{"product_id":"the-octopus-a-transnational-tale-of-espionage-and-the-murder-of-danny-casolaro-9781627311786","title":"The Octopus: A Transnational Tale of Espionage and the Murder of Danny Casolaro","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAssassinations. Surveillance. Software that watches back. The Octopus is real--and it never stopped growing.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Octopus: A Transnational Tale of Espionage and the Murder of Danny Casolaro\u003c\/em\u003e is the explosive investigation into the mysterious death of journalist \u003cstrong\u003eDanny Casolaro\u003c\/strong\u003e, who was found in a West Virginia hotel room in 1991 with his wrists slashed and his notes missing. Casolaro had warned his family: \u003cem\u003eIf anything happens to me, it's not an accident.\u003c\/em\u003e He was chasing what he called \"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Octopus\u003c\/strong\u003e\"--a covert network of intelligence agents, arms dealers, financial criminals, and government operatives linked by one central thread: the stolen \u003cstrong\u003ePROMIS software\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally developed by the Washington, D.C.-based company Inslaw, PROMIS (Prosecutor's Management Information System) was a revolutionary surveillance program. But after its illicit modification--allegedly by U.S. intelligence and private contractors--it became a tool for monitoring not just criminals, but banks, journalists, dissidents, and foreign governments. With a backdoor inserted into its code, PROMIS was sold globally, giving unprecedented spying power to a hidden transnational elite.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis updated edition\u003c\/strong\u003e of \u003cem\u003eThe Octopus\u003c\/em\u003e by \u003cstrong\u003eKenn Thomas\u003c\/strong\u003e (with original research by the late \u003cstrong\u003eJim Keith\u003c\/strong\u003e) includes newly uncovered links between PROMIS, NSA surveillance infrastructure, the rise of biometric databases, and post-9\/11 domestic spying programs. Casolaro's web of connections--once labeled conspiracy theory--now reads like a blueprint for the modern surveillance state. Readers will trace the tentacles from \u003cstrong\u003eIran-Contra\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eOctober Surprise\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eCIA front companies\u003c\/strong\u003e, to \u003cstrong\u003e9\/11\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003efinancial black ops\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the evolving architecture of \u003cstrong\u003epredictive policing\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eAI-driven intelligence systems\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of \u003cem\u003eThe Men Who Stare at Goats\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePoisoner in Chief\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003ePermanent Record\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Octopus\u003c\/em\u003e is not just a conspiracy book--it's the origin story of our algorithmic dystopia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Feral House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/14\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781627311786\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240","brand":"Kenn Thomas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52259630252213,"sku":"9781627311786","price":24.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_58b8ae69-af4a-4986-9c74-57ff72a122b6.jpg?v=1771342556","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-octopus-a-transnational-tale-of-espionage-and-the-murder-of-danny-casolaro-9781627311786","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}