Of activist spies, leaks and red-faced governments

By OYUNGA PALA

I grew in the cold war era, when spy thrillers were the popular read. Men in black suits hide in the shadows, snooping on the enemy and engaging in such sophisticated and daring espionage missions. I wanted to be a spy.

This was the era of the mythical Carlos the Jackal, the captivating Jason Bourne and the iconic Bond, James Bond — the epitome of cool.  National military power was defined by the effectiveness of the intelligence agency. The KGB, CIA, M1-6, Mossad were revered entities. Secret agents become hero figures in popular fiction, operating behind enemy lines, putting their lives on the line so that innocent citizens could sleep well at night.

The fascination quickly turned to fear when I got to hear of the enthusiasm of the shadowy operatives working for the locally based Special Branch. Those were the days when reading subversive literature, notably anything by Karl Marx, could get one hauled into a water logged dungeon to ‘assist with investigations’.

Geek

So imagine my surprise when ex-CIA employee Edward Snowden lifted the lid on US intelligence operations. I watched the breaking news clip of his interview on CNN and thought, “there is nothing special–ops about this guy”. He looked like your regular geek, lodged in the backroom of some IT company. 

I guess in the 21st century, spying is not the glamorous profession it used to be and Snowden probably got bored out of his mind listening in to mundane phone conversations. The world top intelligence agency CIA is intent to listen to every conversation on the planet. Kenya is way up in the radar and it’s strange it hardly feels intrusive.

Since the dramatic acceleration of intelligence collection after the events of 9/11, constant surveillance has become a way of life. The technological innovations of the day have made intelligence gathering a walk in the park. All you need is a geek behind a computer screen, shifting through acres of data.

Mobile phones have built in tracking devices to allow suspicious wives to keep a tab on errant hubbies. Employers just have to log into Facebook to find out what makes you tick. Public places are clogged with cameras. Every time one goes online, they leave such a visible digital trail of personal information that it would only take a few clicks to discover what brand of condoms one prefers.

We willingly share huge junk of our intimate data because in a digital reality, privacy is overrated.  Thrust a camera, a computer screen or cell phone in one’s face and people won’t give a second thought about spewing out an unsolicited confession. We allow intrusion in our private lives in exchange for a feeling of belonging, safety and security.

It must explain why spies are coming out of their basement cubicles to whine about their boring missions. In this glass kingdom, everything is transparent. Our private lives are laid chronologically in a search engine for public scrutiny.

As the joke goes, a couple went out for a drink in a cosy lounge. The man talked endlessly about some recent changes in his life. The lady just listened patiently. After about 20 minutes of the one sided conversation, the man stopped and asked, “You are awfully quiet, is everything alright?” 

The silent partner said, “Sorry, I can’t share any updates, I forgot my phone at home.”