In 2007, respected and influential Canadian sci-fi author William Gibson published Spook Country, a novel that underscores the byproducts of living in a highly-networked and globalized post-9/11 world of surveillance, fear and high-level horse trading exemplified by stranger-than-fiction occurrences such as the WikiLeaks affair and the Anonymous collective.

Costa Rica is an important geographical backdrop in the globe-trotting Spook Country. In the novel, a writer for Node Magazine -who was once a darling of the indie rock scene- is sent to work on an investigative journalism piece about invisible art that is displayed in public places, but that can only be seen with special virtual reality optics. The person responsible for this innovative art project is also involved in a plausibly sinister data-smuggling operation that calls for encrypted data disguised as mp3 files stored in an iPod. The mysterious iPods are smuggled through San Jose, a place described as having “quite a community of retired CIA and DEA people.”

The pre-release marketing of Spook Country was an innovative affair that launched Node Magazine, an online journal that also exists in Gibson’s novels. Prior to Spook Country’s publication, Node Magazine revealed San Jose as a clandestine location, complete with pictures of the hotels where cloak-and-dagger meetings took place. Fans of Gibson’s work visited Costa Rica to learn more about the country and to have fun sending out secret postcards with evidence of the smuggled iPods.

Spook Country plays on themes of politics, espionage, digital dissidents, surveillance, and other unfortunate aspects of modern life. For being a sci-fi thriller, Spook Country is not too far-removed from the quotidian reality of Costa Rica. Here’s a look at some of the themes covered in Gibson’s novel that have transpired in our country:

Covert Intelligence Operations

A diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks shed light into a shadowy operation ostensibly named CINEC, which was allegedly financed by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and authorized by former president Jose Maria Figueres in the mid-1990s. La Nacion discovered allegations about the existence of the hush-hush op when it approached former Security Minister Rogelio Ramos and ex Chief of Intelligence Roberto Solorzano. Both former officials told the newspaper that the CIA had provided funding for a surveillance operation for which agents had to undergo polygraph testing and perhaps even learn secret handshakes.

The purpose of CINEC is befittingly unknown. It has something to do with the Direccion de Inteligencia and Seguridad (DIS), which is an entity in charge of protecting our President and doing other stuff no one knows about. Some people have speculated that the DIS is mostly in charge of suppressing Facebook wall posts critical of the government, which would be feeble considering the constant criticism and satire the government endures from radio and television. The DIS is hardly the only government organization that Ticos are in the dark about, which is why Costa Rica is joining the Open Government Partnership -to ensure greater transparency in an era of Spook Countries.

For older Ticos, CINEC brought memories of the Cold War era when Nicaragua was the stage for a proxy war between the old Soviet Union and the United States. Some were reminded of the plot of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The administration issued the usual denials and retractions that are customary in these situations, but for many Ticos CINEC was a sobering reminder of the Brave New World we live in, where even a peaceful country without an army must keep secrets.

Data Smuggling and Sneaker Nets

Two years before the release of Spook Country, a case study by the World Resources Institute entitled “What Works: First Mile Solutions, DakNet Takes Rural Communities Online”, outlined the work of a sneakernet in Costa Rica. A sneakernet is concept whereby data is physically transported to remote rural communities who lack Internet access. The tech company First Mile Solutions tested DakNet (dak means mail in the Hindi language) in Costa Rica and other countries by transporting data contained in USB devices. The idea was to fit villages with computers equipped with offline browsers that allowed users to record voice messages, compose emails, and request information over a local wireless network.

The information was stored in a special device carried by truck drivers transporting coffee beans or motorcycle couriers. When the driver came in range of a 3G signal, the USB device would transmit and receive the information necessary, which in turn would be delivered wirelessly by the truck driver when he was back within range of the village. This DakNet (not to be confused with a darknet) was successfully deployed in the Dota Valley thanks to the help of CoopeSantos and CoopeDota.

The data smuggling operation in Spook Country is essentially a clandestine sneakernet, one that guarantees a very high and secure rate of bandwidth since the amount of data transported is only limited by how much the courier can carry.

Encoding and Concealing Data Files

A courier in a sneakernet is exposed to the dangers of the non-digital world, such as thieves and others in the spook community who may want to get their hands on valuable data. In Spook Country, the mysterious and sensitive data is hidden within seemingly innocuous mp3 files within an iPod. The idea is to throw off thieves who are specifically looking for something that at first sight is not there.

Hiding a file within another one is more an act of deception that security. It would be safer to protect sensitive data with passwords or encryption, but for those who would like to encode files within other files that appear to be -for example- innocent photos or graphics, the process is very simple. On Windows computers, it’s just a matter of compressing and packing the sensitive file and combining it with a JPEG. The step-by-step directions are easy to follow, and the person hiding the file can add an extra layer of protection by using an application such as WinRAR to protect the file with a password. In this manner, a secret file can be safely transported in just about any mobile device, especially in one that no one would suspect of carrying sensitive information -such as the ubiquitous Nokia 2730 Classic.