith Hill, a secretive eavesdropping station shrouded in mysterious, gigantic golf balls amidst England's Yorkshire moors. The narrative swiftly transitions to another American spy station concealed in the Australian outback, from intelligence hubs in Washington to the European Parliament in Brussels, and from an abandoned National Security Agency base in the mountains of North Carolina to the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.

As Keefe chases down the reality of up to date surveillance by intelligence companies, he reveals reams of little-known data and introduces us to a rogue’s gallery of unforgettable characters. We meet a former British eavesdropper who now listens in on the US Air Drive for sport; an intelligence translator who risked jail to disclose an American operation to spy on the United Nations Safety Council; a former member of the Senate committee on intelligence who says that oversight is so unhealthy, loads of senators solely sit on the committee for the journey. 

Provocative, usually humorous, and alarming with out being alarmist, Chatter is a journey by a weird and shadowy world with huge implications for our safety in addition to our privateness. It’s also the debut of a serious new voice in nonfiction.