The Hidden History of Big Brother in America by Thom Hartmann — A Review

Companies like Facebook-Meta and Google are under increasing scrutiny as we have come to realize that our personal information and browsing habits are the highly profitable product that they are selling. In his book “The Hidden History of Big Brother in America”, radio host and best-selling author Thom Hartmann shows us how the consequences of Big Data are far more extensive than we imagined. His thought-provoking expose details the history of “privacy” and the endgame for Government and Big Business, highlighting the urgency of guarding our information.

After a compelling introduction, this short 4-part book moves through the evolution of the meaning of privacy, the use of personal information for social control, the emergence of so-called surveillance capitalism and the unsettling rise and implications of global cyberwar. Somehow the final section — a call to arms to fight the nefarious uses of private information by Big Tech and Governments — seemed a bit impotent compared to the threats that face us.

Our assumed right to privacy is not explicitly guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution; while the Fourth Amendment assures personal freedom and protects against unreasonable searches, it never uses the word “privacy.” At the time of the Founding Fathers, privacy had a completely different meaning, referring to things done in secret. Asking for privacy in those days meant that you needed to use the toilet, hence the name “privies.” We’ve come a long way, both in plumbing and in personal rights. <continue reading>