Z311: Spy Tech for Non-technical Spies
Learning Outcomes
Required Books
Susan Landau. Surveillance or Security: The Risks Posed by New Wiretapping Technologies. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-262-51874-1 We will use the library’s electronic resource.
Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan. The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries. New York: Public Affairs, 2015 ISBN: 978-1-61039-573-1 Available as a Kindle Book.
Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton. Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda. London: Plume, 2009 ISBN: 978-0-452-29547-6 Available as a Kindle Book.
Assignments
Date |
Points |
Assignments |
No More Than |
Feb 1 |
10 |
Select a surveillance gadget: 1) On what platforms can the gadget be mounted? 2) Describe how the device is used. 3) Briefly describe the science behind the gadget in everyday terms, including information about E-M spectrum (if appropriate), etc. 4) What problems do you see in the use of the gadget? |
1000 Word Paper |
Due by Feb 17 |
10 |
Select another surveillance gadget—this one must be approved by the instructor so there are no duplicate gadgets: 1) On what platforms can the gadget be mounted? 2) Describe how the device is used. 3) Briefly describe the science behind the gadget in everyday terms, including information about E-M spectrum (if appropriate), etc. 4) What problems do you see in the use of the gadget? |
5 to 10 Minute Presentation |
Mar 2 |
10 |
Select a spy gadget that is not used for surveillance: 1) On what platforms can the gadget be mounted? 2) Describe how the device is used. 3) Briefly describe the science behind the gadget in everyday terms, including information about E-M spectrum (if appropriate), etc. 4) What problems do you see in the use of the gadget? |
1000 Word Paper |
Due by Mar 28 |
10 |
Select a spy gadget that is not used for surveillance—this one must be approved by the instructor so there are no duplicate gadgets: 1) On what platforms can the gadget be mounted? 2) Describe how the device is used. 3) Briefly describe the science behind the gadget in everyday terms, including information about E-M spectrum (if appropriate), etc. 4) What problems do you see in the use of the gadget? |
5 to 10 Minute Presentation |
Apr 13 |
15 |
a) What is the trade-off the U.S. government makes when surveilling its citizens? b) What is the trade-off U.S. citizens make when they approve surveillance by their own government? c) You must cite at least three laws. The laws can be state or federal. You can make comparisons among jurisdictions. |
1000 Word Paper |
May 2 |
15 |
Select one of the INTS we studied: MASINT, ELINT, SIGINT, TechINT, IMINT, GEOINT. 1) Describe the INT using your own words. 2) Describe how the INT is used for surveillance (how it helps us extend our ability to observe). 3) Provide some science background. 4) What are some technical limitations? 5) What are some legal limitations? |
|
|
15 |
Attendance: be there or have a doctor’s excuse |
|
|
15 |
Participation: contribute to class discussion or obtain a waiver from IU Disability Services for Students. Participation requires not only involvement in class discussion, but also doing the readings. |
|
|
100 |
Total points |
|
Schedule of Readings
Date |
Subject |
Required Readings |
Jan 11 |
Introduction |
Introduction to the class |
Jan 13 |
Platforms & Networks |
Chip Downing. “The Internet of Things for the Intelligence Community.” Military Embedded Systems, 23 July 2015 |
Jan 18 |
Martin Luther King Holiday |
No Readings |
Jan 20 |
RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR & ELINT |
David Walsh. “Laser-based mapping tech a boost for troops in Afghanistan.” Government Computer News. 27 July 2011 Videos: “Scientists "See" Ocean Floor via Sonar.” National Geographic 26 April 2011 5 minutes “How does RADAR work?” James May Q&A, Head Squeeze. 29 November 2013 5 minutes |
Jan 25 |
Infrared, Polarized Light & IMINT |
Raytec White-Paper. “Lighting Theory” Bernard Gwertzman. “U.S. Says 'Spy Dust' Used by The Russians Is No Health Hazard.” New York Times. 15 February 1986 David Salisbury. “First circularly polarized light detector on a silicon chip.” Research News@Vanderbilt. 22 September 2015 |
Jan 27 |
GEOINT |
“How Does Sat Nav Work” James May's Q&A, Headsqueeze. 27 September 2013 5 minutes |
Feb 1 |
TechINT |
Robert M. Clark. “Scientific and Technical Intelligence Analysis.” Center for the Study of Intelligence, Studies Archive Indexes 19, No. 1 (2 July 1996) |
Feb 3 |
At the Beginning |
Wallace and Melton, Section 1 |
Feb 8 |
Playing Catch-up |
Wallace and Melton, “The Penkovsky Era” and “Beyond Penkovsky” |
Feb 10 |
Playing Catch-up |
Wallace and Melton, “Bring in the Engineers” and “Building Better Gadgets” |
Feb 15 |
In the Passing Lane |
Wallace and Melton, “Moving Through the Gap,” “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword (and Shield)” and “Fire in the Arctic” |
Feb 17 |
In the Passing Lane |
Wallace and Melton, “A Dissident at Heart” and “An Operation called CKTAW” |
Feb 22 |
Let the Walls Have Ears |
Wallace and Melton, “Cold Beer, Cheap Hotels, and a Voltmeter” and “Progress in a New Era” |
Feb 24 |
Let the Walls Have Ears |
Wallace and Melton, “The Age of Bond Arrives” and Genius is Where you Find It” |
Feb 29 |
Prison, Bullet, Passport, Bomb |
Wallace and Melton, “Conspicuous Fortitude, Exemplary Courage in a Cuban Jail” and “War by Any Other Name” |
Mar 2 |
Prison, Bullet, Passport, Bomb |
Wallace and Melton, “Con Men, Fabricators, and Forgers” and “Tracking Terrorist Snakes” |
Mar 7 |
Communication Networks |
Landau, Chapters 1 & 2 |
Mar 9 |
Securing the Internet Is Difficult |
Landau, Chapter 3 |
Mar 14 |
Spring Break |
No assignments or readings |
Mar 16 |
Spring Break |
No assignments or readings |
Mar 21 |
Wiretaps and the Law |
Landau, Chapter 4 |
Mar 23 |
The Effectiveness of Wiretapping |
Landau, Chapter 5 |
Mar 28 |
Evolving Communications Technologies |
Landau, Chapter 6 |
Mar 30 |
Who are the Intruders? |
Landau, Chapter 7 |
Apr 4 |
Security Risks Arising from Wiretapping Technology |
Landau, Chapter 8 |
Apr 6 |
Policy Risks Arising from Wiretapping |
Landau, Chapter 9 |
Apr 11 |
Russia Listens to Its Citizens |
Soldatov and Borogan, Chapters 1 through 3 |
Apr 13 |
Russia Listens to Its Citizens |
Soldatov and Borogan, Chapters 4 through 6 |
Apr 18 |
Russia Listens to Its Citizens |
Soldatov and Borogan, Chapters 7 through 9 |
Apr 20 |
Russia Listens to Its Citizens |
Soldatov and Borogan, Chapters 10 through 12 |
Apr 25 |
Russia Listens to Its Citizens |
Soldatov and Borogan, Chapters 13 through Epilogue |
Apr 27 |
Animal Spies |
J. K. Petersen. “Chapter 14 – Animals,” Understanding Surveillance Technologies: Spy Devices, Privacy, History, & Applications, Second Edition. Boca Raton: Auerbach Publications, 2007 Library has electronic version of book |
May 2-6 |
FINALS WEEK |
No final exam |