The NSA
A irreverent exposé of the NSA's evolution from secret agency to digital surveillance behemoth, culminating in Edward Snowden's explosive 2013 leaks.
American PoliticsCivil Rights & Social JusticeConspiracy & Cover-upsDigital Culture & TechnologyEspionage & Intelligence
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Chapters
14 total- 01Prologue
- 02Chapter One - Born Bugged
- 03Chapter Two - Eavesdropping Goes Global
- 04Chapter Three - The Math Nerds Take Over
- 05Chapter Four - Oops, We Invented the Internet
- 06Chapter Five - 9/11: The Panic Button
- 07Chapter Six - Total Information OVERkill
- 08Chapter Seven - Big Tech Bends the Knee
- 09Chapter Eight - Oops, Ed Leaked It
- 10Chapter Nine - The Domestic Listening Party
- 11Chapter Ten - Predictive Policing and Other Sci‑Fi Nightmares
- 12Chapter Eleven - The Quantum Panic Room
- 13Chapter Twelve - Who’s Supposed to Stop This?
- 14Chapter Thirteen - Silence Wins
Edition notes and short pages
The NSA
The NSA
The World’s Most Powerful Perverts
by James Johnson
Dedication
For everyone who ever said,
“Well, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
You do now.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SHOUTOUT TO THE brave whistleblowers, cynical sysadmins, leaky contractors, and bored nerds who made this book possible.
Also thanks to the NSA for providing endless material, zero accountability, and more acronyms than a Denny’s breakfast menu.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JJ IS A writer, researcher, and serial explainer of things no one asked to have explained. His books cover everything from global power systems to cultural chaos — with the occasional detour into bureaucratic absurdity and surveillance-state nonsense.
You can find more of his work and free books at jjarchives.com
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 JAMES JOHNSON. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without permission, unless you’re running a mass surveillance dragnet — in which case, I assume you’ve already copied the whole thing.
This is a work of nonfiction based on real programs, documents, and disclosures involving the National Security Agency of the United States. While names and events are presented accurately to the best of the author’s ability, certain descriptions and interpretations are presented with deliberate tone, sarcasm, and humor.
If you work for the NSA and are currently reading this:
Yes, I know you are.
No, I won’t stop.