Dark Wire

“A jaw-dropping page turner that truly terrified me. The story of how the FBI subverted an encrypted messaging program should send chills down the spine of anyone who cares about privacy and a free society.”–Julia Angwin, contributing writer at the New York Times and author of the bestselling book Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance“Even though Anom didn’t triumph over crime, Dark Wire is a triumph.”–Medium“Joseph Cox has written an instant true-crime classic, the inside–very inside it turns out–story of the largest global crime sting in history, a fascinating portrait not just of the frontiers of technology but also how organized crime operates in the 21st century. Filled with stranger-than-fiction gangsters and smugglers, this book is part-Miami Vice, part-Sneakers, and part-Ocean’s Eleven. Your eyebrows will be raised in amazement page after page.”–Garrett Graff, director of the Cybersecurity Program at The Aspen Institute, bestselling author of Watergate: A New History“This extraordinary story highlights the devious lengths to which law enforcement agencies will go to ensnare criminals. But it also raises the question: did they go to far?”–Financial Times“One of the best true crime thrillers I’ve read in years. With its tremendously flawed and persistent characters and crazy plot, it felt instantly like a television show while also illuminating the way the shadowy underworld uses encrypted and special phones.”–Bradley Hope, co-author of Billion Dollar Whale and Blood and Oil”[Cox] swings back and forth between the activities of the white hats and the black hats in the manner of a good crime thriller.“–Wall Street Journal“A tense, deep, beautifully told tale that could be a top-notch technothriller… except it’s all true.”–Cory Doctorow, author of The Bezzle and The Internet Con“A vivid account of the largest law-enforcement sting operation ever.”–Economist“Cox has pulled off a breathtaking feat of reporting. He brings readers into the very rooms where the criminal underworld’s most audacious conspiracies are planned and executed–and into the rooms where the cops are watching it all. His book is true to its namesake, The Wire, but more real, more raw, and played out at a staggeringly global scale.”–Andy Greenberg, WIRED senior writer and author of Tracers in the Dark and SandwormAn Economist and Financial Times Best Book of 2024

Joseph Cox is an award-winning investigative journalist and has been the world’s leading reporter on Anom, writing exclusive stories on it for Vice Media’s Motherboard. He is a cofounder of 404 Media, a digital media company devoted to revealing hidden stories.