The People vs Tech: How the Internet Is Killing Democracy (and How We Save It)
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The People vs Tech: How the Internet Is Killing Democracy (and How We Save It) Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jamie Bartlett (Author), Sandro Monetti (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 379 ratings
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In the ongoing waves of the Facebook scandal, this is the book that explains all the dangers of the digital revolution, and how our mountains of personal cyberdata are being mined by everyone from our own governments and political parties to big business to exploit our trust and threaten our freedom.

The Internet was meant to set us free. But have we unwittingly handed too much away to shadowy powers behind a wall of code, all manipulated by a handful of Silicon Valley utopians, ad men, and venture capitalists? And, in light of recent data breach scandals around companies like Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, what does that mean for democracy, our delicately balanced system of government that was created long before big data, total information, and artificial intelligence? In this urgent polemic, Jamie Bartlett argues that through our unquestioning embrace of big tech, the building blocks of democracy are slowly being removed. The middle class is being eroded, sovereign authority and civil society are weakened, and we citizens are losing our critical faculties, maybe even our free will.

The People vs Tech is an enthralling account of how our fragile political system is being threatened by the digital revolution. Bartlett explains that by upholding six key pillars of democracy, we can save it before it is too late. We need to become active citizens, uphold a shared democratic culture, protect free elections, promote equality, safeguard competitive and civic freedoms, and trust in a sovereign authority. This essential book shows that the stakes couldn't be higher and that, unless we radically alter our course, democracy will join feudalism, supreme monarchies, and communism as just another political experiment that quietly disappeared.

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  1. Listening Length
    5 hours and 5 minutes
  2. Author
    Jamie Bartlett
  3. Narrator
    Sandro Monetti
  4. Audible release date
    April 6, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B07BVZCC6W
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 5 hours and 5 minutes
Author Jamie Bartlett
Narrator Sandro Monetti
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 06, 2018
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07BVZCC6W
Best Sellers Rank #375,661 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#356 in Computer Security & Encryption (Audible Books & Originals)
#358 in Democracy (Audible Books & Originals)
#817 in E-Commerce (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
379 global ratings
How hi tech is overthrowing the current order of things
5 Stars
How hi tech is overthrowing the current order of things
Zuckerberg was soooo sorry people misused Facebook to elect the least qualified person in history to the presidency. Oops. He'll do better. Promise. It's really all about those bad guys at Cambridge Analytical stealing data and handing it to the Russians, right?Wrong. The Facebook team actively participated in the blizzard of micro-targeted ake news. Full-time employees of Facebook sat across the table in the Project Alamo war room with Cambridge Analytica and senior officials of the Republican party. In effect, they accomplished the first coup of the cyberwar era. Of course, the Russians were totally on board - specifically benefitting from the mass of personal data "leaked" (across the table) to Cambridge Analytica. It remains to be seen how active their participation was and who will go to prison for it. Zuckerberg himself is not in the clear.Russia did it to sew discord in America. Facebook did it for money.The inside story of Project Alamo is just one insight from this amazing little book. There is a war on. Ordinary citizens and our ability to govern ourselves are under attack. Jamie Bartlett shows a unique combination of deep technical knowledge, unparalleled access to the dark side of the Internet and a philosopher's view of the big picture.It's a "must read".
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Top reviews from the United States

Avid reader
5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
I've known for quite awhile that gerrymandering and big political contributions disenfranchise U.S. citizens from our democracy. This book describes a new threat - the increasingly pervasive influence of digital information on society. This book explains many things currently observed around us - the loss of trust in government, the fragmentation of society and the manipulation of opinion and elections via social media.

There's a nice section on Cambridge Analytica, describing how targeted advertising has been redirected to influence close elections (e.g. Brexit and the 2016 U.S. presidential election).

This is a forward looking, somewhat scary look at our choice between a utopian or dystopian future. It's very educational and well worth the $2.99 cost on Kindle.
2 people found this helpful
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andrew cohen
4.0 out of 5 stars Challenges Your Thinking
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2018
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Insightful. Forward thinking. Tackles truly important issues. Doesn’t sugar coat the truth. This review was not composed by a chatbot!
One person found this helpful
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David L. Parnell
5.0 out of 5 stars Daily headlines support the author's reasoning and observations...
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Intriguing perspective and the daily headlines of major social media platforms appear to be confirming the author's arguments!
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CHARLES E B
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
Great read
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James M Pressley
3.0 out of 5 stars So far, tech seems to be winning....
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
The short answer is to take on more individual responsibility as informed citizens. Which means we're probably doomed.

Bartlett paints a fairly bleak portrait of a world that may already be at the mercy of big data and the titans who control it. Although the book is a quick read, there is ample information of interest--especially regarding the role of data in the most recent national elections.

The book falls a little short in terms of offering practical solutions, but it offers enough insight to make it worth reading as part of a larger corpus of work on the subject.
2 people found this helpful
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drmartinaf
4.0 out of 5 stars An entry level book for people who want to learn about tech vs politics.
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2018
This book is a summary of the recent news, research, non-fiction bestsellers and popular science relating to tech, in a political context. The author tries hard to maintain objectivity, but he ends up sitting on the fence and stating the non-offensive obvious rather than creating new insights. Perhaps, there is a certain irony in that: serious journalism doesn’t hit as hard as divisive tripe we’ve gotten used to on social media. As a medic, I found his view that AI is imminently coming to healthcare's front line a little bit naive.
One person found this helpful
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MIBALLZITCH
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2018
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Thought Provoking.
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Chillyfinger
5.0 out of 5 stars How hi tech is overthrowing the current order of things
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2018
Zuckerberg was soooo sorry people misused Facebook to elect the least qualified person in history to the presidency. Oops. He'll do better. Promise. It's really all about those bad guys at Cambridge Analytical stealing data and handing it to the Russians, right?

