Review: Andy Greenberg’s This
Machine Kills Secrets
reactions, mass panic, or confusion. The more hidden the
information, the more valuable it seems to be.
And we need anonymity and secrecy. Without it bank
accounts would be open for the plundering, voters would be
By Scott Albright
unable to make honest selections at the ballot box, and
Before picking up Andy Greenberg’s This nuclear codes could be hacked by anyone with a cell phone.
Machine Kills Secrets, I was reading a book about the I don’t think the cypherpunks and crypto anarchists will have
Rothschilds, which really captured my attention when I an easy time convincing the world their goals are ultimately
came to the part about the control of financial beneficial to society at large though. There is some moral
information by Rothschild employed mail couriers in early reasoning behind providing an outlet for whistleblowers to
20th century Europe. But when I found Greenberg’s book release information while keeping their identity hidden, but
the Rothschilds suddenly became very uninteresting. Greenberg’s book tells me many of the hacktivists out there
Here was a book about modern day cyber villains aren’t trying to create a secure witness protection program.
working to take information control out of the hands of Instead, it seems, they’re trying to expose the world’s secrets
people like the Rothschilds. Fascinated, I put down the without considering the true ramifications of their actions.
They will never know if their actions have done more good
history book and read Greenberg’s instead.
than bad because we can’t undo history, but my fear is that
Upon finishing the book my first
now people will become more suspect if they try
thoughts were that they were all stupid - the
to be anonymous than if they volunteer their
hackers, the cyber security experts, the
information to government and corporate entities.
government agents - all of them. What a
Wasn’t one of the reasons bin Laden supposedly
waste of resources trying to find the most
found because the house he was at didn’t have
efficient way to be anonymous. I mean, I can
the internet, while all the others around him did?
understand how the U.S. government could
Tor, as many of the hacktivists from
use DARPA created anonymous tools like Tor
Greenberg’s
book will say, is not secure. I believe
to hide the identities of secret agents and
cyber
criminals
using Tor will be caught because
foreign dissidents. I get how Julian Assange
there
are
people
out there specifically looking for
wanted to keep the identity of whistleblowers
crooks
trying
to
stay
hidden. \