The Hidden History Of Big Brother In America: How The Death Of Privacy And The Rise Of Surveillance Threaten Us And Our Democracy

Description

America's most popular progressive radio host and New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann reveals how the government and corporate America misuse our personal data and shows how we can reclaim our privacy.America's most popular progressive radio host and New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann reveals how the government and corporate America misuse our personal data and shows how we can reclaim our privacy. Most Americans are worried about how companies like Facebook invade their privacy and harvest their data, but many people don't fully understand the details of how their information is being adapted and misused. In this thought-provoking and accessible book, Thom Hartmann reveals exactly how the government and corporations are tracking our every online move and using our data to buy elections, employ social control, and monetize our lives. Hartmann uses extensive, vivid examples to highlight the consequences of Big Data on all aspects of our lives. He traces the history of surveillance and social control, looking back to how Big Brother invented whiteness to keep order and how surveillance began to be employed as a way to modify behavior. As he "states, The goal of those who violate privacy and use surveillance is almost always social control and behavior modification". Along with covering the history, Hartmann shows how we got to where we are today, how China-with its new Social Credit System-serves as a warning, and how we can and must avoid a similarly dystopian future. By delving into the Constitutional right to privacy, Hartmann reminds us of our civil right and shows how we can restore it. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents INTRODUCTION: THE BIG PICTURE OF SOCIAL CONTROL VS. DEMOCRACY PART ONE: BIG BROTHER AND SOCIAL CONTROL Big Brother and the Puritans Big Brother in the Slave Trade Big Brother Invents “Whiteness” to Keep Power Frederick Douglass: Mental Emancipation Leads to Social Emancipation Why the Founders Didn’t Explicitly Protect Our Privacy Privacy Evolves in US Law Surveillance and Social Control in East Germany US Federal and State Big Brothers Democracy Requires Trust; Authoritarianism Requires Fear PART TWO: BIG BROTHER AND THE EMERGENCE OF SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM The Surveillance Industry Is Booming Big Brother Goes Commercial Commercial Big Brother: So, You Want to Rent an Apartment? Commercial Big Brother: So, You’re Looking for a Job? Commercial Big Brother: So, You Want to Return a Product You Bought? Commercial Big Brother: So, You Want to Call Customer Service? Commercial Big Brother: So, You Want to Shop for the Best Deal? The Bottom Line? Your Life Is Profitable Surveillance and Social Control: We Change When We’re Watched Social Control and Social Cooling Big Data: Surveillance Monopolists PART THREE: BIG BROTHER AND THE REAL GLOBAL INFO WARS Privacy, Cybersecurity, National Security, and the Future of Warfare How Trump Undermined Our Cybersecurity When Big Brother’s Marketing Is Concentrated to Lethal Levels When Big Brother Trades Your Privacy for Its Own Power and Security Are We Living with de Tocqueville’s Kinder and Gentler Big Brother? The Trump Era: A High-Water Mark of Big Brother Lies for Social Control Beyond Elections: Big Brother in Social Media Can Kill PART FOUR: PUTTING THE REINS ON SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM Software or Spyware? Biometrics The “Right to Be Forgotten” YouTube, Facebook, and Porn: Regulate Social Media How Much Big Brother Will Modern People Tolerate? The Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act of 2021 Are We Doomed to Live under Big Brother’s Watchful Eye? Notes Acknowledgments Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z About the Author