Why Must Read The Hidden History of Big Brother in America: How the Death of Privacy and the Rise of Surveillance Threaten Us and Our Democr acy (The Thom Hartmann Hidden History Series)?

As a professional software developer and researcher, I have mixed reactions towards this book. On the one hand, it points out very valid concerns and complaints about how Internet technologies intersect with contemporary society, particularly with the political classes. On the other, I found myself repeating over and over to myself, “But that’s just how technology works!” As such, this book is a good conversation starter for an issue that needs broad discussion in America. However, as a source of potential cures, it falls short of even getting the diagnosis precise. Written by a progressive radio host, this book is aimed towards progressives. It routinely takes shots at those on the right (even though it does agree with the validity of some complaints about Big Brother coming from conservatives). It makes the case that Big Data companies (Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc.) need some kind of social accountability. The seeming big event which demonstrated this need was the election of Trump in 2016. It mentions a host of other, more minor events showing abuses on individual privacy. To a software developer, that case seems underwhelming. Just because a technology is involved does not mean that it is to blame. Human agency and reactions to technologies are much more important topics to study. Yes, contemporary technologies collect a lot of data about us. Yes, they can be used towards dangerous ends (like authoritarianism). The public needs a much higher degree of computer literacy in order to understand algorithmic transparency, though, algorithms that rapidly and continually change over time. I’m more surprised by how little technology and data collection have been abused thus far and how well self-regulation is actually working. Hartmann seems like a typical member of the public who just now is waking up to the growth of software that has been happening since the 1980s. He frankly needs to learn more about how software is developed before suggesting helpful regulations. Hartmann’s basic point, however, that widespread discussions about the role of the Internet and data collection in private lives is way overdue. In particular, cleaner, more transparent avenues to consent for data collection are needed, more in line with how consent is obtained for biomedical research. Also, using a concept from the European Union, one should have the right to be left alone if desired. I’m an “early adopter” of technology. As such, I’m willing to take risks with privacy and new technology in order to enhance the eventual outcome for the group. Not every (most?) do not follow that ethic, and that perspective needs to be respected by software’s design itself. This book, for all its fretting about Big Data, seems to lack that level of diagnostic precision – a major shortcoming in an otherwise promising topic.