Shortform Books

Edward Snowden, XKEYSCORE, and Government Surveillance

What is XKEYSCORE and how is it used? How did Edward Snowden verify that the government was conducting mass surveillance? How did Snowden, XKEYSCORE, NSA, and privacy rights all come together to lead to whistleblowing? Used at one point by Edward Snowden, XKEYSCORE is a mass surveillance technology. The NSA can use this technology to see what any person has done on the internet. Read about Snowden, XKEYSCORE use at the NSA, and how this pushed Snowden towards blowing the whistle.

The Full Edward Snowden Timeline: Birth to NSA Leak

What are the major events in Edward Snowden’s life? What does the Edward Snowden timeline cover? When did he enter his career and then become a leaker? The Edward Snowden timeline covers key events that shaped the future whistleblower. It also covers timing of his discovery and eventual leaking of government documents. Learn more about the key events in this Edward Snowden timeline.

Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden & Covert Journalism

Who are Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Ewen MacAskill? What was the conversation between Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden, and Laura Poitras? What did each journalist do in breaking the story of mass surveillance? Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden, and Ewen MacAskill spoke at the Mira Hotel in Hong Kong. Laura Poitras filmed the conversation. Read more about Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden, and the how the story broke.

HeLa Cell Cultures: Controversies With HeLa Cancer Cells

What happened to the tissue that was taken from Henrietta Lacks? How were HeLa cell cultures used? Have HeLa cancer cells been used for controversial research? HeLa cell cultures use the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta’s cancer cells have been used in unethical research. The cells have also been found in many cell cultures. Learn more about HeLa cells, research, and contamination of cell cultures.

Radium Treatment: A Painful Procedure for Henrietta Lacks

How was Henrietta Lacks treated once she got her cancer diagnosis? Does radium treatment work? What were the radium side effects she suffered? Radium treatment was once the gold standard for cancer treatment. It was later discovered to cause cancer itself. Henrietta Lacks was subjected to the painful procedure. Learn more about radium treatment and radium side effects.

What Did Enron Do Wrong? 4 Reasons They Failed

What did Enron do wrong, and what do Enron do that was illegal? And why does it still matter now? You may have heard of Enron, a company that went bankrupt in 2001. But what did Enron do wrong? Amongst other things, Enron’s bad business practices, including dishonest accounting, led to its downfall. Learn the answer to the question “what did Enron do wrong” below.

Rebecca Mark and Enron: A Career That Collapsed

Who was Rebecca Mark at Enron, and what was her role in the Enron collapse? Rebecca Mark of Enron was in charge of Enron International. Alongside other Enron executives, Rebecca Mark, Enron exec, often ran troubled projects with overexaggerated profits, and contributed to the financial collapse at Enron.

Edward Snowden: Education Through Practical Training

Where did Edward Snowden go to school? What was the Edward Snowden education background that led to his career in intelligence and technology? What was Snowden training to become? Edward Snowden learned many of his technological skills from experience instead of formal education. For Edward Snowden, education was a targeted endeavor. Learn about Edward Snowden–education, background, and how it set him up for his career.

HeLa Cells and Polio Vaccination: The First Big Use of HeLa

How did Dr. Jonas Salk develop the polio vaccine? How did HeLa cells and polio get combined? Without HeLa cells, polio would still be around. Dr. Jonas Salk is the creator of the polio vaccine. He used HeLa cells and polio vaccines that were administered to 2 million children. This resulted in the first big scientific development using HeLa. Learn more about HeLa cells and polio, Dr. Jonas Salk’s research, and the impact of HeLa.

Edward Snowden: Privacy Doesn’t Exist in Digital Age

What does Edward Snowden think of privacy? Is it something you can protect with the right measures? Does Snowden think that privacy is unattainable and you should just accept that you’re being spied on? For Edward Snowden, privacy was the motivation for blowing the whistle. Snowden saw mass surveillance to be an unconstitutional violation of privacy. Learn more about Snowden, privacy protections he would recommend, and the risks you’re facing in the digital age.