The Silicon Jungle

by Shumeet Baluja

What happens when a naive intern is granted unfettered access to people's most private thoughts and actions? Stephen Thorpe lands a coveted internship at Ubatoo, an Internet empire that provides its users with popular online services, from a search engine and e-mail, to social networking. When Stephen's boss asks him to work on a project with the American Coalition for Civil Liberties, Stephen innocently obliges, believing he is mining Ubatoo's vast databases to protect people unfairly targeted in the name of national security. But nothing is as it seems. Suspicious individuals surface, doing all they can to access Ubatoo's wealth of confidential information. This need not require technical wizardry--simply knowing how to manipulate a well-intentioned intern may be enough.

" The Silicon Jungle" is a cautionary fictional tale of data mining's promise and peril. Baluja raises ethical questions about contemporary technological innovations, and how minute details can be routinely pieced together into rich profiles that reveal our habits, goals, and secret desires--all ready to be exploited.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Mathematics

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jonathan Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story concept from a former Google employee, though clearly one whose background is technology and not literature. I loved the story itself, which Baluja clearly meant as a wake-up-call to the public in his attempt to be the modern day technology Upton Sinclair - one that is very feasible itself and well stated by this choice quote between interns at the Google-esque company:
²"Everybody just hands us their data. Think anybody would just hand their e-mails over to the NSA? I don't think so. Here, we give people a shiny new phone to use, offer them free phone calls and a half-off coupon for pizza, and that you go. A of a sudden, everyone hands over their information happily."
"About how we should out everyone's medical records online so they can search them? We'll get them integrated before the NSA does. You ask me, the NSA and all these agencies plain did it wrong. They shouldn't have taken any information. They should have just made it enticing enough for people to give it to them - offers a free appetizer at Applebee's or a 10-percent-off coupon on your next grocery bill every month. It wouldn't take much."
"'At least we don't do anything horrible with it. Just show you some ads,' Stephen rationalized. 'True. We don't.' Kohan said, putting a huge emphasis on the 'we.' 'Though, I guess, now Yuri does.'"

Yes, Google proclaims "don't be evil" and yet the amount of pure data that they have at their fingertips allows vast opportunity for corruption. Unlike the NSA (who struggles through discreet means to get even a fraction of the data that Google already has), the engineers here have the skills and ability to be able to analyze and data mine that the NSA hopes one day to be able to do (currently just storage for a rainy day).

Still, I couldn't give this novel more than 3 stars as the writing itself was second rate with minimal character development, not much in terms of the vivid description of environments that you would expect, and poor textual depictions of action scenes. An interesting concept worth a read though that will pique your interest.

[Sri · Rating 5 out of 5]

As background - I enjoy reading books that are recommended by Scientific American - this one caught my eye. Books based on technology and real world issues are my particular favorites (see Brave New World, Freakanomics). This book worked for me.

First and foremost a scientist from Google wrote this book (you should look the author up on Google, in fact). He wrote this book about a fictional company and went to great length to say it is not based on Google - but come on, of course it's Google. It's a side of google and the internet that i had never seen. It's an exciting read that's both cynical and thought provoking. My friends who work in the tech business say that it's the most realistic portrayal of the craziness and start up mentality that they have ever read.

I lent this book to my parents and to my family who don't understand privacy, what the loss of it means, and how it is steadily disappearing. The book is new and relevant enough to be a special on tv and exciting enough to be a blockbuster movie.

Warning, though: the book is easy enough to read, but will require you to think more than your typical thriller. The payoff is more than worth it, in my opinion. If you like realistic thrillers with a heap of technology, enjoy being challenged about what you think you know about the world around you, this is a book for you.

[Summer Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silicon Jungle is not only a fun and compelling thriller, but is also a scary glimpse into the dangers of living our lives online and a fascinating look into the absolutely insane culture of Silicon Valley. The story itself is structured in a nonlinear way which ups the suspense and keeps the reader guessing as to how all of the seemingly disconnected parts come together. The structure of the story is itself an illustration of how data miners put together all the tidbits of our lives and snoop into our most private moments. The author is an expert in this field - a senior researcher at Google. This by itself makes this book a must read - how many opportunities do you get to see inside of such powerful comapnies like Google and experience how they use and manipulate the data about their users? It is a scary and eye-opening examination of privacy invasion in the name of profit, and potentially more dangerous purposes.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book thoroughly convinced that it is a thinly disguised description of what goes on inside Google. I finished the book, believing what the author says - it is a novel. As I got into the book, the suspense built, something that I am not used to because I generally don't read that kind of books. I had a surprisingly good feeling at the end, without the book having a 'they lived happily ever after' ending. There are a lot of things left unresolved - much like real life, the "truth" is not spelled out in black and white. For easy answers, go elsewhere.

