Shane Harris (1)

A good introduction of the present realities of the Internet, posing considerations for where we take a technology which, after only 20 years, has become a integral part of our lives. If we continue to remain ignorant of the dangers posed to us, and the depth to which the military and governments have become involved, we have no one to blame but ourselves for shoving our heads in the sand. Snowden was our wake up call.

The book closes with the following: "Only an alert and knowledgeable show more citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

We shouldn't abdicate our responsibility to keep government overreach in check, despite promises of protecting the 'greater good'. Unfortunately, the government is deeply entrenched; removing them from the net is as likely as revoking a tax once imposed. Private industry will have powerful sway in balancing government abuse and invasion of personal privacy, unless they take the lazy route and collaborate for perks, like easy sales and kickbacks. show less

An impressive work of journalism, Harris weaves an extremely readable narrative out of the twisted and shadowy maze of cyber espionage and offensive cyber operations. Along the way, he strikes a generally balanced and moderate tone. A strong and accessible overview of the past 15 years of cyber.

Solid overview of security issues at the intersection of government and the Internet

Overall, a great overview of government policies (what events went into making them, what the agendas and goals were) as they relate to the Internet and cyber security. Both solid historical data and good analyses.

A well-researched book chronicling increasing surveillance in the U.S. Scary topic, so why does it often feel like a slog getting through the book? The debate between privacy and national security is intriguing, but the author spends a little too much time giving background on the players' careers.