Author James Bamford will discuss his book “The Shadow Factory,” which examines the National Security Agency’s response to surveillance within the United States post 9/11, as part of The Common Ground Reading Initiative program.
The program requires freshmen within the College of Liberal Arts to read a selected book during the summer and then attend a seminar featuring the work’s author.
Steven Oberhelman, interim associate dean for undergraduate programs, oversees the Common Ground Reading Initiative program and said “The Shadow Factory” was chosen this year for the timely topics it addresses.
“When I was deciding what book to choose for the Common Ground back in January, I thought that perhaps the incoming freshmen would like to have discussions on civil liberties, terrorism, privacy rights, possible overstepping of government, backdoor programs in certain apps and the eavesdropping of their phones and computers,” Oberhelman said.
Those who attend Bamford’s lecture have the opportunity to directly ask the author questions about the book.
“I think they will have a wonderful opportunity to hear from the person who first brought to the attention of the American people the existence and workings of the National Security Agency,” Oberhelman said.
Bamford’s lecture is open to all students and will take place at 7 p.m. Monday at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.