Wrong. The Facebook team actively participated in the blizzard of micro-targeted ake news. Full-time employees of Facebook sat across the table in the Project Alamo war room with Cambridge Analytica and senior officials of the Republican party. In effect, they accomplished the first coup of the cyberwar era. Of course, the Russians were totally on board - specifically benefitting from the mass of personal data "leaked" (across the table) to Cambridge Analytica. It remains to be seen how active their participation was and who will go to prison for it. Zuckerberg himself is not in the clear.

Russia did it to sew discord in America. Facebook did it for money.

The inside story of Project Alamo is just one insight from this amazing little book. There is a war on. Ordinary citizens and our ability to govern ourselves are under attack. Jamie Bartlett shows a unique combination of deep technical knowledge, unparalleled access to the dark side of the Internet and a philosopher's view of the big picture.

It's a "must read".
Customer image
Chillyfinger
5.0 out of 5 stars How hi tech is overthrowing the current order of things
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2018
Zuckerberg was soooo sorry people misused Facebook to elect the least qualified person in history to the presidency. Oops. He'll do better. Promise. It's really all about those bad guys at Cambridge Analytical stealing data and handing it to the Russians, right?

Wrong. The Facebook team actively participated in the blizzard of micro-targeted ake news. Full-time employees of Facebook sat across the table in the Project Alamo war room with Cambridge Analytica and senior officials of the Republican party. In effect, they accomplished the first coup of the cyberwar era. Of course, the Russians were totally on board - specifically benefitting from the mass of personal data "leaked" (across the table) to Cambridge Analytica. It remains to be seen how active their participation was and who will go to prison for it. Zuckerberg himself is not in the clear.

Russia did it to sew discord in America. Facebook did it for money.

The inside story of Project Alamo is just one insight from this amazing little book. There is a war on. Ordinary citizens and our ability to govern ourselves are under attack. Jamie Bartlett shows a unique combination of deep technical knowledge, unparalleled access to the dark side of the Internet and a philosopher's view of the big picture.

It's a "must read".
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One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Manfred
5.0 out of 5 stars The people versus tech
Reviewed in Germany on March 12, 2022
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Sehr informativ
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Ivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro
Reviewed in Spain on August 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
Un libro que explica perfectamente los peligros que las nuevas tecnologias suponen para las democracias actuales.
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Chillyfinger
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank Facebook for Trump
Reviewed in Canada on December 12, 2018
Verified Purchase
Project Alamo placed top Facebook experts in the Trump campaign control room -- full time. Facebook has tried to paint itself as being surprised by Russian use of its platform. In fact, Facebook worked directly with "fake news" suppliers, providing sophisticated targetting information. They did it for the money. Facebook knew at the time who was paying for the fake news campaign to put Trump in the White House. The intent of these ads was clear. Collusion with foreign sources to influence an election is, to the very least, a scandal that should hang around the neck of Facebook management. Maybe it was illegal. Maybe it was treason.

The book is worth reading just for this account.
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Adv Ashish Swar
5.0 out of 5 stars Indians should read this .
Reviewed in India on August 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is a brilliant book . Around the world , we could see Democratic states being turned to a totalitarian states. Technology and Social Media have destroyed Democratic Values and Culture . People tend to believe what they see on internet without verifying . This is dangerous. Another thing is that , it’s unsafe to share private information on social media . Can we really trust them ?
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Adv Ashish Swar
5.0 out of 5 stars Indians should read this .
Reviewed in India on August 17, 2020
This is a brilliant book . Around the world , we could see Democratic states being turned to a totalitarian states. Technology and Social Media have destroyed Democratic Values and Culture . People tend to believe what they see on internet without verifying . This is dangerous. Another thing is that , it’s unsafe to share private information on social media . Can we really trust them ?
Images in this review
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2 people found this helpful
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Craig Prescott
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, and timely book. I practically read it in one sitting.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
The People vs Tech is an excellent and pacy read.

The great thing about the book is its skilful combination of the worlds of politics and technology. Historically, the two have been separate. Yet, in recent years, we've seen how Facebook and Google, have moved from being an advertisers dream to becoming a key tool for political campaigns. This is what Trump used to spectacular effect (with the help of Cambridge Analytica).

This book explains all this in a way that everyone can understand, but then looks at the near future. It highlights how, if current trends continue, then there is a fundamental challenge for politics as we understand it, and society in general. All in less than 250 pages.

The picture painted is one of messages appealing to our basest nature, micro targeted to specific voters, destroying (if it isn't already) the common debate that’s necessary for the debate and compromise inherent in representative democracy. When this is combined with AI and robotics, the disappearing middle class, whose jobs are taken may seek refuge in totalitarian regimes who propose simple answers to complex questions. Yet, just when the government is needed to intervene to combat the might of the largest technology companies, their ability is hampered by the difficulties of raising revenue as much economic activity takes place outside of the supervision of the government through technologies such as cyptocurrencies. Essentially, our political system, the core features of which were forged during the industrial revolution, is not designed for the technological revolution that is coming our way.

Arguably, the one weakness are the 20 recommendations to "save democracy" listed at the end. Faced with the scale of potential challenge, they appear to be quite weak.

Yet, if Bartlett is right, then this is a challenge which faces us all, and will take some hard thinking to resolve.

I've heard that Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (whose domain all this is within government) has been reading this book. That's an extremely wise move by Mr Hancock.
9 people found this helpful
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