The expected or usual themes, of the dangers of technology, abuse of power, etc., are not drummed in. It doesn't even rub in the loss of privacy. The reader is left to form (or not form) his or her own opinions about what privacy means, does it have value, the hazards of technology, the competence (or otherwise) of government, the insanity of working around the clock, etc.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh...thought it might be a fun read, particularly with the NSA scandal currently breaking, but I just couldn't get into it. While "big data" and the amount of personal information we regularly divulge on the internet and other technologies is rich territory for some very terrifying writing, both fiction and non-fiction, Silicon Jungle never quite delivered for me; I wanted a book that would invoke a feeling of dread every time I use google, rather than a general "meh" that led me to skim through to the end.

Unfortunately, this book felt like a disjointed set of themes--the technical excitement of data mining and server capacity; an ode to academia; Islamic self-radicalization; and shadowy government groups--mixed with a budding romance and nerdy interns of questionable ethics. Overall, nothing really cohered for me.

[Dave Handelsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Silicon Jungle. Maybe it's because I've worked at a company that specializes in the kind of advanced analytics that's the focus of the book, or maybe it's because I'm currently involved in a de-identification project at work -- but the storyline really resonated with me.

Anyone that doesn't believe their information is being tracked and integrated and analyzed when they search online, or shop at Amazon, or post messages on Facebook is in for a very big surprise. And if you already believe this is happening, this book does an excellent job -- at a non-technical level -- describing how it happens.

In some ways, it makes me want to change my habits -- but in others, I know it's too late. It's not that Big Brother is watching -- it's that he has been watching for years.

[Hugh Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silicon Jungle is a fascinating thriller inside the data-mining world. He combines his "insiders knowledge" (as a Senior Staff Research Scientist at Google) with a fast moving plot of Stephen Thorpe's life, his "dream" job and his new relationship. His business contacts thrust him into a mysterious world of deception, power and access to sensitive information for noble and/or nefarious purposes.

He engages you with the personal thoughts and feelings of his characters. The ending is spell-binding, disturbing and unexpected.

I recommend this book to all my IT friends. Read it, enjoy it and pass it along.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that "1984"is with us! Instead of regarding Big Brother with fear and loathing, we opened all the doors and invited him in. He is in our homes, our schools, places of business. He works with law enforcement, our Department of Defense, the CIA,our educators on every level. We delight in our computers and they monitor and report on all that we do, draw conclusions, make inferences. Are we doomed? Maybe we are.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scary to think of what information the Googles of this world gather about us based on our internet usage. This book is written by a Google research scientist, and while it is a work of fiction, many of the data mining techniques discussed in the book seem realistic. The story follows an intern at a fictional company as he figures out how to piece together internet searches and emails to make a list of people on government watch lists.

[Amy Broome · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like technical books. I really do. That being said, I was really bored with the technical details, and found myself skimming through the data mining sections. Now, if they'd talked more about the server farms or sexy applications ... (I'm revealing my inner geek).

It's interesting. I would have to agree that we've only really harnessed data to further targeted advertising, and additional applications are really experimental - and sometimes questionable.

[Luigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in the library by accident and it turned out to be a great read, both as an insight into start ups, Silicon Valley and the implications of search giants like Google and the privacy issues being debated re the NSA and other authorities with a mandate to protect us. The amount of information available to all and sundry today is scary enough without thinking about what the search giants are now offered by digital citizens. Recommended reading for everyone today.

[Jacob Peled · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although I am a Technical person. Dealing all day long with Computers, and Communication . I couldn't finish the book. Too long technical descriptions. The story didn't make much sense. There are other books out there. Lots of others. So why waist the time on some book that it seems you spend too much emotional effort to reed it.Gave uo on page 202.

[Gayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this book the 1984 book of our time? Great read. Didn't really want to access anything on the Internet after reading it, though. Definitely some reflective thought about datamining after reading this.

[Amelia Arsenault · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts out strong. I was hoping it would delve mire deeply into issues of privacy and corporate power. However, it devolves into a standard issue shallow thriller with too many plot diversions.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entirely believable account of how massive data centers aggregate personal information and the brilliant and intuitive engineers who collate content. The ultimate power of commerce and futile inadequacies of government to harvest knowledge

[Shelby]

loved it

[Nino Uziel]

It is a scary notion to think that this such a thing can actually happen.

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat disjointed, but an interesting look at the privacy implications of big data.