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Hacks, Leaks, and Revelations
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Unlock the internet’s treasure trove of public interest data with Hacks, Leaks, and Revelations by Micah Lee, an investigative reporter and security engineer. This hands-on guide blends real-world techniques for researching large datasets with lessons on coding, data authentication, and digital security. All of this is spiced up with gripping stories from the front lines of investigative journalism.
Dive into exposed datasets from a wide array of sources: the FBI, the DHS, police intelligence agencies, extremist groups like the Oath Keepers, and even a Russian ransomware gang. Lee’s own in-depth case studies on disinformation-peddling pandemic profiteers and neo-Nazi chatrooms serve as blueprints for your research.
Gain practical skills in searching massive troves of data for keywords like “antifa” and pinpointing documents with newsworthy revelations. Get a crash course in Python to automate the analysis of millions of files.
You will also learn how to:
- Master encrypted messaging to safely communicate with whistleblowers.
- Secure datasets over encrypted channels using Signal, Tor Browser, OnionShare, and SecureDrop.
- Harvest data from the BlueLeaks collection of internal memos, financial records, and more from over 200 state, local, and federal agencies.
- Probe leaked email archives about offshore detention centers and the Heritage Foundation.
- Analyze metadata from videos of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, sourced from the Parler social network.
We live in an age where hacking and whistleblowing can unearth secrets that alter history. Hacks, Leaks, and Revelations is your toolkit for uncovering new stories and hidden truths. Crack open your laptop, plug in a hard drive, and get ready to change history.
Micah Lee is a renowned investigative journalist and computer security engineer celebrated for securing Edward Snowden’s NSA leak. He is the director of information security at The Intercept and an advisor to the transparency collective Distributed Denial of Secrets. A former EFF staff technologist and Freedom of the Press Foundation co-founder, Lee is also a Tor Project contributor and the developer of open source security tools like OnionShare and Dangerzone.
Introduction
Part I: Sources and Datasets
Chapter 1: Protecting Sources and Yourself
Chapter 2: Acquiring Datasets
Part II: Tools of the Trade
Chapter 3: The Command Line Interface
Chapter 4: Exploring Datasets in the Terminal
Chapter 5: Docker, Aleph, and Making Datasets Searchable
Chapter 6: Reading Other People’s Email
Part III: Python Programming
Chapter 7: An Introduction to Python
Chapter 8: Working with Data in Python
Part IV: Structured Data
Chapter 9: BlueLeaks, Black Lives Matter, and the CSV File Format
Chapter 10: BlueLeaks Explorer
Chapter 11: Parler, the January 6 Insurrection, and the JSON File Format
Chapter 12: Epik Fail, Extremism Research, and SQL Databases
Part V: Case Studies
Chapter 13: Pandemic Profiteers and COVID-19 Disinformation
Chapter 14: Neo-Nazis and Their Chat Rooms
Afterword
Appendix A: Solutions to Common WSL Problems
Appendix B: Scraping the Web
Index
View the Copyright page
View the detailed Table of Contents
View the Index
—Julien Voisin, Artificial Truth
—Midwest Book Review