Dark Wire

While returning Surveillance Valley by Yasha Levine to my local library, this book was recommended to me. Now, I’m not particularly interested in the true-crime genre. I also tend to enjoy older books. However, I found this 2024 gem to be highly informative and thought-provoking, despite being a little bit dry.

Dark Wire by Joseph Cox is a detailed account of Operation Trojan Shield, the largest sting operation in human history. The FBI, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), and a host of other alphabet-soup agencies across Europe collaborated and shared intelligence on transnational crime organizations. How did they obtain this information? For two years, the FBI secretly ran an encrypted cell-phone company called Anom, marketed exclusively to criminals. The phones were advertised as secure, but in reality, every message was copied directly to FBI servers.

The story begins with the arrest of the owner of Phantom Secure, a popular encrypted phone provider. Shortly afterward, a plan is hatched to encourage criminal organizations to migrate to Anom. High-profile figures — including a Swedish meth kingpin — unintentionally became advertisements for the service. When a rival encrypted phone company was shut down, even more users flocked to Anom. Eventually, the operation culminated in a massive coordinated takedown, with more than 800 arrests happening simultaneously around the world.

As climactic as the drug busts are, the book closes on a murkier note. Can the FBI and Europol successfully use this trove of information in court? If criminals migrate to platforms like Signal, Element, or other mainstream encrypted messaging apps, are authorities willing to compromise the privacy of ordinary citizens as well? And perhaps most importantly, was the operation effective in deterring the drug trade long-term? The FBI may have shaken trust in encrypted communications, but drugs continue to cross borders, and criminals inevitably search for new workarounds.

I thought the subject matter was fascinating. While crime stories aren’t usually my preference, I enjoy learning about the history of telecommunications and computing, which made this book particularly engaging. The major drawback, however, was the writing style. It often felt monotonous and textbook-like. Compared to Surveillance Valley, it lacked narrative energy. Keeping track of the many names and players sometimes felt like a chore.

Overall, I give this book a 6.5 out of 10. The story itself is compelling, but the writing nearly put me to sleep.